Business Maverick

Can the new German Tiguan stave off its Chinese rivals?

The Tiguan has heated and ventilated seats with a massage function. (Photo: VWSA)

16 Sep 2024

With over 7.4 million global sales attesting to its popularity, the third-generation Volkswagen Tiguan aims to take back market share with its competitive pricing.

A couple of weeks ago I attended the launch of the all-new, third-generation Tiguan in the Eastern Cape. The Tiguan is somewhat of a halo brand for the German automaker. The first-gen Tiguan was unveiled in 2009 and achieved instant global success. The 2nd-gen appeared in 2016 and continued to be a big seller for Volkswagen, both locally and internationally.

While the third-gen was unveiled globally in 2023, we have only now received the first engine in its three-pot line-up. In the VW fam, the Tiguan sits above the more compact T-Roc and just below the larger Touareg. It has sold 7.4 million units globally, with 41,000 of those finding homes in SA.

VW Tiguan The Tiguan has sold over 7.4 million units since 2009. (Photo: VWSA)

When one is looking for a safe, well-engineered family car in this mid-size SUV segment, you’ll be hard-pressed to find something better than the Tig. However, the playing field has substantially changed over the last few years with a garage full of new Chinese brands causing headaches for almost all auto manufacturers both locally and globally.

Chinese rivals

Since Haval opened shop here in 2019, there has been an influx of Chinese brands, tempting local price-conscious car shoppers with attractive deals.

As of September 2024, there are 27 Chinese models to choose from in SA, including vehicles from BAIC, BYD, Chery, Foton, GWM, Haval, Jac, Jaecoo, LDV, Omoda, and the new kid on the block, GAC.

In recent weeks I have been invited to no fewer than eight “Chinese” events and new vehicle launches. Standard Bank’s vehicle finance division recently released data indicating that “Chinese” new car financing deals saw growth from just over 6% in 2022 to 7.4% in the first half of 2024, despite a downward spiralling new car market in 2024.

To get an idea of the meteoric rise of a brand like Haval (a sub-brand under the umbrella of GWM), in 2019 it only managed to sell 872 vehicles locally. According to the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa, by mid-2024, 19,904 units were sold.

In the mid-size SUV segment where the Tiguan lives, local buyers have clearly had their heads (and wallets) turned by well-priced and generously specced cars like the Haval H6 and the Chery Tiggo 7 Pro. The Tiguan’s other rivals like the Kia Sportage, the Hyundai Tucson and the Toyota RAV4 have also felt the Chinese throttle on their sales.

The all-new Tiguan

The third-gen Tiguan has grown substantially in length, width and height and even though its wheelbase is 2mm shorter than its predecessor’s, boot space has expanded by 37 litres to 652 litres. With rear seats down, the load bay offers 1,650 litres.

The exterior design is noticeably rounder and “softer” compared to the more angular outgoing model. The large grille is reminiscent of the all-electric Volkswagen ID4; there’s a revised bumper and tailgate and an array of new LED lighting.

Tiguan The Tiguan's revised tailgate with new LED lighting. (Photo: VWSA)

Tiguan The minimalistic cabin with its 15-inch infotainment system. (Photo: VWSA)

Inside, the new Tiguan is noticeably upmarket and more tech-savvy. It’s an ode to minimalism with very few knobs, as most functions can be operated by way of a new 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen, underpinned by Volkswagen’s latest “MIB4 operating system” which comes standard. (As an option, one can opt for a 15-inch infotainment system, which includes a wireless charging pad.)

While I’m not a huge fan of transforming one’s car into a disco, there’s a growing trend in contemporary car design to offer more and more ambient colours in the cabin – the Tiguan has 30 to choose from.

Engines and trims

Engine-wise, currently, there’s just one on offer, by way of the 1.4-litre TSI turbo-petrol, which was the most popular engine in the outgoing range. It offers 110kw and 250 Nms and is mated to VW’s commendable 7-speed DSG transmission.

If you’re a diesel fan, you should wait until November when the new 2.0 TDI 110kW DSG will be on sale. (The more powerful 140 kW 2.0 TSI DSG turbo-petrol will be available in the first quarter of 2025.) There are also three trim lines on offer: the base Tiguan; the mid-spec Tiguan Life and the range-topping Tiguan R-Line.

The drive

The first thing I noticed when switching on my Tig was that its traditional central gearshift lever has become a transmission stalk on the right of the steering wheel. If you’ve driven a Merc you'll be familiar with the set-up. I got used to it pretty quickly and was impressed by how much space was freed up in the central console.

Tiguan There are six drive modes in the new Tiguan. (Photo: VWSA)

Taking off from Gqeberha, we took a long drive through the scenic Eastern Cape and headed for Graaff-Reinet, one of the oldest towns in the country. It’s a place steeped in South African history, established by the Dutch East India Company in 1786. It’s also famous as the starting point of the Great Trek led by Voortrekker leaders Gerrit Maritz and Piet Retief between 1835 and 1832.

In recent years, GR has been up for a name change, either to Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe or Fred Hufkie – both former anti-apartheid activists with strong roots in the Karoo town. The name change has been met with resistance from some locals.

The long drive allowed the new Tiguan to show off its prowess as an example of superior German engineering. I am a fan of heated/ventilated seats and an even bigger sucker for cars that come with a massage function. The top-of-the-range Tiguan R-Line has both as standard.

Tiguan The Tiguan has heated and ventilated seats with a massage function. (Photo: VWSA)

There’s a 10-chamber pressure-point massage function in the new “Ergo-Active” electrically adjustable leather seats which were well bolstered and comfy on the 500 km trip.

From the outset, the Tiguan’s 1.4-litre turbo engine sprang to life and it was plain sailing all the way. The engine is punchy, the steering light and accurate, and the suspension is top notch with road noise barely noticeable.

I’m never disappointed by VW's DSG gearbox. In the new Tiguan, the 7-speed dual-clutch auto transmission is slick and extremely well-calibrated to its turbo-petrol engine.

Along the way, I got to play with a few of the drive modes by way of the “Driving Experience Dial” which allows one to access Eco, Comfort, Sport, Individual, Off-road and Snow. In the top-of-the-trim-line R-Line, you also get a number of “atmospheres” labelled “Lounge”, “Energetic”, “Joy”, “Minimal”, “Me” and “Nature”. (Again, I’m not a huge fan of these gimmicks but this seems to be becoming a trend amongst manufacturers, as seen in the new Mini Countryman’s “Experience” menu.)

Safety and fuel

The Tiguan has a reputation as being a great family car, so safety systems are top of mind in this class. There are eight airbags in the third-gen, as well as Park Assist Plus, both of which come standard.

If you’re looking for the full package, you’ll have to fork out R27,500 for Volkswagen’s IQ. Drive safety suite which includes features like adaptive cruise control, hill-start assist, travel assist, driver alert system, lane assist, side assist with rear-traffic alert, area-view camera and trailer manoeuvring assist.

While Volkswagen claims 7.6 L/100 km fuel consumption, on my Eastern Cape sojourn I came closer to 9 litres, but then I was quite heavy on the throttle.

Pricing

When it comes to pricing, it’s clear that Volkswagen SA is taking an aggressive stance to lure customers back to the Tiguan to reclaim its place in the sun. VWSA is offering a surprisingly competitive pricing structure – some derivatives are even cheaper than their equivalent second-gen counterparts.

However, as much as they’d like to, it’s impossible for the German brand to descend into Chinese price territory, where many auto companies like Chery are owned and/or heavily subsidised by the Chinese government.

In the coming months, I’ll be closely watching to see whether trusty German engineering and keen pricing can restore the Tiguan’s market share.

Tiguan 1.4 TSI 110 kW DSG R651,500

Tiguan 1.4 TSI 110 kW Life DSG R702,800

Tiguan 2.0 TDI 110 kW Life 4Motion DSG R755,700

Tiguan 1.4 TSI 110 kW R-Line DSG. R766,300

Tiguan 2.0 TDI 110 kW R-Line 4Motion DSG R834 800

Tiguan 2.0 TSI 140 kW R-Line 4Motion DSG R835 900. DM

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