2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Elegance Review

In Malaysia's C-Segment SUV market, the demand among family users for a 7-seat layout, practicality, and balanced configurations continues to rise. The 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Elegance has become a popular choice in this segment, attracting attention with its 7-seat space, rich comfort features, and German-tuned style. The core purpose of this test drive is to verify its actual performance in daily commuting and family travel scenarios, to see whether these features truly enhance the user experience, and whether its power and fuel efficiency meet the expectations of Malaysian users.

The Tiguan Allspace Elegance’s exterior continues Volkswagen's family-style design, with overall clean and neat lines and without excessive exaggerated embellishments. The front features a horizontal chrome-plated grille connected to LED headlights, which visually widen the front view. The daytime running lights use LED light sources, offering high recognition when illuminated. The body’s side waistline extends from the fender to the rear, paired with 18-inch multi-spoke wheels that provide a stable stance. At the rear, the design of the LED taillights echoes the headlights, and the lower chrome trim on the rear bumper enhances its sophistication. The overall design leans towards a mature and steady aesthetic, catering to family users' preferences.

Sitting inside, the interior features black as the main color tone, complemented by silver trims and soft-touch materials, offering a texture that meets the standards of its price range. The center console has a simple layout, with a 9.2-inch touch screen occupying the central spot. It offers smooth operation and supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The fully digital instrument cluster can display vehicle information, navigation, and other content, with a clear and readable interface. The multifunction steering wheel comes with paddle shifters, provides a moderate grip, and is equipped with left-side buttons to control driver assistance systems and right-side buttons for media adjustments, with an easy-to-understand operation logic.

Space is one of Tiguan Allspace’s core advantages. With a body length of 4728mm and a wheelbase of 2788mm, it ensures the rationality of the three-row seat layout. The front seats support 12-way electric adjustment with heating, ventilation, and memory functions, offering good wrapping and support that prevents fatigue during long travels. The second-row seats utilize a 40:20:40 split design, allowing manual forward and backward sliding, as well as backrest angle adjustment. A passenger with a height of 175cm sitting in the second row has about two fists of legroom and one fist of headroom, ensuring comfort. The third-row seats are better suited for children or adults on short trips; legroom is somewhat limited but sufficient for emergency use. The trunk has a default capacity of 230L, which can be expanded to over 700L by folding down the third row, and folding down the second row creates a flat space that facilitates the placement of larger luggage or strollers. Additionally, the car interior is equipped with multiple storage compartments, such as front door panels, the center armrest box, and rear cup holders, enhancing daily usability and convenience.

In terms of power, the Tiguan Allspace Elegance is equipped with a 1.4T turbocharged engine that delivers a maximum power of 150PS and a peak torque of 250N·m, paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. During daily driving, the engine can output maximum torque at 1500rpm, making the vehicle light to start with abundant low-end torque. It performs admirably in urban commuting when following other cars or overtaking. When switched to sport mode, the gearbox delays shifting gears, and the power response becomes more aggressive. With an official 0-100km/h acceleration time of 9.5 seconds, it meets the power needs of family users. However, during high-speed overtaking, pressing the accelerator deeply to make the transmission downshift may lead to a brief delay in power output.

The handling performance leans towards a comfort-oriented tuning, with moderate steering wheel effort and impressive directional accuracy, making daily driving quite effortless. The chassis adopts a front MacPherson independent suspension and a rear multi-link independent suspension, tuned for comfort to filter out most road bumps. When crossing speed bumps or uneven roads, the suspension works smoothly without excess bouncing. During cornering, the body roll is controlled within a reasonable range, with sufficient support, avoiding any loose feelings. Overall, the chassis delivers a solid texture, consistent with the typical German car style.

As for fuel consumption, we conducted actual tests: approximately 8.5L/100km in urban conditions, 6.8L/100km on highways, and an average fuel consumption of 7.7L/100km, which is basically in line with the official data. The fuel economy performance is moderate. The braking system uses front and rear ventilated disc brakes, with a linear brake pedal feel and stable braking force output. The braking distance from 100-0km/h is approximately 38 meters, showing good performance.

Regarding ride comfort, the noise control inside the cabin is excellent. At high speeds, wind and tire noise are well suppressed and do not affect passenger communication inside the car. The seat ventilation and heating functions have high practicality in Malaysia’s climate, especially the ventilation function, which effectively reduces seat temperature during summer. Additionally, the vehicle is equipped with dual-zone automatic air conditioning and independent rear air conditioning, with rear air vents and a 220V power outlet, further enhancing the comfort of rear passengers.

Overall, the core advantages of the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Elegance lie in its practicality, comfort features, and German engineering. Compared to competitors in the same class, its three-row seating layout is reasonable, with abundant seat functions, and it is well-equipped with technologies such as a fully digital instrument cluster and a touch screen. The five-year unlimited mileage warranty also provides users with peace of mind. However, the 1.4T engine's power reserve is slightly insufficient during high-speed conditions, and the third-row space is somewhat cramped, which are its shortcomings.

From a market positioning perspective, the Tiguan Allspace Elegance is more suitable for family users who prioritize space practicality and comfort configurations, especially those who frequently need to transport family members or require three-row seating. Its balanced performance also makes it suitable for daily commuting and long-distance trips, offering a sense of quality and safety typically associated with German cars, which meets families' reliability requirements.

In conclusion, the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Elegance is a well-rounded 7-seat mid-size SUV. Its space, configuration, and comfort can meet the core needs of family users. While its power performance is not overly aggressive, it excels in stability and reliability. If you're looking for an SUV suitable for family outings, it is worth considering.