SA Roadtests
South Africa
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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVsand LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Many of the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.
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Posted: September 21, 2021
The numbers
Price: R644 500
Engine: 1395 cc, DOHC 16-valve, four-cylinder turbopetrol
Power: 110 kW between 5000 and 6000 rpm
Torque: 250 Nm between 1500 and 3500 rpm
0-100 km/h: 9.2 seconds
Top speed: 200 km/h
Real life fuel consumption: About 8.0 l/100 km
Tank: 58 litres
Luggage: 520 – 615 – 1655 litres
Ground clearance: 189 mm
Turning circle: 11.5 metres
Towing capacities, unbraked and braked: 750 kg and 1800 kg
Standard tyre size: 255/45R19
Spare: Spacesaver
Warranty: Three years, 120 000 km
Service plan: Five years, 90 000 kmPerspective: Tiguan entered its second generation, having switched to the Volkswagen MQB platform, in 2016. It was offered in two series’ based on wheelbase lengths; AD for regular Tiguans and BW for Allspace.
A 2020 facelift brought newly designed headlamps, radiator grille and broader bumper intakes along with a new bonnet, new LED tail lights and a tweaked rear diffuser. A redesigned centre dashboard added a new touchscreen display with VW’s latest MIB3 software.
July 2021 saw the range rationalised (motor-industry language for ‘we’re taking away your diesels - although we might return one at some future date - and changing the trim choices’) to a “plain” 110-kw model with six-speed DSG; 110-kw Life trim with ECO function and drive mode selection, larger 18” wheels, daytime running lights, an armrest at the back, nicer front seats, fancier air conditioner, LED head- and taillights, some more chrome and a wider range of options.
Then we have our test car, the 1400 R-Line, also with 110-kW motor and six-speed DSG, that adds a whole shopping list of additions like a special exterior package; 19-inch wheels; Vienna leather sport-comfort seats with R-Line logo, warming, lumbar support and electrical adjusters on those in front; Active Information Display; Composition Media radio with AppConnect and 30 interior lighting options.
The 2.0 TFSI, 4Motion, R-Line appears to have been left mostly untouched.
Among visible changes, the 6.5” Composition Media touchscreen has grown to 8 inches; the still-optional Discover Pro setup with satnav has expanded from 8 inches to 9.2”; a multi-functional display, Digital Cockpit Pro, is standard on both R-Line models and the previously optional electric tailgate is original on all models above the plain version.
A questionable alteration is the switch from conventional USB ports to the smaller type C. It’s supposedly easier to connect phones and tablets with, and Volkswagen supplies an adaptor, but it still seems unnecessarily cumbersome. Then, because a minority of my writing colleagues may not always completely pious in their dealings with other people’s property, said kit is studiously deleted from press cars. Which is a roundabout way of saying I cannot comment on how well it may, or may not, work.
What may also not be completely irrelevant is that a particular SA-only option is a R4000 cellphone charging pad. I know I would buy one. Purely in case the adaptor cable breaks or goes MIA, of course.
Apart from all that, this car is very much like the Comfortline edition, with added R-Line pack, that I drove in December 2016. That is to say it behaves well on poorer surfaces, is quite spacious enough for most families’ needs and its gearbox still works well. It won design awards back then and it’s easy to see why.
Test unit from VWSA press fleet
We drove an facelifted Tiguan Allspace in 2022
This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads or goat tracks as well. As a result, my test cars do occasionally get dirty. It's all part of the reviewing process.
I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material.
If ever I place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with a very similar vehicle already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.
Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. There are no advertisers and no “editorial policy” rules. I add bylines to acknowledge sponsored launch functions and the manufacturers or dealerships that provide the test vehicles. And, as quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so you can see I do actually exist.
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SA Roadtests
South Africa
ctjag8