Volkswagen Tiguan review

Naturally it costs more than before. That’s a general trend of the industry. So prices now start at a smidge over £34,000 (or around £350 a month) for a base Tiguan in 128bhp trim. Sure, it looks dowdy on its 17in alloys (cutely named Bari, after the gorgeous Italian town) but that’ll probably help the ride comfort.

It’s got all the essentials too: digital dials, a 12.9in touchscreen, front and rear parking sensors and rear parking camera, LED lights and the DSG ‘box with steering wheel paddleshifters. Options on this car are minimal; it’s designed as an entry point rather than a blank canvas to start decorating.

Another two grand gets you a more customisable Tiguan Life with 18in Napoli wheels, adaptive cruise control, parking assistance and a big boost for the interior quality courtesy of front-seat lumbar support, ambient lighting, multi-zone climate control and USB-C ports for the rear passengers. It also opens up the chance of other powertrains beyond that entry 1.5.

More luxurious features like heated, ventilated and massaging seats are reserved for the plusher Elegance and R-Line trims, which sit north of £39,000 and top the range with differing styles. The former gets 19in wheels and a chrome look front grille, the latter a set of 20s (amusingly called ‘Leeds’) and more aggressive intakes and detailing.

Options packs include the £1,110 Comfort Package, which brings a memory function for the self-parking system – to help you nail that awkward parallel park at home – as well as keyless unlocking and boot opening.

The DCC adaptive suspension comes as part of a £1,000 package, while the 15in infotainment screen and a head-up display are part of a £1,100 ‘Infotainment plus’ parcel. Matrix LED headlights are £580 and a panoramic sunroof another £1,350, even on the chintzy R-Line. This is a car that’ll get pricey quickly.

VW expects the bulk of buyers to go for a plug-in hybrid, which is little surprise when a lot of business car schemes insist on a decent slug of electrification thanks to the lower CO2 taxation it brings.

As a private buyer, we’d be tempted to stick to simple internal combustion to save money and weight. The 148bhp mild-hybrid ought to be enough while the diesel feels right on point for this car’s use case if you can live with the fuel’s current image.