2010 TIguan S fwd Manual

[regfootball]

Driven

2010 VW Tiguan S manual trans, FWD, Black w/ Charcoal cloth 17" wheel option MSRP 24,400 +/-

Highs

Room and Space, both rows, lots of it. Could serve as family transport.

Upright seating, good cabin visibility.

Nice center armrest.

Most cabin ergonomics and controls are good. Nice dead pedal.

E Brake.

Very good 'Pre 2011 Jetta' VW plastics, textures. Well trimmed cargo area.

second row seat slides forward if need be.

Tiguan has a very compact footprint

Good power rating on the engine

Quick steering ratio.

Decent and comfortable ride.

Heft and quality build feel.

2nd gear is a good gear for fast speed building in urban driving.

4th gear is a great gear for freeway passing.

well spaced gearbox.

VW 'fashion'.

Lows

That quick steering feels numb and hard to gauge accuracy. Keeps the vehicle from feeling sporty.

Clutch is sort of sloppy. Not terribly so, but this is a VW.

Shifter has long throws and is rubbery and not snick snick like other VW's (Escape, Sorento, SPortage all have better shifters)

Tall height of the vehicle, its easily blown around in the wind.

Vehicle feels heavier than a vehicle this footprint ought to (not painstakingly so)

Rear cargo space could be a little more.

Small side mirrors, you don't see much in them and they are hard to adjust.

Steering wheel is kind of a bitch to get the tilt and telescope right.

Seat bottom felt kind of wimpy.

German style seat recline knob.

Seats you sit 'on' rather than fall into.

EPA mileage figures are weak.

I would almost dare say 'turbo lag', this is a strong engine, but it never feels super powerful, never pins you in the seat.

Vehicle is more of a cruiser than a crossover GTI.

Road noise is too much, engine noise a bit too much and sounds coarse.

3000 rpm at 70mph in 6th is too much.

Certainly is not nimble or sporty, despite the quick steering.

Steering wheel sans leather and SWAC feels cheap.

VW blandness, austerity, and monotony.

Price on upper models.

SUMMARY

I can't slam this vehicle, its got a bunch of good attributes, and its built well, attractive etc. Higher trim levels of this vehicle are pricey, at this price its got a lot to offer. Perhaps this vehicle and most crossovers like this would be better off dumping the stick off the option sheet if they can't make it sporty. This vehicle felt like a 7/8 scale Ford Edge (plus turbo lag) to me. That is, heavy, not sporty, but still solid and comfortable, good utility. If you are a VW fan, you will like the inside and outside. I found the interior too bland VW for my liking. I somehow felt that since this had the turbo it would have been more entertaining rather than just 'nicely capable and solid'. The steering mush and clutch shifter letdowns doesn't mean someone else may not like it, it just didn't resonate with me. If this were an SE with automatic and AWD and pleather.....perhaps it becomes a different vehicle. The mild turbo lag was more of a minor annoyance than a problem. I think there are some non turbo fours or even a v6 that would be more suitable. Better steering with better tires and better tuned suspension might help bring up the sport factor. Or, maybe it simply needs to be abused at higher speeds to bring out any sport in the personality.

This just seemed like a mall cruiser to me. ANd maybe that is all it wants to be. I thought it might be a tall GTI, and it certainly was not that. Certainly 'good' power, but no 'turbo rush', no fast reflexes. Much better for a Mocha run and trip to Pilates than anything.

B- (with this level of trim and manual).

disclaimer, VW's really aren't my cup of tea to begin with.

To be honest, if you are looking at this vehicle, you might as well just look at the Ford Edge instead. Even the final gen Saturn Vue seemed more fun to me.

Edited November 6, 2010 by regfootball