Volkswagen Tiguan - Engines, performance & drive

The Volkswagen Tiguan behaves just as you’d expect a VW to feel – not exactly exciting, but competent and refined. Minor gripes with ride comfort aside, it impresses overall.

Ultimately, the Tiguan is never going to be a car for keen drivers, but clever software means it’s safe and secure even if you take a corner a little too quickly. It’ll satisfy the needs of the majority in everyday driving, providing a grippy chassis and precise steering. There’s perhaps a little more body lean in bends than you’ll find in a Ford Kuga or SEAT Ateca, but the ride could be a lot more comfortable.

Sitting on the latest iteration of the MQB evo platform, there is some room for adjustability with the Tiguan’s dynamics. From Elegance trim and above, you can either swap the standard suspension for a firmer set-up with the optional Dynamic Driving Pack, or opt for the pricier Dynamic Driving Pack with Adaptive Chassis Control (standard on the 2.0 TSI petrol), the latter providing you with adaptive suspension called Dynamic Chassis Control, along with adjustable steering settings and drive mode selection.

So far, we’ve tried the latter on an Elegance-trim test car with larger 19-inch wheels. We found there’s a vast difference if you shift from Comfort to Sport, because the Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) system firms up the dampers, while the drive mode adds weight to the steering, and holds onto its gears for longer. 

It’s a similar setup you’ll find on the Volkswagen ID.7, and comes with a baffling 15 different levels of damping. You have to delve into the Individual drive modes within the screen to select maximum stiffness, but we wouldn’t recommend it because it has a detrimental effect on ride quality. In other modes, the ride never feels harsh or clumsy over bumps, but there’s a slight jiggle and fidget to the Tiguan’s ride and it refuses to fully settle, even at motorway speeds. We’d recommend sticking with the smaller 17 and 18-inch wheel sizes fitted to the entry-level, Life, and Match trim Tiguans in order to try and mitigate this issue. For a similar-sized SUV with a more settled ride, try a Hyundai Tucson.

It’s a shame about the ride because overall refinement in the Tiguan is very good. There’s a little road roar (blame the larger 19 inch wheel size of the examples we’ve tested so far) is the most noticeable noise entering the cabin at 70mph, but even this is better contained than in the majority of the VW’s rivals.

Engines, 0-60 acceleration and top speed

The slowest Volkswagen Tiguan is the 128bhp 1.5 eTSI, with a 0-62mph time of 10.6 seconds and a top speed of 123mph. Our preferred engine is the 148bhp 1.5 eTSI, with its extra power and torque (250Nm versus 220Nm) trimming the acceleration time to 9.1 seconds and increasing the top speed to 130mph. It’s a responsive engine, and it works well with the standard seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox fitted to all petrol and diesel Tiguans.

The 2.0-litre TDI diesel engine also gets 148bhp, but more torque at 360Nm. However, it isn’t as responsive as the petrol, so its 0-62mph time is slower at 9.4 seconds. This engine’s talents lay in offering low-rev grunt (maximum torque arrives at 1,600rpm) and the ability to tow heavier trailers or caravans. The top speed is 129mph. 

Those wanting the fastest Tiguan will want the 261bhp 2.0 TSI petrol which comes as standard with four-wheel drive. It’ll rattle off the 0-62mph dash in 5.9 seconds and run on to a top speed of 150mph. A more affordable bet for company car drivers will be one of the two plug-in eHybrid models with either 201bhp or 268bhp. We’re yet to drive these versions, but we can say that the 201bhp eHybrid will rattle off 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds, while the 268bhp eHybrid will do it in 7.2 seconds.