Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace review

The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace’s 2.0TDI diesel engine is available with two-wheel drive or 4Motion all-wheel drive, depending on which of the two power outputs you go for. The 148bhp version (badged 2.0 TDI 150) is probably all you need, offering plenty of shove low down in the rev range and a good mix of performance and fuel economy. The more powerful 2.0 TDI 200 is even more responsive, getting from 0-62mph in 7.8sec, but the price will certainly raise an eyebrow. 

If diesel isn’t your thing, the Tiguan Allspace has a choice of petrol engines, offering 148bhp, 187bhp or 241bhp. The entry-level 148bhp 1.5 TSI 150 needs revving fairly hard if you want to get the most out of it but has sufficient power to get you up to speed. As you’d expect, the 187bhp 2.0 TSI 190 gets up to speed even faster, while the top-of-the-range 2.0 TSI 245 – which is only available with the R-Line trim – has 241bhp to propel it from 0-62mph in just 6.2sec.

By family SUV standards, the Tiguan Allspace rides very well. It smooths over bigger imperfections such as speed bumps better than the Skoda Kodiaq, yet the suspension is still firm enough to stop the body bouncing up and down too much along undulating roads.

Patched-up roads and broken Tarmac can unsettle the car a little – especially if you choose a version with big alloy wheels – but, compared with its key rivals, the Tiguan Allspace is comfortable. If you want something even more comfortable, you’ll want to look at either the Range Rover Evoque or Volvo XC40, although you won’t get seven seats with those. 

We wouldn't bother with the optional adaptive suspension that Volkswagen offers. It doesn't improve the ride that much and there are more worthwhile extras to spend your money on.