Typically German

Volkswagen has launched the Tiguan in India. It is fully loaded and promises a lot of finesse in the SUV segment. We take it for comprehensive drive.

- Rahul Ghosh

Most people acknowledge Volkswagen in India as a manufacturer of hatchbacks and sedans and there is a reason for that. The only SUV the company ever launched in India was the Touareg and it was in a segment which is out of bounds for most. The Touareg also led a short life and was taken out of the portfolio many years back, leaving the SUV section blank. Quite a ‘no, no’ in a country fascinated by these big beasts. Now there is an option in the form of the Tiguan.

Let’s start with a fact thats is not clear to the naked eye. The Tiguan is based on Volkswagen’s famous MQB platform and the same makes its debut here in India with this SUV. The Tiguan follows the brand’s global design philosophy and as a result this SUV has a very different take on SUV design. It is not butch and bulky but smooth and sophisticated. The front end design is unmistakably VW with the grille flanked by a sleek pair of headlamps. These lamps are all LED units and incorporate daytime running lights and indicators. The bumper adds a sporty hue and also houses the fog lamps and cornering lamps. Mind you these are both separate units and not combined into one and we can vouch that they come really handy especially driving around in the hills. In profile the Tiguan looks good thanks to the prominent cladding and the strong shoulder line.

It is here that we come to a rather unique figure, the ground clearance. VW in Europe claim the Tiguan to offer 200mm of clearance but here that figure has reduced to 149mm. Now before you dismiss the Tiguan, let us tell you that this lesser figure is due to the fact that the Indian authorities have started measuring ground clearance at full payload or gross vehicle weight. Hence the difference. At the back, the large LED tail lamps take up most of the space and the roof spoiler adds to the sporty feel.