CAR Reviews

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Statistics

How much?	£20,500
On sale in the UK:	February 2008
Engine:	1968cc four-cylinder 16v turbodiesel, 138bhp @ 4200rpm, 236lb ft @ 1750-2500rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Performance:	10.5sec 0-62mph, 116mph, 39.2mpg, 189g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1590kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4430/1810/1670

Need to know

CAR's rating

4

Handling

4

Performance

4

Usability

4

Feelgood factor

4

Readers' rating

3

VW Tiguan 2.0 TDi (2007) CAR review

By Georg Kacher

24 September 2007 01:38

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.

CAR Reviews

Click Thumbnails to Enlarge

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Statistics

How much?	£20,500
On sale in the UK:	February 2008
Engine:	1968cc four-cylinder 16v turbodiesel, 138bhp @ 4200rpm, 236lb ft @ 1750-2500rpm
Transmission:	Six-speed manual, four-wheel drive
Performance:	10.5sec 0-62mph, 116mph, 39.2mpg, 189g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1590kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4430/1810/1670

Need to know

CAR's rating

4

Handling

4

Performance

4

Usability

4

Feelgood factor

4

Readers' rating

3

VW Tiguan 2.0 TDi (2007) CAR review

By Georg Kacher

24 September 2007 01:38

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.

CAR Reviews

Click Thumbnails to Enlarge

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Statistics

How much?	£24,095
On sale in the UK:	Now
Engine:	1991cc, 16v, turbodiesel 4-cyl, 148bhp @ 4000rpm, 236lb ft @ 2000rpm
Transmission:	Five-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
Performance:	12.8 0-62mph, 110mph, 32.8mpg, 238g/km CO2
How heavy / made of?	1821kg/steel
How big (length/width/height in mm)?	4576/1850/1747

Need to know

CAR's rating

3

Handling

3

Performance

3

Usability

3

Feelgood factor

3

Readers' rating

2.5

Vauxhall Antara 2.0 TDi (2007) CAR review

By Ben Pulman

01 August 2007 01:10

A Vauxhall 4x4 is all well and good, but aren’t they a bit late to the party?

Ignoring all the environemtal isssues for a moment, Luton is indeed very late to the segment – if you discount the Frontera. Toyota launched the Rav4 back in the early 1990s, and the compact 4x4 sector has grown phenomenally since. The Japanese (Toyota, Honda, and Nissan) have dominated the sector and only now are the Europeans catching up. Vauxhall is one of the first out of the blocks with the new Anatara, co-developed with the Chevrolet Captiva in South Korea. Credit where it's due though; Vauxhall is ahead of other European 4x4s entrants. We've seen official pictures of the VW Tiguan, driven the Peugeot and Citroen twins in this month's CAR Magazine, and we’ll soon have the Renault Koleos and Ford Kuga.

It looks a bit dull compared with the Captiva...

It depends who you ask. Vauxhall previewed the car as the Antara GTC concept at Frankfurt in September 2005 - it was a swoopy three-door crossover with a dash of style. The production Antara is a fairly boxy, blander five-door, with none of the cheeky looks of the Corsa or imposing elegance of the forthcoming Vectra. And it's got the scourge of modern design, fake side vents on the flanks. To these eyes, the sister Chevrolet Captiva is much smarter on the outside, better resolved. If this isn't your cup of tea, you can always investigate get the chunky Irmscher styling kit.