VW Tiguan Facelift 2021: Observations after a day of driving

Out on the highway is when things go from good to great! The Volkswagen Tuguan is easily among the most fun-to-drive SUVs this side of the luxury marques.

Driving the Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0L Turbo Petrol Automatic

The biggest change in the Tiguan is under the bonnet. The 2.0L TDI diesel engine has been replaced by a 2.0L TSI petrol engine, which produces 187 BHP @ 4,200 - 6,000 rpm and 320 Nm @ 1,500 - 4,100 rpm. It is mated to a 7-speed DSG transmission with a 4MOTION AWD system. The Tiguan ARAI fuel efficiency rating = 12.65 km/l:

This 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine along with the 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox is the only powertrain on offer in the 2021 Tiguan. The combination is shared with the Skoda Octavia, Skoda Superb and Audi A4. It will also be seen on some upcoming cars such as the Skoda Kodiaq. The performance of this engine is strong with 187 BHP and 320 Nm on tap. With the torque available from low revs, the 2.0 is quite tractable and enjoyable at all speeds. That said, it is disappointing that VAG hasn't bothered to make its durable, efficient & powerful 2.0 TDI engine BS6-compliant. That puts the Tiguan at a disadvantage as there are many diesel lovers in the premium segments. Plus, that 2.0 diesel was a workhorse for high-mileage customers in a way that the 2.0 TSI can never be. Petrol has now crossed 100 bucks a litre and there is a significant operating cost difference between 7 - 10 city km/l and 12 - 14 km/l for the heavy runners. Important to note that all crossovers & SUVs in this price band offer a diesel, as does the Elantra sedan.

In the city, the 2.0 motor's healthy bottom end helps you get around effortlessly. Throttle response is good and the Tiguan moves smoothly. Add to that, the direct injection and turbocharger ensure that the engine isn't lethargic at low RPMs. There's always more than enough power on tap to accelerate or overtake quickly. The minimal turbo lag just makes it that much more responsive. While the DSG gearbox is super smooth 99% of the time, it can get jerky at crawling speeds in bumper-to-bumper traffic (an unfortunate DSG trait). Tip: Use the super convenient auto-hold function in traffic.

Drive with a light foot and the gearbox moves up the ratios pretty quickly. It is eager to reach higher gears and you will see it upshift under 2,000 rpm. Impressively though, you won't feel these shifts as the transition is very smooth. The Tiguan's steering is light at city speeds and the car doesn't feel as big as its dimensions suggest. A turning radius of 5.39 meters, which is significantly smaller than the 5.75 meters of the old Tiguan means those tight turns are easily manageable. The Tiguan is a breeze to drive & you will enjoy driving it in the city.

Out on the highway is when things go from good to great! This is easily among the most fun-to-drive SUVs this side of the luxury marques. You'll find yourself addicted to flooring the throttle whenever there's an empty stretch of road. Outright performance is excellent and the strong mid-range takes care of all the overtaking you need to do. You will literally fly past slower traffic. The downshifts are quick and the gearbox responds well to throttle inputs. The engine revs beautifully to ~6,200 rpm and importantly, sounds lovely and sporty while doing so. While this is enjoyable, we would have liked to see 6,500 - 6,700 rpm to play with as this rpm level is way too low (some diesels rev to 5,500 rpm!). In terms of cruisability, the Tiguan can run at triple-digit speeds all day long without breaking into a sweat. The engine spins at a relaxed ~1,800 rpm at 100 km/h and ~2,000 rpm at 120 km/h. And touring you must do - this car is built for long-distance road trips. In summary, the 2.0 TSI is a jewel of a motor that will keep you happy at low revs & high, and in the city as well as on the highway. The 2.0 petrol engine too is an all-rounder.

The Tiguan uses a 7-speed DSG gearbox, which belongs to the DQ381 family and has a wet clutch setup. The DQ381 has been around for a couple of years internationally and online customer complaints are fewer in number than VW's older DSGs. Still, we have serious reservations regarding the long-term reliability of any VW / Skoda DSG and strongly recommend getting that extended warranty.

New glossy black gear shifter with backlit lettering gets a silver insert and a leather boot:

Cruising around in D mode, one won't even notice the gears being shifted. They are damn smooth. The kickdown response time is quick and you will never feel that the gearbox is hunting for gears either. It's in the right ratio almost all the time. When you are in the mood to drive the car aggressively, engage 'Sport' mode. This puts the car in 'high alert' mode and its senses are heightened. The DSG holds onto gears longer before upshifting and you'll also notice that the gearbox is eager to downshift at the slightest of throttle inputs. People with a heavy foot will love S mode for sure. However, in the city where the traffic is heavy, you will find S mode to be jerky.

Paddle shifters have been provided and you will enjoy using them with this turbo-petrol. The response time is quick and they are fun to use on a twisty section of road. Tap the left paddle for a downshift and you'll notice the ECU blipping the throttle to match the revs, which is quite satisfying & addictive. There's a good amount of engine braking available too. But again, with such a combination, the paddle shifters would've been a lot more fun if the engine offered 500 - 1,000 more revs to play with.

The Tiguan's DSG features an "S" mode, which is similar in function to other VW cars. "S" mode changes the gearbox's shift points. The gearbox holds onto gear longer too. One can engage the manual Tiptronic mode by moving the gear lever to the right into the Tiptronic gate, or by clicking on any of the plastic paddles. Tiptronic works in both "D" & "S" modes. The response time in Tiptronic is decent and the DSG holds onto gears. One can use this mode to keep the engine in its powerband (at the cost of higher revs), which can be useful for overtaking manoeuvres. 

Apart from the gearbox's "S" mode, the Tiguan has a host of driving modes, which change the parameters of the engine, gearbox, steering, ESP, adaptive lights and air-con. In addition to the usual Sport and Eco modes, you get an offroad mode and a snow mode. To change between the different modes is easy once you get the hang of it. The Tiguan gets a rotary knob known as the '4Motion Active Control' with 4 modes available - Snow, On-road, Offroad and Offroad Individual. The default mode is the "On-road" mode. When the dial is in the "On-road" position, one can further select between 4 sub-modes, namely Eco, Normal, Sport and Individual. Each mode changes the engine's characteristics, gearbox shift points, air-con operation, steering weight, etc.

• Normal mode: This is the default mode you should use for everyday driving. It is a good balance between economy & power. Anytime you need to perform some quick overtaking manoeuvres, you can always flick the gear lever in "S" mode for better performance.
• Sport mode: Engage Sport mode and you'll feel the throttle to be sharper. The engine feels more responsive in Sport mode for sure. Acceleration seems to be noticeably improved. This is the mode for when you're in the 'mood'. It certainly helps when driving on undivided highways too, where it is necessary to overtake vehicles quickly. For regular city driving, however, this mode can feel peaky. The steering also feels heavier than the other modes. The headlights adjust more dynamically here.
• Eco mode: Engage Eco and you'll immediately see the air-con blower's level drop down a notch. The climate control doesn't work as hard in Eco mode - it still cools the cabin sufficiently though. Power delivery is lazier, with the throttle response dulled a bit. Overall, because the engine is reasonably powerful, Eco mode is still useable. It doesn't feel too sluggish and there is sufficient grunt on tap to keep you cruising at higher speeds. When it comes to quick overtaking, you will need Normal or Sport modes.
• Individual mode: The driver can choose to adjust the individual parameters such as the steering, drive and air-conditioning, according to his preferences.
  The Tiguan comes with a convenient 'auto hold' feature which owners will love in the city. While the vehicle is waiting at a signal, the driver can lift his foot off the brake pedal and the vehicle will stay in place. No need to keep the brake pedal continuously pressed.

Volkswagen has equipped the Tiguan with its 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system. As is usually the case with such crossovers, in normal conditions, the system sends power to the front wheels only. If road conditions require more traction, it will send the necessary amount of torque to the rear wheels. The system monitors which of the four wheels has the most traction and is able to send torque to those wheels. If slippery roads make a wheel lose traction, the system hits the brake on that wheel and transfers the remaining power to the other wheels. The AWD will help you when touring remote parts of the country and over the likes of slush, muck & sand. It's no offroader like the Fortuner though.

There are 3 terrain modes one can choose from by using the rotary knob on the centre console (over and above the on-road mode):

• Snow - This should be engaged on icy or snow-covered roads. It provides better accelerator sensitivity in these conditions. "S" mode is disabled.
• Offroad - Accelerator sensitivity is adjusted for rough terrain and unpaved roads. Engine braking is always available and hill start assist + hill descent control are switched on. Acceleration is restricted while driving downhill and it is not possible to shift to "S" mode.
• Offroad individual - All the adjustments that are made under the offroad mode are incorporated in this mode. Additionally, the driver can customize certain parameters to his liking (explanatory pic toward the end of this post).

Noise, Vibration & Harshness (NVH)

As you would expect in a premium SUV like this, refinement levels are overall satisfactory. The engine idles softly and you'd barely notice it while driving around sedately. Rev the 2.0 TSI and a nice, sporty note are audible in the cabin. Wind noise is well controlled even when driving at 120 km/h. 

Mileage & Fuel Economy

The Tiguan 2.0 TSI engine with the DSG automatic has an ARAI rating of 12.65 km/l. We would expect 7 - 10 km/l in the city, depending on traffic density. Do note that turbo-petrols are very sensitive to throttle input and if you drive it hard (which you will), the fuel gauge will drop much faster. The Tiguan's fuel tank capacity is 60 litres.

Ride Comfort

The Tiguan uses a MacPherson strut suspension up front and a multi-link setup at the rear. The suspension feels too firm for Indian conditions. While owners who drive themselves might find the ride acceptable (it's better at the front), those sitting at the rear will definitely not be comfortable. They will complain. On the back seat, road imperfections come in easily at low speeds and on broken roads, it can get bone-jarring. Volkswagen should have softened it more for our kind of roads; we don't have blemish-free tarmac like Europe! You can also hear some suspension 'thuds' in the cabin. I must add that the poor ride quality is probably accentuated by the 18" rims and 235/55 profile tyres.

While the recommended tyre pressure is 36 PSI, the tyres on our test car were pumped up to 42 PSI. This made the ride very bumpy. We dropped it to 33 PSI all-round and things became better. The ride became more compliant, but still, we feel that the suspension is a level too firm for India. You simply feel too much of the road in the Tiguan.

As the speedometer climbs, ride quality does get better, but it still cannot be termed plush. As long as the expressway is smooth, there are no issues. Big & sharp bumps easily make their presence felt inside the cabin though. It's nowhere near the ride offered by something like the Citroen C5 Aircross. There is no comparison.

To sum it up, the Tiguan comes with a typical German suspension that gives it good road manners, but again, you feel bad roads. Potholes and broken surfaces are very evident inside the cabin. Owners will not appreciate this ride quality.

Handling & Dynamics

The good thing about such a suspension tune is the high-speed behaviour. The car feels very solid and very planted. Especially with this 2.0 TSI, you could have a lot of fun with the car in a way that you could never do with the 2.0 TDI because its power rating was a relatively low 138 BHP.  The car's high-speed stability is excellent and it feels damn composed at triple-digit speeds. The Tiguan masks silly speeds with ease.

For an SUV, the Tiguan exhibits good handling characteristics. Guess the taut suspension helps here. Grip levels from the 235 mm Hankook tyres are excellent, with the Tiguan holding her line through the curves smartly. Corner harder and there is some body roll felt, but it's never excessive. The dynamics are typically German and certainly superior to its competitors.

Steering

While the electric power steering is accurate and weighs up at highway speeds (although not as much as enthusiasts would like), it offers very little feel and feedback. On the positive side, it's light at city & parking speeds. This, along with the delightful DSG gearshifts, smaller turning radius (5.39 m) and the relatively urban-friendly dimensions makes the Tiguan easier to drive in the city.

Braking

Like other cars in its segment, the Tiguan is equipped with disc brakes all around. The brakes are top class. The car had no problems stopping in a straight line, even when we slammed on the brake pedal at speed. However, I did get the feeling that the brakes are too sensitive to pedal pressure and this can take some getting used to.

Continue reading the discussion on the 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan Facelift on our forum.