Tiguan. Doesn’t quite roll off the tongue very well, unless I’m missing something in the German to English translation. Anyone know what a Tiguan really is besides it being V-dub’s new sport compact crossover SUV?
In reality, Tiguan is another one of those names concocted by the marketing department. A melding of the German words Tiger (“tiger”) and Leguan (“iguana”). Someone please tell me how Volkswagen’s new cute-ute has the combined the attributes of a fierce jungle cat and a lazy decorative reptile.
What I can tell you, after driving the Tiguan around the San Francisco bay area for a few days, is that VW did a very nice job of coming up with a compact crossover that is well appointed with enough electronic features to keep the hidden geek within us very happy, drives comfortably like an expensive luxury car, and is ready for that weekend trip to the mountains. For those who are power hungry, the Tiguan has enough muscle underneath the hood to scoot you along without serious mashing of the accelerator pedal and sounds beefy passing those do-good hybrid cars on the freeway. Cruising along at highway speeds, the intrusion of road noise is kept at bay by a well insulated cabin.
Power to zip through NorCal traffic is provided by a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder that cranks out 200 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. That is enough power to go from 0 - 60 in less than 8 seconds or tow 2,200 pounds. Yes, you can go fast and haul your Sea-Doo to the lake with the same car. Although, I do not recommend doing both at the same time. Having a powerful engine comes with a price. And that price is evident at the gas pump. After 350 miles we recorded 20 mpg during our few days with the Tiguan.
Its short wheelbase makes the Tiguan easy to maneuver through crowded streets, or on narrow off-road trails. Seven inches of ground clearance is enough to clear tree roots or rocks on unpaved roads. Standard seventeen-inch wheels on the SE grade provide a stable footprint, while a fully independent suspension gives the Tiguan a responsive ride and handling with a little too much body lean for my driving habits.
A wee smaller than the Honda CR-V, the Saturn Vue and Toyota RAV4, the Tiguan is an urban-friendly, ski resort-capable sport-ute with optional all-wheel drive. The cargo area is quite functional and the back seats fold flat so that limited size of the Tiguan is not wasted. Even the passenger side front seat folds flat to accommodate those long objects for that we pick up at Home Depot on the weekends.
Check out the panoramic, power-sliding sunroof that is an option with the SE and SEL trims. Bring along the cool shades and hat as this glass portal to the sky has four times the area of a typical sunroof. Even your rear seat passengers will be enjoying the benefits of this ultimate skylight to the world.
The 2009 Tiguan is a 4-door, 5-passenger sport-utility, available in 3 trims, ranging from the S to the SEL. Our test vehicle was the SE trim with the 4motion (AWD) option and 6-speed automatic transmission. Base price for the SE trim with 4Motion option is $28,875. Total price for our test vehicle, including destination charge, rear side air bags with head protection, power-sliding panoramic sunroof, and DVD satellite navigation system comes to a whopping $33,165.
Source: http://www.carreview.com
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