Volkswagen offered their first SUV in 2002, and it was mid-sized model Touareg. It took them five more years to offer compact version named Tiguan which became an instant success in Europe, lagging in sales only after Nissan Qashqai. Tiguan entered new generation last year, and now, the Germans are widening their crossover game at much quicker pace than before.
We just witnessed revelation of Atlas, we know that smaller compact crossover is under way and the current generation of Tiguan debuted for the American market at Detroit Auto Show, but it was not ordinary version. Over there it will be just Tiguan and nothing more, but now the same variant will debut in Geneva as 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace.
MAIN IDEA
This is long wheelbase version of Tiguan, stretched for one simple reason-third row of seating. This offer is not so common within compact crossover segment, but it does exist, as we have Nissan Rogue/X-Trail, Mitsubishi Outlander, and Skoda Kodiaq, while upper mid-size segment has a vast offer of that type. Since in the US regular sized Tiguan doesn’t exist, the name stays the same, but in Europe, Allspace is added to make the distinction between them.
2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace LOOKS
It looks exactly the same as regular Tiguan, the only things that are different are slightly longer rear doors and elongated tail, so on the street, you’ll hardly notice the discrepancy. The cabin also carries on unchanged in design, so overall, everything remains very Germanic visually, cold, restrained, unpassionate, but also elegant and refined.
SPACE
This is the whole point of this version. It is stretched by extra 10.7 inches, while 4.4 of that goes to the wheelbase. You have the third row of seating and 57 percent more boot space. To be clear, this is compact SUV, so you should know that the third row is solely for kids and getting in and out is quite tricky. Sometimes you may wonder why the third row even exists in this class, but things are what they are.
Even if you are not interested in extra seats, you will praise much bigger boot, and there is decent practicality with the back part of the car. The second bench can slide, you can split it in 40/20/40 configuration, while the third row has 50/50 split option.
UNDER THE HOOD
The existing lineup of engines is used in Europe, while in the US we have only one option, 2.0-liter TSI I4 delivering 184 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. It takes 7.7 seconds to 60 mph, and it offers very nice 32 mpg combined of fuel consumption. The same unit is top petrol offer in Europe, while you additionally have 1.4-liter TSI I4 with 150 hp or 125 hp below it. They are all turbocharged units as well as diesel offer is, which consists of 2.0-liter TDI I4 with power outputs of 115, 150 and 190 hp.
Mentioned engines could be paired with manual or 8-speed automatic transmission provided by Aisin. Also, 4Motion AWD system is optional, which uses the Haldex system, so unlike Torsen systems, this is not full-time AWD, as all power is sent to the front wheels, and only in certain conditions power goes to the rear, so part-time AWD in short.
WORTHY OF CONSIDERATION
2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace tries to offer more versatility to compact sized SUVs. If you have more than three kids or you would like to transport their little buddies, you will be pleased with this version. Also, as we already said, even if the third row doesn’t concern you, the bigger boot will, so you’ll win in both cases.
The problem is the price. In Europe it will start from €30,000, while in the US it would be around $25,000, That is around five grand less in the US than a rich mid-size offer that actually offers third row capable of accommodating adults, while mid-sized Kia Sorento shares same price tag with it.
