2022 Volkswagen Tiguan TSi Review, First Drive

Volkswagen Tiguan has the beacon for the Volkswagen brand as it had a few products in its lineup that we were up to date. Tiguan was updated well enough. A 7-seater version came called the All-Space and then the Tiguan diesel was gone and now the new petrol version has come back with the All-Space taking a break. The Tiguan, the original 5-seater version was very well-accomplished car in its class with little to no rivals. It now has rivals, but it has its strength and weakness against them. Surprisingly, it is playing its cards really well. How good, we find out as we spend a week with the SUVW to find out what is it like!

On the outside, the large three-slat chrome grille grabs attention and looks great. The new twin LED DRL at the front and very fancy-looking LED tail-lamps in true VW tradition make it look futuristic. This makes the car look like a typical VW SUV that we are used to. Muscular and modern. The side profile is of a proper European SUV as it looks clean, butch, and boxy at the same time.

The build quality on the outside seems and sounds great and it should score high on the crash test as well The elements on the car, such as the grille, LED tail-lights, a large wheelbase, and multi spoke wheels on the top-end variant make it look much better than its most of rivals and siblings too.

On the inside, the build and quality are good and so is the expansive feature list we have explained time and again in our launch report. You get every feature possible in the SUV. Right from automatic lights and wipers to reversing cameras, ambient light, projector lamps, and more. The car also has a large panoramic sunroof, power seats, front parking sensors, and a digital cockpit. It also gets flawless Wireless Apple Car Play and Android Auto. The instrument cluster area has all fuel economy indicators and other bits can be seen with a touch of the toggle button on the right side of the steering buttons. A fantastic sound system is on offer making the experience top-class. The main screen is big, slick, quick, and works quite well. VW Connect system includes a host of GPS-related features such as GEO and time fencing and much more.

Space is more than most of its rivals with excellent shoulder room and the knee room you expect is here as well. Leg and headroom continue to be in good supply but as always it is more of a four-seater than a five-seater. The boot space is good enough over 500 liters and so is the overall practicality of the interior. Road and wind noise inside the cabin is also well-controlled thanks to good insulation all around. Like any other VW, it is still a pleasant place to be thanks to things like Aircare with multi-level filtration. Safety kit continues to be high with the inclusion of active safety features such as electronic stability control and six airbags, Hill Hold Assist, ABS and EBD, and more come as standard. The passive safety feature list, as we know, is far larger.

Volkswagen TSi engines are smooth, free-revving, and low on NVH and the one on the Tiguan falls in line. Be it in any part of the rev range. Low and mid-range are good on the 2.0 turbocharged petrol motor that makes 190 PS and 250 Nm of torque going through the fantastic, smooth, seamless, and quick-shifting 7-speed DSG automatic. The engine is linear flexible and powerful at the same time. Speaking of race pace, the DSG does lack urgency when launched at slow speeds. 2.0 delivers a spectacular fuel economy of 14 km/l in the Mumbai-Pune run.

The 2.0 TSi is for the enthusiast with ‘no compromise’ in their mind. The seriously quick acceleration and speed blow you away. You don’t feel the need for diesel there. You only wish it returned more fuel economy how the diesel in the past. There is also a bit of turbo lag between 1500-1900 RPM but below and above that it moves very swiftly. The engine has a generic engine intake note and it screams as it reaches redline.

The ride quality is more reassuring at all speeds in true VW tradition. Ride quality is so good on all four ends that this makes it the best mid-size SUV’s to buy and drive yourself and even be driven around at the same time. The steering gives enough feedback and is quite precise at all speeds. It weighs up well at hig speeds too. High-speed stability is spot on thanks to the ideal balance of underlying stiffness and compliance that takes our roads ribbed road surfaces of expressway quite well. The brakes were good too with great pedal bite and a lot of performance on offer. Body roll exists while changing lanes at high speeds, but it is still a very confidence-inspiring car to drive at any given speed. Overall, a very easy-to-drive SUV and the same time the most fun-to-drive SUV in its class.

2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Review, Verdict

Volkswagen Tiguan’s strength lies in its petrol which performs almost like a diesel. The only downside can be a bit of fuel economy. However, our numbers suggest above that it is all bad and it does try very hard to deliver the best fuel economy numbers. The SUV is really well made inside out. Be it every panel fitted to the highest quality or the way it looks, you can expect to see every aspect of the SUV. The Tiguan does win our hearts with its quality, feature list, driving dynamics and that terrific TSi motor. If you are in the market for an SUV in this category, the Tiguan has to be your top priority and it can easily enter your garage rather than you expect it to. The Tiguan make a solid case for itself at a first impression itself!