VW Tayron in a tug-of-war

T-FAMILY: VOLKSWAGEN'S NEW SUV AIMS FOR THE THRONE → It dazzles in design and comfort, but struggles to justify its sticker shock.

- Jaco van der Merwe

The newly-introduced Volkswagen Tayron finds itself in an awkward place. Officially it’s the seven-seater replacement for the Tiguan Allspace. But unlike the discontinued Tiguan Allspace that was an extended Tiguan, the VW Tayron is much more than a bigger Tiguan.

Where the Tiguan Allspace was only offered in seven-seat configuration, the Tayron can be had with seven or five seats. But the latter layout won’t impede on the Tiguan, as its aspirations lie higher up in the food chain.

The VW Touareg goes out of production in the next couple of years and the Tayron is destined to take over the mantle as the head of VW’s SUV T-family.

The biggest reason why the VW Tayron is stuck between a rock and a hard place lies under the bonnet. Here the only powertrain on offer is the 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine that produces 110kW of power and 250Nm of torques sent the front wheels via seven-speed DSG transmission.

The four-pot blown mill is a Volkswagen and Audi stalwart and worth a good flutter on to survive the apocalypse. But unlike the likes of Golf 8.5, Audi A3 and even the Tiguan Life, it has a lot more weight to move. Compared to the Tiguan, we are talking a gravitational increase of 245kg. Not exactly ideal for moving seven occupants or towing.

While the trusty the 2.0-litre turbodiesel in the Tiguan won't be on offer due to the high sulphur content of our diesel, there are big plans for the VW Tayron’s powertrain.