► New 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan SUV tested
► Takes on the Ford Kuga and Renault Kadjar
► Not trying too hard, but crisp and modern
The outgoing Tiguan is so comprehensively anonymous that you might not believe it’s VW UK’s third best-selling model after Golf and Polo. But look keenly and they’re everywhere, making friends and influencing people by virtue of the magic combination that is our apparently relentless appetite for SUVs and the Volkswagen brand image.
Not even Dieselgate could dent this appeal, as the outgoing model had its best ever sales year in 2015 – an unprecedented testament to the public’s demand for such a beast, almost regardless of its base mediocrity in the face of capable rivals such as Kuga and CX-5, let alone the ever onwards march of crossovers such as Qashqai and Kadjar (though presumably a few end-of-season deals also helped).
Lest you’re concerned I’m alone in this accusatory damning with the faintest outline of praise, it seems Volkswagen itself is so desperate to imbue the all-new Tiguan with something – anything – more than middle-of-the-road ambivalence that for the launch it’s brought us to what is reputedly Europe’s largest outdoor BMX and skate centre, Mellowpark in Berlin.
I say reputedly, because VW also appears to have levelled a large area of it in order to cook up one of those safely-does-it off-road courses to show off the Tiguan’s ‘Outdoor pack’ bumper option and axle articulation chops. Not to mention the crane-assisted, building-sized corporate graffiti mural commissioned as a work-in-progress spectacle for us all. Ever wondered what it looks like when a carmaker is trying too hard?
This is doubly a shame, for in engineering the entire escapade around this Mellowpark expense, VW also largely confined the Tiguan to urban and suburban driving routes, which singularly fail to conjure up any opportunity to significantly test the claim of improved dynamics courtesy of the newly adopted MQB platform. The first VW Group SUV to use the same undercrackers as Golf Mk7 et al, this holds the ever tantalising promise of greater strength, safety and high-tech kit in combination with less weight.
But there’s nary an interesting corner in sight, even deviating as much as possible from the prescribed guidance in the available timeframe. Want an extra layer of irony on top? Alongside the expected eco app-tivities embedded within the new infotainment system, if you press the right combination of buttons you’ll discover new Tiguan is equipped with a lap timer.
I did ask. And was reminded that VW is the people’s car company – so has adopted a policy of giving everything to everybody. I guess you’d like to think so, too, given the list prices.
Anyway, on to the good stuff. Pretty handsome, the new Tig, in a pixelated, facelifted-in-Minecraft kind of way that doesn’t obviously expose the extended dimensions. Both passenger and luggage space is usefully boosted, you sit slightly higher than before on newly enhanced seats and you’re faced with far fewer air vents – making room for a comfortingly familiar modern VW interior design that includes such (optional) perks as the all-digital dial cluster and a whole roster of standard safety equipment. Some of the control logic seems unnecessarily abstruse, but owners should figure it out. Given time they might also come to overlook the cheaper plastics notable around the lower reaches of the cabin.
The extended engine range covers all bases from smaller turbo petrols to storming turbodiesels, soon to be topped by the 237bhp BiTurbo TDI. With this unavailable to try we’d opt for the 187bhp 2.0 diesel if funds permit, though the 148bhp version is perfectly adept if they don’t; old Tiguan had a surprisingly large 75% all-wheel-drive take up, but unless you live in an area with those really high pavements this does seem unnecessarily juicy.
And while the optional three-stage adaptive suspension now serves up far greater differentiation between its Comfort, Normal and Sport settings, there’s little about the handling that suggests you should start throwing the Tiguan around like a GTI. Steering weighting and response is charmingly suave but lacks real depth of character; details like consistency of pedal feel aren’t as good as they are in a Ford, particularly with the manual gearbox, and the DSG seems crotchety in this application.
So, it’s a better car than the old one in a predictably 2016 VW way. I’ve checked my mind, and it isn’t blown – but that magic combo of VW and SUV will doubtless keep the buyers rolling in. Presumably on BMXs and skateboards.
The specs: VW Tiguan SEL 2.0 TDI 150 4Motion DSG
Price: £32,780
Engine: 1968cc turbodiesel 4-cyl, 148bhp @ 3500-4000rpm, 236lb ft @ 1750-3000rpm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Performance: 9.3sec 0-62mph, 124mph, 50.4mpg, 149g/km CO2
Weight: 1673kg
On sale: Now
Love – Fresh face, loads of space, stacks of tech
Hate – Details don’t feel finessed
Verdict – A better car, but the game remains unchanged
Rating – ***
Up against
Better than: Toyota RAV4 – Not a bad car but so bland it’s invisible
Worse than: Kia Sportage – Needs a giant paper bag but great value
We’d buy: BMW X1 – Baby Bavarian gets it right this time
Read more from the June 2016 issue of CAR magazine