Skip advert
Advertisement

Volkswagen Tiguan SEL diesel 2017 review

We test the high-spec VW Tiguan with four-wheel drive in the UK

Overall Auto Express rating

3.0

How we review cars
Avg. savings
£2,911 off RRP*
Find your Volkswagen Tiguan
Compare deals from trusted partners on this car and previous models.
Or are you looking to sell your car?
Value my car
Fast, no-nonsense car selling
Value my car

Although the VW Tiguan offers an attractive blend of practicality, sharp styling and a classy interior, this particular model doesn’t look like good value. The 188bhp diesel engine is powerful, but it’s not the best fit for the car and economy takes a hit. It’s not as good to drive nor as comfortable as the rival SEAT Ateca either, which puts the high price tag into even sharper focus.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The Volkswagen Tiguan sits in a crowded class of talented cars, with the SEAT Ateca, Peugeot 3008 and Nissan Qashqai all going up against it. Indeed, the Tiguan is such a significant a competitor that many manufacturers position it as the main benchmark in the class that their new models have to beat - be that publicly or privately.

Unfortunately for Volkswagen, the latest model hasn’t quite impressed us as much as we had expected, with rivals overtaking it in many areas. Here we’re giving the Tiguan a chance to fight back by testing this SEL model with the 188bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine to see how it stacks up against the competition.

The SEL model sits below the R-Line model in the trim range, although at £33,260 this car isn’t exactly cheap. There’s plenty of equipment, however, and although our test car was loaded up with over £6,700 of options, you do still get three-zone climate control, an 8-inch touchscreen with sat-nav, 19-inch alloys and a raft of safety kit as standard.

This car also gets a slick 12.3-inch Active Info Display in place of the dials behind the steering wheel. It’s able to display sat-nav maps, media info and virtually anything else you might find on an infotainment system, right in front of the driver. It’s a great system and works very well here.

Advertisement - Article continues below
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Used - available now

Tiguan

2023 Volkswagen

Tiguan

40,186 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L

Cash £22,000
View Tiguan
Tiguan

2023 Volkswagen

Tiguan

27,073 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L

Cash £23,900
View Tiguan
Tiguan

2024 Volkswagen

Tiguan

11,947 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L

Cash £21,800
View Tiguan
Tiguan

2022 Volkswagen

Tiguan

50,877 milesAutomaticPetrol1.5L

Cash £19,803
View Tiguan

Best 4x4s and SUVs

The rest of the interior is suitably upmarket, with a neat dashboard layout and plenty of high quality materials around the cabin. It’s spacious inside as well, with lots of storage space and generous leg and headroom in the back. The 615-litre boot is one of the biggest in its class, and folds down to 1,655 litres. The Tiguan is bigger than many cars in its class, though, which means it feels a bit more cumbersome on some of the UK’s small roads than the SEAT Ateca or Renault Kadjar.

The 2.0-litre diesel engine in this model means the big Tiguan isn’t wanting for performance, with 0-62mph taking 7.9 seconds. Unfortunately, however, the power delivery is frustrating on the road. A huge 400Nm of torque arrives at 1,900rpm, and the 188bhp power figure comes in at 3,500rpm. This means that at a cruise and at low speed, when you need the power most, there’s a frustrating delay and then a huge rush of power as the boost arrives.

Pulling up to a junction and moving away without coming to a complete stop gets frustrating as a result - often you find yourself going too slowly, so you put your foot down instinctively and the car shoots forward. It’s just not that easy to drive smoothly. The DSG gearbox doesn’t help either. Although it shifts quickly, it sometimes drops into too low a gear, causing revs to flare unnecessarily.

Advertisement - Article continues below
Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

Best crossovers to buy now

We’d definitely go for the lower-powered 148bhp diesel in front-wheel drive form, which has plenty of power and feels smoother overall. The 188bhp car with 4WD can tow 500kg more with a braked capacity of 2,500kg buy you’re not likely to need four-wheel drive most of the time and the lower-powered engine works best for most people - especially with economy of 57.6mpg compared to the 188bhp car’s 49.6mpg figure.

The Tiguan is pretty good to drive, with plenty of grip and composure in corners, but it does feel heavy and the steering doesn’t have enough feedback. The Ateca is more fun to drive, but the crucial thing is that the SEAT is also more comfortable. The Tiguan we tested had 19-inch alloy wheels fitted, and it crashed over lumps in the road. It’s particularly bad over speed bumps, too - while not back-breaking, it’s disappointing in an SUV from this price bracket.

And there lies this Tiguan’s biggest problem, the price tag. The SEL model costs £33,260, which is significantly more than rivals from Nissan, Renault and SEAT with similar specifications. The quality interior and decent kit list goes some way to mitigate that but we still think the price is just too high.

Skip advert
Advertisement

New & used car deals

Volkswagen Tiguan

Volkswagen Tiguan

RRP £35,385Avg. savings £2,911 off RRP*Used from £31,499
Volkswagen Golf

Volkswagen Golf

RRP £24,625Avg. savings £2,261 off RRP*Used from £12,800
Skoda Kodiaq

Skoda Kodiaq

RRP £38,140Avg. savings £3,019 off RRP*Used from £13,895
Omoda 5

Omoda 5

RRP £25,915Avg. savings £1,882 off RRP*Used from £18,900
* Average savings are calculated daily based on the best dealer prices on Auto Express vs manufacturer RRP
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Chinese cars can’t match their European rivals when it comes to engineering
Opinion - Shanghai Auto Show

Chinese cars can’t match their European rivals when it comes to engineering

This new brand of cars might have battery tech on their side, but European buyers want much more than that
Opinion
25 Apr 2025
New electric car MoT tests could be coming to the UK
Tesla Model X on two-post inspection ramp

New electric car MoT tests could be coming to the UK

New technology and driver assistance systems require changes to annual testing, says EC
News
25 Apr 2025
Buying a modern used car for under £10k is almost impossible
Opinion - £10k used cars

Buying a modern used car for under £10k is almost impossible

Phil McNamara discovers that it’s harder than ever to find a good-value car at the affordable end of the market
Opinion
24 Apr 2025