Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Test Drive Review

Parth Gohil

4 years ago

Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace – Click above for high resolution image gallery

Car Tested: Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 2.0 TSI; Road Test No. 1199; Test Location: Mumbai

Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 42,46,525/-

The Tiguan Allspace is an excellent option for buyers looking for an understated, well-built and feature-loaded SUV

The Volkswagen Tiguan came across as a breath of fresh air when it was first launched in 2017. The premium SUV segment got a nice 5-seater contender that was great to drive, was nicely built and was targeted at people who didn’t really want a huge 7-seater SUV. The Tiguan was a bit pricey though and found very limited takers. Volkswagen has now rejigged the SUV. It has grown in size, gets more seats and also gets a more powerful engine (albeit petrol) but is this enough to tap the pulse of an SUV customer?

The understated and elegant design coupled with the chrome bits gives the Tiguan a neat look

Exteriors – The face of the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace looks similar to the regular variant that was on sale. However, it does miss out on the black body cladding that was offered earlier. The fascia is squarish, gets some nice detailing especially for the headlamps and the car does boast of a premium look. The side is where the Allspace shows off its length and the longer rear overhang. The Tiguan Allspace is 215 mm longer while its wheelbase is 110 mm longer. The SUV’s width hasn’t changed but it is taller by 2 mm. The rear also looks similar to the older car but gets some additional chrome around the faux exhausts. Overall, the Tiguan Allspace is a neat looking SUV that also exudes a very rich feel thanks to the brilliant quality all around.

The all-black cabin is simple, high on practicality and feels very premium

Interiors – The cabin of the Tiguan Allspace looks and feels very familiar. The dashboard is exactly the same and it has a simple design which isn’t too striking. Yes, the fit and finish is excellent, the materials feel very premium and there’s a nice sense of solidity when you’re seated in the Allspace. The SUV gets an all-black theme for the cabin which some people will like while some will think that a brighter colour theme would have been better. The interior is extremely ergonomic and even the controls fall within easy reach of the hand. The steering wheel looks similar to the one on the Polo and Vento, albeit with a few more buttons. The Allspace gets a new instrument cluster which is a fully digital unit inline with Audi’s Virtual Cockpit.

The first and second row of seats offer outstanding comfort

The cabin boasts of impressive build quality and fit & finish

The front seats are a bit firm but they offer incredible amounts of support. You don’t really feel tired even after hours of long drives. The driving position is good but not as high as some of the bigger SUVs. The Tiguan has a very large windshield and even the windows are large enough. The second row also offers terrific comfort. The seat is wide, well-shaped and comfortable. The seat can be slid back and forth and the backrest can also be reclined. There’s generous legroom and lots of headspace and shoulder room. You also get a wide armrest and 3 adjustable headrests. Three people can be seated comfortably but the middle passenger’s legroom does get affected because of the floor tunnel which is why the seat is best suited for two people. Rear passengers get a 12V charging socket and folding trays too.

The third-row is very tight and only suitable for kids and maybe adults for short drives

The third row is where things get interesting. Now, the Tiguan Allspace isn’t a very long car which is why the third row’s space doesn’t come close to some of the other SUVs in this price bracket. Knee room is very limited and the headroom is also average at best. Tall people won’t be able to sit comfortably but kids won’t have an issue here. Getting in and out of the third row also requires some effort. The second row gets 40:20:40 split while the third row gets a 50:50 split. With all the rows up, the Allspace has a cargo capacity of 230-litres but it increases to 700-litres if you fold down the third-row seat.

Electric adjust for the driver seat and a powered tail-gate are some of equipment onboard

The Tiguan Allspace has an excellent list of features and safety equipment including Park Assist and 7 airbags

The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace is pretty loaded if we talk about the features on offer. It gets an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, three-zone climate control, panoramic sunroof, electric adjustment for the driver’s seat with a memory function, powered tail-gate, Park Assist, front and rear parking sensors, LED headlamps with dynamic cornering function, etc. The SUV gets safety kit like 7 airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC and ASR (anti-slip regulation). Our test car didn’t have a high-speed buzzer because it’s a CBU but VW will install it in customer cars.

The new 2.0-litre TSI motor is greatly refined and offers excellent drivability

Performance – The older Volkswagen Tiguan used to get a 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine making 143 horses and 340 Nm but the Allspace gets a 2.0-litre TSI, turbocharged petrol engine which delivers 190 HP and 320 Nm. The torque is spread between 1500-4100 RPM while the peak power is delivered at 4200 RPM. The engine is matched to a 7-speed DSG and while it is smooth and quick for most part, it does stutter a bit during take-off. Minor lag can also be felt from the engine in the low-end but the mid-range is explosive and overtaking other vehicles is very easy because of this punch.

The 7-speed DSG offers slick shifts and gets paddle shifters too

The turbocharged petrol engine suffers from minor lag but offers punchy performance once the turbo starts spooling

The engine is really refined, though it does start getting vocal as the RPMs increase but it sounds good when it redlines past 6000 RPM. Power is channelled to all four wheels via VW’s 4MOTION AWD system. The vehicle gets driving modes like Eco, Comfort and Sport. The Tiguan Allspace is decently quick and 0-100 km/hr comes up in 8.6 seconds compared to the diesel Tiguan which took about 10 seconds for the sprint. The diesel is no more on sale and it produced 50 HP lesser but 20 Nm more, and it felt a bit sprightlier to drive. The torque surge of the diesel engine made the car feel quicker but it is the Allspace which is quicker even in terms of in-gear acceleration.

The lack of a diesel engine in this segment is the biggest downside for the Tiguan Allspace

The ARAI-rated fuel efficiency is 10.87 km/l but in real-world conditions, you can expect 6-8 km/l from this SUV. Expect the figure to increase slightly on long highway drives though. The Tiguan Allspace has a fuel tank capacity of 60-litres so yes, it doesn’t have the long cruising range of the older Tiguan diesel which used to go on for 800-1000 kms easily on a single tank of fuel if driven sedately. This is why I feel SUVs must have a diesel engine.

Thr MQB platform offers a good ride and handling balance along with minimal body roll

Driving Dynamics – The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace is underpinned by the MQB platform and the SUV handles quite well although it is not very keen around the corners. It obviously isn’t as sharp as the sedans on the same platform but it also doesn’t have the body roll of bigger SUVs. It remains nicely glued to the road at high speeds and instils confidence in the driver. When you’re driving it, you don’t really feel the size and weight of the car even though this measure 4.7-metres in length and weighs almost 1800 kgs. Grip levels are terrific thanks to 4Motion and the steering also has good weight especially in Sport mode, but it doesn’t offer a lot of feedback. The older and smaller Tiguan used to feel a bit more fun to drive.

The steering offers decent feedback while the high ground clearance allows for average soft-roading

The strong build quality and 4Motion system offers tremendous confidence and excellent grip at high speeds

The Tiguan gets an all-independent suspension which does feel a bit stiff at low speeds. At high speeds, the ride becomes more pliant and comfortable. The 201 mm ground clearance is very useful and the Tiguan can easily do a fair amount of soft-roading. The vehicle gets an off-road mode which alters the engine and steering response and how the power is sent out to the wheels and it also gets Hill Descent Control. You cannot expect this car to have off-road capabilities like the Toyota Fortuner and Ford Endeavour though. Braking performance is also impressive and there are no complaints on this front.

The Tiguan is something that’ll impress customers who don’t like brute and heavy SUVs

Verdict – The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace is a car that will appeal to a niche set of customers. It is priced at Rs. 42.50 lakhs (on-road) which makes it Rs. 2 lakhs pricier than the regular Tiguan but the price hike seems a bit high. The Tiguan diesel was a great car and the Allspace is just a heavier Tiguan with a bigger boot and a petrol engine, along with a tiny third row. The lack of a diesel engine will be an issue for a lot of buyers because almost everyone buying an SUV wants a diesel engine. The Tiguan Allspace is brought down via the CBU route and while the price does seem high, you do get a car which is very nicely engineered, drives well and has great quality everywhere. The Kodiaq isn’t available on sale right now so the Allspace can be considered as an alternative but do note that only a limited number of units are going to be imported. Volkswagen is offering a 4-year/1 lakh kms warranty along with 4-years RSA and the first three services are free. The warranty can be extended for up to 7 years but the terms and conditions on the automaker’s website are a bit confusing.