Performance & drive
What it’s like to drive, and how quiet it is
Engine, 0-60mph and gearbox
The Volkswagen Tiguan's 148bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine (badged 1.5 TSI 150) is the pick for most buyers. It needs revving fairly hard to get the very best from it, but there's enough pull from low revs. The 2.0 TDI diesel also suits the car really well and has more low-rev urgency, but we wouldn't bother spending the extra unless you need the optional four-wheel drive (4Motion) that it's available with.
For slightly less money, you could have a 128bhp version of the same basic 1.5 petrol engine (called the 1.5 TSI 130). However, while this engine is up to the job in the smaller Golf, it struggles more in the heavier Tiguan – and that will be particularly noticeable if you often drive with several passengers.
Suspension and ride comfort
By family SUV standards, the Tiguan rides very well indeed. It smooths over bigger imperfections, such as speed bumps, better than the BMW X1 and the unsettled Jaguar E-Pace, yet its suspension is firm enough to prevent the body from bouncing up and down too much along undulating roads.
As you’d probably expect, versions with larger wheels are less comfortable, and the eHybrid’s additional weight means that it’s not as forgiving over potholes. The X1 xDrive25e plug-in hybrid suffers from similar issues, though.
If ride comfort is important to you, we’d suggest the Range Rover Evoque and Volvo XC40 as they feel more plush.
