CAR REVIEW: VW Tiguan

THE SOLUTION: VW Tiguan

As much as compact SUVs are marketed as your passport to adventurous weekends in the wild, in reality, the only jungle most see is of the concrete variety. No problem there; an elevated driving position, generous interior, easy-access rear cargo area and capable road manners are all still relevant in a world where crocs compete with thongs, rather than infest rivers. In fact, the only bits not needed are those that make the rear wheels turn. Remove those and you reduce weight, fuel consumption and cost.

Which is precisely what VW has done with the new front-wheel-drive 118TSI model of their revised Tiguan. That means a saving of more than $5k over the previous base-level model of this German-built SUV. That $28,490 (plus on-road costs) entry ticket brings it up against Kia’s Sportage, Hyundai’s ix35 and Toyota’s RAV4, among others. That price is for manual only; the DSG (automated manual) version of the 118TSI arrives later this year and will cost an additional $2500.

The original Tiguan arrived on these shores back in 2008 and instantly set the benchmark in its segment for performance, comfort and refinement. Four years on, VW has seen fit only to make minor changes to a successful formula – a few cosmetic tweaks and some small gains in engine economy and performance.

Go higher up the food chain and you get a choice of more powerful petrol and diesel engines, and standard all-wheel drive, the latter giving the Tiguan a surprising amount of off-road ability. (For more on this, head to our motoring section at mhmotoring.com.au for a review of the outback launch of the VW’s close cousin, the Skoda Yeti.) You’ll probably never put it to the test, but it’s something to dream about during peak-hour snarl.

– Bruce Ritchie