Hot on the heels of a major revision, the Tiguan Allspace seven-seat SUV joins our long-term fleet.

Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 2.0 TSI 190 4Motion R-Line DSG

P11d: £40,340 (37%) MPG/CO2: 33.3mpg/193g/km Test mpg: n/a

Our six-month spell with the Tiguan Allspace will put its fleet credentials to the test

Report 1:

A significant revamp in 2021 saw the Tiguan Allspace get a fresh look as well as a host of new technology features designed to make it easier to live with – we’re now living with one for six months to see how the upgrades fare.

Our car sits at the top of the family tree – R-Line specification brings styling tweaks outside to convey a sportier look (20-inch alloy wheels, rear tinted glass, deeper front bumper, black wheelarch extensions), while under the bonnet is a 2.0-litre 190bhp petrol engine allied to a seven-speed DSG gearbox. Drive is to all four wheels via the 4Motion transmission.

It all adds up to a car that offers ‘hot-ish hatch’ performance (0-62mph in 7.7 seconds) with a spacious interior, massive boot and the availability of an occasional third row of seats. I say ‘occasional’ because they aren’t designed for long journeys – children will be fine for a while, as will shorter adults, but this is not a fully fledged seven-seater. However, it’s the only seven-seat SUV offered by Volkswagen, with the Touareg strangely still not offered with a third row.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, everything is familiar VW fare – a large high-resolution screen in the instrument binnacle houses all the major displays and is customisable (the large scale map with other information such as speed and range relegated to the bottom strip is my choice) while there is a central touchscreen where you can access functions such as music, telephone and the suite of apps available.

For ease of ownership, a host of tech features are standard – high beam assist, inductive phone charging, front and rear parking sensors, IQ.Light LED headlights, keyless entry with electric tailgate, ambient interior lighting with a choice of colours, as well as the navigation system which includes streaming and the internet.

Our car also comes with the ‘Driver Assistance pack plus’ which wraps together a suite of safety innovations – adaptive cruise control, lane assist, emergency assist, side assist with rear traffic alert, automatic parallel parking and dynamic road sign display.

It’s a well-equipped car in standard form, but our car has a couple of optional extras fitted – an upgraded camera with overhead view (£760), tyre pressure monitoring (an essential safety item for £170), while the paintwork is in oryx white mother-of-pearl paint (a hefty £1,105, although it does suit the car).

Julian Kirk