I have been thinking about changing from the Tiguan into something else for a little while now and am seriously considering it now.
While I really love the look of the Tiguan and kept telling everyone how much I love driving it I think I have been doing that more to convince myself then everyone else. Coming from the Mk6 Golf R I know this wasn’t going to be as sporty but to be honest I did think it was going to be a bit more sporty than it is. As of late I am really starting to realise just how big this car is and how not a hot hatch it really is even with the GTI engine in it. I have also started to feel that the ride either isn’t as smooth as I originally thought it was or maybe having done 44,000km on the 20” wheels, mainly in Sport mode, has just shaken too many things loose. I am now driving it in Normal mode and still find some of the minor bumps in the road (which we have stacks of over here) pretty harsh. Almost need to go into Comfort Mode but there is no way as then I am feeling like I am rolling around in a boat!!
I went and had a look at the new CUPRA Ateca yesterday and have to say I was surprisingly impressed. I know it doesn’t have the brand recognition the VW has and I know the badge is a bit odd but the specifications of this thing are pretty impressive:
221kw Engine basically straight from the Golf R
400Nm Torque
0-100 in 5.2 Seconds
Same 7 Speed DSG as in the Tiguan
Same Active Info Display as in the new Tiguan, T Roc etc but with proper sports mode like the Audi S models
Slightly smaller than the Tiguan but still bigger than a Golf which is what I need.
I personally don’t mind the look of the Ateca, the LED front and rear lights look great on par with the Tiguan and thinks the CUPRA version looks even better (minus the odd badges which I might have to black out) especially with the quad pipe exhaust:






The one I am looking at has the upgraded bucket seats which are much more supportive than the standard ones and miles better than what’s in the Tiguan which I find way to wide for me to hold me in place when cornering:

The car is a bit smaller than the Tiguan but only by about 13cm in length. I found the ride to be much better, not sure if it is just because it only has 19” wheels or if the suspension setup is that much better but it seemed to soak up the bumps better. I drove it in Comfort mode as well as Sport and CUPRA mode and even in the firmest CUPRA setting it still took the bumps in its stride. The setting position is also much lower than in the Tiguan making it feel lower and more sportier. They have also used a shorter gear lever to make that feel sportier especially when you have it in manual mode and use that for shifting.
The exhaust system in this is pretty good (better than the factory Tiguan, which to be fair isn’t hard) but not to Golf R standards. Driving normally in Comfort mode you hardly hear it but switch over to Sport or CUPRA mode and put your foot down and you hear it with a bit of pop and crackle. I have done the Golf 7.5R exhaust install with resonator delete on my Tiguan and while it sounds awesome when you drive it hard I do find it drones a bit when accelerating normally to 50kmh which isn’t ideal since it is my daily driver.
Then there is the power, 300BHP (221KW) with 400Nm which is what the Tiguan should have. When you put your foot down it really goes and you can feel the kick in the back. Judging by this vide you would give quite a few Golf R owners a run for their money when taking off at the lights:
YouTube
Have done as much reading up on the reviews of the CUPRA and they have all been pretty positive (minus the badge design). What do you guys think? I know it isn’t a VW so not the right forum for this but interest to see what other Tiguan owners think.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
While I really love the look of the Tiguan and kept telling everyone how much I love driving it I think I have been doing that more to convince myself then everyone else. Coming from the Mk6 Golf R I know this wasn’t going to be as sporty but to be honest I did think it was going to be a bit more sporty than it is. As of late I am really starting to realise just how big this car is and how not a hot hatch it really is even with the GTI engine in it. I have also started to feel that the ride either isn’t as smooth as I originally thought it was or maybe having done 44,000km on the 20” wheels, mainly in Sport mode, has just shaken too many things loose. I am now driving it in Normal mode and still find some of the minor bumps in the road (which we have stacks of over here) pretty harsh. Almost need to go into Comfort Mode but there is no way as then I am feeling like I am rolling around in a boat!!
I went and had a look at the new CUPRA Ateca yesterday and have to say I was surprisingly impressed. I know it doesn’t have the brand recognition the VW has and I know the badge is a bit odd but the specifications of this thing are pretty impressive:
221kw Engine basically straight from the Golf R
400Nm Torque
0-100 in 5.2 Seconds
Same 7 Speed DSG as in the Tiguan
Same Active Info Display as in the new Tiguan, T Roc etc but with proper sports mode like the Audi S models
Slightly smaller than the Tiguan but still bigger than a Golf which is what I need.
I personally don’t mind the look of the Ateca, the LED front and rear lights look great on par with the Tiguan and thinks the CUPRA version looks even better (minus the odd badges which I might have to black out) especially with the quad pipe exhaust:






The one I am looking at has the upgraded bucket seats which are much more supportive than the standard ones and miles better than what’s in the Tiguan which I find way to wide for me to hold me in place when cornering:

The car is a bit smaller than the Tiguan but only by about 13cm in length. I found the ride to be much better, not sure if it is just because it only has 19” wheels or if the suspension setup is that much better but it seemed to soak up the bumps better. I drove it in Comfort mode as well as Sport and CUPRA mode and even in the firmest CUPRA setting it still took the bumps in its stride. The setting position is also much lower than in the Tiguan making it feel lower and more sportier. They have also used a shorter gear lever to make that feel sportier especially when you have it in manual mode and use that for shifting.
The exhaust system in this is pretty good (better than the factory Tiguan, which to be fair isn’t hard) but not to Golf R standards. Driving normally in Comfort mode you hardly hear it but switch over to Sport or CUPRA mode and put your foot down and you hear it with a bit of pop and crackle. I have done the Golf 7.5R exhaust install with resonator delete on my Tiguan and while it sounds awesome when you drive it hard I do find it drones a bit when accelerating normally to 50kmh which isn’t ideal since it is my daily driver.
Then there is the power, 300BHP (221KW) with 400Nm which is what the Tiguan should have. When you put your foot down it really goes and you can feel the kick in the back. Judging by this vide you would give quite a few Golf R owners a run for their money when taking off at the lights:
YouTube
Have done as much reading up on the reviews of the CUPRA and they have all been pretty positive (minus the badge design). What do you guys think? I know it isn’t a VW so not the right forum for this but interest to see what other Tiguan owners think.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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