Volkswagen Tiguan - how does it differ from competitors?
We compared the Tiguan we've been testing over the past few months with the competition. We compared it to the Subaru Forester XT for power and driving pleasure, the Nissan X-Trail for off-road performance, and the Mazda CX-5 for design and build quality. How did Volkswagen perform in this clash?
The SUV class is currently the fastest growing segment in the world. Cars of this type are most popular in North America and China - however, this does not interfere with the growth of sales in the Old Continent. So far, drivers who have bought middle-class cars (especially station wagons) are increasingly willing to change to taller and more versatile SUVs. The main arguments have been the same for years: a higher seating position, four-wheel drive, much higher ground clearance, trunks that often exceed five hundred liters and ... fashion. You probably remember how a few years ago a lot of tall, mostly white cars suddenly appeared on the streets. Interestingly, malicious assumptions that, despite the possibility of a comfortable ride on paved roads, more than 90% of SUVs have never left the pavement, thereby undermine the point of buying such cars.
But customers know what they want, and the annual growth in sales in this segment makes it clear to manufacturers in which direction their lineups should move. Everyone, indeed everyone, has (or will have) at least one SUV for sale - even brands that no one knew about. Ten years ago, who would have believed the newly announced SUVs and crossovers from brands like Lamborghini, Ferrari and Rolls Royce? There are brands that are even planning to completely eliminate “non-raised” models from their offer, including Citroën and Mitsubishi. This trend is unlikely to be stopped, although, of course, not all motorists are satisfied with this turn of events.
Volkswagen has begun its offensive in the SUV and crossover segments very cautiously. The first Tiguan was released in 2007 - it was not a breakthrough project compared to competitors. It did not bribe with a sophisticated design (like Volkswagen ...), did not offer more space than models of other brands - it was distinguished by the quality of workmanship and fitting of interior elements typical of the Wolfsburg manufacturer, and most of all the fans of the brand had a VW SUV.
After more than 7 years of continuous sales of the first generation, the time has come for a new design, which is still offered today. The second generation Tiguan clearly shows that the engineers and designers realized how important it is to refine a car in this segment, and that they did a good job on their homework. The exterior of the second generation is noticeably more expressive than its predecessor, and with the R-Line package it attracts attention with sporty accents. In the cabin, especially in the top-end configuration, there is a touch of Premium class - the materials are really high-quality, the plastic is soft and well-chosen - this is what Volkswagen is famous for.
In the field, the Tiguan shows what it can do - in off-road mode, the car mainly overcomes steep climbs and descents, unloading the driver as much as possible. Despite the lack of suspension height adjustment, decent approach and exit angles allow you to make some pretty bold moves even on rocky, mountainous trails. The range of engines is quite extensive: the base Tiguan comes with a 1.4 TSI engine with 125 hp. and a drive on one axis, and the most powerful versions of the engines are two-liter units with a DSG automatic: 240-horsepower diesel or 220-horsepower gasoline - of course with a 4MOTION drive. The trunk, according to the manufacturer, holds 615 liters, which is a worthy result - this is a particularly important parameter in SUVs. Soon, an extended version of the Allspace will appear on the roads - with a wheelbase extended by 109 mm and a body by 215 mm, and there will be room for an additional row of seats in the trunk.
The Tiguan looks like a complete offering, but how does it compare to the competition? We'll compare it across multiple dimensions: power and driving pleasure with the Subaru Forester XT, off-road performance with the Nissan X-Trail, and design and ride with the Mazda CX-5.
Faster, sooner
When we dream of dynamic driving and look for sporty sensations in a car, an SUV is not the first association for us. Of course, when you look at players like the Audi SQ7, BMW X6 M or Mercedes GLE 63 AMG, there are no illusions - these cars are real pursuers. High performance, unfortunately, is associated with the astronomical amounts that must be left with the dealer in order to become the owner of one of the above vehicles. However, there are those for whom a reasonable 150 horsepower is definitely not enough, and SUV manufacturers have long understood this need - therefore, in the price lists you can find several offers at a reasonable price (compared to the Premium class) with more than satisfactory performance. .
Drive on both axles and more than 200 horsepower under the hood, on paper, guarantee driving pleasure. In addition to dividing into supporters and opponents of "sporty" SUVs, let's take into account the facts: such power allows you to move efficiently even with a fully loaded car, towing a trailer is not a problem, it can reach speeds of more than 200 km / h, when such a fast ride is acceptable, and overtaking and acceleration even at high speeds are very effective.
Volkswagen Tiguan with 220 hp TSI engine or a 240 hp TDI diesel. or Subaru Forester XT with 241 hp unit. are not race cars. Both have a lot in common, and at the same time almost everything is different. Tiguan wins in terms of technological innovations, multimedia and quality of finishing materials. The spirit of the nineties is felt in Subaru - this is such a beautiful phrase for the fact that when you sit in the Forester, you feel like in a car that has hardly changed in twenty years. However, if you put both cars in front of a half-meter ford, then you had to overcome muddy ruts and, finally, force the entrance to a steep mountain with rocky surface - Forester would give a replacement for participating in the rally, and Tiguan led the driver "by the hand": slowly, carefully but effective. After all, the stepwise DSG, modified by the Germans, works great, especially in the “S” mode, and the stepless variator, beloved by the Japanese, just does not offend - because for the variator it works really culturally. Both machines accelerate quickly and create a feeling of “optimum power”. When the need arises, they obediently respond to a decisive throw of gas, and in everyday driving they do not provoke an ongoing frenzy, which cannot but rejoice from an economic point of view.
The Tiguan is as flawless as a technical drawing, while the Forester is as brutal and efficient as Steven Seagal. When we sit in a Volkswagen, we feel like we are sitting in a good car. Sitting behind the wheel of a Subaru, you want to feel like Peter Solberg or Colin Macri. This is not a duel between two cars of the same segment, but two completely different worldviews - decide for yourself which one is closer to you.
More "off-road" than it seems
SUVs are mainly used by their owners to move around the city, rarely have to leave the pavement, and all-wheel drive is chosen by buyers mainly because of the shorter and milder winters in Poland every year. SUVs like the Jeep Wrangler or the Mitsubishi Pajero are a truly exotic sight on our roads these days. Manufacturers of subsequent brands are massively abandoning the production of cars mounted on a frame, and mechanical and hydraulic locks and gearboxes are being replaced by electronic ones, which should safely transport the driver on more difficult routes. However, there are those who want to have a fashionable and relatively compact SUV, and at the same time require reliable driving on asphalt and courage on light off-road. The arms race in this area is in full swing, and the combination of functionality in the city, on the highway and off-road is becoming more perfect.
Volkswagen does not have a very rich off-road tradition, in the case of Nissan the situation is completely different. The legendary Patrol or Terrano models have proved time and time again that they are unstoppable, both in everyday use and during especially difficult off-road races. Thus, the recently updated Nissan X-Trail has a mission - not to shame the ancestors. Tiguan looks like a newcomer to the brand's off-road tradition.
However, after driving both cars in more difficult conditions, it turned out that it is not tradition and heritage that determine the ultimate success on the road. Volkswagen offers 4MOTION drive without giving the user the option to split the drive between axles or lock the 4X4 option. We have a knob with which we select the driving mode (driving on snow, road mode, off-road - with the additional possibility of personalization). Ascent and descent assistants allow you to ride in the mountains "without a steering wheel" - almost completely automatically. The drive control computer can consciously read which wheel requires more power, especially in extreme situations. The obstacle is the "polite" and slightly off-road look of the Tiguan - it's scary to get dirty or scratched, which actually discourages looking for off-road workarounds.
Quite a different situation with the X-Trail. This car asks you to turn into a field cut, try to climb a really steep hill, smear the body with dirt on the roof. The owners of this Nissan do not have to worry about driving fast on a rocky road - the car body from the bumpers through the wheel arches to the lower edges of the doors is covered with plastic pads that, if necessary, catch shooting stones. from under the wheels. The X-Trail has three driving modes: front-wheel drive only, 4×4 automatic mode and four-wheel drive lock up to 40 km/h. While we don't have off-road autopilot like the Tiguan, off-road driving feels like child's play, more classic and natural for this car. In this comparison, we have to admit that when it comes to off-road driving, the X-Trail feels more authentic than the Tiguan, and the Nissan looks better in a mud mask.
Four-wheel forged style and chic
SUVs are in vogue - a muscular silhouette that optically enlarges the body, a refined and dynamic line - these are the guidelines set by the designers who design these cars. It is the appearance and appearance that are very often one of the decisive factors when buying a car. Each concern, each brand has a completely different approach to this topic: on the one hand, it should be fashionable and in line with modern trends, on the other hand, however, it is important to be consistent in similarity for the entire model. brand line.
Volkswagen, it's no secret, has been famous for years for the simplest body designs of its cars, using geometric patterns and subjecting the models presented so far to a stylistic evolution, not a revolution. In the case of the Tiguan, everything is different. The appearance of all exterior elements consists of variations of rectangles, squares and other polygons, creating the impression of geometric order and solidity. Compared to the mixed feelings of the previous generation, the current model can really please, and the ability to personalize the appearance for a more urban, off-road or sporty look (R-Line package) caters to the tastes of a much larger audience than just a few years ago. However, there are cars where the Tiguan just looks boring.
The Mazda CX-5 is an example of a concert design show that has won the hearts of millions of drivers around the world. The current second generation of this model indicates the direction in which the next cars of this Japanese manufacturer will move in the coming years - just like it was in 2011, when the first generation of the CX-5 saw the light of day. day. Mazda's design language is named after the Japanese KODO, which means "soul of motion". Car bodies, according to brand representatives, are inspired by the silhouettes of wild animals, which are especially clearly visible from the front. Menacing Look, a composition of LED daytime running lights that blend seamlessly with the shape of the front grille, is reminiscent of a predator whose eyesight tells that the jokes are over. Unlike the Tiguan, the CX-5, despite its sharp features, has very smooth lines, the silhouette seems to freeze in motion. Practical values are not forgotten either - in the lower part of the body we see plastic paintwork, ground clearance of more than 190 mm, and the luggage compartment holds exactly 506 liters of luggage. Mazda has proven that a visually appealing car with a dynamic and sporty silhouette does not necessarily mean a small trunk or small space for travelers. While the design of the Mazda CX-5 appeals to many drivers, those looking for classic and elegant forms will surely find the silhouette of the Japanese SUV too flashy and edgy. Whether something is beautiful or not is always determined by the taste of the respondent, whose taste, as you know, is ugly to talk about. However, given the elegance and originality of the design, the Mazda CX-5 is ahead of the Tiguan, and this is hardly a victory by a hair's breadth.
customize car
If you want to buy an SUV, you will have to deal with a really large number of models available on the market, which certainly requires a lot of time and effort to find the details that determine the best deal for you. On the other hand, the large number of vehicles offered in this segment makes it much easier to find a model that practically matches your needs. Whether you are looking for a low price, extensive safety equipment, a classic or bold and modern body style or sporty performance, there is something for everyone.
Tiguan - thanks to a wide range of engines and an impressively long list of optional equipment - is able to satisfy a fairly large group of potential customers. This is a good, well thought out and solidly built car. Buying a Volkswagen SUV is a marriage of convenience, not passionate love. One thing is certain: Tiguan has nothing to fear from its competitors. While it outperforms other brands in many ways, there are areas where it should be recognized as superior. But it is quite obvious - after all, the ideal car does not exist, and every car in the world is a kind of compromise force.
