New Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 2018 review

Volkswagen’s longer, seven-seat Tiguan feels at home on UK roads, with solid driving dynamics and a classy feel. The third-row rear seats aren’t really usable for adults, however. This punchy 2.0 BiTDI model looks expensive at nearly £40,000, too, and compared with lesser variants, a Skoda Kodiaq is a better value all-round proposition.

Volkswagen’s SUV offensive will continue in 2018, and joining a growing range is the Tiguan Allspace – a new sister model to the popular Tiguan.

Compared with the regular car, the Allspace sits on a wheelbase extended by 109mm, and is 215mm longer overall. This helps to provide more legroom, a larger boot and up to seven seats. The new model also features a slightly bulkier design, thanks to several styling changes, including a taller-looking bonnet, extended rear doors, a tweaked C-pillar and a slightly altered roof.

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The Allspace is expected to account for around 15 per cent of all Tiguan sales in 2018, and will come in three trim levels: SE Nav, the mid-level SEL we have here, and the more sporty R-Line, which will arrive later in the year.

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Extra space and practicality are what will attract buyers to this car, especially with seven seats as standard. In truth, the folding third row is only really suited to children; headroom is tight, while there’s not a lot of space for legs, even with the middle row slid forward. Access is fine for kids, but undignified for adults. Second-row passengers fare better, with the extended wheelbase providing an extra 60mm of legroom and 54mm of knee room.

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The boot expands to 700 litres with the third row folded, up from 615 litres in the regular Tiguan. It puts VW’s mid-size SUV in touch with the Skoda Kodiaq in terms of practicality, but it still can’t match that car’s 720-litre capacity. The third-row seats in the Kodiaq aren’t for adults, either, but are a little more roomy.

Otherwise, the interior has been lifted from the Allspace’s sister car. The sharp design is assembled well and uses high-quality materials. The eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system is easy to use, and SEL and R-Line cars benefit from the 12.3-inch Active Info Display as standard, replacing analogue dials with a customisable digital set-up.

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In fact, all versions are well equipped, with the Allspace only available in SE Nav trim upwards, so even entry-level models get sat-nav as standard.

Both petrol and diesel engine options are available, with the Tiguan’s range-topping, 237bhp 2.0 BiTDI unit reserved for SEL and above. It’s a powertrain that has impressed us before with its punch and refinement, and there’s no difference here. It serves up more than creditable performanceon the road, with a deep well of 500Nm of torque to rely on. It’s an easy car to make good progress in, and it’s respectably refined, too, paired with a smooth, seven-speed DSG transmission.

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The 0-62mph time of 6.7 seconds is two tenths slower than the five-seat Tiguan’s, while claimed economy only takes a slight dip to 43.5mpg. This Allspace variant weighs in at 1,920kg; that’s 125kg more than an equivalent five-seat Tiguan in the same spec with the same engine. It’s still a controlled, if unexciting, drive despite that, with a decent balance of ride and handling.

There’s one sticking point, however: the Allspace starts at £29,370. That’s £2,645 more than an equivalent Tiguan, which, even on a monthly Personal Contract Purchase deal, looks steep.The Kodiaq, our favourite seven-seat SUV, is more than £2,000 cheaper spec-for-spec, and starts from £24,925.