Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 2022 Car Review

ENGINE: 2.0-litre 4-Cylinder inline Turbo Petrol
POWER: 162kW, 350Nm
GEARBOX: 7 Speed DSG
ECONOMY/CO2: 8.4L/100km, 192g/km
PRICE: $73,990 (+ORC)

The AA recently had the opportunity to sample Volkswagen's updated seven-seat Tiguan Allspace SUV. Last year we reviewed the five-seater Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line 2021, so of course we were curious to learn how the 2022 Allspace, TSI R-Line AWD version stacked up.

At first glance you could be mistaken for thinking nothing much has changed about this family-sized seven-seater SUV. However, when you look a bit closer you notice some refinements up front.

What’s new?

The German manufacturer has added new innovative technology, as well as some minor changes to the exterior design. The exterior now sports new look headlamps that appear to extend further into the wheel guards, a revised front grille to work in with the new-look headlamps and a refined lower grille, which together with the additional chrome, complete the modernised facelift look.

Measuring 4701mm long, the Tiguan Allspace is nearly 220mm longer than a five-seat 'normal-wheelbase' Tiguan, with the extra 106mm behind the rear wheels allowing for the inclusion of a third row of seats.

Boot space is rated at 230 litres with all seats in place, 700 litres with the third row folded (compared to 615L behind the first two rows in the Tiguan), and 1775 litres with the second row folded (compared to 1665L in the five-seat model).

Powering the top of the range R-line is a 162kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder (132TSI) with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and 4Motion all-wheel drive. The claimed fuel consumption is 8.4L/100km with a CO2 fuel efficiency rating of 192g/km.

A tailored fit

Premium quality materials are used throughout the cabin with plenty of piano black trim to give it that luxurious feel. The first change we noticed inside is the new switches on the steering wheel, the second is a revised control panel for the climate settings.

While the volume control on the steering wheel works well, we found the climate panel’s slider a little frustrating to use when adjusting. It’s much harder to make a quick change to temperature or fan speed than the previous physical dials - those could be used without even taking your eyes off the road. Some may prefer the previous model’s dial type switches, which did what you asked of it.

The seats were comfortable around town, but a bit firm when sitting in the seat for an extended out of town trip. The suspension, although on the firmer side, soaks up undulations and bumps in the road rather well.

There’s plenty of storage compartments as per the previous model and we noticed that there is plenty of storage above the driver’s seat - perfect for hiding valuables if you need to leave them in the car, or a pair of sunglasses or two.

There is plenty of leg room up front – even for tall adults. However, if you try to squeeze three adults into the second row seats, the middle person is likely to feel a bit pinched. We did find there to be plenty of leg room in the back - unless you are extremely tall, then it may be a bit of a squeeze. The two seats in the third row is better suited to small children.

Safety first

The Tiguan Allspace is packed with the latest driver assist systems. Standard features include the area view camera for a 'birds eye' surrounding view, Pedestrian Monitoring, Front Assist, Lane Assist and Side Assist with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)*.

The Tiguan Allspace has the maximum 5 star ANCAP safety rating. This ANCAP safety rating applies to all Tiguan variants including the Tiguan Allspace variants which were introduced into New Zealand in February 2018.
To summarise what’s new:

• Travel Assist and Emergency Assist
• IQ. Light Matrix Headlights
• Front LED Light bar
• Heated Steering Wheel
• 30 Colour Ambient Lighting
• Front seats with power adjustment & memory function
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Inductive wireless phone charging

We previously reviewed the Volkswagen Tiguan back in 2016 and the extended wheelbase Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace in 2018.

Safety systems

• Electronic Stability Programme (ESP®)
• Electornic Differential Lock (EDL)
• Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR)
• Lane Assist
• Blind Spot Minitor
• Hill Descent Control
• Park Assist
• Trailer stabilisation
• Driver and front passenger front airbags
• Driver knee airbag
• Driver and front passenger side airbags
• Curtain Airbags (Front and 2nd Row)
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System
• ISOFIX mounting points on second row outer seats (x 2)
• Child seat top tether anchorage points on outer rear seats (x 2)
• Anti-theft 'Plus' alarm system
• Seatbelt reminder (Front and rear seats)
• 3 point seat belts for all passenger
• Proactive Occupant Protection System
• Front Assist incl. Autonomous Emergency Braking and Forward Collision Warning
• Pedestrian Monitoring
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Travel Assist and Emergency Assist

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