Battling pair
Aside from the body-on frame, top-selling Toyota Fortuner, the fastest growing section of the local market has boiled down to an effective two-way battle between the Toyota RAV4 and Volkswagen Tiguan, with strong competition coming from the Hyundai Tucson, Nissan X-Trail and Mazda CX-5.
It is however been the former pair that have been stealing the headlines where the aging RAV4 has stood its ground firmly against the Tiguan, which itself has proved to be an instant sales success, especially in the sporty R-Line trim, since debuting last year.
Space maxed Tiggie
Unveiled at the North American International Auto Show last year though, Volkswagen has now set its sights on the seven-seat compact SUV section, by making the Tiguan Allspace available in the absence of the North American exclusive Atlas.
Although inherently identical to the standard Tiguan, the Allspace soon proved its virtues when the top-spec Highline 4Motion DSG recently arrived for the customary seven-day stay.
Longer, more spacious
Stepping back, it didn’t take long for the Allspace’s subtle differences relative to the standard Tiguan to filter through. While still stylish with a hint aggression thanks to its angular LED headlights, an Atlas derived chrome grille and a new bonnet, everything has changed from the C-pillar backwards.
In accommodating the third row of seats, Volkswagen has stretched the Tiguan’s MQB platform to 4 701mm in overall length, a gain of 215mm, translating to a wheelbase of 2 790mm, a 109mm gain over the regular Tiguan.
As well as wider rear doors and windows, the Allspace’ extra dimensions has resulted in a more capacious and practical cabin, with Volkswagen claiming a boot capacity of 230-litres with all seven seats up, or up to 700-litres with only five in place. Drop the middle row and cargo space swells to 1 775-litres.
Typical Volkswagen interior
Seated up front, there is little to distinguish the Allspace from its shorter Tiguan sibling, in that it sports the usual impeccable levels of Volkswagen build quality with soft touch plastics, a clean minimalist layout and superb levels of fit-and-finish.
Like the Arteon though, the interior is more functional than style, although our tester did come with the still impressive, customisable 12.3-inch Active Info Display digital instrument cluster, a grippy three-spoke multi-function steering wheel, comfy heated leather seats and the 9.2-inch Discover Pro infotainment system with satellite navigation, dual USB ports, Bluetooth, App Connect and the still laggy Gesture Control.
It is however practicality that sets the Allspace apart, a trait it executes mostly well. While the third row is aimed towards small children, the stretched length has made head and legroom in the second row simply vast and a doddle to get comfortable, despite the standard fitment of a panoramic glass roof.
GTI firepower
For all its use as a family vehicle, the Highline’s biggest attraction, or perhaps downfall, lies underneath that new bonnet where it gets the same, albeit detuned, 2.0 TSI engine and seven-speed DSG gearbox as the Golf GTI.
Producing 162kW/350Nm, the engine once again shows its medal by being smooth and responsive with the Dynamic Chassis Control system in Comfort mode, but proceeds to shove the Allspace along with vigour from 0-100km/h in a brisk 6.8 seconds, and all the way up to 223km/h when in Sport mode.
Backed up by a ‘box that goes about its way in an effortless fashion when in “sedate” mode and then reacts swiftly with precision when using the steering mounted paddles in its sportiest setting, the Highline really makes for an unexpected Q-car disguised as a family SUV.
Surprisingly, the Highline also rode well despite those low-profile alloys, although this and the slightly lowered suspension did make for a crashy sensation when the road surface turned rutted and broken tarmac laced with potholes became prevalent.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace is sure to attract attention from buyers who in the past had to settle for the standard Tiguan, or one of its rivals due to the lack of space or even a third row.
However, as much as the Highline pleases from a performance standpoint, it still has to serve as a family vehicle and will therefore have to be driven more sedately, which could prove tricky given the amount of twist offered by that GTI mill up front.
With a sticker price of R604 800 sans options, the Highline is also expensive and comes without the R-Line pack which is available as standard on the normal Tiguan Highline. If you have your heart set on an Allspace model therefore, rather opt for the less luxurious and more frugal 2.0 TDI Comfortline that is priced at R33 700 less.
