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car review

2009 Volkswagen Tiguan

Volkswagen was a little late getting into the crossover utility market. While the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 hit the road more than a decade ago, Volkswagen has just joined the party with its tiny Tiguan CUV.

At least, they got it right from the start. The Tiguan received a 2009 Top Safety Pick award from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It had a "good rating" in crash tests - the highest possible score in frontal, side, and rear-end crash tests. It's welcome news because the Tiguan is up against stiff competition, like the best-selling Ford Escape.

The 2009 Tiguan comes in three trim lines, dubbed Trendline ($27,575), Comfortline ($33,975) and Highline ($38,375). The base model is well-equipped with cruise control, dual front airbags, side airbags, side curtains, a CD player, 16-inch alloy wheels, and manually adjustable front seats with lumbar support. The Comfortline, my test vehicle, gets 17-inch alloy wheels, black roof rails, a huge panoramic power sunroof, an eight-way partial power driver's seat, six-disc CD changer and heated front seats.

The top Highline trim, while a little too expensive for my tastes, does add some niceties such as a 12-way power driver seat with power lumbar support and memory, 18-inch alloy wheels, leather seats, bi-xenon headlights, silver roof rails, and rain sensing wipers. Personally, I'd save the cash in favour of the less expensive models.

Design-wise, the Tiguan isn't a show stopper - it's a bit bland and conservative, but not unsightly. Nice touches include a chrome front grille, dual-steel exhaust pipes, body-coloured door handles and tinted privacy glass on the rear side and rear tailgate window of my tester. The wild cherry metallic colour is a knockout, which makes up for the lacklustre design.

The cabin is well laid out; the instrument panel and centre stack are clean and straightforward. It's also easy to find and use the large HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) dials. Information such as a trip computer with average fuel consumption, distance to empty and trip time is easily visible in the instrument cluster.

The front seats are comfortable; the cloth material durable and strong. The rear seats recline for added pleasure. But they are a little tight for three adults - two would be more comfy using the foldable centre armrest complete with dual cup holders.

The rear-centre armrest also features a load-through, which is useful for hauling longer items. The 60/40-split rear seats fold down for more flexibility if you require extra cargo space. The front passenger seat also folds flat for more versatility.

A large panoramic sunroof is great, adding lots of sunlight and airiness. The Tiguan has storage spots and cup holders galore. There's a compartment in the front centre armrest with dual cup holders, dual front bottle holders integrated into the front door pockets, rear cup holders integrated in the rear of the centre console, front and rear door storage pockets, a storage bin under the left side of the steering wheel, front seatback magazine storage pockets and a storage unit located on top of the centre console for keeping important items close at hand.

All Tiguans are powered by a 2.0-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine, which delivers 200 horsepower and 207 lb-ft of torque. My tester had a six-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic, so you can manually shift through the six gears if you want to.

The engine is smooth, punchy and responsive; there's little turbo lag off the line. But engine noise does seep into the cabin, especially when you hit the throttle hard. The compact size makes the Tiguan easy to drive and park.

The 4Motion all-wheel-drive system is excellent and feels secure, providing confidence on rain-slicked roads. ABS, a tire-pressure monitoring system, electronic brake-pressure distribution and electronic stabilization program with hydraulic brake assist are all standard features.

The doors lock automatically when you hit 13 km/h; as a woman, I think it's a great safety feature.

On fuel economy, the Tiguan's not as good as some of the competition. The 4Motion AWD averages 11.6 litres/100 km in the city and 8.3 on the highway. For comparison, the Honda CR-V AWD gets 10.7 city/7.8 highway. .VW also recommends premium fuel instead of regular.

Although the 2009 Tiguan has some successful competition, it manages to steal some of the spotlight with its excellent crash test results and overall nice package.

pgentile@globeandmail.com

2009 VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN 2.0 TSI 4MOTION COMFORTLINE

Type: Compact crossover

Base Price: $33,975; as tested, $35,625

Engine: 2.0-litre, DOHC, turbocharged, inline-four-cylinder

Horsepower/Torque: 200 hp/207 lb-ft

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Drive: All-wheel-drive

Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 11.6 city/8.3 highway; premium recommended

Alternatives: Nissan Rogue, Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, Saturn Vue, Mazda CX-7, Mitsubishi Outlander, Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester

Like

  • Top safety pick
  • All-wheel drive
  • Compact size makes it easy to drive/park

Don't like

  • Boring exterior design
  • Premium fuel is recommended


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