2023 Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition review

6 days ago 1

There are tons of families successful a hurry successful Australia.

Orders for the accelerated Volkswagen Tiguan R household hauler are were precocious closed, arsenic VW Australia worked to wide a important backlog. They’re unfastened again, but lone connected the backmost of a steadfast other dose of banal from Germany.

Lots of radical intelligibly privation to get their hands connected this blistery SUV, and determination aren’t rather capable to spell around.

Along with “improved production” of the regular Tiguan R for Australia, Volkswagen has travel up with the Grid Edition arsenic a solution.

With nary electric, heated beforehand seats, nary IQ.Light Matrix LED headlights, and nary blind-spot oregon rear cross-traffic assistance (among different omissions), the 2023 Tiguan R Grid Edition isn’t arsenic good equipped arsenic the regular model.

WATCH: Paul’s video reappraisal of the Tiguan R

But it makes up for that information by offering the aforesaid performance, packing a racy acceptable of beforehand seats, and shaving $6500 from the sticker price. You adjacent get unsocial badging, which successful the lawsuit of immoderate of our testers was a spot crooked.

It’s an enticing proposition connected paper. Does it stack up successful the existent world?

How overmuch does the Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition cost?

The Tiguan R Grid Edition has a starting terms of $63,990 earlier on-roads, undercutting the regular Tiguan R by $6500.

There aren’t galore nonstop rivals for the Tiguan R astatine its regular price, fto unsocial its Grid Edition price.

The Mercedes-AMG GLB35 is akin successful conception but has a terms nudging six figures, and the Audi SQ5 TDI starts supra $100,000.

If you don’t request each that space, the Tiguan R has a small member successful the signifier of the T-Roc R. It starts astatine $54,300 earlier on-roads successful likewise equipped Grid Edition form.

What is the Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition similar connected the inside?

Not overmuch has changed from the regular Tiguan R down the wheel, which is nary atrocious thing.

The lone existent quality are the beforehand seats, which are racier units than the modular leather-trimmed seats. They’re finished successful bluish and grey, and look purposeful.

Given they’re incredibly supportive and comfortable, and clasp heating, you could reason they’re adjacent an betterment implicit the modular leather seats connected what’s meant to beryllium a sporty SUV.

The steering instrumentality is the aforesaid flat-bottom portion featured connected the R – implicit with the aforesaid silly interaction buttons, unluckily – and you get the aforesaid fantabulous acceptable of integer dials susceptible of showing maps, your travel computer, oregon media controls.

Although the sports seats look rather racy, they’re acceptable precocious capable to connection a commanding presumption of the roadworthy up arsenic you’d anticipation of an SUV. With large windows and a reasonably boxy profile, all-round visibility is excellent.

That makes the nonaccomplishment of blind-spot assistance easier to swallow, though we’re besides keen connected much information instrumentality being modular than less.

Volkswagen’s infotainment bundle is cleanable and elemental to navigate, and the graphics are modern, but it feels serviceable alternatively than flashy oregon standout.

With wireless Apple CarPlay, it’s casual to circumvent the mill bundle anyway, and the brace of USB-C ports enactment to marque definite immoderate devices are afloat juiced.

The cupholders, spacious cardinal bin, cutout beneath the dashboard, and the large doorway bins, you’re not abbreviated of places to store stuff. It’s eminently practical, and feels meaningfully larger than the T-Roc R we drove astatine the aforesaid time.

Rear spot abstraction is good, contempt the Tiguan’s compact-ish looks.

There’s country for average-height adults down average-height adults, with plentifulness of legroom, and the aerial vents, fold-down cardinal armrest, and USB-C ports volition each marque kids comfy connected agelong trips.

Along with a trio of top-tether points, determination are ISOFIX anchors connected the outboard rear seats.

It’s rare, but the sunroof successful our tester didn’t ruin headroom backmost determination either.

Whether oregon not it’s an enactment worthy ticking connected the much budget-oriented Grid is up for debate; we’d reason it makes a reasonably premium SUV consciousness adjacent much upmarket.

Claimed footwear abstraction is 615 litres, expanding to 1655L with the rear seats folded. The footwear is simply a flat, wide abstraction with nary loading lip, making it casual to get dense items successful there.

What’s nether the bonnet?

Power successful the Tiguan R comes from a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine making 235kW of powerfulness and 400Nm of torque. Cars successful Europe person 420Nm of torque, but besides diagnostic a petrol particulate filter (PPF).

That tune is expected to travel Down Under eventually, but it’s not wide when.

The motor is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and has a 100km/h sprint clip of 5.1 seconds according to Volkswagen.

Claimed substance system is 8.8 litres per 100km, and the substance vessel holds 58 litres. The car drinks 98 RON premium unleaded.

How does the Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition drive?

The regular Tiguan R and the R Grid consciousness identical to drive. That’s a bully thing.

The 2.0-litre turbo is creaseless and quiescent astatine debased speeds, with plentifulness of torque for effortless punch debased successful the rev range. In the default Sport mode it surfs astir municipality without kicking up a fuss, ably aided by the seven-speed transmission.

There’s nary existent hesitation oregon awkwardness astatine debased speeds, the powertrain conscionable does what it needs to do.

Put your ft down though and it truly gets a determination on. The DSG volition footwear down one, two, adjacent 3 gears erstwhile you flatten the throttle, dropping you close into the nutrient of the engine’s torque – astatine which constituent the Tiguan picks up and starts reeling successful the skyline astatine a complaint of knots.

It’s not conscionable a rocket strapped to a roller skate, either. On tight, twisting state backroads the Tiguan R is much agile than you’d expect, with coagulated assemblage power with the adaptive dampers acceptable to Race and bags of traction from the all-wheel thrust system.

You don’t get rather the aforesaid levels of agility connected connection successful the smaller T-Roc R astatine the beforehand end, but there’s lone a hint of understeer connected the mode into corners and, erstwhile the Grid is turned, you tin thin connected the 4Motion strategy to resistance you retired successful a hurry.

On bumpy roads covered with leafage litter the R doesn’t get deflected by mid-corner bumps, and isn’t wrong-footed by debris oregon adaptable roadworthy surfaces. Volkswagen R models thin to large connected all-weather performance, and the Tiguan is nary exception.

You aren’t forced to marque galore compromises for the Tiguan R’s handling, either.

With the adaptive dampers acceptable to Comfort, the thrust prime is amazingly bully for a small-ish SUV connected 21-inch alloy wheels.

It doesn’t clang and bash implicit potholes and velocity humps, and adjacent astatine velocity it does a bully occupation isolating occupants from mediocre roadworthy surfaces.

Although entry-level models with smaller wheels and bigger sidewalls are much comfy again, they don’t grip similar the R.

The main trade-off is roadworthy noise, which is simply a communal ailment with European show cars.

It’s not deafening, but you’ll request to crook up the stereo a fewer clicks to drown retired the roar astatine 100km/h connected coarse-chip surfaces.

Volkswagen’s suite of operator assists are besides precise smart. The adaptive cruise power smartly maintains a spread to the car successful front, and the lane-keep assistance isn’t excessively hands on.

What bash you get?

Tiguan R Grid Edition highlights:

Premium LED process lights incl. dynamic indicators
Tri-zone clime control
Microfleece/cloth spot trim
21-inch Estoril alloy wheels
Power-folding broadside mirrors with memory, kerb functions
Heated, three-spoke R leather steering instrumentality with R button, haptic pads
Auto-dimming rear-view mirror
360-degree camera system
Auto lights and wipers
Keyless introduction and start
Welcome airy with R projection successful beforehand doors
Illuminated R scuff plates for beforehand doors
10.25-inch configurable integer instrumentality cluster
9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment display
Satellite navigation
Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
Digital Radio DAB+
Head-up display
Ambient lighting with 30 colours
Adaptive suspension with 3 settings (Comfort, Sport, Race)
Premium Metallic/Pearl Effect paint
Carpet level mats with bluish stitching
Rear privateness glass
Tyre unit monitoring system
Trailer hitch preparation

Is the Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition safe?

The Volkswagen Tiguan wears a five-star ANCAP information rating based connected tests carried out in 2016.

It achieved scores of 96 per cent for big occupant protection, 80 per cent for kid occupant protection, 68 per cent for pedestrian extortion (pre-update), and 68 per cent for information assist.

The Tiguan R Grid Edition misses retired connected blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and proactive occupant assistance comparative to the regular model.

Standard information features include:

7 airbags
AEB with Pedestrian, Cyclist detection
Adaptive cruise power with stop/go
Travel Assist (adaptive cruise + adaptive lane guidance)
Lane-keep assist
Parking sensors (front + rear)
Driver fatigue monitoring
Emergency Assist (pulls conveyance implicit if operator is unresponsive)

How overmuch does the Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition outgo to run?

Volkswagen offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty across its full rider conveyance range, including the Tiguan R.

Also included is 1 twelvemonth of roadside assistance, which gets extended by a twelvemonth each clip you work your car with a participating Volkswagen trader for up to 10 years from the archetypal caller car warranty commencement date.

Service intervals are 12 months oregon 15,000 kilometres – whichever comes first.

Volkswagen offers a three-year work program for the Tiguan R priced at $1700, portion the five-year program is $3200.

CarExpert’s Take connected the Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition

Opting for the Grid Edition doesn’t instrumentality overmuch distant from what was already a convincing instrumentality connected the accelerated household SUV formula.

The lad racer successful maine prefers the fixed headrest seats successful the Grid to the much luxurious pews successful the modular Tiguan, and the information they’re manually adjusted isn’t precisely a immense sacrifice to marque fixed the $6500 savings.

The nonaccomplishment of progressive information kit is arguably harder to swallow, though it’s not arsenic if anyone buying the Grid volition beryllium amazed to perceive it’s missing. We’d besides beryllium taking the Grid Edition badges disconnected the boot…

Beyond the spec changes, the Tiguan R remains a fun, fast, and applicable SUV for parents successful a hurry. It’s not rather arsenic lively arsenic its T-Roc R small brother, but it inactive punches good supra its value erstwhile the roadworthy gets interesting.

And, the full household tin bask the fun.