What's New In The Volkswagen Tiguan?
If you've been following our blog recently then you might have caught a cheeky segment about the brand new Tiguan in our Best In Class feature. If not, then don't worry, everything you need to know about the brilliant new model is below.
While being a whole lot more stylish, functional and capable than the old Tiguan, the new one has a lot to live up to be as successful as its predecessor, which sold over 2.6 million models in the 8 years that it was on sale. With bags more clever features and some great new capabilities, beating the rest of its class, the new Tiguan may be a little pricier than some rivals, but you can definitely see where VW has invested the money, especially in the new engine technology integrated within the range that gives it the power edge.
Old to new - the changes
The old Tiguan model was hugely popular. It was the highest-selling VW in the UK as well as beating the legendary, 67-year-old Land Rover Defender's total sales in just 8 years. But, it had its downsides. The rear seating space was tight compared to others in its class, making it less practical than it would have liked. And it has been said to be just a little boring and clinical inside and out, which we tend to agree with when looking back on old photos. The new Tiguan has addressed these issues well though, with the latest bodywork being wider at the back to improve functionality and space while the interior boasts the excellent new VW touchscreen technology enabling you to connect any Bluetooth enabled device with ease and steering-wheel-mounted controls allow you to make phone calls, change songs and even change what display you see on both the 8" centre console screen and the instrument cluster in front of the driver. Additionally, if the standard Tiguan isn't quite big enough for you, there's a seven-seater variant on the way called the Tiguan Allspace.
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The Drive
The way the new Tiguan feels to drive has been described by AutoExpress, they say "where the Tiguan is designed to work, it thrives; the first prevailing impression is just how comfortable it is on the move. The optional adaptive dampers certainly help with this," and "body control remains taught and the steering strikes a nice balance between the weight and feel." (AutoExpress.co.uk; Jonathan Burn, 05/04/2016).
What's completely new is the optional "Area View" which gives full 360 degree vision around the car with 12 possible live views sent straight to your instrument screen "to give you confidence in any situation", according to Volkswagen. It also has a lane assist feature which intervenes when the car moves across the white lane markers on the motorway to put the car back into a safe trajectory, minimising the risk of a collision. VW have also redesigned their new selection of engines, giving you the option of a 2.0L Diesel 2WD, a 2.0L Petrol 4Motion and a 2.0L Diesel 4Motion (all-wheel drive), and a plug-in hybrid is due later in the year too. It entirely depends on the model you choose as to which engines are available but you do get a good selection with any, giving you the chance to personalise your car. However, over 90% of Tiguan sales are predicted to be with Diesel engines as they are more economical providing nearly 50mpg, especially with the 4 wheel-drive model, and still "there's enough grunt to cover everything from the school run to a weekend away with a caravan in tow." And these days you'd expect nothing but perfect accuracy from them.
Features
As we've mentioned above the new model is bigger than the first Tiguan, which means the boot space has grown significantly, by 50 litres over the old one to be precise, and the ability to slide the rear seats forward can give it a maximum capacity of 615 litres. As well as that you can fold the rear seats down to increase the space by a whopping 1,050 litres. One of the biggest issues with the first Tiguan was that the rear seating space was minimal and unpractical for families, which the new model has addressed perfectly, now providing space for 3 adults with adequate leg room. And as well as that, there is actually more headroom than before even though the body of the car is 33mm lower than the old model. Inside there is nothing extraordinary to behold, you can expect the same uncluttered yet tech-packed interior in any Volkswagen, but nothing overly exciting on a standard model. If you add options to the car, such as the head-up display and TFT instrument cluster mentioned before which lift the car above its rivals, then it becomes more exciting. And if you've seen the latest TV advertisement you'll have noticed the ingenious full-roof length glass panel and LED lighting to give it a special, spaceship-like feel guaranteed to impress the family. The next step to driving one away Overall the new Tiguan look, engines and design features seem fantastic, but as ever it does come with a price, the most basic model starting from £25,350 and can stretch to over £31,000 if you choose the R-Line with added extras. However, we strongly believe that Volkswagen knows their customers well enough by now and we predict that running costs and up-keep will be affordable.
What can save you money and time, especially if you're a Tiguan enthusiast but not sure if you want to commit to the full lifetime of the car, then you can lease one instead over a term of 2, 3 or 4 years to suit your needs. This way you can have a brand new Tiguan for a fraction of the price it costs to buy, and you can add on maintenance packages to take care of costly servicing, tyres and roadside assistance. In light of the new, hotly-awaited Tiguan coming to market, we at All Car Leasing have created a great range of special leasing deals covering all models of Tiguan.
Browse the range and choose your car, then use our handy slider tool to create your personalised leasing package with terms to suit your budget and needs. Visit our Volkswagen Tiguan page to see the deals for yourself!
Be sure to check out our special leasing deals before you leave!