Pulling up next to Zabeel park, I was getting ready to enjoy a scenic walk around the sprawling park when a couple approached me with wide eyes. “The new Tiguan?” I waited around as they took a peek inside, admiring the lit-up ambience and new tech screen, before resuming their walk with an impressed look and a resolute face. I said to myself, “two more to the near-8 million club of Volkswagen Tiguan owners!”
The design and dimensions
L x W x H: 4539 x 1842 x 1662 mm | Wheelbase:2680 mm
The boxy shape with its sporty machismo has been toned down in the new curvy Tiguan, despite the aggressive mesh grille. Placed below a new end-to-end glass panel, the wide grille enhances the air routing into the engine bay. The glowing panel indicates the design line followed by Wolfsburg for a more refined and smooth appeal.
On either side sits new IQ headlights inspired by the VW Touareg – each high-definition headlamp cluster housing 19,200 LED pixels for brighter, sharper vision. The rear also follows the general market trend with an end-to-end light band punctuated with VW traits. My test car being the top-end R-line trim, the design had a black styling wherever possible, including the massive 20” wheels that get this compact SUV rolling.
Cabin comforts
Tiguan has upped the comfort quotient in the cabin starting with pneumatic massage function for the front seats. Keeping up the techy look of the cabin, the dashboard and door-side sprinkled with digital spots add to the light show. The console edges as well as the wireless charging pit were illuminated by a pool of red light, picked from the 64-colour ambient lights. The compact crossover sets a benchmark with two wireless chargers and a thoughtful cover to keep the devices secure. By itself, the cover is a good place to keep your wallet. Besides the cupholder space on the bridge console, the armrest storage has a partition insert for bottles or cups – this space doubles up as a cooler being in the direct line of the AC vent.
There are three instances when the Tiguan R-line makes us wonder if it really is a 4.5m compact car. One, it comes with tri-zone air-conditioning for different temperature settings for the driver, front passenger and the rear passengers. Two, the boot space is a class-leading 652L and comes with automatic closing. Three, the cabin music is delivered by a Harmon Kardon system that treats you to a premium performance.
Cabin tech
At the centre of all the multimedia tech in the cabin are two tablet-style screens – a 10” screen for the driver info and a 15” central tablet. A new Head Up Display illuminates the driver’s vision with vital information. The central screen has neatly done graphics for displaying driving modes as well as the advanced safety features. By highlighting the road lanes and using two vehicle representations, one glance is all it takes to see which of the bundle – from Blind Spot Monitor and Front Collision Warning to Lane Keep Assist and Emergency braking – are active at the moment. The camera offers a 360-degree vision with multiple views. Volkswagen Tiguan continues to offer Park Assist that can make life easier for many, right from finding a parking slot to driving into it. The navigation graphics in 3D captures a whole neighborhood on the wide screen.
A finger-slide can achieve a lot in this cabin. The bottom groove of the central screen houses volume controls in the middle and AC settings on the sides. Simply slide a finger across to raise or lower the sound or temperature respectively. Raise your hand and slide your finger to open or close the sunroof.
Everything can’t be perfect when it comes to tech. There is a cabin assistant triggered by voice commands and wakes up to “Hello IDA!” You can ask questions like ‘what is my fuel economy’ or ‘is my car OK’ or simply place a request to change radio stations or set the cabin temperature. I said place a request because while it works well when it does, it is also somewhat whimsical, waking up at the wrong time or not quite getting what is asked of it.
A cooler way to drive
The new Tiguan changes gears with a twist – literally. The gear stalk is to the right of the steering and as you twist it towards you or away from you, drive or reverse gear falls in place. P is on your thumb.
There is a new touch control dial on the bridge console with an integrated OLED display, which set a cool vibe with its purple glow (you can choose your colour.) This dial plays multiple roles as a volume control knob, drive mode selector and more. You can select the atmosphere or the temperature, individual driving profiles, preferred ambient light and playlist, too.
The drive dynamics
The third generation Tiguan continues to be driven by a 1.4L Turbo engine mated to a 7-speed DSG employing shift-by-wire technology (So, the gear change happens with electronic signals rather than mechanically.) With 150 hp and 250 Nm of torque, the drive is smoother, though at times you feel it is more refined than macho in character even in the R-line but I have a feeling that it is heading towards a large fan base. The Sport mode doesn’t simply raise the idling rpm, it actually prepares the chassis and steering for a more responsive and aggressive drive. The test economy figures stood at 14 km per litre. For those compelled to have a bigger engine, there is a 2.0L engine scheduled to join the fleet.
3 new vibrant colours: Cypress Green, Oyster Silver, and Persimmon Red, along with five metallic options.
The essential Volkswagen Tiguan 2025
Designed with an innate ability to strike a chord with its growing fan base, the new Volkswagen Tiguan delivers an enjoyable drive with contemporary technological prowess and a comprehensive safety package.
Listed Price: AED 104,000 – 164,000 for the full pack
Price at the dealer: AED 118,860 onwards
