Volkswagen Tiguan test drive since 2008 SUV

Rub the flags

Most compact SUVs simply, due to the compromise of their nature, cannot give genuine pleasure to the sophisticated driver either on the road or beyond. It seems that Volkswagen engineers tried to break out of the closed circle.
Freedom to wild mutants!
This cannot be! A one and a half-ton car with a 1.4-liter engine cannot drive like that! I thought just a couple of minutes after we passed the Moscow ring one. Roaring at three with a small thousand revolutions, Tiguan rushed in the open as none of his classmates can ride powerfully, assertively, boldly, if not brazenly. A clear and elastic steering wheel with an electrical power, how great he behaves in turns! None of the compact SUVs can accelerate to hundreds of 9.6 C.
But half an hour ago, I cursed a long adhesion pedal and the short first gear, and in attempts to slip through the turbo and accelerate nervously stomped the gas pedal. Tiguan only roared as undermined and immediately demanded the second. It would seem that the compressor, which, in addition to the turbine, is equipped with its cunning motor, should navigate and compensate for the failure on the bottoms that is inherent in almost all turbo engineers, but, alas, the hole still remained. If I immediately forgot about the canons and imagined that the idle stroke on Tiguan ends around the mark of 2000 rpm, and he needed the first gear only to move the car, everything would be different. The main thing is to stop being lazy to quickly switch the 6-speed manual transmission.
Hard to live without a machine gun
Actually, this I was engaged in a broken hour, taxiing towards Kaluga, where German crossovers are already collecting for Russia. Of course, in a big city, at a peak hour, to work with a dreary pen. But even with her you can enjoy it, despite the fact that the wheels at the start are not slipped. A notorious mixture of ESP genes and all -wheel drive, which works on the principle from the nasty. At the time of the beginning of the movement, the 4 x 4 mode is always turned on, but it is worth the machine to gain speed, the leading axis turns out to be the drive. In the turns of the 4th-generation Haldex, all four wheels again include, if you want it or not, equally distributing the torque of the engine along the axes. For a winter driving, you cannot come up with the best.
The maximum 240 nm at 1750 rpm is enough to accelerate from the second gear on the fifth without delay and at the same time not climb into the upper range, where the turbine howls. The sixth, alas, only maintains the gained speed, and when overtaking it is better to forget about it, going down the step below. And on the speedometer of Tiguan there are already those numbers that make me moderate the ardor in the city.
Four disc brakes borrowed from the Passat, soft and accurate. Of course, the versions of sports and style with tires 235/55 R17 are difficult to cope with Moscow potholes, but again, the passato suspension as much as possible, quickly returning the car to an unshakable state. Damn it, only now, when the first day of acquaintance with the car had already come to an end, I began to understand and even, perhaps, accept the cybernetic linguistics of his name. Tiguan is really some kind of dashing Tiger and Iguana. Surrounding, like a lizard, is soft and swift, like a sherkhan. Just a product of genetic engineering. To the maximum, the safe, moreover, the Air Bags in a circle and the insured electronics are already in the database.
But I am again on the highway, and I am the least concerned about what was and will be in the city. In the end, those who do not like a clear and electoral mechanical box will buy a 2-liter turbo advance with a 6-speed automatic transmission and calm down. But for a sophisticated driver who will go even on a broomstick with a motor, a 1.4-liter engine with a manual transmission is what you need. How is it not to please others, who are sure that the owner of a mini-table is just enough to stomp the gas on the gas pedal to be outside the reach of reach.
My monochrome friend
However, miracles in our lives are measured strictly portioned, and in one individual car they can in no case be more than one. That's why I will not keep silent about the appearance of the car, well, this mixture of Turan with Tuareg and that's it! And I will try to pull the story of her interior later.
Do not understand it, quite a modern, solid, ergonomic salon. High -quality, well fitted, but still plastic buttons, handles and front panel. An uncomplicated family machine. Judging by the tidy, the banal golf plus and that's it, without any complaints. And so I wanted the charm of a luxurious skin attached to tiger blood! But, alas, then the cost of the car would be completely different.
 
    
The driver's workplace is exactly like golf plus, but with taste
   
   
   
Leather finish of chairs and electric drives by their privilege of the sport and style version
The central armrest with a cache is increasingly included in the list of basic equipment
 
Yes, during half an hour of standing in traffic jams, I have never corrected a comfortable leather chair, I was glad of visibility, spacious and behind, which a rare SUV can boast of, and at the same time noted the decoration of doors with soft armrests and metal L-shaped handles. But even the electronic parking brake, the functionality of numerous containers, the sofa backs, do not interrupt the feeling of boredom from the reigning monochrome.
However, the tables with holes under the glasses rising from the backs of the front chairs at an angle of 90 degrees turned out to be the height of engineering humor. You can use them in one case: the driver and navigator in the arshin position were swallowed. With another, the sofa passengers are guaranteed to experience the law of the sandwich. It will fall, do not go to the grandmother.
 
      
The sofa pillow can be moved back and forth both in parts and entirely, as well as adjust the back tilt
 
      
Try to put a cup of coffee on such a table
Under the floor of a voluminous trunk of the correct shape is just a doom
 
But for how Tiguan goes, only managing to blink with a left turn indicator during overtaking, I am ready to forgive him all the simplicity of the interior. Yes, it is hot at this pace, but a two -zone climatic installation with protection against drafts pleases with unobtrusive air flow and at the same time quickly cools the salon. Vertical powerful deflectors of a competent solution.
In anticipation of the next technical delights, hitherto not noticed, I sacrifice rack speed. It’s time and Iguan to tickle with bumps in the ground.
Dirty dances
The Tiguan breed is initially divided into two subspecies of a franchial urban sport and style and a little more village (but only a little, notice) track and field, that is, the country and the field. He, too, of course, with all -wheel drive, but with rubber higher and special design of bumper. Their lower parts are braked and additionally protected, and therefore entry by a 28%rise against 18%of the usual machine will not be a problem.
However, the elongated style, if not driven, behaves sanely on the lane. But it is worth sorting out at speed, and the stomach turns into a shaker. But I no longer complain about the first gear, which with barely working at low speeds is just right. Dirt, puddles, and he crawls to himself! But maybe, however, to hang the wheels: the suspension moves are still very small. As expected, the car was stalled for a moment, but on time the ESP turned off and part -time work with an electromechanical amplifier helped to rescue our miracle of genetic engineering from a delicate situation. Yes, the automatic transmission button available in the field version (it also damps the accelerator), now it would not hurt.
But even without it, the City Tiguan of the larynx turned out to be on the teeth. By and large, it's all about choosing rubber and road clearance.
3: 1 in favor of the tiger
Drive you! The advertising slogan of Volkswagen says. And to drive Tiguashka is very nice. And all because, despite the declared versatility, engineers from Wolfsburg did not move away from eternal Volkswagen values. Of course, if not for the imminent turbocharger motor and a hard suspension, Tiguan would be one of many. But the all -wheel drive working according to the disconnected scheme, and special field versions should also not be discounted.
It is curious that the Germans did not seem to miss the price. Yes, in the database for 904,000 rubles. Volkswagen with a manual transmission is more expensive than a 2.4-liter captive for 810 500, Grand Vitara-2,0 for 788 141, Nissan-Kashkai-2,0 with a variator for 786 100 and even a 2-liter RAV4 for 901,000 rubles. Someone will say that almost all of these cars are also more powerful. But this is the thing that comes out is Tiguan more fun!
Stylish, field and cheerful
Three versions of Tiguan for Russia will be assembled at a factory in Kaluga. Currently, the track and sports and sports and Style are available with a 1.4-liter 150-horsepower engine and a 6-speed manual transmission and a 170-horsepower 2-lit with a six-speed automatic. A simplified trend ode fan (which can be transferred as advanced and cheerful) will appear on sale in early 2009.
 
 
Volkswagen Tiguan
general information
 
Body, number of places/doors
Universal, 5/5
 
Equipped mass, kg
1546
 
Length x width x height x Base, mm
4427x1809x1665x2604
 
Front/back, mm track
1570/1571
 
Road clearance, mm
200
 
Speed, km/h
192
 
Acceleration 0-100 km/h, with
9.6
 
Fuel consumption, l/100 km
7.0/10.6
 
Trunk volume (5/2 places), l
470/1035
 
The volume of the fuel tank, l
64
 
Engine
 
Location
Front transversely
 
Design
4-cyl., Gasoline, in order, 16-valve. with turbocharged and compressor
 
Working volume, SMZ
1390
 
Power, L.S. at rpm
150/5800
 
Torque, kgsm at rpm
24/1750
 
Chassis
 
Drive unit
permanent
 
Transmission
6-st. Mechanical
 
Suspension:
Independent, spring
 
front
Type McEzerson
 
behind
Mollycent
 
Steering
rheck -type with an electric power
 
Brakes
Disk ventilated
 
Tires
215/65 R16
 
+
Tractous and dynamic engine; sustainable behavior on the highway; spacious salon; Generous basic equipment
 
-
Hard, short -flowing suspension; Interior without complaints
 
Kirill Savchenko, photo of the author
 

A source: Magazine buy a car [08/2008]