It's still very early days with the Volkswagen Tiguan, but my initial impressions are mostly positive. It looks and feels like a premium product, while there's more space and practicality than our three-person family really needs. It's an easy car to drive, too, which bodes well for our time together in the coming months.
I've never been one to follow fashion, but even by my standards, taking delivery of a brand-new car without a plug in 2026 seems deliberately perverse. As you can see from our recent 16-car PHEV megatest, plug-in hybrids are rocketing in popularity, while electric car sales are at record levels.
View Price on AmazonTo further befuddle my ageing brain, my last fleet car was a pure-electric Volvo EX30, so when this Volkswagen Tiguan arrived I was a little bemused at the prospect of reacquainting myself with filling stations rather than topping up on my driveway.
The Tiguan will be my family's transport for the next six months. But although what is in effect a pure-petrol car feels very old-school in 2026, there is plenty of tech on board. Not only is my car a mild hybrid, it also has Active Cylinder Technology Management, which shuts down two of the engine's four cylinders when there's low load on the engine, boosting fuel economy. To be honest, though, I only know that because it said so on the spec sheet that came with the car – the system is utterly imperceptible in everyday driving.
Used - available now: 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan, 26,396 miles, Automatic, Diesel, 2.0L; 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan, 32,187 miles, Manual, Petrol, 1.5L; 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan, 19,425 miles, Automatic, Petrol, 1.5L; 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan, 39,640 miles, Automatic, Petrol, 1.4L.
I was also a little surprised to find that this is the most popular powertrain in the Tiguan range, with almost three in four private buyers choosing it. I thought more people might be tempted by a plug-in hybrid, but presumably the $3,000 extra it costs is a step too far. It's a different story with company car users, though. They prefer the PHEV because of its lower, more tax-friendly CO2 emissions.
Where I also follow the crowd of private Tiguan buyers is by going for Match trim – but it's not hard to see why it's so popular, given that it includes everything I consider a must-have: dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, all-round cameras to help with parking and Apple CarPlay. Given that this will be our family's main transport, its five-star Euro NCAP rating is a major draw, too.
The Cipressino Green metallic paint is part of the standard package, too – and growing on me – plus there are numerous features that give this Volkswagen a premium image. Having illuminated front and rear badges, plus the VW logo projected onto the ground from the door mirrors, for example, elevates the Tiguan above so many carbon-copy mainstream rivals.
That impression continues inside, with ambient lighting, comfortable seats and a couple of very-high-definition screens. I've always been a fan of the VW Group's digital driver's display, so I'm delighted to have it here. Overall, in fact, 'delighted' is a pretty good summary of life so far with the Tiguan. My family has immediately warmed to the space and practicality on offer – much more than was available in the Volvo, despite the cars being almost identically priced – and the VW has easily settled into life in suburban south-west London.
Source: autoexpress.co.uk
