Used Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace long-term test: report 4
The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace is a very recommendable seven-seat SUV, but does choosing a low-mileage used example put you at an advantage over buying new? We're living with one to find out...
The car Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Match 2.0 TDI 4Motion Run by John Bradshaw, senior photographer
Why it’s here To see how much more practicality and kit buying used gives you for your money, and to see if a traditional diesel engine can still make sense today.
Needs to Be practical in all weather conditions, cut the mustard as a photographer’s workhorse, prove comfortable and economical on a mixture of journeys.
Mileage 3430 List price (2020) £30,704 Price new with options £36,845 Value Now £24,651 Test economy 39.1mpg Official economy 40.4mpg
30 March – Changing habitats
We all know that the majority of large, imposing SUVs rarely make it onto the rugged terrain that they were designed to conquer. In fact, before I got my Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace, I couldn’t understand why so many choose this kind of car if it’s destined for life on the motorway. Now, though, the penny has well and truly dropped.
With its foolproof four-wheel drive system, my Allspace gives me the opportunity to venture away from the Tarmac on photographic shoots, so that part of the package is truly justified. And later in the day, when I climb into my lofty perch behind the wheel and point the nose homewards, the rest of what’s on offer makes perfect sense, too.
I’ve already mentioned that the raised driving position is an asset around town, where it gives me a clear view of traffic lights over the roofs of lower cars in the queue ahead, but only now have I realised that it’s a bit of a godsend on motorways, too. That higher vantage point allows me to see that little bit farther, often beyond the car in front, so I’m better able to anticipate the mysterious moves of other road users – and that makes life so much more relaxing.
And that’s probably the best word to describe the Allspace’s demeanour on the highway. The slight firmness that comes through on urban roads translates into a sense of stability at higher speed; it feels rock-solid, never being thrown off by the ruts carved by years of heavy lorries. It feels controlled, too, with no sign of the sickness-inducing pitching and wallowing that afflicts certain other SUVs. It’s quiet, too; while the diesel engine’s percussion around town serves to remind me that it drinks from the black pump, it fades into the gentle background hubbub of tyre and wind noise on the motorway. And that hubbub is never severe enough that it can’t be ignored with deft application of the stereo.
And, speaking of ignoring things, the fact that I’ve not adjusted the seats since I first got the keys speaks volumes about how well designed they are. Whatever the journey, I can simply settle in and go, and that’s exactly how it should be.
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