So we got a 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T

So we got a 2013 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T


We held off on testing the latest Volkswagen Tiguan because nothing much had changed in the big refresh of 2012. Aside from a new face and tail lamps, there’s absolutely no difference from the older model. However, while the old tester we drove was an “R-Line” model, this new one is a slightly different version.

Tiguans come in three versions. According to the brochure, the basic one is known as the “Trend & Fun” model. The other versions are the “Sport & Style” with its big alloys, LEDs, chrome trim and fully-optioned interior; and the “Track & Style” trim with its offroad-ready front bumper, smaller alloys with fatter tyres, LEDs, chrome trim, fully-optioned interior, and a button-operated “offroad” setting.

The only problem here is that we don’t know what model we have. VW gave us an accessorised test car to highlight all the options that can be had with the car. So it’s got the big 19-inch alloys from the “Sport & Style” and the offroad bumper from the “Track & Style”. There is no “offroad” button, so we assume it’s the “Sport & Style” with an offroad bumper tacked on.

There’s accessory-overload, with a coat-hanger behind the driver’s headrest, a cooler box sized just right to fit in the back seat, rubber floor mats and boot liner, tailgate-window sunshade, and some sort of padded thingy with pockets that slap on like partial seat-covers. Outside, there’s those huge roof rails as well as water-deflectors on top of the rear-side windows and a rubberised strip along the bottom-edge of the tailgate.

The Tiguan still has all the unique goods that the old one had, including tray-tables on the front seat-backs and the under-floor storage in the boot. They’ve even moved the rear cup-holders from the floor to the centre pull-down armrest.

The Tiguan remains one of the more interesting choices in a boring segment, with a turbo engine and a relatively-upscale interior, although it continues to suffer from some VW-specific quirks that keep it from becoming the best crossover ever. More in the full review.

What do you think?

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