Volkswagen Singapore plays the game right with a new Category A COE-friendly Tiguan. But will their SUV with less Tiger and Iguana make it top banana?

2024 Volkswagen Tiguan 1.5 eTSI Life Plus

---

Launched: 2024 – Price: 223,400
Five-door, SUV, five seats
129hp 220Nm, 1.5L turbocharged inline-four, petrol with mild hybrid

---

PROS
Economical powertrain
Comfortable
Well-mannered on the road
Good equipment list

CONS
Infotainment can be tricky to use
No wireless mobile device charger

Photos & Text: Clifford Chow

SINGAPORE

Somewhere in my head, it wasn’t too long ago when Volkswagen unveiled the previous facelifted Tiguan. Back in 2021, where COEs were somewhat more “normal”, VW’s C-Segment SUV was offered in just one engine choice – a 2.0 with an AWD drivetrain.

With the launch of the new Tiguan SUV in a high-trending COE environment; where many would-be buyers would be simply priced out, Volkswagen has responded with a Category A COE car. While I would not deny that having more grunt is almost always a good thing, I will go on to say that the new Tiguan does exceed a good number of my expectations.

Visually, the new Tiguan carries on it the same design language you will see in the in-coming facelifted Golf 8. This is especially evident in its lower “grille within a grille”. It also departs from the previous car, showing-off softer lines; but it still remains easily identifiable as a Tiguan.

The model here, which is the higher-specced Life Plus variant, benefits from IQ.LIGHT HD matrix headlights. These headlamps which were first seen on the flagship Touareg SUV, offer improved forward illumination.

As with many of VW’s current stock of cars, the interior sees a considerable button reduction. The neat virtual sliders for the air-conditioning have all but gone, with most of the controls moved into the massive 15-inch infotainment touchscreen. Volkswagen’s latest MIB4 which powers the infotainment, is a mixed bag. While it does function smoothly, and features voice controls, many of the car’s functions are now buried within, and you may need a bit of digging to bring them to the surface. To make searching for some functions easier, there is a dial with its own mini screen, which sits on the centre console, which allows you to control the drive mode, audio volume and even ambient light themes.

One crucial feature I do find missing however, is that the car lacks a wireless charging pad, which I feel is now an almost a non-negotiable feature. We understand that VW has mentioned that they will bring more buttons back to the mix, but that would likely come with the facelift, which will be years from now.

One major quirk I have to get over, is the repositioning of the drive selector, to the steering column, just like in their ID. cars. Furthermore, unlike the intuitive up-down movement you’d find in a Mercedes-Benz, where ‘down’ means ‘Drive’ and ‘up’ means ‘Reverse’, the VW’s drive selector is a knob atop a stalk, where a forward turn puts the car into ‘Drive’, and a backward turn puts the car in ‘Reverse’.

Overall, the Tiguan’s cabin is a pleasant place to be in. Occupants at the front benefit from ergoActive Plus seats, which offer a pneumatic 10-chamber pressure massage function and ventilation – great especially for those longer journeys up-north. At the rear, I have no complaints about head and leg space. The increase in length of the new Tiguan has mostly been focused on the boot. What is approximately a 3-cm increase in length, translates to a 37-litre increase in boot size, to 652-litres.

In general, the Tiguan’s drive feels smooth, and it connects you to the road in a way that some SUVs aren’t able to. However the start-stop at lower speeds could be smoother, and there is some intrusion of road noise into the cabin, but the latter is not a deal breaker.

The 1.5-litre turbocharged mild-hybridised engine which powers the Tiguan, is the same unit you would find in the Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3, Audi Q3 and the Skoda Octavia Combi. Over here, it puts out 129hp and 220Nm, and is mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, driving just the front wheels. There are no prizes that it is slower to the 100km/h mark than the previous car, but where the new Tiguan does lack in performance, it makes up in economy figures. Where Volkswagen claims a respectable 14.9km/l, I managed between 18km/l to 20.1km/l over a few combined runs… and that is impressive in my books.

To achieve its efficiency, engineers have fed-in features like cylinder deactivation, to reduce consumption over lighter loads, and have also programmed the engine to shut-off when you lift-off the accelerator; just so that you can coast over short distances. The 48-Volt MHEV architecture also provides a small power and torque boost, where required. Therefore, this 1.5-litre has become one of my favourite powertrains.

2024 Audi A3 30 TFSI MHEV Sportback First Drive Review: Friendlier Cat

Volkswagen, like many brands here, have moved their product line-up to qualify for a Category A COE, in-order to make their cars more attractive. But while the Tiguan may be cheaper to own, and to run with the 1.5-litre MHEV engine, it still is quite expensive, with this Life Plus variant setting you back $223,400 (inclusive of COE).

But with that said, there is very little in the way of Category A, same class competition. But if you are looking for something from a more premium stable, like a GLA, or an X1, the Tiguan could simply make more sense.

2024 Volkswagen Tiguan 1.5 eTSI Life Plus

• 
  The Denza D9 is BYD’s next big thing for Singapore, we went to China to take a look
• 
  Cycle and Carriage Singapore launches new Smart showroom and unveils the Smart #3
• 
  Audi Singapore to premier all-new Lifestyle destination platform by end-2024
• 
  Zeekr X RWD Review: Futuristic urban cruiserweight champ
• 
  Revised Skoda Kamiq receives midlife makeover, now Cat A-friendly