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New Volkswagen Tiguan is right on track

Friday, 04 April 2008

Appropriately enough in this Olympic year Volkswagen has come up with a version of their new Tiguan which they call ‘Track and Field’.
Basically this model has four-wheel drive and a modified front giving it a better angle of approach to obstacles.
However, if it’s city driving that you are after you can have the Tiguan Trend and Fun‚ or Sport and Style models, which have slightly different fronts.
A few months back I spent a few days in the 1.4 TSI Sport, but last week’s drive was in the 2.0 Track and Field diesel. It includes an off-road button which gives you hill descent assist and ABS adjusted to suit loose ground.
My abiding memory of the Tiguan, which has been described as mini Touareg, was the high driving position. I love SUVs and the Tiguan was right up there with the best of them as regards driving position and visibility.
Once you sit in you automatically get a relaxed feeling. You know that from your vantage point in the cabin you will have a good view of other motorists and everything that’s happening around you. You are seated so high that a sunroof would seem natural, but then I suppose that would add to the price.

And everything around you looks really bright, thanks to a very attractive cream and black interior. The cream really gives the interior décor a lift and was a pleasant change after weeks of solid black interiors. It was a beautiful colour, but may be difficult to keep clean after a few months or years.
My colleagues slag me when I mention the radio/CD in these reviews. Of course there are more important items in a car than a radio/CD. But as we spent so much time commuting in our cars entertainment is vital.
Boy, did I love the radio controls in the Tiguan which are similar to the Golf. You will feel like a disc jockey when choosing from the range of stations which are named in front of you on the dash. And there are slave controls on the steering wheel.
The only thing I didn’t really like was the mini handbrake. After a while you learn that you leave your foot on the break to release it. I suppose it’s a space saver, but I think I prefer my handbrakes to be of the conventional type.
Speaking of brakes you just need to touch the brake to stop. The brakes were really powerful and would as the old saying goes “tie you to the road”. It reminded me of a few times when my head came in contact with the windscreen when I sat into an automatic car and hit the brake with my left leg, thinking it was the clutch. And of course that long accelerator pedal is synonymous with VW.
The boot is average size and you can get extra space by leaving down the back seat, but it’s not entirely flat. There are plenty of cubby holes to store pens, books, CDs etc.
Overall it handled everything I asked of it very well and was one of the neatest SUVs I have driven in recent years. It’s so neat it could well be described as discreet.
Prices for the 1.4 petrol start at e38,070, while the 2.0 diesel starts at e41,260. The name for the new motor was chosen by readers of Auto Bild magazine and is a combination of the words Tiger and Iguana.

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