VW Tiguan 2.0 TDi (2007) CAR review

Why is VW so late to the 4x4 party?

Blame management, complicated model cycles and just about every other excuse under the sun. And speaking of the sun, those countries from the land of the rising sun have been doing the medium-sized 4x4 thing since the mid-1990s. Toyota launched the Rav4 over a decade ago, let's not forget. Only this year have we seen offerings from Europe: Vauxhall’s Antara has just arrived, and we’re still awaiting the Ford Kuga and Renault Koleos. Now VW are plugging the small 4x4 hole in their line-up with this, the Tiguan. No, not Touran or Touareg, but Tiguan.

So if you’re late to the party you bring something special, right?

Well yes and no. Nothing stands out as spectacular but tardiness does mean that the Tiguan gets the latest Haldex four-wheel-drive system. The system no longer needs to register wheelspin to engage the four-wheel drive. In general driving conditions about 90 percent of the torque goes to the front wheels but it can momentarily go 100 percent rear drive. There’s also what VW calls APA, which is short for axle parallel steering. It’s VW’s latest electro-mechanical steering that auto adjusts to compensate for crosswinds and camber, and also reduces kickback should you ever leave the tarmac. But perhaps the highest accolade we can give the Tiguan is that with the right equipment, right colour and a nice set of wheels, the new VW will exude enough street cred to challenge the BMW X3. It’s a soft-roader you can pose in, then.