VW Tiguan 2020 review

There’s lots to like about VW’s Tiguan, like its slick fit and finish, great easy-to-use standard equipment, its spacious interior (it's also available in a seven-seat Allspace layout), and its all-around polish when it comes to the experience behind the wheel.

The Tiguan range has grown to include an extensive list of variants. To break the price list down, there are three engine choices, across three variants.

The base 110 TSI 1.4-litre turbo-petrol is front-wheel drive (FWD) only and available in base Trendline ($34,490 rrp) or Comfortline ($38,990) trim.

Next up is the 132 TSI 2.0-litre turbo-petrol, which is available only as a Comfortline AWD at a price of $43,490.

At the top of the range is the most powerful 162TSI 2.0-litre turbo AWD. The 162TSI 4Motion is only available in top-spec Highline trim at $50,990.

The seven-seat Allspace is available with all three engines, but only as a Comfortline (110TSI FWD - $40,490, 132TSI AWD - $44,990) or as a Highline (162TSI AWD - $52,490).

The Tiguan range is generally slightly more expensive than rivals, though does make up for it with generally higher equipment inclusions. You could consider the Tiguan as a direct rival to other popular mid-sizers also capable of having seven seats. These include Honda’s CR-V, Nissan’s X-Trail, or Skoda’s Kodiaq.

Volkswagen Tiguan 2020 price

The Tiguan is generally very practical, with plenty of storage room in every variant, especially the Allspace seven seat versions which benefit from an increased length in the floor.

All Tiguans have solid boot space dimensions. Regular five-seat versions can make use of up to 615 litres (VDA) of storage space with the seats up, while seven seat Allspace versions get 700L with the third row down.

All Tiguans have solid boot capacities.

With the second row stowed in the regular variants there’s 1655L of luggage capacity on offer, and in the same configuration in the Allspace, there’s 1775L to make use of. With all three rows deployed, the Allspace has 230L left to use.

The boot of the Allspace is a whopping 700L with the third row stowed, and rows three and two stowed you’ll get 1775L – or enough for an entire set of six dining chairs, as I discovered on my test.

The second row of all Tiguan models is on rails, allowing for a more flexible storage space, or extra legroom for the third row in seven-seat versions. Leg- and headroom are still tight for adults in the third row, no matter how you configure the Allspace.

Compared to competitors though, the Tiguan is generally well-sized.

The Tiguan is generally well-sized compared to the rest of the segment.

You can further enhance the practicality of the Tiguan by adding a roof rack from the accessories list with a load capacity of 70kg, to which you can also apply a 'premium roof box' in 340- or 460-litre versions.

The Tiguan comes with compatibility for roof rails as standard.

There are a choice of three cargo liners, a heavy duty tray or a simple liner for protecting the carpeted floor, as well as a smooth hardwearing plastic ‘loadliner’ which also has walled edges to stop items or dirt escaping the edges.

The Tiguan's boot floor comes carpeted as standard.

There is no optional cargo cover for the Tiguan, with all variants having a standardized removable parcel shelf in a carpeted finish.

The Tiguan is currently available with the choice of three engine specifications in Australia.

The first is the entry-level 110TSI. This is a 1.4-litre petrol four-cylinder engine which produces a power rating of 110kW and 250Nm of torque. All 110TSI variants are front-wheel drive and mated to six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The Tiguan's entry-level engine is a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder 110TSI producing 110kW/250Nm.

Next up is the mid-spec 132TSI engine which is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol. It produces 132kW/320Nm. All 132TSI varaints are AWD and are mated to seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions.

At the top of the Tiguan range is the 162TSI. This is also a 2.0L engine with a turbocharger, but has increased outputs at 162kW/350Nm.

In each case the engine size may be smaller than some competitors, but the Tiguan’s engine specs are more modern and boast equal if not better power outputs.

All Tiguan engines are now turbo-petrols. There are no supercharger variants, and turbo-diesel versions were discontinued in 2018.

Those diesel variants were the 110TDI (110kW/340Nm) and 140TDI (140kW/400Nm). They were axed due to Volkswagen globally reducing its number of diesel cars after the 'dieselgate' incident. To comply with Euro6 emissions ratings, both diesel Tiguans are fitted with a diesel particulate filter (DPF).

A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Tiguan currently exists for the Chinese market with the 110TSI powertrain mated to a 85kW electric motor, however VW Australia has previously told CarsGuide that it intends to skip PHEV models in our market, preferring its incoming I.D. range of electric vehicles.

All Tiguan models are available with a towbar attachment. Load capacity varies by engine.

The base 110TSI is capable of pulling a 750kg unbraked, or 1800kg braked trailer, while the mid-grade 132TSI and top-grade 162TSI are capable of 750kg unbraked or 2500kg braked, thanks to their increased outputs.

The max towball download of all Tiguan variants is 200kg (theoretically limiting your safe braked towing capacity to 2000kg regardless of variant).

Regular five-seat Tiguan variants are 4486mm long, 1839mm wide, and 1658mm high.

Allspace variants increase in size to 4701mm long and 1665mm high but are the same width.

The Tiguan weighs in from 1499kg for the base 110TSI five-seater. VW does not publicly state a gross vehicle weight (aka gross vehicle mass – GVM) for its passenger vehicles, so if you're loading it up it's best to play it safe.

The Tiguan is no longer offered in diesel in Australia, since the discontinuation of diesel variants in 2018.

In the diesel vs petrol argument, the diesels produced far more torque, but also required a particulate filter and more expensive service costs.

VW has no plans to introduce a plug-in hybrid variant either, instead preferring to wait for a mid-sizer EV from its upcoming I.D. electric range.

There is also no LPG version of the Tiguan.

As we’ve only tested brand new examples of the Tiguan, we can’t comment on how it will last long-term. While VW products have had automatic transmission issues in the past, there’s no guarantee newer transmissions on today’s cars will have the same problems.

For more user complains and questions on a range of issues from rust to engine and turbo problems, go to our Tiguan problems page to see if your query has already been answered.

Thankfully our problems page hasn’t received any issues regarding clutches or transmissions in some time, nor has it received any issues on the topic of suspension problems, diesel engines, or injector issues.

Some higher-spec variants of the Tiguan are AWD wearing Volkswagen’s 4Motion branding.

Important to remember this is not the same as 4x4 or 4-wheel drive which implies a low-range transmission. All-wheel dive variants do have terrain control features, however, which alter the drivetrain for some form of off-road capability on certain surfaces.

Lesser Tiguan variants are front-wheel drive. There are no 4x2 rear-wheel drive Tiguan variants.

For those who wish to take their Tiguan off the beaten track, some figures they’ll want to be aware of include the ground clearance which ranges from 191mm to 201mm depending on variant. The Tiguan does not have a publicly-stated wading depth, so we wouldn't recommend testing the limits for yourself.

We even found some third-party suppliers who will offer mild lift kits for Tiguans, however they specify that these kits are mainly to increase clearance for towing and not necessarily off-roading purposes.

Standard features even on the base 110TSI Trendline include the aforementioned tech and multimedia items, cloth seats, LED DRLs with halogen headlights, 17-inch alloy wheels, a tyre pressure monitoring system, air conditioning, rain-sensing wipers, a multi-function display in the instrument cluster, auto dimming rear vision mirror, and heated wing-mirrors.

Going up to the mid-grade Comfortline adds sat nav to the media system, improved interior trim, floor mats, LED headlights, 18-inch alloys, keyless entry with push-start ignition, electrically operated tailgate, fold-out tray tables for the rear passengers, draw storage under the front seats,

The top-spec 162TSI adds adaptive chassis control, an upgraded media system with GPS and voice control, premium LED light fittings, 19-inch wheels, leather seat trim, climate control, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, and paddle-shifters. It is the only car that can be optionally fitted with the R-Line pack which includes 20-inch alloys, black interior trimmings, an overhauled exterior look, dynamic steering, and Vienna leather.

Active safety items on all cars include auto emergency braking front and rear, ESP, lane keeping assist, park assist sensor suite, and driver attention alert.

Blind spot monitor, adaptive cruise control, and rear cross traffic alert are part of the optional safety pack on all but the top 162TSI. The Tiguan range does not have traffic sign recognition.

Of course, all the standard expected items like light city-friendly power steering, electronic stability program (ESP), seven airbags, a reversing camera, parking sensors, air conditioning, Bluetooth and cruise control come standard even on the base car. A panoramic sunroof is part of a pack on all Tiguans except the 162TSI where it is an individual option.

All variants of the Tiguan support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity via an 8.0- or 9.2-inch multimedia touch screen.

There's a 8.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The Tiguan range does not yet have wireless charging or a WiFi hotspot, but does have a storage bay suitable for most iPhone or Android devices smartly placed under the climate controls.

There are no longer manual transmission variants in the Tiguan range. Base 110TSI Tiguans have a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, while 2.0-litre variants feature seven-speed dual-clutch autos which send power to all four wheels.

We can’t comment on how reliable a brand new Tiguan will be given past performance is no guarantee of future performance. To see reliability issues and users' own ratings for past Tiguans, see our problems page for more info.

According to ANCAP the Tiguan is a safe car. It wears a maximum five-star safety rating as of 2016 thanks to its suite of active and passive safety features.

It scored relatively high numbers across the board, especially for adult and child occupant safety.

This is thanks to its suite of seven airbags and the inclusion of two ISOFIX and three top-tether baby seat mounting points.

See the features section of this review for a full rundown of the available active safety features in the Tiguan range.

The size of the Tiguans fuel tank varies by model. Five-seat variants have a 58-litre fuel tank, whereas the extended shape Allspace seven-seater has a larger 60-litre fuel tank capacity.

Petrol versions of the Tiguan (all currently available new cars) have more robust timing chains. The now-discontinued diesel variants had timing belts.