Topic: Road Trip: 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan, Part 1

[Autos_Editor]

Paul uses a west-coast road trip as an opportunity to get familiar with Volkswagen's Tiguan.

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[sailor723]

From the price I'm quessing that this VW is German made rather than from their US factory. I'd agree with the reviewer....nice car but just a bit too small for it's class and that price is dangerously close to BMW/Mercedes/Lexus territory for a mainstream, non-luxury marque.

[aaronk]

They seem to penny pinch as well - no steering wheel controls on the base model?

I would say the money goes into engineering (where it counts), so sometimes VW tends to leave out extras in the base models. But that's why it's the 'base' model - if you step up you get all the goodies...at a cost of course.

[Fobroader]

$50K for an AWD Rabbit.......hahahahahahahahahahha Thats funny. Does VW have any clue what you can get for $50k in an SUV?!?!?! This is a $30K(AT BEST) station wagon that theyve somehow managed to overprice by $20k.......Thats insane, hmmmmm, do I want an SUV that can seat 7 people comfortably, actually have some luggage space and be able to tow a little something, or do I want a VW Rabbit?!?!!?!  $50K thats awesome that VW has the cojones to ask that much for this.....thing.

[dutch]

"the paucity of cargo space" oooooh - had to look that one up

[quadzilla]

$50K for an AWD Rabbit.......hahahahahahahahahahha Thats funny. Does VW have any clue what you can get for $50k in an SUV?!?!?! This is a $30K(AT BEST) station wagon that theyve somehow managed to overprice by $20k.......Thats insane, hmmmmm, do I want an SUV that can seat 7 people comfortably, actually have some luggage space and be able to tow a little something, or do I want a VW Rabbit?!?!!?!  $50K thats awesome that VW has the cojones to ask that much for this.....thing.

I believe that $50K price was OTD.

As to your other comment....not everybody wants a 7 seat SUV that can tow something. If that was the case, nobody would buy small CUVs like this or the X1, etc.

Is it expensive, sure but so it a loaded GTi compared to a base Rabbit.

[Fobroader]

$50K for an AWD Rabbit.......hahahahahahahahahahha Thats funny. Does VW have any clue what you can get for $50k in an SUV?!?!?! This is a $30K(AT BEST) station wagon that theyve somehow managed to overprice by $20k.......Thats insane, hmmmmm, do I want an SUV that can seat 7 people comfortably, actually have some luggage space and be able to tow a little something, or do I want a VW Rabbit?!?!!?!  $50K thats awesome that VW has the cojones to ask that much for this.....thing.

I believe that $50K price was OTD.

As to your other comment....not everybody wants a 7 seat SUV that can tow something. If that was the case, nobody would buy small CUVs like this or the X1, etc.

Is it expensive, sure but so it a loaded GTi compared to a base Rabbit.

$50K for an AWD Rabbit......with no cargo room and a small cabin??? You can somehow justify this???

[garytam]

does any one know / or have experience with the Direct Injected turbo engine? Is it reliable in the long run? i.e. will there be some kind of deposit build up caused by the direct injection? or is an non-issue?

I only know that Toyota combines Direct injection with port injection on their engine and people claim this will resolve the deposit issue.... is there any other manufacture doing this ?

[aaronk]

OTD price of a loaded GTI is just over $44K - the Tiguan is roomier, has more features and AWD. It is expensive, but it's not meant to be a bargain basement kid hauler...it's like a mini Mercedes with a VW badge.

[quadzilla]

$50K for an AWD Rabbit.......hahahahahahahahahahha Thats funny. Does VW have any clue what you can get for $50k in an SUV?!?!?! This is a $30K(AT BEST) station wagon that theyve somehow managed to overprice by $20k.......Thats insane, hmmmmm, do I want an SUV that can seat 7 people comfortably, actually have some luggage space and be able to tow a little something, or do I want a VW Rabbit?!?!!?!  $50K thats awesome that VW has the cojones to ask that much for this.....thing.

I believe that $50K price was OTD.

As to your other comment....not everybody wants a 7 seat SUV that can tow something. If that was the case, nobody would buy small CUVs like this or the X1, etc.

Is it expensive, sure but so it a loaded GTi compared to a base Rabbit.

$50K for an AWD Rabbit......with no cargo room and a small cabin??? You can somehow justify this???

Clearly this isn't a car for you but many people do like it and have bought one. Also, no cargo room and small cabin? WTF? Are you 500 pounds and 8 feet tall? I drive a GTi and have zero issues with the space and I probably do more than 80% of the people out there.

Everybody does want or need a Suburban to get around in.

[Fobroader]

Who said anything about a Suburban.....I just think this thing is hugely overpriced for the size and features it has. Whats a comparable Jeep Compass/Patriot worth?? Grand Vitara?? Suzuki SX4? There is no cargo room in these things, saw one at the car show this year and its f'in tiny. $50K for an awd Golf is ridiculous.

[mrthompson]

Who said anything about a Suburban.....I just think this thing is hugely overpriced for the size and features it has. Whats a comparable Jeep Compass/Patriot worth?? Grand Vitara?? Suzuki SX4? There is no cargo room in these things, saw one at the car show this year and its f'in tiny. $50K for an awd Golf is ridiculous.

Do the cheaper alternatives have Fahrvergnügen? 

[Fobroader]

Who said anything about a Suburban.....I just think this thing is hugely overpriced for the size and features it has. Whats a comparable Jeep Compass/Patriot worth?? Grand Vitara?? Suzuki SX4? There is no cargo room in these things, saw one at the car show this year and its f'in tiny. $50K for an awd Golf is ridiculous.

Do the cheaper alternatives have Fahrvergnügen? 

Sticker is about $3 shipped off of E-bay.....how do you say electrical gremlins in German? 

[Spec5]

If I'm going to drop anywhere near 50k on a small german SUV at least get the snooty name with it. GLKs start just above 40k - so at least your neighbours know you spent minimum 40k and not 28k.

"The engine makes 200 horsepower at 5,100 rpm and 207 lb-ft of torque at 1,700 rpm, and it requires premium fuel."

Seems pretty absurd in this day and age - I get that this isn't a sports car and people aren't necessarily looking for big power but c'mon - premium fuel required for 200hp in a blown 2L? So much for german engineering.

[Spheric]

$50K for an AWD Rabbit......with no cargo room and a small cabin??? You can somehow justify this???

Maybe because they can afford it ?

I'm sure there are some individuals who would rather pay the premium for a decent handling import rather than live with a domestic that takes up two lanes of a highway.....

[tpl]

If I'm going to drop anywhere near 50k on a small german SUV at least get the snooty name with it. GLKs start just above 40k - so at least your neighbours know you spent minimum 40k and not 28k.

"The engine makes 200 horsepower at 5,100 rpm and 207 lb-ft of torque at 1,700 rpm, and it requires premium fuel."

Seems pretty absurd in this day and age - I get that this isn't a sports car and people aren't necessarily looking for big power but c'mon - premium fuel required for 200hp in a blown 2L? So much for german engineering.

100 bhp/litre is a good enough number. The famous E46 M3 was only that output and the 335i  3 litre turbocharged was a bit over 100 bhp/l.   
That basic engine was first in service in NA in  2006 and designed before that. The current version , in some Audis and VWs in Germany is upto 265 bhp and supposedly that engine version will be here in the 2014 GTI and (Tiguan I guess)  The engine is designed to run on Eurosuper 95  == our 91. 

I just don't see the problem here.

[Fobroader]

$50K for an AWD Rabbit......with no cargo room and a small cabin??? You can somehow justify this???

Maybe because they can afford it ?

I'm sure there are some individuals who would rather pay the premium for a decent handling import rather than live with a domestic that takes up two lanes of a highway.....

Because the Grand Vitara and Compass/Patriot are gigantic 1 ton based behemoths 

[aaronk]

If I'm going to drop anywhere near 50k on a small german SUV at least get the snooty name with it. GLKs start just above 40k - so at least your neighbours know you spent minimum 40k and not 28k.

"The engine makes 200 horsepower at 5,100 rpm and 207 lb-ft of torque at 1,700 rpm, and it requires premium fuel."

Seems pretty absurd in this day and age - I get that this isn't a sports car and people aren't necessarily looking for big power but c'mon - premium fuel required for 200hp in a blown 2L? So much for german engineering.

Don't slam it till you try it. I drove one at the FreeDrive tour and it had plenty of grunt, not far off our V6 Santa Fe which is up 67hp on paper. The Tiguan gets respectable MPG's and premium is 'recommended' not required.

[aaronk]

Why get a steak when a cheeseburger is cheaper? Some people prefer steak. A Patriot/Compass is like a can of Friskies.

[Fobroader]

Why get a steak when a cheeseburger is cheaper? Some people prefer steak. A Patriot/Compass is like a can of Friskies.

When it comes to these things, why get a hot dog when a hot dog is cheaper. They are all the same size, class.....everything. At least the domestics are priced right, not $50k for a Rabbit in a fancy dress.