A 10" digital instrument cluster is the default across the board, with infotainment handled by a 12.9" screen running the Volkswagen MIB 4 system. A larger 15" screen is optional.
Everything inside is almost entirely new, from the seat design, even the indicator stalks.
The start button is an easy to miss square down where the gear lever would have been before.
In the middle is a comically oversized volume dial, though you can also adjust levels using a slider on the infotainment panel or via the steering-mounted button.
As promised by Volkswagen, physical steering wheel controls have returned. Gone are the frustrating capacitive surfaces. The brand seems to have got that blend between digitisation and classic user-friendliness much better here than with the Golf 8 GTI that first exposed us to the new look and feel of things.
Among the standard tricks of the R-Line model is a massage function for the front seats. It works as well as that one might encounter in a Mercedes-Benz S-class or BMW 7-Series. The 10-chamber function offers various massage types (including an “up stroke” setting, which is not as risqué as it sounds) plus different pressure intensities. In addition, the front seats are ventilated and heated.
Having one's back gently kneaded took some of the frustrations of stop-go traffic away as our convoy yielded for trucks transporting huge windmill componentry through the Eastern Cape.
Our R-Line tester also showcased the driver assistance functions Volkswagen will punt in its marketing campaigns, themed around the notion of a car that thinks about you so you can think about other things. That includes lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control — not groundbreaking but features that are proliferating, slowly becoming standardised.
FIRST DRIVE | Why the new VW Tiguan could be the segment benchmark
Volkswagen's naming strategy over the years tells a story.
The eras in which the Beetle, Golf, Polo, Jetta and Scirocco were conceived? In those simpler times they could get away with naming cars after insects, recreational sports and meteorological forces (Jetta and Scirocco were inspired by gale winds).
An expanding product portfolio in the new millennium required more inventive monikers. Edgier, trendier titles that reflected the changing times. Tiguan, for example: an amalgamation of “tiger” and “iguana” — the prospect of a hybrid creature that children would have nightmares about. Amusing that a family-friendly car could receive such a moniker.
Tiguan was a crucial model in the expansion of Volkswagen's SUV portfolio, being the second addition to the family after the flagship Touareg.
The third-generation Tiguan was launched in South Africa this week. We drove the car from Gqeberha to Graaff-Reinet and back.
Since its global introduction in 2007, more than 7.4-million units have been sold. About 41,000 cars were sold in South Africa and since 2017 it has been the best-selling product for Volkswagen internationally.
The grade walk for the new Tiguan is simple, comprising a base model followed by the middle-tier Life and the R-Line at the top.
Volkswagen opted not to offer the Style model grade — a trim served in the rest of its portfolio — the company claimed it wanted to keep the range simpler for this target audience.
For now, only the 1.4 TSI engine option, paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, is available.
A 2.0 TDI (110kW/340Nm) is set to join before the year ends. In the first quarter of 2025, the 2.0 TSI will be added with 140kW/350Nm. While this derivative makes less power than before (162kW), the torque output remains unaltered.
Whereas the previous Tiguan had a square-jawed face and boxy silhouette, the new car takes a softer approach. Its physique is not dissimilar to that of the electric ID.4 SUV. Visually, it seems like a friendlier creature. The light bar signature (front and rear) has become a modern Volkswagen hallmark, which the Tiguan sports proudly.
The new car is wider by 4mm (1,843mm); longer by 30mm (4,539mm) and boot space has increased by 37l to 652l.
We made a beeline for the striking R-Line in an orange-tinged hue, whose presence amplified the demure character of the lesser Life versions — with smaller wheels and meeker bumper designs.
Inside, the latest Tiguan also takes cues from the electric ID.4 model. Like the zero-emissions sibling, it also has a twist-knob gear selector instead of a conventional lever on the centre console.
A 10" digital instrument cluster is the default across the board, with infotainment handled by a 12.9" screen running the Volkswagen MIB 4 system. A larger 15" screen is optional.
Everything inside is almost entirely new, from the seat design, even the indicator stalks.
The start button is an easy to miss square down where the gear lever would have been before.
In the middle is a comically oversized volume dial, though you can also adjust levels using a slider on the infotainment panel or via the steering-mounted button.
As promised by Volkswagen, physical steering wheel controls have returned. Gone are the frustrating capacitive surfaces. The brand seems to have got that blend between digitisation and classic user-friendliness much better here than with the Golf 8 GTI that first exposed us to the new look and feel of things.
Among the standard tricks of the R-Line model is a massage function for the front seats. It works as well as that one might encounter in a Mercedes-Benz S-class or BMW 7-Series. The 10-chamber function offers various massage types (including an “up stroke” setting, which is not as risqué as it sounds) plus different pressure intensities. In addition, the front seats are ventilated and heated.
Having one's back gently kneaded took some of the frustrations of stop-go traffic away as our convoy yielded for trucks transporting huge windmill componentry through the Eastern Cape.
Our R-Line tester also showcased the driver assistance functions Volkswagen will punt in its marketing campaigns, themed around the notion of a car that thinks about you so you can think about other things. That includes lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control — not groundbreaking but features that are proliferating, slowly becoming standardised.
Aside from tyre noise (seemingly amplified by the coarse asphalt surface) there was no serious criticism to level at the road manners of the Tiguan.
Its predecessor was the benchmark for refinement, with excellent comfort levels and well-sorted handling characteristics typical of the Volkswagen brand. This one is no different. It deploys updated chassis architecture, using an enhanced version of the MQB platform dubbed MQB Evo. At higher velocities, thrown over the many mid-corner ripples and undulations through the Eastern Cape hinterland, the Tiguan felt poised and unruffled.
In the evening product presentation we were curious to see how Volkswagen would price its newcomer.
Consumers will find it surprising that some derivatives of the new version are priced less than their predecessors. For example, the old 2.0 TSI 4Motion R-Line was priced at R861,600. The new version of that derivative will be priced at R835,900.
Kicking off the new range is the base 1.4 TSI for R651,500.
The 1.4 TSI Life comes in at R702,800.
In the middle of the range, the 2.0 TDI Life 4Motion will set you back R755,700.
If you want the 2.0 TDI in R-Line trim, that will be R834,800.
The 1.4 TSI R-Line we drove costs R766,300.
A three-year/120,000km warranty and five-year/90,000km service plan are included.
We pressed Volkswagen’s marketing people on the pricing, asking if it was a limited launch special or whether it would be held for the foreseeable future. The brand's representatives said it was fighting hard to hold off increases at least until the end of the year.
It might have gone softer in the looks department but the Tiguan has been fine-tuned in the areas that matter.
The model plays in a crowded segment, with new rivals from China bringing more variety to consumers. But aggressive pricing, bolstering a product of inherent substance and quality, should help the family-sized Volkswagen hold ground in a tough market.
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