The diesel SUV that SA needs

VOLKSWAGEN'S Tiguan has been a mainstay of the company for a while now, with more than 7.4 million units sold globally since its introduction in 2007. A total of 41 000 of the popular SUV have found homes in South Africa since 2009.

- WILLEM VAN DE PUTTE

We're also a nation that likes a diesel engine, and thankfully, VW hasn't pulled the plug on that option yet, which makes the Tiguan 2.0 TDI Life 4Motion introduced earlier this year, which we had on test, rather desirable.

Exterior

Unlike its flashier R-Line sibling, this Life version is more understated, preferring instead to go about its business without attracting too much attention.

Still, LED headlights, a glass-covered horizontal bar with an integrated LED strip instead of the traditional grille, giving it a futuristic look, don't mean it's not a looker. VW says that new front end improves the drag coefficient from 0.33 to 0.28.

At the rear, it's unmistakably Tiguan with a horizontal LED strip, while along the side, there's a strong shoulder line highlighting the car's proportions.

It stands on 17-inch alloys with decent 215/65 R17 high-profile rubber, with black roof rails rounding off the SUV look.

Interior

Having recently had the Golf 1.4TS on test, the interior of the Tiguan again confirms that VW have a knack for putting together a suitably premium interior.