Volkswagen Tiguan - Interior, design & technology

The latest Volkswagen Tiguan doesn’t exactly push the envelope in terms of looks – at first glance, you might even mistake it for the outgoing model. But playing it safe with the Tiguan’s styling makes a bit more sense when you factor in that this is VW’s best-selling model globally. 

Jump inside, and the first thing that strikes you is that the interior is almost a carbon copy of the Volkswagen Passat, with a 12.9-inch central touchscreen screen and 10.25-inch ‘Digital Cockpit Pro’ driver’s display provided as standard (although the car featured in the pictures has the optional Infotainment package plus for £1,100, which is available from Life trim and above and comes with a larger 15-inch screen).

We know Volkswagen is reverting to more physical controls in its cabins after years of heavy criticism of its touch-sensitive sliders, although the latest Tiguan has arrived too soon for this change of heart. The slider beneath the screen is at least backlit, and the revised set-up allows you to skip to a certain volume or temperature by using two fingers on the panel. We approve of having physical buttons on the steering wheel once again compared with the touch-sensitive ones that you could accidentally hit while turning the wheel.

After a few iffy years in relation to interior build quality (especially with its ID-badged VW electric cars), Volkswagen seems to be back on form – and the latest Tiguan is a testament to this. While there are fewer buttons to prod, the carpeted door bins prevent things from rattling in them, and all major touchpoints getting soft materials give the impression of quality.

The entry-level ‘Tiguan’ trim looks a little dull inside, but should get the same solid feeling we found in high trim levels. Next up is Life with a ten-colour ambient lighting system, followed by mid-range Match trim with laminated rear privacy glass. The plush Elegance trim has a 30-colour ambient lighting system as well as heated and massaging front seats and a 360-degree camera set up. Finally, R Line gains more heavily contoured sports seats, and some sportier-looking exterior and interior styling tweaks.

The Tiguan is the first VW to introduce the brand’s driving experience switch. You get a rotary dial on the centre console which has various functions, including toggling between some pre-configured ‘atmospheres’. These presets combine ambient lighting (part of which comes from a patterned finish on the dashboard panel) and audio functions to offer different moods, be it calm, energetic, or something in between. We found the dial more useful for one of its other functions, which is as a simple rotary volume control.

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Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment

As we mentioned above, the 12.9-inch screen is standard and can be upgraded to 15 inches with the Infotainment Package Plus, which is available from Match trim and above. That package also includes a helpful head-up display, which projects important information, such as speed onto the windscreen within the driver’s line of sight.

The screen is the same MIB4 infotainment system we’ve used in the Volkswagen ID.7, which doesn’t have the most intuitive menu layouts. We’d like the shortcut toggles to be more prominent, but the screen is responsive with a brilliantly clear resolution. Sat-nav isn’t provided as standard, but can be added as part of the Infotainment package.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity is standard, but you’ll need the Infotainment package to get an inductive wireless charging pad on the entry-level trim, or step up to Life trim. An eight-speaker audio setup with DAB radio is provided as standard, but for £1,420, you can upgrade to a 700-watt, 10-speaker Harman Kardon system.