Volkswagen Tiguan - Interior, design & technology
VW has taken lessons learned from the Golf and refined the Tiguan’s touchscreen system, but it’s still lacking in buttons
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.
Used - available now
2020 Volkswagen
Tiguan
45,071 milesManualDiesel2.0L
Cash £20,700
2019 Volkswagen
Tiguan
44,709 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L
Cash £20,900
2020 Volkswagen
Tiguan
33,849 milesManualDiesel2.0L
Cash £16,100
2020 Volkswagen
Tiguan
39,065 milesAutomaticDiesel2.0L
Cash £21,787The 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.
What is the interior quality like?
The fit and finish are decent inside, with soft-touch plastics and gloss black trim around the cabin and a flock lining for the door bins to stop items rattling around. Higher-spec cars feature LED ambient lighting across the dashboard and doors that can be changed to different colours.
This generation of Tiguan is the first to introduce VW’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.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
The Tiguan’s dashboard layout makes use of the touchscreen for most of its operations, with a 12.9-inch display as standard and a large 15-inch screen offered as an option. Both look sharp, with high-resolution graphics, while the standard-fit 10.25-inch digital dial cluster adds to the hi-tech feel of the cabin. The larger screen also comes with a helpful head-up display, which projects important information, such as speed onto the windscreen within the driver’s line of sight.
Whether you stick with the standard display or upgrade, the Tiguan’s logical layout and menu system are easy to use, with climate shortcuts at the bottom and a strip across the top for quick access to common functions.
The sliding temperature and volume controls still need a knack to get them to work properly, though, while VW’s always-listening “Hey Ida” voice control prompt is too easy to activate accidentally when in conversation with passengers – you could be talking just for the car’s voice system to butt in and ask what you want when you’ve done nothing of the sort.
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone connectivity are standard, but you’ll need the Infotainment package to get wireless charging pad on the entry-level trim, or step up to Life trim. An eight-speaker audio setup is standard, but for around £1,400 you can add a 700-watt, 10-speaker Harman Kardon system.
