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This second and latest generation of the Volkswagen Tiguan arrived in 2016 ready to do battle with family favourites such as the Mazda CX-5 and Toyota RAV4. The Tiguan is available with five seats, but there is also a seven-seat version called the Tiguan Allspace which is about 200mm longer. The Tiguan is offered in petrol and diesel variants, in front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive.
The Tiguan 110TSI Life starts at $43,990 up to $73,790 for the Tiguan 235TSI R.
There are a couple of issues with changing wheels sizes, but it’s a question a lot of people ask. That’s because the trend towards larger-diameter, super-low profile tyres doesn’t make sense for a lot of owners. Complaints include poor ride quality, expensive tyre replacement costs and the punctures you’re experiencing.
Even though the 50-series tyres on your car are not what most would call super-low profile, they don’t feature the same depth of sidewall as a `taller’ high-profile tyre. At that point, the sidewall has to be more rigid and there’s less flex in it. Which, in turn, makes the sidewall sometimes more susceptible to copping a stray rock or even a kerbside gutter and not being able to flex to prevent damage to the rubber itself. So, in some cases, going to a smaller wheel but a tyre with a higher profile (deeper sidewall) can be a good move.
What will limit this will be the brakes on your Tiguan. Fundamentally, you need to have a wheel rim with a large enough inside diameter that it clears the brake calipers. If the wheel diameter is smaller than the brake package, you physically won’t be able to fit the new wheel-tyre combination. There are also the issues of ground clearance and speedometer calibration, both of which can be compromised with a different wheel-tyre package and, therefore, a different rolling diameter. The trick is to use, say, an 18-inch wheel and match that with an 18-inch tyre that has a deeper sidewall that gets you back to the original tyres’ rolling diameter. That will retain your speedo accuracy and your ground clearance and should also give you a tyre that’s less prone to sidewall damage and cheaper to replace if the unthinkable does happen again.
A good tyres shop should be able to help you with the necessary measurements and sizing.
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The upgrade to your navigation system can be done at a Volkswagen dealership and would be part of the work carried out at your next service (assuming you use a VW workshop). What most people tend to find, however, is that the Tiguan’s Apple CarPlay facility allows you to use the navigation services on your phone which, based on consumer feedback, are more accurate anyway since they’re updated in real time.
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Your car’s sat-nav should be taking its data from an SD card that’s inserted in a slot inside the glove-box. So, the first thing to check is that the SD card is seated in the slot correctly. But there have been cases where the VW’s software seems to have a light-headed moment and loses the plot (it happens on plenty of other brands, too). One thing you can try is to press the on-off button for the infotainment screen and hold it down for at least 15 seconds. Sometimes, that will actually reboot the system and everything will come to life again, including the sat-nav.
Failing that, it’s a trip to the dealership to have the experts fix it. It may turn out that your data card or the software in the car needs an upgrade, which the dealership should be able to sort out for you.
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The Allspace cabin features a lovely mix of high-end materials and soft touchpoints but even the harder plastics feel nice under the hand. The black suede-like headliner creates a sophisticated feel and a panoramic sunroof can be optioned via a Luxury Package for Life models or as a single addition for all other variants.
Doors close with a heavy thump, joinery is flush and the dashboard is headlined by good-looking tech. Life variants come with an 8.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system, while higher grades are upgraded to a 9.2-inch system but all models get a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster.
The cabin is pleasant to look at and there's a charming mix of old meets new that should satisfy a wide range of buyers.
The Tiguan Allspace features seven seats in a 2/3/2 configuration.
The middle row has a 40/20/40 split and a fold-down armrest with two cupholders. The third row has a 50/50 split and fold flat when stored.
Life models have black comfort cloth seat upholstery but upholstery can be upgraded to comfort Vienna leather for additional costs.
All other models enjoy Vienna leather upholstery as standard but the Elegance variant has the choice between black or storm grey, while the flagship R-Line model gets black leather with R-Line badge embossed on the headrests.
Standard accessories for the Tiguan Allspace includes push-button start, keyless entry, carpet mats, LED headlights, DRLs, three USB-C ports, two 12-volt sockets, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, wireless charging pad, Bluetooth, DAB+ radio, eight-speaker sound system, front/rear parking sensors, reversing camera, rain-sensing windshield wipers, auto-headlights, three-zone air-conditioning, and child safety locks on rear doors.
The Tiguan Allspace has 230L of boot capacity with all three rows in use but with the third row folded, that jumps up to a respectable 700L. If you need extra storage you can fold the rear rows to boost your carrying capacity to 1775L.
The boot space features multiple luggage hooks, as well as a level loading space that houses the retractable cargo cover and space-saver spare wheel.
A powered tailgate comes standard on higher grades but is available as an at-cost optional extra for Life variants.
The diesel engine has been axed from the Allspace line-up but all variants still enjoy an all-wheel-drive drivetrain.
The 110TSI Life has a 1.4L four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which produces 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque. It also has a six-speed auto transmission.
The 132TSI Life has a 2.0L four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which produces 132kW of power and 320Nm of torque. It also has a seven-speed auto transmission.
The 162TSI Elegance/R-Line models have a 2.0L four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine which produces 162kW of power and 350Nm of torque. It also has a seven-speed auto transmission.
The 110TSI Life has an official 0-100km/h sprint time of 9.5 seconds.
The 132TSI Life has an official 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.2 seconds.
The 162TSI Elegance/R-Line models have an official 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.8 seconds.
All models have an estimated top speed of at least 180km/h.
The 110TSI Life has an official combined fuel cycle figure of 7.7L/100km and coupled with its 58L fuel tank, you should expect a theoretical driving range of up to 753km.
The 132TSI Life has an official combined fuel cycle figure of 8.9L/100km and coupled with its 60L fuel tank, you should expect a theoretical driving range of up to 674km.
The 162TSI Elegance/R-Line models have an official combined fuel cycle figure of 8.6L/100km and coupled with its 60L fuel tank, you should expect a theoretical driving range of up to 697km.
VW recommends a minimum 95 RON unleaded petrol to be used for all Tiguan Allspace models.