Why Should I buy a Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace?
- Best of both world's, and SUV and MPV combined
- Moveable middle row of seats, offering more legroom or luggage space
- Usable, family-sized space in the interior
- Great for towing up to 2,500kgs
- Extremely well spec'd even at entry level
As a father of three and one who’s just splashed out on a seven-seater to replace our old hatchback, I know from personal experience just what a difference that third row of seats makes.
Children are more comfortable and have more sockets to plug in their games, without which seemingly they cannot exist and as harmony breaks out, the stress levels drop for those up front. For families, a seven-seater is motoring sanity.
But, of course, we are wedded to SUVs these days, so Volkswagen has come up with the perfect and logical solution – the Tiguan Allspace, a combination of the two.
What does the VW Tiguan Allspace look like?
Styling: 4/5
There is not much you can do once you have the basic SUV shape, but by taking the Tiguan (an excellent starting point in my book) and stretching the wheelbase slightly by a modest sounding four and a bit inches, making the vehicle a bit longer overall; making it a fraction higher and putting modest grooves in the roof panel, the Allspace is recognisably different to the original Tiguan.
The VW is a bit soberer and restrained than some others I can think of, such as the Nissan Qashqai, where stylists go to town more with the headlamps and body lines. Whether this is a good or bad thing is completely your personal preference.
How practical is the interior of the VW Tiguan Allspace?
Interior: 5/5
Anyone hopping into the Allspace from a Golf will find much that’s familiar and I can’t give a better recommendation than that. Bulletproof build quality, switches that feel solid and substantial, a driving position and seat that remains comfortable after a journey of several hours and a generous kit for the money; what more do you want?
Many years ago VW said it `democratised luxury’ because the economies of scale generated from building so many cars meant it could afford to equip them lavishly for the money and it is a formula which still works today.
Every version comes with climate control, parking sensors, VW's Discover Navigation infotainment system with DAB and Bluetooth connectivity and at least 18-inch alloy wheels. An 8-inch touchscreen gives you all the info/controls you need to access the various functions. For safety and convenience, adaptive cruise control and the autonomous emergency braking are fitted to all models as standard, as is the tailgate that opens automatically if you waggle your foot at the sensor under the back bumper; just the job if your hands are full of shopping.
Turning to the Allspace’s raison d’etre; the middle row of seats slides forwards, or back, by 7 inches, adding either more legroom or more luggage space. This is really one of the key points of this car and it works well, making a difference to its ability as a family carrier though that said, you won’t find ISOFIX child seat anchorage points in the very back seats.
You can do the usual fold/lower trick on both rows of back seats, turning the Allspace into a sort of mini-van, but even with them all up and used there is still as much boot space as you would find in a VW Polo.
What's it like to drive a VW Tiguan Allspace?
Driving: 4/5
VW says most buyers will opt for the four-wheel drive version and there is a good reason for this, just as there is for the majority option of a diesel engine, regardless of what the politicians tell us.
One thing the Allspace excels at is towing a caravan or trailer and for this, the extra traction and torque of those choices make absolute sense. It has the space for stowing kit in the back, the power and grip to get you safely back from off-road trips and for anyone pulling a mid-sized caravan, it makes a proper tow car. For the record, it will tow a braked trailer of between 1,800 and 2,500 kgs.
In typical VW fashion, the ride tends to the firm-ish, but it still copes just fine with our roads. A car of this size and weight will always tend towards a firmer ride and it’s preferable to have a softer but more wallowy car. It doesn’t feel big or unwieldy, even on narrow roads; it cruises well at main road or motorway speeds and is just a nice environment and easy car to drive or be driven in.
The range starts with a 1.4 petrol model, but I think this would struggle if the Allspace is loaded up and for my money, the 2.0 diesel would be better. True, both produce 150 PS, but look at the torque figure which is the one that really counts and where the advantage lies firmly with the diesel at 340Nm against 250Nm.
If you need more VW can provide it and there’s a 190 PS/400 Nm version of the diesel and even a bi-turbo engine with a hefty 240 PS/500 Nm output. Quite why you want so much power in a car like this is another question, but it’s there should you want to impress the neighbours!
You can choose from two or four-wheel drive and manual or semi-automatic DSG transmissions.
Should I buy a VW Tiguan Allspace?
Verdict: 5/5
It’s a fact of life that SUVs simply don’t have a lot of space in the back compared to MPVs, so something like the Tiguan Allspace would seem to be the logical and perfect solution for someone needing family-sized space, with the off-road abilities, look and feel of an SUV.
It’s a best-of-both-worlds type of car, which gives parents a useful amount more than a standard SUV, and as a harassed father of three teenagers, I know you can’t put a value on giving them the space to travel comfortably.
Facts & Figures for the VW Tiguan Allspace
Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Key data:
- Seven seater with seven inches of fore/aft seat movement in middle row
- Will tow up to 2,500 kgs
- Petrol/diesel, two or four wheel drive, manual/DSG transmission
- From £29,375
Car tested:
Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace SE Navigation 2.0 TDI SCR 4Motion
Price: £33,750
Engine: 2.0 litre four-cylinder diesel engine
Top speed: 123mph
0-62mph: 9.9 seconds
Economy: 47.9 mpg
CO2 emissions: 153g/km
