Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace – brotherly love

THOSE time-honoured Volkswagen names like Golf, Polo, Beetle and Passat may all roll sweetly off the tongue, but there’s another model that’s making waves for the German brand.

It’s the Tiguan, which is part of the fast-expanding SUV scene, and it has become so popular that one in seven new Volkswagens sold in the UK now carries a Tiguan badge.

That boost in custom has a lot to do with the model’s bigger brother, the Tiguan Allspace joining the party – and it’s a vehicle sure to continue making a serious impression.

If the original Tiguan is renowned for its practicality, well the Allspace takes things a good bit further.

Gliding into the gap between its little brother and the larger Touareg, the Allspace has a longer wheelbase and a greater overall length than its sibling.

The extra size of course comes with a higher price, an entry level label of £29,515 compared to the regular Tiguan’s £23,485, though the discrepancy for identical trim grades significantly narrows the difference.

What you get with the Allspace though is an SUV offering more room for luggage, and passengers, than ever before in a Volkswagen of this class.

There are up to seven seats and as much as 700 litres of load space with the third row folded flat, or a whopping 1,775 litres with the middle and third row seats flat.

And the middle row can be slid forward and back by 180mm.

The range is made up of three trim grades – Match, SEL and R-Line – all high spec and including the likes of 18-inch alloy wheels, parking sensors and 3Zone climate control, VW’s Discover Navigation infotainment set-up with 8.0-inch colour touchscreen, sat-nav, DAB radio, CD player and Bluetooth smartphone connection.

Allspace models are also available in on-road and off-road versions, the latter combining an ‘off-road package’ along with special engine underbody protection that extends to the bumper.

Beneath the bonnet is a choice of the latest TSI petrol and TDI turbodiesel engines offering 2.0 TDI units developing 150PS, 190PS and biturbo 240PS while the petrol line-up includes a 2.0 TSI with 180PS and the company’s proven 1.4-litre 150PS powerplant with Active Cylinder Technology.

The ACT works by means of two of the four cylinders shutting down when the car is cruising to save fuel.

Strong performance and trademark Volkswagen engineering and dynamics combine to make the diesels engaging vehicles to drive and our tested 190PS Allspace proved extremely spirited.

Exceptionally smooth to drive, it has a top speed of 130mph and is capable of accelerating from 0-62 in 8.6 seconds.

Add to the equation 4MOTION Active Control, a switch that allows the driver to activate one of four driving modes – Onroad, Snow, Offroad and Offroad Individual – and tunes the transmission to meet prevailing conditions, and you have the complete package.

It’s practical, spacious, comfortable, sturdily built and also quite expensive if you feel inclined to dip into the extras bin.

Stuff like Dynamic Chassis Control at £810, a wireless smartphone charger (£335), tyre pressure monitoring system (£135), ‘Vienna’ leather upholstery (£1,615), progressive steering (£200) and a Trailer Assist with rear-view camera set-up (£810) all helped hike the car’s price up to £43,265.