Creating a seven-seater Tiguan Allspace involved more than just stretching it to fit an extra row of seats, says motoring editor Andy Russell.
Volkswagen's Tiguan Allspace, its first seven-seater SUV, wasn't a case of 'bolting' an extra bit on to the back of the existing model.
The five-seater version is Volkswagen's third biggest seller in the UK, behind Golf and Polo, and the Allspace is expected to account for 15pc of Tiguan sales as a standalone model.
Looks and image
It's a Tiguan but not quite as we know it. The Allspace is 215mm longer, with an extra 106mm between the front and back wheels, but the styling has also been tweaked.
Volkswagen says just extending the Tiguan to add the extra row of seats would have left it 'out of proportion'. So it has a new front grille, higher bonnet with different accent lines, revised shoulder line, larger rear doors to get to the third-row seats and a new roof design.
Under the bonnet
The turbo engine range is largely carried over so 150PS 1.4-litre and 180PS 2.0-litre TSI petrol and 150, 190 and 240PS 2.0-litre TDI diesels, the latter twin turbo.
VW's 4Motion four-wheel drive and seven-speed automatic gearbox are standard with 180, 190 and 240PS engines while the 150PS diesel is also available with six-speed manual transmission and front-wheel drive, offering all combinations.
The 150PS diesel, the likely best seller, will meet most people's needs and returned 50mpg.
How it drives
Despite being bigger, the Allspace still drives well. The SEL test car was competent on winding roads, although body roll builds with speed, but the suspension makes comfort the priority and the ride is impressive even over bumpy surfaces.
R-Line, opening for orders towards the end of the first quarter, will be more dynamic with 15mm lower sports suspension.
Space and comfort
Seven seats are standard but the two rearmost 'occasional' seats, which fold into the boot floor, are for children or passengers up to 5ft 2in tall with headroom tight and the seating position gives a new meaning to having a knees-up but it's bearable for short trips. Middle-row seats slide 180mm to improve access to the third row and trade legroom.
With all seven seats in use, load space is a small city car-like 230 litres – enough for a few bags of shopping or a couple of sports holdalls. Fold the rearmost row and it grows to 700 litres – 85 more than regular Tiguan – drop all five for 1,775 litres.
Equipment
The Allspace is only in higher specs so generously-equipped SE Navigation, luxurious SEL and sport R-Line.
All models include three rows of seats, parking sensors, 3Zone climate control, eight-inch colour touchscreen with satellite navigation, DAB radio/CD, Bluetooth smartphone connectivity, adaptive cruise control, lane assist, front assist and city emergency braking.
SEL adds the smart 12.3in customisable active info display in place of conventional instruments, bigger 19in alloys, front sports seats, hands-free tailgate opening and panoramic sunroof. Sportier R-Line gets 20in alloys, sport suspension, body-colour rear spoiler and black interior headlining.
Final say
The Allspace will boost the Tiguan's appeal and keeps the Volkswagen SUV in the frame with families occasionally needing two extra seats and so many seven-seaters coming to the market.
SPEC AND TECH
Price: Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace SEL 2.0TDI 2WD £33,125 (range £29,370 to £39,965)
Engine: 1,968cc, 150PS, four-cylinder turbo diesel with six-speed manual gearbox
Performance: 0-62mph 9.8 seconds; top speed 126mph
MPG: Urban 47.9; extra urban 62.8; combined 56.5
CO2 emissions: 131g/km
Benefit-in-kind tax rate: 32pc
Insurance group: 18E (out of 50)
Warranty: Three years or 60,000 miles
Will it fit in the garage? L 4,701mm; W (including door mirrors) 2,099mm; H 1,674mm
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here