Suburbanites in Singapore who upgraded from Honda CR-Vs, Suzuki Grand Vitaras and Toyota RAV4s in recent years could not “avoid” the Volkswagen Tiguan, Volkswagen’s equivalent to said Japanese SUVs. It was originally introduced to Singapore in 2008.
With this mid-life update, the Volkswagen Tiguan’s exterior has been facelifted to share greater stylistic affinity with the larger Volkswagen Touareg, and it even looks good in jade green.
Like before, two different front bumper treatments are available, with the “Track & Field” version having superior underbody protection and a sharper approach angle than the “Sport & Style”. There is also a “Track & Style” variant for fickle city slickers.
Under the bonnet is a 2-litre turbo 4-cylinder with either 180bhp or 210bhp, put through a snappy 7-speed DSG dual-clutch. Both units have the same 280Nm of torque, now developed across a wider rev range for even more accessible everyday performance.
Plenty of air-con vents, storage pockets and motoring gizmos mean a compact SUV with oversized utility.
I reckon that the extra 30bhp won’t be missed by “normal” motorists (although they might notice the chromed mufflers that outshine the plain metal tailpipes of the 180bhp model).
The lower-powered Volkswagen Tiguan is already light on its feet, whether in busy Munich city traffic (similar to rush hour in downtown Singapore) or on empty country lanes leading into Austria (imagine kampung tracks across the Causeway). Only on autobahns overtaking slower cars at 150km/h does the 180bhp Volkswagen Tiguan feel breathless compared to its 210bhp sibling.
There is a bit of hot hatch in the 210 Volkswagen Tiguan, which accelerates heartily and responds eagerly to throttle commands. When compelled to, the engine revs past its 6000rpm redline without sounding strained.
Newly specified DCC (which offers discernible three-stage tweaking of the dampers via a dashboard button) improves the Volkswagen Tiguan’s handling package.
Standard VW 4Motion all-wheel drive helps the Volkswagen Tiguan keep its four paws firmly on the road or off it. This animal can handle dense concrete jungle, no problem. More importantly, the car is a very refined cruiser – quiet, pliant and stable. The ride is an uncanny combination of the Touareg’s “rolling pin” canter and the Passat’s limousine-line saunter.
Cabin space is unchanged (and still ample), while the equipment and presentation have been enhanced. The steering wheel, infotainment system and seat upholstery are new, and most of the controls have a neater layout and better tactile quality. Newly added gadgets include Fatigue Detection, Lane Assist, XDS electronic diff lock and the latest Park Assist.
Volkswagen’s second-generation “valet service” can handle both parallel and perpendicular parking (it used to be just the former), brake automatically (in case of an inept auntie behind the wheel) and it requires less bumper-to-bumper room to do its thing (80cm allowance instead of 140cm previously).
The renewed Volkswagen Tiguan will arrive in Singapore next month.
Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 (A)
ENGINE 1984cc, 16-valves, inline-4, turbocharged
MAX POWER 210bhp at 5300-6200rpm
MAX TORQUE 280Nm at 1700-5200rpm
GEARBOX 7-speed dual-clutch with manual select
0-100KM/H 7.4 seconds
TOP SPEED 213km/h
CONSUMPTION 11.6km/L
PRICE INCL. COE To be announced (as of August 2011)
Check out the latest Volkswagen Tiguan
Group Test: New Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 vs Old Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0
