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Pros: Comfortable drive, easy fold seats, high quality interior
Cons: Expensive, legroom in third-row
Volkswagen have brought even more to the table of their popular SUV by adding more room and an extra two seats. The new Tiguan Allspace aims to offer seven-seat practicality without compromising style. It goes up against the likes of the Peugeot 5008, Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Sorento and Hyundai Santa Fe in the seven-seater family SUV segment. In Ireland, pricing for the Tiguan Allspace starts from €39,415 for the entry level trimline.
Styling:
A total of 215mm has been added to the length compared to the standard Tiguan model to accommodate seven seats. A recent facelift in 2021 saw some minor exterior styling updates to bring it up to speed with the standard model, which included newly shaped LED headlights.
The Tiguan Allspace shows a bold character from the very front, with its striking radiator grille and lighting signature. At the rear, if you go for the Elegance and R-Line trim, dark red LED tail light clusters and an unbroken reflector strip highlight the powerful rear.
Inside:
It’s on the inside where the Tiguan Allspace is really a cut-above the rest. The cabin is packed full of high-quality equipment and technology which includes the latest that Volkswagen has to offer in terms of safety and infotainment. The 8-inch clear glass touch screen allows you to easily connect to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wirelessly.
Volkswagen have replaced physical controls with new touch-sensitive climate controls, which can be a bit tricky at times to get the hang of. If you go for the higher trim you get these on the steering wheel, which is a nice touch, but again can be a bit distracting at times and are easily activated by a brush of a thumb or finger.
There is plenty of room throughout the Tiguan Allspace and loads of headroom. The numerous little storage compartments are extremely handy for storing bits and pieces.
The middle row is spacious and comfortable, with heaps of legroom even for tall adults. There’s even a central armrest with a pair of cupholders that can be pulled down if you are carrying just two passengers.
The third row is where the Allspace separates itself from the standard Tiguan model. Two additional folding seats are available in the rear. Legroom isn’t exactly plentiful and would only be advised for children or small adults on short journeys. Folding the seats into position and accessing them via the middle row seats is very easy and never caused much problems.
With the seats up you get 700-litres of boot space, which definitely isn’t best in class, but just enough to accommodate a weekly shop. With the seats folded down however, you get a whopping 1,775-litres of boot space.
Driving:
The Tiguan Allspace is available in Ireland with a 2.0TDI 150HP diesel engine. Standard and Life trim are available with a six-speed manual gearbox, while Life, Elegance and R-Line trims come with a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission. The test car we drove was an R-Line with the auto transmission.
It’s is a comfortable drive for such a big car. Suspension feels smooth over small bumps, but can feel a bit stiff going over large speed bumps or curbs especially with the large 20-inch alloys on our test car.
It handles very well unlike other SUV’s of its size and is easy to manoeuvre even around the city or on slippery surfaces. Very little road noise can be heard from the inside, even on motorways at high speed, the cabin is a quiet and comfortable environment.
Price & Models:
The Tiguan Allspace comes in four trimlines; Standard, Life, Elegance and R-Line. The standard model starts at €39,415 on the road and includes a leather wrapped multifunction steering wheel, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, lane assist and much more. The Life trim starts at €45,830 and in addition to the standard trim you get a digital cockpit, adaptive cruise control, voice control, chrome trims and 18-inch alloys. The Elegance trim starts at €57,525 and includes 30-color ambient lighting, heated front seats, rear view camera and 19-inch alloys. And finally the R-Line, which is the trim of our test car, starts at €58,295 and includes R-Line decorative throughout, driving mode selection, 20-inch alloys, LED matrix headlights, keyless entry and Sports Pack (incl. progressive steering, sports suspension, shock absorption in front).
Verdict:
The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace offers all the sportiness and style of the popular Tiguan, with the additional two-seats and boot space. It is more expensive than other seven-seaters on the market and less room in the third row, but offers a degree of luxury and drive comfort that others don’t.