2016 Volkswagen Tiguan review, test drive

What’s it like on the inside?

It’s a pleasure to see VW finally trying to break away from its clean but thus far unadventurous interior design language. It’s still very neat, but there are signs of the mould being broken – angles on the central console and dashboard, bits of really rich-looking champagne gold trim here and there, contrast stitching on some models and just altogether more modern-looking switchgear. This dashboard is all black, but as is the norm in India, expect it to come to our shores with a dual-tone scheme and lighter colours. As ever, there’s no compromise on fit and finish, and everything in this cabin feels solid and high-quality like a German car should; our Tiguan will be assembled locally, however, so hopefully this won’t change. It really feels as good as the new B8 Passat in here, and it should, as the two will be in a similar price range.

Equipment is another thing for which we’ll have to just wait and see, but let’s hope for as many of this car’s long list of goodies as possible. It’s got a heads-up display, a digital instrument cluster (like the Audi TT and Q7) surround cameras and sensors, three-zone climate control, heated electric front seats with memory, engine stop-start, the latest VW touchscreen with support for Apple Carplay, Android Auto and Mirror Link (just like the new Skoda Octavia), drive mode selection, a separate off-road mode selector dial for AWD cars and, as usual, a few radar and camera-based features like auto emergency braking, which we definitely won’t get in our market.

The space in the new Tiguan is very impressive, and VW claims class-best figures in most dimensions, in Europe. The boot, for example, with the rear seat slid forward (but not folded), can hold a whopping 615 litres of stuff. The second row is spacious enough in this configuration, but when it’s slid all the way back, legroom is at luxury sedan levels; the seatback can be reclined too. The seats too are incredibly comfortable and generously supportive, be it at the front or the back. The leather used feels rich and nice to touch, and there’s a good amount of it on the door pads as well. There’s actually very little to fault in this cabin, and it scores high in most areas.