Everything different, yet the same
The Volkswagen Tiguan is completely new. At least, there is a new generation of the Volkswagen Tiguan. Secretly, however, it borrows a lot from the previous Tiguan
Wait a minute, the Volkswagen Tiguan in this test is completely new, right?
Well, it is a whole new generation of Volkswagen Tiguan, the third now. Under the skin, however, quite a few parts are adapted from the previous generation of the Tiguan. The MQB platform, for example, which is now called MQB Evo, but is not new from the first screw. You can see this, for example, in the dimensions. Height, width and wheelbase are little or no different than the previous Tiguan. It is three centimeters longer and that provides 37 liters of extra luggage space for a total of 652. That’s a lot and the Tiguan is also very spacious on the back seat.
The interior looks great and it works well.
Is the interior of the Tiguan also the same?
No, the new Tiguan really feels new in that respect. Beautiful materials and finish and optionally a 15-inch multimedia system, which we know from, for example, the ID7. It looks slick, responds quickly and you can adjust a lot yourself. That’s nice, because it means you can quickly access the functions you want to operate quickly while driving.
Speaking of driving, has the Tiguan changed in that regard?
Not essentially. The Tiguan still drives like a Volkswagen: not exciting, but good. There are optional new adaptive dampers under the name Dynamic Chassis Control Pro. Thanks to two valves, they can separately regulate the inward and outward stroke of the damper, which provides a more comfortable driving experience, while at the same time providing more grip. Furthermore, it is a high wave. Or a big T-Roc.
Partly thanks to the ‘closed’ nose, the Cd value fell from 0.33 to 0.28.
Which engines are in the Tiguan?
In our country you can choose from two powertrains, the 1.5 eTSI mild hybrid or the 1.5 eHybrid plug-in hybrid. Both are available in two versions. The 1.5 eTSI is always linked to a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission, but can produce 130 hp and 200 Nm, or 150 hp and 250 Nm. The latter version was present and is actually the minimum for the Tiguan. However, we can also drive the 204 hp plug-in hybrid and that seems to be the best version. The 115 hp electric motor does its work in peace and quiet and thanks to a new 19.7 kWh battery you can travel about 100 kilometers. If the 150 hp 1.5 TSI has to step in, this is almost unnoticeable and it then has to work much less hard than in the mild hybrid version. There is also a version in which the 1.5 TSI produces 177 hp, which increases the maximum figures from 204 hp and 350 Nm to 272 hp and 400 Nm. Because the electric motor is no different, the added value of that version is probably not that great.
Physical buttons on the steering wheel are back and that is good news for ergonomics.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl