2008 Volkswagen Tiguan TDI offroad review
October 27, 2008 by Karl Peskett
Sink the boot in, and get some speed up so you don’t bog down, and all is well. Immediately after the tyres find a rut though, it’s near on impossible to get them out of it. The wheels aren’t tall enough, and being a diesel, there’s not enough power and revs to turn the wheel and climb out of it – especially when you’re trying to keep up that speed.
The ruts were reasonably compacted, so it wasn’t too much of a hassle, and following team leader Randell in his Mazda Tribute, we travelled along nicely. The ESP kicked in a couple of times though, even when switched off, which raised an eyebrow or two. An ominous sign of things to come?
Following the beach along, the dunes separate, and form a huge bowl, where we climbed up and set up camp. The kids were then free to roam around inside the orange cones, and we went off in search of some hills, and that’s where the difficulties began.
As previously noted, the diesel just can’t sustain the revs for hill climbing, and so your only option is to carry a heap of speed to maintain your momentum and climb up. The only problem is the angle that the hill is on means that the base of the hill intersects with the slope fairly sharply.
This wouldn’t normally be a problem – if you had the ground clearance. More clearance means more room for the suspension to travel before it bottoms out. Unfortunately the Tiguan didn’t have that luxury and so it was either destroy your front bumper with a huge hit when the wheels compressed, or lose all your inertia because you bog down when trying to climb.
So hill climbing was out, unless it was a very gradual slope. Where there were “chicken tracks”, we had to take them. On those, it was fine but then, so it is a two-wheel drive.
Tags: Volkswagen Tiguan, Volkswagen Tiguan TDI
is this stockton beach?
Would have loved to see you take Tiguan and the Forester offroad for a “best of the best” battle.
….tiguan seems to me to be the new CRV. Honda’s CRV broke new ground on many levels 11 years ago regarding space, handling, packaging etc but now seems a bit of an also ran like the others. Quite like the no fuss look of the interior/exterior over the Japanese and Koreans.
The best of the mini SUV’s is the X Trail.
Bit low though so be careful
Cheers
F-0
PS Is it just me or do you guys tend to test HEAPS of VW product?
I think this test shows that this car is not really suited for even moderate use off road. 195mm of ground clearance just isn’t enough and is likely the least in class. The ESP not suited to this use just confirms that they don’t really want you to take it off road.
Who is going to wait 6 months for one of these? No-one is.. oh yeah the sat nav had better be good at 3k a pop..
It’s no surprise that the “on-road” Tiguan fails the basic “off-road” testing.
It’s VW Australia’s fault that they are not selling the off-road version of the Tiguan, which VW has built for those who want to travel these locations.
As a result, the “standard” car gets unfavourable press because it can’t do what it’s not designed to do, and you can’t buy the version that addresses the clearance, approach angles, off-road electronics, etc.
A shame, really. But VW AU’s own fault.
I drive a Tiguan 103 TDi 6ps manual. In my car, there is an off-road pack option ($290), it adds Hill descent Control button, and also an ‘Off Road’ button that changes electronics to practically lock into full-time 4wd mode, plus tyre pressure monitors and more of an off-road tyre model. Tiguan tested here did not have it, could have done better if it did. What we do not get here in Oz is the off-road nose option that increases approach angle and has underbody protection. Still, would never take mine really off-road, but went thru some gravel road, and gravel handling is fantastic, really fun and confident.
T39,
Does your off-road pack option also completely turn off the ESP?
The “pack” could be the same as fitted to the genuine off-road version with the extra clearance/approach/departure angles.
Would be interesting to know if that option can be dealer retro-fitted. Seems to be a hardware switch and an ECU update.
Reckless1, off-road option presents as separate buttons at lower centre console: ‘ESP’ button, ‘Hill Decent’ button, ‘Type Pressure Monitor’ button and ‘Off Road’ mode button. (also a Compass display on multifunction screen next to speedo). I have not yet read the manual, so not sure what is the interaction between ‘ESP’ and ‘Off Road’ buttons. Yes, looks like a part of the genuene off-road version without the extra approach angle. In general, ESP seems very unobtrusive: did a couple of minor slides on gravel and wet tarmac, did not see ESP light come on at all. The core suspension feels very confident, probably does not need to rely on ESP very much. This is why I would not take it really off-road: would not want to bend anything and affect the precise handling on-road.
C.A
In a flurry of activity, Volkswagen sent out various models of its Tiguan all over the country, possibly to the chagrin of buyers who are currently waiting…
VW you tease, how could you be so cruel to your loyal followers?
Ah, I liked the Astra wagon review, not this one…
You know why ? – I hate having to load all the pages separately just so CA can pump up their page view stats.
How about (like many other sites) giving the ability to see all pages at once ?
So annoying…
Hi Karl,
Did the Tiguan have the off road technology pack ?
I drove one of these off road next to the new Renault Koleos and was very unimpressed by it off road even on the slightest of opposite angles/ruts the doors/seals creaked and moaned by what only seemed as flex in the body where as the Koleos and Rav made no noise what so ever.
Yes i would agree the xtrail spanks this vw off road and is it me or dose the front overhang go way past the front wheels looks like the front gos way out in front past the wheels
It is a shame that the VW seemed to fail, they certainly look the part, but it comes as no suprise for most i guess. When i was looking for a mid size SUV the only vehicles that i would actually trust in the area i live in (Norwest WA) and get through the soft dunes were the Jeep Wrangler and Grand Vitara. Low range is a must i think for anything that is going truly offroad, and these were the only two with it! I found the jeep harsh on the bitumen and went for the GV and love it. If only VW could get some of the Touraeg DNA into the Tiguan….
It is a shame that the VW seemed to fail, they certainly look the part, but it comes as no suprise for most i guess. When i was looking for a mid size SUV the only vehicles that i would actually trust in the area i live in (Norwest WA) and get through the soft dunes were the Jeep Wrangler and Grand Vitara (v6). Low range is a must i think for anything that is going truly offroad, and these were the only two with it! I found the jeep harsh on the bitumen and went for the GV and love it. If only VW could get some of the Touraeg DNA into the Tiguan….
How about doing a TDI vs TSI comparison. Should be good for another 4 reviews or so: TSI vs TDI manual; TSI vs TDI auto; TSI auto offroad; TSI manual offroad. It’s amazing how many reviews there are on this site for a car that has a waiting time of 6-9 months. Yet, for other models, either no review (e.g. subaru outback, rav4) or only a ‘first steer’ (X-trail diesel). Something is not quite right.
Gaaaaah – come on folk – It’s a Euro soft roader for mummies to drop spoilt kiddies at xavier or Genazzano college. The off road ability is crucial in parking on the verge/footpath, as is the raised driving position which allows you to look down ones nose at the poor people in their Corollas.
“Both had paddocks and had to traverse gravel, sand and sometimes a bit of mud to get to their farm”
O dear buy an cheaper wagon aka Astra and save a fortune, a bit a gravel isn’t really going to bother a car…. is it!!
I think it was a wrong decision to test a road bias car in quite challenging off road conditions. The reason why Volkswagen doesn’t provide a fully speced out off road Tiguan in Auz yet is because they see most of their potential market being more metro orientated and less off the beaten track type, which through their market research is probably correct.
So if you want a Tiguan to do so beach bashing then I would suggest you either order the off road option with metal under body protection or consider purchasing a true off roader (LandCruiser, Range Rover etc.) and put up with the cumbersomeness of it when driving in the metropolitan areas.
Well done Car Advice for telling it like it is.
This report only confirms what I have long believed, these things are only good for negotiating the speed humps at the mall.
Would have to agree with “Bid Dog” why are their so many VW reviews on this site?
Anyway we seriously considered purchasing a Tiguan a few months ago but found that we were not able to comfortably fit our sons 3 wheeler pram in the boot flat on the floor. Only after trying a few different angles were we able to sqeeze it in which left little room for anything else (It would have to be the smallest boot in its class (approx 380 litres) if I remember correctly.
We do a lot of country/mountain runs so the lack of a “Full Size” spare tyre, smallish boot and average rear seat space had it struck off our shortlist.
We ended up buying a Subaru Forester with 220mm ground clearance, bigger boot, more space overall. Subaru extensively tested the Foreseter in Aust to get the ABS/TC/ESP (Subaru call it VDC) right for local release. We found that it performs excellent an varied offroad condition without the problems that were encountered in this review. We also saved a lot of $$$$ and took immediate delivery.
Great Review very transparent with no sugar coatings or fluff and bubble.
The reality is that the Tiguan fails to perform basic off road tasks. It’s small, expensive, has no full size spare tyre and the electronics software are programed incorrectly react accordingly to varying offroad situations.
I’m sure its comfortable around town or on the motorway but dont call it an SUV.
I can remember they said the same about the territory when I bough it but I left Prado’s behind in Karijini.. I guess it might be a case of its the nut behind the wheel, not the wheel?? You buy a car for what it CAN do not for what YOU think it should do.
Cheers.
VW is to blame….their own marketing of the Tiguan says “Goes Anywhere You Can Imagine”.
Errrr….Yeah right as long as its a sealed road or mild fire trail.
Why does VW Aus not follow VW South Africa in model spec???? Their client base/market is very similar! VW is no 2 behind Toyota is sales in SA BECAUSE THEY GIVE THE CUSTOMERS WHAT THEY WANT NOT WHAT VW AUS WANTS YOU TO WANT!
The Tiguan had extensive trial development undertaken in the harsh conditions of Nambia which are very similar to WA.
Tiguans sold in SA are basically sold in 2 versions one for around town as you get here and an off road “track & field” model which comes standard with the off road fuction AND the 28 degree off road front bumper package
It’s a pity this variant was not avaliable for the above test I am sure there would have been a different outcome.
I have a basic diesel manuual and would like to fit the offroad package if possible now that I have read the manual and driven it off road. $290 is nothing compared to what advantages it offers over the standard setup
At the time it was the only model avaliable without all the bells and whistles that I didn’t want at an enormous cost. I have had it for just in a year and have now done 15k km’s and it has been an absolute pleasure. Only advice to potential buyers get the auto. Manual gearbox is a dog!
PS Anyone doubting the Tiguans limited offroad capabilities and safety specs Vist U Tube there are some very interesting videos on there especialy the crash test videos of the competition.
Volkswagen are certainly playing their cards here. No stock available so they are after the highest price they can get. I am after one but me thinks I will be looking at another brand, by VW, too greedy. This will turn people off offering NO deals.
Covered 3000kms so far in my TDI auto and what a gem of a car. It is supreme along all roads- yes an all road vehicle is what it is. average 7.2 ltrs/100kms country driving likley 8.2 city which might be better than Subaru. only complaint is if I want an Ipod you have to purchase the interface etc at $650 plus. not good VW. I also ahve a Hyundai i30 hatch at half the price and has a supplied memory stick USB for all my music.
Tell me do the rear wheels fall off this one i prefer the Nissan Patrol myself built like a tank goes anywhere & you know where the V/W’s are built yep its true in India in the same factory as the TATA’S