Whenever VW launches a new model is usually a hurly-burly kinda gig as it’s more of a facelift rather than a whole new car. Except that in the case of the VW Tiguan AD, it seems that things are not quite like that.
If the original Tiguan was rather an furios but not necessarily faster Golf, aimed at women wearing fur coats and sunglasses indoors at the mall, the VW Tiguan AD is rather a Touareg Lite, as it goes with smartphones. In fact, if I think about it, the Tiguan AllSpace (the 7-seater version) is approximately as big as the original Touareg, it’s only a few inches away in length, width and height. Just like when you drop the soap and you are a few inches away from happiness. That saying, you sleep with your back against the wall it will do you no good, if you sleep with your mouth open.
Anyway, the VW Tiguan AD has made a huge leap compared to the first Tiguan and is a car that wants to be taken seriously and that was inflated intentionally to approach the Touareg in terms of dimensions and to be the last step to their biggest wheeled apartment, because we live in times under the tyranny of the cross-over and VW came and effectively occupied every possible and impossible niche and size. We have Touareg, Tiguan, T-Roc, T-Cross and Taigo, in that order of size. Soon there will be something even smaller than the Taigo, which is a Polo with a cross-over treatment because I can’t say it’s a Polo on stilts because it’s not. It’s a Polo in sports sneakers at most. In any case, the cross-over version of the deceased Up! will probably appear. But let’s get back to the Tiguan, because it sits in a competition tighter than a Libresse sits. And that’s only inside VW’s garden, because there is also internal competition from Skoda and Seat, but also the world beyond, such as Tucson, Sportage, Qashqai and whatever got launched this week in the cross-over sector.
Let’s be honest, nowadays almost everyone offers the same engine options and options in general. So the Tiguan had to come with something extra and the real reasons to buy one are the following.
Petrol
Diesel
1.6 TDI of 115 horsepower – No. I mean, yes, sure, it’s reliable, but do you really want a 1.6 TDI? Even VW didn’t think this engine was worth it, so they quickly withdrew it from the shelfs. It has no specific problems, only that it is like a teacher’s salary – insufficient. And inadequate for the city life. If you buy a modern diesel VW….a modern diesel anything and haul it around town only, you’re gonna have a bad time.
2.0 TDI of 150, 190, 200 and 240 horsepower – Basically, I could only write about this engine because this is the star and the only relevant engine for most buyers. Yes, it’s a robust and reliable engine, but you have to take care of the AdBlue installation, the particle filter and the dual-mass flywheel, no matter if you have an automatic transmission or a manual one.
Hybrid
1.4 TSI Hybrid of 150 horsepower – Good luck finding one, but if you do find one it’s worth it until the first major fail hits your wallet. Even if in theory it is reliable, economical and lasts quite a long time, some repairs can be very expensive. However, like with any hybrid, the powertrain usually lasts 10 years with little to no intervention, so you’re still in the safe zone.
Nowadays the VW Tiguan ended up being a cheaper X3. Just as you buy an X3 because the X5 is too big and doesn’t necessarily justify its higher purchase and running costs, so the Tiguan is for the kind of person who doesn’t think a Touareg is worth the extra money, given that a Tiguan is 70% of a Touareg, but at much lower purchase and lower running costs (and it comes with 2 litre engines instead of 3 litres and that’s huge when it comes to insurance and road taxes). The only real difference is off the tarmac, where Tiguan owners will never go. So yes, if you are 70 years old and looking for a Touareg Lite, then the VW Tiguan AD is for you.
Which engines do I recommend? For petrol power I recommend the 2.0 TSI of 180 horsepower (178 horsepower in reality but what’s 2 horsepower to the marketing department anyway), and for diesel the 190 horsepower 2.0 TDI (again, 187 horsepower in reality).
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not bad! wish you good luck with the blog 😛