FiestaST
Honorary Master
Volkswagen Tiguan R (2022) Review
FAST FACTS
The Volkswagen Tiguan R is priced at R999 900, which includes a 3-year/120 000 km warranty, a 5-year/100 000 km maintenance plan and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty. Services are required once a year or every 15 000 km.
Verdict
Why did Volkswagen not produce a performance version of its popular family car sooner? Thanks to its R division, the Wolfsburg-based brand had the know-how – the ingredients, if you will, to create a compelling product that’s far more than just the sum of its parts. The Tiguan R looks every bit – and mostly is – a “sensible”, practical family vehicle, yet at the touch of that R button, it transforms into a fun-to-drive and suitably rapid medium SUV.
Should you buy one? R1 million sounds like a lot of money, but at that price point, there’s little to touch the Tiguan R as a sporty-yet-practical family car. Volkswagen’s flagship medium SUV trounces the slightly more affordable BMW X2 M35i in terms of practicality, has more power, but the same torque as the basic Porsche Macan, which costs north of R1.1 million and, yes, it produces 59 kW and 80 Nm less than the 2.5-litre 5-cylinder RS Q3, but considering that it costs almost R200k less than its cousin from Ingolstadt, does it matter?
Just make sure you avoid the largest (21-inch) wheels – they’re not really suited for gravel or mild off-road driving, and splurge on the Akrapovic exhaust for that authentic R experience.
www.cars.co.za
FAST FACTS
- Model: Volkswagen Tiguan R
- Price: R999 900 (December 2022 – before options)
- Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol
- Power/Torque: 235 kW and 400 Nm
- Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch transmission
- Fuel consumption: 8.8 L/100 km
- 0-100 kph: 5.1 seconds (claimed)
- Luggage capacity: 520-615-1 655 litres
The Volkswagen Tiguan R is priced at R999 900, which includes a 3-year/120 000 km warranty, a 5-year/100 000 km maintenance plan and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty. Services are required once a year or every 15 000 km.
Verdict
Why did Volkswagen not produce a performance version of its popular family car sooner? Thanks to its R division, the Wolfsburg-based brand had the know-how – the ingredients, if you will, to create a compelling product that’s far more than just the sum of its parts. The Tiguan R looks every bit – and mostly is – a “sensible”, practical family vehicle, yet at the touch of that R button, it transforms into a fun-to-drive and suitably rapid medium SUV.
Should you buy one? R1 million sounds like a lot of money, but at that price point, there’s little to touch the Tiguan R as a sporty-yet-practical family car. Volkswagen’s flagship medium SUV trounces the slightly more affordable BMW X2 M35i in terms of practicality, has more power, but the same torque as the basic Porsche Macan, which costs north of R1.1 million and, yes, it produces 59 kW and 80 Nm less than the 2.5-litre 5-cylinder RS Q3, but considering that it costs almost R200k less than its cousin from Ingolstadt, does it matter?
Just make sure you avoid the largest (21-inch) wheels – they’re not really suited for gravel or mild off-road driving, and splurge on the Akrapovic exhaust for that authentic R experience.
Volkswagen Tiguan R (2022) Review
The Tiguan R is the potent new flagship of Volkswagen’s medium SUV model. Does it retain most of what made its sibling derivatives so popular?
