2021 Volkswagen Tiguan Elegance 162TSI: owner review
My car is the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan 162TSI, which is a mid-life facelift for VeeDub’s most popular model globally.
Owner: Pete Ryan
- Digital dash configurability
- Refinement and comfort
- Launch control (may never use it again, but it is fun)
- Safety tech is dialled in well
- Street appeal
- It feels like a premium European car should, but without the killer price tag.
- Addition of Wireless charging
- My VW Passat delivered much better fuel economy
- Give us access to the European VW Connect app in this market
- The addition of a wireless charging pad would be the final touch for convenience.
Straight outta Wolfsburg.
My car is the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan 162TSI, which is a mid-life facelift for VeeDub’s most popular model globally. And yes, it was assembled in the legendary Wolfsburg plant in Germany. I opted for the Elegance trim, which sits above the entry-level Life trim, and beside the sporty-looking R-Line.
Elegance was the sweet spot for me due to the standard spec offerings, and balance of comfort and performance. I tend never to go with the “sport” models, as it generally means paying extra for more plastic trim and thinner rubber on the wheels. As I do not expect to be routinely exposing the Tiguan to massive amounts of lateral G-forces which would necessitate lower profile tyres, I opted for a little more comfort.
I test drove a few other vehicles in the class; Toyota RAV4, Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-5 and the Hyundai Tucson (the new one with the creased cellophane panels and “Close Encounters” headlights). To me the Tiguan presented a better all-round package – a more expensive package, but one that delivered the right mix of refinement and clever driver-centric design.
Performance
I chose the most powerful engine in the line-up, the 2.0 litre, 162kW motor driving all wheel drive through the 7-speed DSG transmission. I like to have straight-line speed on call…
The confidence inspiring 162kW/350Nm feels readily available throughout the rev range. It never feels under-powered, with traffic-light launches and zippy overtaking manoeuvres always available under-foot.
The 4Motion all-wheel drive system plants you on the road and the 235mm wide Hankook Ventus Evo2 performance tyres do the rest.
Technology
There is much to love here, as I feel that when Volkswagen Engineers include a technology, they do so with well-designed and complete parcels. With some manufacturers, new software and features can feel like the Beta version, which they update in later models.
There is literally too much safety tech to talk about, so let’s just say that if I have an accident in this car – I can guarantee you that it will be despite the car and probably unavoidable altogether. My highlights are the 360 camera, smooth adaptive cruise control, and the rear traffic alert. If you are backing out of a parking spot and ignore the warnings of the latter tech, it feels like the car explosively drives 10-inch metal spikes into the ground to stop you in your tracks.
I love the centre-mounted 9.2-inch screen which integrates seamlessly with the digital dash screen. Between the two of them you can have a field day choosing what gets displayed where.
Comfort
When I was comparing comfort levels on my various test drives, I felt like other manufacturers had an off-the-rack feel. They fit; mostly, and I’d get used to it. The Tiguan felt tailor-made.
The electronically adjustable seats are the perfect balance between supportively firm and yieldingly comfortable. The driving position and amazing visibility also make it much less fatiguing to do long stints behind the wheel.
Options
Volkswagen keep the options fairly simple, generally offering packages that are much more reasonably priced than comparable packages on Audis coming out of the same factory. I took both options available – Panoramic Sunroof ($2,000), and the Sound & Vision ($2,500) packages. The former was an indulgent treat for myself, whereas the Harman Kardon sound system in the latter was an absolute necessity…
Price
It would have cost me around $59,000 to have the privilege of driving the car out of the dealership with my chosen options, if I hadn’t added extras. Items like a five year service plan, tow bar, and dash cams did jack the price up a bit more, but they’re an investment right?
Satisfaction level with the car = exceptionally high (bordering on obsessively high)
Buyer’s remorse = non-existent.
Owner: Pete Ryan
MORE: Everything Volkswagen
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