   2014 Volkswagen Tiguan. Click image to enlarge |
Review and photos by Jonathan Yarkony
After finishing close to the bottom in our recent Compact SUV Comparison Test, you may be wondering if the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan still has a place in our hearts. Yes, yes it does.
While the numbers do not lie, our comparison tests are always evolving and always aiming to capture the mindset of the majority of consumers, the proverbial everyman, everywoman and everyfamily. The Volkswagen Tiguan, unfortunately, has a narrower audience in mind. It forgoes the typical North American fixation on interior space for a premium and sophisticated environment and driving experience. You don’t have to like it, but if you like it, you really like it. Honestly, it didn’t even finish on top of my scoresheet, but guess which vehicle I took home for the weekend after our big drive day? Okay, I actually took this and the CX-5 home, but that’s because they both speak to my preferences for an engaging drive and classy interior.
Several of the vehicles in this comparison felt faster, but none were as accurate or as rewarding to drive. Go back to last year’s Crossover Comparison, and the added handling prowess of the R-Line Sport package takes it even to another level and helped it take top honours. I’m not alone in this, either – a couple of our judges were convinced that the Tiguan had taken the prize again based on their driving impressions and gut feel, and an editor for another automotive site owns a Tiguan, which he paid for, with his own money.
So yeah, we like us our Tiguans, but the real question is, how does it fare as a daily driver, as opposed to the pressure cooker of an Autos.ca Comparison Test?
In its current form, the Tiguan is offered with only one engine choice: the venerable 2.0T, making a clearly underrated 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. It ranges in weight from 1,539 kg (3,393 lb) in manual FWD Trendline trim to 1,629 kg (3,591 lb) in automatic AWD Comfortline trim, more than the larger RAV4, CX-5, CR-V even though it is about 100 mm shorter and 30 mm narrower than any of those. Height and wheelbase are also marginally smaller than most of its competitors.
Despite the weight, the 2.0T has plenty of get up and go. Though a bit slow to engage in first gear with the six-speed Tiptronic automatic, ensuing shifts are smooth and quick and the 207 lb-ft of torque are available clear from 1,700 rpm up to 5,000 rpm, while the peak 207 horses show up at 5,100 and stick around until 6,000 rpm, not that you’ll be up there much. The automatic’s Sport mode holds revs longer in each gear for better acceleration, but I felt little need to zoom around and wind up the engine unnecessarily – if you drive like that, the GTI, featuring the same engine saddled with only 1,418 kilos and only a little less interior space, is something you should take a long, hard look at.
  2014 Volkswagen Tiguan. Click image to enlarge |
While no GTI, the Tiguan still felt like it gave up only an insignificant difference to the much higher rated 2.0L turbos in competitors like Santa Fe Sport, Escape or Sportage. Then again, I’ve stopped craving excessive horsepower in my compact SUVs and am generally content with the approximately180 hp in the CR-Vs, RAV4s and CX-5s in the segment – it just seems like the right balance for this niche. Then again, the Tiguan has a slight handling edge that seems eager to exploit that power in corners that other compact SUVs lack.
