Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line Long Term Report: Month 1 - What an Upgrade!

The arrival of a new Tiguan in the Indian market is something that I always look forward to. You see, over the past seven years, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time driving different iterations of the Tiguan. In fact, it’s one SUV that I’ve driven in all kinds of conditions – for daily commutes, on the expressway, in the Himalayas, the Western ghats, and through the heart of India. Let me just say that, given its genuine driver’s appeal, I’ve enjoyed every moment in it, covering thousands of kilometres. So, naturally, when Volkswagen India announced the launch of the new Tiguan, I was pretty chuffed about the news.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to experience the SUV at its inaugural drive. It was a short drive from the Gateway of India in Mumbai to the new diamond bourse in Surat. Despite my brief time with the SUV, I was genuinely impressed by it, given how much had changed. The new Tiguan now sports a new exterior design that’s quite different from that of the previous generations of the SUV, along with a heavily upgraded interior. This also addresses one of the common complaints about the previous-generation model – that the interior experience was a bit underwhelming. Well, not any more – the new massive centre screen immediately grabs your attention, while the new dash design, with its integrated lighting elements, looks futuristic and much more premium. The feature list has also been upgraded, which now includes ADAS – something I am not a fan of. Overall, though, the interior feels more premium and classy.

The SUV comes with the same engine and gearbox as before, but with an upgrade. Consequently, the engine now produces 210bhp – an increase of 14bhp. Also, the new Tiguan’s R-Line variant – the only variant available in India – also has an adaptive suspension. But the key question is – how does it drive? In simple terms, it’s still the mid-size SUV of choice for enthusiasts. The sports seats of this variant are extremely comfortable and feature large bolsters, which offer incredible support while pushing the SUV. The engine remains as good as ever, offering instant response to throttle inputs. Engaging the Sport mode further sharpens its response, holding revs longer and thereby keeping the engine in the meat of the powerband. The engine is also now significantly more efficient – perhaps because of the increased power. Whereas the older model would return around 5.5km/l during daily commutes, the new Tiguan offers an efficiency figure of about 8km/l. There’s more to discuss regarding the suspension and feature set, but I’ll leave that for the next month’s report and continue to enjoy driving the SUV.