First Impression

[OPVW]

I was fortunate enough to drive the Tiguan home last night. TDI Tiptronic. Absolutely awesome! I was surprised that the 125kw version didn't make it's way into the car but having driven it, it would seem the CR version of the 103kw TDI power plant is a little bit special. Smooth, quiet, more responsive. The 4motion system works great with the car and the gearbox is a good choice...I like DSG but haven't felt comfortable driving with it in a TDI powered vehicle. Body roll is very minimal, visibility is sensational...all in all... I was suitably impressed...far more than I thought I would be.

[sporran]

Took one for a spin this morning and was also impressed with the mating of the TDI and 6sp Triptronic. Seating position and visibility also good. Rear seating is great for a car of this size, but rear cargo area is a bit limited. On the downside $43,000 D/A with no Fleet discount, no room to move on O/R costs, and $790 for Metallic is a bit rich for what is the base spec model. The Passat with current D/A deal is starting to look good.

[Mischa]

i'm sure its a nice car but really, what purpose does it serve? less space than a passat, more cumbersome than a golf, limited (if any) off road capabilities. is this just another house wives' car?

[DAN682]

I was fortunate enough to drive the Tiguan home last night. TDI Tiptronic. Absolutely awesome! I was surprised that the 125kw version didn't make it's way into the car but having driven it, it would seem the CR version of the 103kw TDI power plant is a little bit special. Smooth, quiet, more responsive. The 4motion system works great with the car and the gearbox is a good choice...I like DSG but haven't felt comfortable driving with it in a TDI powered vehicle. Body roll is very minimal, visibility is sensational...all in all... I was suitably impressed...far more than I thought I would be.

I would almost trade the CX-7 on one Iain.... hrmmmm ponders the idea..

Looks like an awesome car. What is the towing capacity and when are you taking it to Lancelin to give it a real test?

[OPVW]

Not capable off-road driving?!?!?! I've heard people try and say the same thing about the Touareg. I'd say a little over half of the sales consultants from Volkswagen have recently tested these cars off road down in Torquay. The feedback I've heard from most of them is that if you scored a Landcruiser as 10/10 for offroad the Tiguan would be a comfortable 7/10. Everyone has said it was FAR more capable than they imagined.

What purpose does it serve? What purpose does any car serve ultimately??

In terms of where it fits in the market....its up against the Captiva, Forester, CRV, CX7, those sort of cars and I've gotta say...it stacks up very well.

Yeah come on Dan, we can even try the wheels from your CX7! We've got a Tiguan in a similar colour to the CX7...

[Mischa]

fair enough... i guess my dislike of it is just reflected hatred from housewives driving 4wd's in general

in regards to your question:

my mk5 golf serves the purpose of being sporty, practical, nice to drive and frugal on diesel; an all rounder

my mk2 will serve the purpose of being stupidly fast and entertaining me

a land cruiser serves the purpose of going off road

a porsche serves the purpose of goign on a track.

so then is a tiguan designed to be a golf that has more off road capabilities without going the whole hog and buying a touareg? or is its purpose to compete for the love of housewives and snootie types?

not bagging the tiguan just wandering what its designed to ultimately do/be

[phaeton]

Small AWDs IMO have/are slowly replacing the family wagon or sedan.

While it isn't the complete size of an Aussie car, the is boot generous it will seat five and is the perfect weekend driving vehicle aka going to the mountains, beach & dirt tracks etc.

Also the Dualcab Pickups are also very similar except they're used for hard work during the week.

In all I'm happy with my boxer 4 cylinder lol

[OPVW]

Having a look at our sales...I can't remember one 'house wife' in the mix...ultimately a great weekender car but I guess it's a Golf with better visibility and off-road capabilities.

me and what I drive..

Volkswagen Tiguan: Drive Car - gets me to and from and around work and I don't have to pay for it or the diesel it uses.

Nissan Skyline R34 GTR Vspec - Weekend play toy

Suzuki SV650s - Race bike - competition spec track bike for everything I want to do that the GTR doesn't let me get away with legally

For those purists asking the question.

Yes...if/when I leave the dealership I'll be buying a Volkswagen for daily use. Tough thing is choosing which one. If the Scirocco makes it here..I'd be HIGHLY tempted. If the budget allows it...the R36 Wagon. If it doesn't...Passat 125kw Wagon.

[sheckster]

got a question regarding Park Assist with the Tiguan. Do you need to opt for then RNS510 to get Park Assist?, or can you have Park Assist without it?. I know that the reverese camera turns on if you activated Part Assist, but what if I just want Park Assist and not care about the the reverse camera?

[OPVW]

Yes you can get park assist (auto parallel parking) by itself...ie without sat nav and camera. It uses the front and rear sensors and some other weird voodoo magic to do it

[sheckster]

Yes you can get park assist (auto parallel parking) by itself...ie without sat nav and camera. It uses the front and rear sensors and some other weird voodoo magic to do it

great, that's what i thought. i'd probably get the park assist but not the rns510, a bit pricey, might just go for the avc9000 aftermarket. A VW dealer here in brissy will unveil the Tiguan this weekend. I currently have the Freelander 2 HSE to test drive over the weekend, will compare the Tiguan with it. I'm pretty sure the Tiguan is smaller than the LR2 but we'll see if it scores well on other areas.

[sheckster]

had a look at the tiguan today, my initial concern is unfortunately true, nterior space is too small, might have to go for the LR2 after all. now just have to get my deposit back

[drex]

After waiting months and months to finally see one of these in the flesh, I finally got to take one out for a short (15 minute) test drive. I'm actually interested in the petrol which isn't going to be available for a little while but I just had to go and have a drive.

This was my first time driving a VW and also my first Diesel so there were a couple of surprises. The first thing that surprised me was the accelerator pedal was attached to the floor (I'm used to the pedals coming from above). Obviously no big deal, just took some getting used to. The diesel was noisier than I expected and the gearbox did seem to pull a little when I was slowing down (I definitely had it in D!) but again not really something that bothered me. The build quality and ride was spectacular. The engine was even more powerful than I expected. The interior was great, this particular Tiguan had leather seats and Sat Nav (although they hadn't yet received the disc). I was very impressed and most importantly so was the Mrs. I just have to wait until the petrols start arriving. Anybody have an idea when we'll see these? I've heard anywhere from 6-12 months.

The price is a little concerning, I'm looking at a fully optioned 147TSI and have worked out that it's going to cost around $68k on the road (I'm in NSW), of course I'll try and haggle with the price but I think the chances of trying to get it on the road under $65k are slim. Saying that, for the price, there's not too much out there that really takes my fancy apart from the Tiguan at that price point.

[sheckster]

drex, i actually put a deposit down for a 147TSI a few months ago. but after having seen it in the flesh, I will be getting my deposit back and not going ahead. mainly because of the interior space, or lack thereof. Everything but bi-xenon and sunroof I was quoted $56k driveaway, which isn't bad at all.

[Dzl_Dubba]

Hmm...given the 6 speed auto is the convential type (ZF??) i wonder what power the TDI can be taken to since the DSG had a torque restriction of 380Nm just to be on the safe side, surely this auto could take more, and tuned maybe 143Kw 420Nm?? Hmmm...yummy