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Tiguan Highline Rline - 18 month review
18 month review
Model: Tiguan Highline Rline (fully optioned except for sunroof)
Purchase and Delivery
Went in a negotiated a good price. Look for 11% - 12% off RRP. If you order in Nov for a Jan build that worked for me.
Was delivered on time and car looked great on pickup in the showroom.
At this price, it was the best 5 seat SUV for performance vs price that I tested.
Don't waste your time with any of the tyre insurances etc. the dealers will offer.
Comfort
Pros:
Seats positions are highly adjustable and comfort is great. As a 5 seater it is very spacious in the front and the back and was the best I saw at this price point.
Cons:
When you set the front drivers seats "all the way to the back", after you turn off the engine and come back and restart the engine the seat moves forward again about 2 inches. Which means you have to move it back 2 inches every time you get back into the car even though you set the memory. This is really annoying and I have never have this happen in any Japanese or Korean SUV previously owned. Will need to see if this is an issue when I next take it in.
Heating and Cooling
Pros:
Settings are easy and great to use with 3 zone climate control so the rear passengers can set their own temperature.
Cons:
Air-con temp works ok however it seems less cooler than my previous Japanese and Korean SUV that I have owned even on the coldest setting.
Drive and Handling
Pros:
For an SUV, car is great to drive and hugs the road and corners really well. Acceleration is great with a 0 - 100 of 6.5 secs which is Porsche Mecan territory but at half the price and better than my previous Korean turbo diesel SUV that had a 0 - 100 of 8 sec
Car is very quiet compared to my previous turbo diesel SUV and I will never be going back to a smelly diesel after this.
Visibility in all directions is the best you will get in an SUV as the shape and windows are large and very practical. I enjoy driving this as my daily vehicle.
Cons:
None to mention
Brakes
Pros:
They don't squeak.
Cons:
The brakes are dusty as cr@p and I expect they will wear much quicker than any Japanese/Korean SUV I have owned. People on this forum admit they wear quickly and are dusty because its brakes for a sporty car and the way to fix this problem is to replace the brakes to ceramic brakes as soon as you buy the car. WT ?? Anyone who tells you that you need to replace a part as soon as you buy a new vehicle then that part is faulty from the manufacturer however some here believe VW can do no wrong (even after Diesel Gate) so you can't really argue with their logic (or they repair VW's for a living). Previous golfs in the base model (not a sporty engine) had this same brake issue. Its a VW fault that has been around for years similar to their dodgy dual clutch gear boxes.
Can't wait to see if the brake pads chew through my brake discs before the 5 year warranty is up.
The front alloys will become completely 'black' with dust after 2 months however the rear less. I expect the front brakes must be a different compound to the rear.
Discovery Pro / Sat Nav
Pros:
Has a built in Hard Drive so you can copy music across to it. This is good as you don't need a USB stick taking up a USB slot just to play music.
Sat Nav works ok but could be improved.
You can download the Sat Nav updates for free and update the Sat Nav Maps yourself. Takes approx 30 mins for an update.
Cons:
I wouldn't waste money in the future for a function that displays the Sat Nav in the drivers cockpit 'unless' it displays Android Auto as Waze and Google Maps beats the VW built in Sat Nav by a factor of 100 to 1.
My previous Korean SUV has speed and red light cameras locations and notifications built in as standard. It would notify me a good 30 secs before reaching a red light camera. VW does not have this function.
Also missing is a speed notification when you go over the speed limit in the VW. Previous Korean SUV had this as standard and it was great to know when you were speeding over the limit.
Searching for businesses (Coles, Kmart, OfficeWorks, Shell, BP etc) was standard in my previous Korean SUV but is missing from the VW Sat Nav. Without Android Auto (Waze / Google Maps) you will not have this function in a Tiguan.
When Android Auto comes standard as 'wireless' and can work on large screens, I expect a lot of manufacturers may reduce including Sat Nav in their vehicles.
Transmission
Pros:
Quick gear changes when you accelerate hard which makes it feel smooth, powerful and in control.
Cons:
Comes with a dual clutch gear box which for everyday driving around town (not the race track) the first gear is not good. First gear can be jerky but its random. When you hit the brakes then accelerate the car appears to sometimes search for the gear which doesn't happen in a torque converter.
A big issue is putting the car in reverse. Car takes a few seconds to engage the reverse gear (as opposed to almost instant for a torque converter) and even when you accelerate in reverse gear, the car can continue to 'roll' forward.
Tyres
Pros:
Seems ok.
Cons:
You won't be able to go to the snow on the 20 inch alloys as chains will not fit which is a shame. Never had an SUV that I couldn't take to the snow.
Additionally the ride is unnecessarily harsher then my previous SUV with 18 inch alloys.
Car only comes with a space saver which is a complete wank for an SUV. When you are 300km away from home and get a flat tyre you will understand how useless a space saver is.
On this forum others state the 20 inch tyres will only last 30,000 km because they are sporty tyres. Which track are we racing again ? I will need to wait and see how long mine last.
Boot
Pros:
Great boot size and I really like the auto boot opener. Can't really go back to an SUV that doesn't have an auto boot opener.
Cons:
None to mention
Reverse and 360 Camera
Pros:
None to mention
Cons:
Not good.
Reverse camera resolution is worse than my 7 year old Korean SUV. For a good quality screen on the Discovery Pro the reverse camera is a waste.
360 Camera has a fault since buying new where one of the side camera is out of alignment and also the rear camera.
Seems it was calibrated by muppets out of the factory with no VW quality control.
Booked this in to get fixed but disappointed it came out of the factory un-calibrated.
Glove Box
Pros:
Good size and is well constructed.
Cons:
Where has the key lock gone ?? What is VW saving $5 ??
Keyfob
Pros:
Buttons are functional and range is good.
Cons:
Really hate the flip out key that is triggered by a large button.
When its in your pocket the key pops out all the time which isn't good if you have a phone with a large screen in the same pocket. Would have been much better if it was a pull out key like in other makes.
Petrol
Pros:
None to mention.
Cons:
Uses 12L / 100km for suburban driving.
95 RON is a wank especially as it offers no real advantage over 91 RON except to cost 20 cents more and is not available at all Shell Petrol Stations. And no I don't use 91 RON, I always use 95 RON.
Servicing
Pros:
Servicing is fixed price for 5 years. Had the first service which was really just an oil change for $300.
Cons:
Unless you get the 5 Year Care plan, servicing costs are expensive and you don't get free road side assist.
Washing Car
Cons:
Side Mirrors have no option to remain open when you close the car door to wash the car. Which means you are constantly unlocking the car every few minutes during a routine car wash. Never seen this before in a car.
Front Windscreen wipers cannot be lifted more than 1 inch before they touch the bonnet. Never seen this before in a car.
20 inch RIM on the Rline look great but the tight angles are a pain to clean.
Overall
Very happy with the car to date especially if you focus on the driving experience and not the minor issues.
Next Review
Automated Parking
City Drive Assist (or what ever VW call it)
Stop / Start
Emergency Brake Assist (or what ever VW call it)
Automatic Cruise Control
Long distance driving
Model: Tiguan Highline Rline (fully optioned except for sunroof)
Purchase and Delivery
Went in a negotiated a good price. Look for 11% - 12% off RRP. If you order in Nov for a Jan build that worked for me.
Was delivered on time and car looked great on pickup in the showroom.
At this price, it was the best 5 seat SUV for performance vs price that I tested.
Don't waste your time with any of the tyre insurances etc. the dealers will offer.
Comfort
Pros:
Seats positions are highly adjustable and comfort is great. As a 5 seater it is very spacious in the front and the back and was the best I saw at this price point.
Cons:
When you set the front drivers seats "all the way to the back", after you turn off the engine and come back and restart the engine the seat moves forward again about 2 inches. Which means you have to move it back 2 inches every time you get back into the car even though you set the memory. This is really annoying and I have never have this happen in any Japanese or Korean SUV previously owned. Will need to see if this is an issue when I next take it in.
Heating and Cooling
Pros:
Settings are easy and great to use with 3 zone climate control so the rear passengers can set their own temperature.
Cons:
Air-con temp works ok however it seems less cooler than my previous Japanese and Korean SUV that I have owned even on the coldest setting.
Drive and Handling
Pros:
For an SUV, car is great to drive and hugs the road and corners really well. Acceleration is great with a 0 - 100 of 6.5 secs which is Porsche Mecan territory but at half the price and better than my previous Korean turbo diesel SUV that had a 0 - 100 of 8 sec
Car is very quiet compared to my previous turbo diesel SUV and I will never be going back to a smelly diesel after this.
Visibility in all directions is the best you will get in an SUV as the shape and windows are large and very practical. I enjoy driving this as my daily vehicle.
Cons:
None to mention
Brakes
Pros:
They don't squeak.
Cons:
The brakes are dusty as cr@p and I expect they will wear much quicker than any Japanese/Korean SUV I have owned. People on this forum admit they wear quickly and are dusty because its brakes for a sporty car and the way to fix this problem is to replace the brakes to ceramic brakes as soon as you buy the car. WT ?? Anyone who tells you that you need to replace a part as soon as you buy a new vehicle then that part is faulty from the manufacturer however some here believe VW can do no wrong (even after Diesel Gate) so you can't really argue with their logic (or they repair VW's for a living). Previous golfs in the base model (not a sporty engine) had this same brake issue. Its a VW fault that has been around for years similar to their dodgy dual clutch gear boxes.
Can't wait to see if the brake pads chew through my brake discs before the 5 year warranty is up.
The front alloys will become completely 'black' with dust after 2 months however the rear less. I expect the front brakes must be a different compound to the rear.
Discovery Pro / Sat Nav
Pros:
Has a built in Hard Drive so you can copy music across to it. This is good as you don't need a USB stick taking up a USB slot just to play music.
Sat Nav works ok but could be improved.
You can download the Sat Nav updates for free and update the Sat Nav Maps yourself. Takes approx 30 mins for an update.
Cons:
I wouldn't waste money in the future for a function that displays the Sat Nav in the drivers cockpit 'unless' it displays Android Auto as Waze and Google Maps beats the VW built in Sat Nav by a factor of 100 to 1.
My previous Korean SUV has speed and red light cameras locations and notifications built in as standard. It would notify me a good 30 secs before reaching a red light camera. VW does not have this function.
Also missing is a speed notification when you go over the speed limit in the VW. Previous Korean SUV had this as standard and it was great to know when you were speeding over the limit.
Searching for businesses (Coles, Kmart, OfficeWorks, Shell, BP etc) was standard in my previous Korean SUV but is missing from the VW Sat Nav. Without Android Auto (Waze / Google Maps) you will not have this function in a Tiguan.
When Android Auto comes standard as 'wireless' and can work on large screens, I expect a lot of manufacturers may reduce including Sat Nav in their vehicles.
Transmission
Pros:
Quick gear changes when you accelerate hard which makes it feel smooth, powerful and in control.
Cons:
Comes with a dual clutch gear box which for everyday driving around town (not the race track) the first gear is not good. First gear can be jerky but its random. When you hit the brakes then accelerate the car appears to sometimes search for the gear which doesn't happen in a torque converter.
A big issue is putting the car in reverse. Car takes a few seconds to engage the reverse gear (as opposed to almost instant for a torque converter) and even when you accelerate in reverse gear, the car can continue to 'roll' forward.
Tyres
Pros:
Seems ok.
Cons:
You won't be able to go to the snow on the 20 inch alloys as chains will not fit which is a shame. Never had an SUV that I couldn't take to the snow.
Additionally the ride is unnecessarily harsher then my previous SUV with 18 inch alloys.
Car only comes with a space saver which is a complete wank for an SUV. When you are 300km away from home and get a flat tyre you will understand how useless a space saver is.
On this forum others state the 20 inch tyres will only last 30,000 km because they are sporty tyres. Which track are we racing again ? I will need to wait and see how long mine last.
Boot
Pros:
Great boot size and I really like the auto boot opener. Can't really go back to an SUV that doesn't have an auto boot opener.
Cons:
None to mention
Reverse and 360 Camera
Pros:
None to mention
Cons:
Not good.
Reverse camera resolution is worse than my 7 year old Korean SUV. For a good quality screen on the Discovery Pro the reverse camera is a waste.
360 Camera has a fault since buying new where one of the side camera is out of alignment and also the rear camera.
Seems it was calibrated by muppets out of the factory with no VW quality control.
Booked this in to get fixed but disappointed it came out of the factory un-calibrated.
Glove Box
Pros:
Good size and is well constructed.
Cons:
Where has the key lock gone ?? What is VW saving $5 ??
Keyfob
Pros:
Buttons are functional and range is good.
Cons:
Really hate the flip out key that is triggered by a large button.
When its in your pocket the key pops out all the time which isn't good if you have a phone with a large screen in the same pocket. Would have been much better if it was a pull out key like in other makes.
Petrol
Pros:
None to mention.
Cons:
Uses 12L / 100km for suburban driving.
95 RON is a wank especially as it offers no real advantage over 91 RON except to cost 20 cents more and is not available at all Shell Petrol Stations. And no I don't use 91 RON, I always use 95 RON.
Servicing
Pros:
Servicing is fixed price for 5 years. Had the first service which was really just an oil change for $300.
Cons:
Unless you get the 5 Year Care plan, servicing costs are expensive and you don't get free road side assist.
Washing Car
Cons:
Side Mirrors have no option to remain open when you close the car door to wash the car. Which means you are constantly unlocking the car every few minutes during a routine car wash. Never seen this before in a car.
Front Windscreen wipers cannot be lifted more than 1 inch before they touch the bonnet. Never seen this before in a car.
20 inch RIM on the Rline look great but the tight angles are a pain to clean.
Overall
Very happy with the car to date especially if you focus on the driving experience and not the minor issues.
Next Review
Automated Parking
City Drive Assist (or what ever VW call it)
Stop / Start
Emergency Brake Assist (or what ever VW call it)
Automatic Cruise Control
Long distance driving
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