Life & Style | Motoring
Tough off-roader
The volkswagen tiguan is remarkable for its dynamic competence. Shiva Kumar Thekkepat discovers this and other traits of the vehicle when he test-drives it in the steep hills of Jordan.
- By Shiva Kumar Thekkepat, Feature Writer
- Published: 00:07 June 27, 2008
- The Tiguan can tackle a reasonable amount of off-roasding provided you are cautious. Definitely more than an average owner would put it through.
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The volkswagen tiguan is remarkable for its dynamic competence. Shiva Kumar Thekkepat discovers this and other traits of the vehicle when he test-drives it in the steep hills of Jordan.
As the convoy of compact SUVs descended the deeply-rutted trail on the steep hills off Amman, Jordan on the way to Movenpick Hotel and Spa on the banks of the Dead Sea, it was hard not to think this was hardly the terrain that manufacturers of compact SUVs (or soft roaders as they are euphemistically referred to) would usually use to showcase their products' virtues.
But here we were in 13 Volkswagen Tiguans – about half of them motoring along without the underbody protection offered by VW's off-road package.
But VW obviously knew what its new car was all about. We made short work of the off-road segment. Think that's amazing? Consider this: these cars were powered by a 200 bhp 2-litre four-cylinder engine and had no low-range transfer case. I first saw VW's entry into the small SUV segment at the 2007 Dubai Motor Show. Of course, there it was just touch-see.
The initial impression was a baby Touareg. Whatever you made of it, there was no doubt that it was an attractive car. Naturally so, because car makers maintain that it is women who buy small SUVs and crossovers.
Women tend to be aesthetically inclined when it comes to cars. Only if the looks appeal do they allow the brain to take over: performance, handling and comfort come later. Or so say the marketing pundits.
The Tiguan is unmistakably a Volkswagen, flaunting a look that combines various styling elements from the Golf and Passat. It competes directly with the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Tucson. For wider appeal, it offers the choice between two different front-end styling treatments that aim to cater to differing buyers, depending on their driving habits.
In standard trim, the Tiguan sports a deep front bumper that provides a limited approach angle clearly biased towards city driving. The other version that has the off-road package adds a higher front bumper offering a generous-by-class-standards approach angle, along with a kick plate to safeguard the sump, hill descent control and a compass, to boost its off-road prowess.
So, there we were in early May, over 60 media representatives from around the region invited by Volkswagen Middle East to test it both on and off-road in beautifully landscaped Jordan.
With a partner (because there were only 13 cars) and equipped with a map, each pair took off from the hotel in central Amman bright and early in the morning. City driving was rather different from Dubai – even though the traffic was heavy, it flowed smoothly. About 20 km later we were out of the city and heading towards fantastic scenery of vast open spaces dotted with orchards and mountains.
The two lanes seemed sufficient; there were no traffic jams on the way. So, time for some testing. The literature says the direct injection turbocharged engine accelerates the Tiguan to 100 km/h in just 8.2 seconds. We timed it on our watches and made the mark in under 8 seconds, for whatever it is worth.
Braking was slightly unsatisfactory, with the car drifting a little while braking hard. However, we discovered later that the car was not at fault as on a later stretch near the Dead Sea it behaved perfectly well. Apparently, it was the road that was the culprit. The large number of rubber marks on the roads told the story.
We have to keep in mind this is not a performance car; it is Volkwagen's version of a budget SUV. So, though the performance is nothing to write home about, it's nevertheless up to class standards. Fuel consumption, which we hardly ever write about in this region, is certainly going to be much less too.
But the Tiguan's greatest asset is its handling. In fact, there's very little separating it from a Golf in terms of overall dynamic competence. The newly developed electro-mechanical steering offers a light but direct feel. Appropriate damping results in a comfortable ride over a wide range of terrain.
The Tiguan's dynamic limits are immediately apparent as you drive; with its multi-plate clutch-based 4Motion four-wheel drive system distributing power to front and rear axles, traction is never in doubt. According to Volkswagen, it nominally directs 90 per cent of the drive to the front wheels, with the remaining 10 per cent going to the rear.
However, it can reverse this distribution – or provide any manner of split in between – depending on the road conditions.
The Track and Field off-road version's package alters the calibration of the standard ABS and ESP systems at the press of a button to extend the Tiguan's ability in the rough stuff with the addition of a hill holder function as well. It's not in the Land Rover league for off-road prowess, but it can hold its own against the rest of the mid-sized four-wheel drive competition.
However, we were tackling the off-road segment in the road-biased Sport and Style version. And we didn't have any problems, nor feel any shudder or scrapes beneath.
The off-road agenda took us through the initial phase of the Jordan Rally track beside the Dead Sea where we encountered pretty rough and rocky, as well as steep and narrowly-twisted terrain. It was here that we were able to put the capability of the Tiguan to the test.
The 2-litre, 200 bhp engine provided sufficient power to climb the steep slopes and the comfortable interior plus the impressive chassis allowed for excellent handling of high levels of vibration through the rocky ground.
In fact, the car proved so agile that we made very good time on the way up. We were the second car in the convoy and were up on many a peak quick enough to halt and take pictures of the wonderful view below us. The army checkposts at various points where Amman bordered Palestine simply waved us through. Perhaps, VW's slogan for the test-drive event 'Wild at heart' appealed to their sense of adventure.
In fact, while on the off-road stretch we realised the catchline was not so much hype. There is a grain of truth in it; the Tiguan can tackle a reasonable amount of off-roading provided you are cautious. Definitely more than an average owner would put it through.
Like most car-based small four-wheel-drives, you may find a wheel hanging in the air in some extreme conditions. But in this case, Volkswagen boffins assure us, the 4WD system and associated traction control will soon divert drive to wheels with traction, increasingly so the more you accelerate.
Equipped with an electronic parking-brake system, like those found on most high-end saloon cars, the Tiguan off-road package also includes a hill-hold feature that is automatically disengaged when the clutch is depressed. When the off-road button is activated, the driver can floor the accelerator while the computer limits engine speed to 3,500 rpm, allowing the driver to concentrate on clutch engagement with maximum torque availability.
This, combined with electronic differential locks, compensates adequately for the lack of low-range gearing.
We had been concentrating on the performance all along without really looking at its creature comforts.
Inside, the Tiguan's high-mounted dashboard has a familiar look, the Golf Plus's, with only minor changes. Soft textured plastics and additional chrome highlights on the upper section give it an upmarket feel. The interior is very comfortable and spacious, with either sports or comfort seats, both with lumbar support mechanism.
An elevated seating position with a generous amount of height adjustment provides good visibility up front, while the rear bench adjusts to extend the luggage space from a nominal 470-litres (120 litres more than the Golf) to more than 1,500 litres.
All Tiguans have six-speed transmissions as standard equipment. The electromechanical steering-assist mechanism mounted to the rack feels feather light. There's a huge glass roof panel with a generous sliding sunroof and powered interior shade.
The Tiguan also introduces Volkswagen's RNS 510 touch-screen navigation and entertainment system, which utilises a 30-GB hard drive and state-of-the-art interfaces.
We were at first break point, a hotel across the Dead Sea, before midday.
A breathtaking panoramic view of the sea before we switched cars for the next segment of the drive.
Ironically,
I spun out in the Track and Field version on the long and winding roads around the Dead Sea. There was no opportunity to test the off-road package, but I expect it to work well enough given the manner in which the Sport and Style version tackled the off-road section.
After lunch, we took off to the final destination: the Mövenpick Hotel Dead Sea. Once there, a few of decided to spend some time floating in the Dead Sea while others relaxed at the hotel spa.
Despite the relaxing there was something nagging at the back of my mind and I realised what it was
when I heard someone mention
'park assist system'.
This is a new feature that Volkswagen is promoting in its new vehicles. This automatic park-assist system is available on the Tiguan.
Useful for those who find parallel parking a bother. Usually, such gimmicks aren't very practical. So we were at pains to test Tiguan's new system. We were surprised to get it right at the second attempt by following the printed guide.
More points for VW.
So, what's the verdict? It's difficult to venture an opinion after a few hours' drive, but having driven it both on and off-road I would say if you're looking for a new compact 4x4, there are very few cautions to note with the Tiguan. It handles and steers very tidily, it's refined, it's roomy inside and it's even pretty capable off-road.
What I expected to put potential buyers off was the price. However, Volkswagen managed to trump me there too: the base price is Dh99,000, while the fully loaded version is Dh125,000. Very reasonable considering the features.
And for those who feel it is an imposter in the world of off-roaders: the Tiguan demonstrated that if you drive with caution it will, like so many compact 4WDs, do more than most owners want.
Shiva Kumar Thekkepat is Feature Writer, Friday
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