VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN

What are the secrets to this SUV's success? It's high time we found out

- KRIS CULMER

Do you believe in real-life NPCs? Sorry, to explain: there's an only semi-joking theory online that 'non-player characters', which simply and unconsciously follow a coded set pattern, have escaped the confines of video games. And I do reckon that a lot of evidence can be gathered to back up the theory - not least from British roads.

The Tiguan has been the best-selling Volkswagen model globally since 2019, shifting many millions of them in that time. Indeed, I started seeing third-generation examples everywhere mere months after it went on sale. But I've yet to meet a car lover who can convincingly explain why, making me wonder if it's NPCs buying all these SUVs. But what is it about this particular one that inspires such excitement in so many non-enthusiasts that they gladly pay extra to have it over that legendary all-rounder, the Golf? Looks? Handling? Performance? Practicality? None of those aspects seems much better to me on paper. If anything, on first impression, they all seem to be slightly worse (and actually, to be brutally honest, I think this Tiguan looks less appealing than the previous one). And my road tester colleagues adjudged it to be competitive with its direct rivals but no better than that. So perhaps we really can blame the whim of whoever coded this game we call life? Yes, this demands a thorough investigation.