This Volkswagen Tiguan makes no sense – so I’m living with it for three months

Back in the summer, I sold my previous-generation Volkswagen Tiguan and began the hunt for a new car. Fast forward almost half a year and myself and Mrs R simply can’t decide on what to buy.

We shopped through various electric cars like the Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Skoda Enyaq, but none of them quite fit the bill, or our Labradoodle Bonnie’s dog crate in the boot.

But then it hit me – our Tiguan served us well over the few years we had it, why not try out the latest one? A quick call to VW later and I’ve got my hands on a new Volkswagen Tiguan to try out for three months.

But this is no ordinary Tiguan, it’s the 265hp four-wheel drive petrol version – making it the fastest and most expensive model you can buy. It’ll do 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds, which is exactly the same as a Golf GTI. I was curious to see what it was like because, on paper at least, it makes the least sense. It’s also a big step up from the 150hp version I had before.

This car with its powerful petrol engine, bright red paint and a few other optional extras added on costs a shade over £58,000, and for that money you could have a BMW X1 M35i, or a Cupra Terramar with the same engine.

Both of those cars have a more sporty image than the Tiguan, and I’ve always seen the VW as more of a comfy cruiser than a B-road blaster. I’ll find out over the next three months if this version is worth buying, but I do have some initial thoughts after my first few weeks with the car.

First off, spicing up the Tiguan hasn’t impacted comfort. This is still a really relaxing SUV to drive. It has adaptive suspension which you can adjust to make it firmer for spirited driving, but I keep it in its softest setting for wafting around the potholed roads of Surrey.

I’m also happy to report that Bonnie’s crate easily fits in the boot when you slide the rear seats forward, so that’s a big tick for the Reids. I love the Matrix LED headlights as well – switching from dipped to high beam looks like you’re opening a curtain of light across the road with a dramatic animation.

I was quite surprised to find manually sliding seats in a car which costs almost £60,000 though, that seems a bit mean to me.

Aside from this, I’m enjoying my time with the Tiguan so far. It’s proving to be a comfy and practical family car, but I’m still not quite sure if I’d choose this engine over one of the cheaper options.

Stay tuned over the coming weeks for updates on my time with the Volkswagen Tiguan.

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