The Volkswagen Tiguan (Offroad Pack), as the title says is basically just a regular Tiguan Comfortline that is more inclined towards off-roading with increased angles of approach and departure. The pack is an optional extra worth 309 Euros and it brings a few helpful improvements for the off-road enthusiast in you! Is it worth it? Let’s find out!

The design is really not that different from a regular Tiguan - the only differences are the bumpers (front & back), a tad bit more bulky-ness and the door thresholds that say “offroad”. If I were to buy a Tiguan, I’d get the R-Line for sure - it just looks so darn good!

Performance is decent - the car we tested had a 2.0 TDI diesel engine that produces 150HP and 340NM of torque coupled with a 7-speed automatic DSG gearbox and the 4Motion 4WD system from Volkswagen. It does its job well and the car doesn’t really need more power in this configuration - it tooks us everywhere we needed to go and it did that in a very comfortable manner.

This optional Offroad pack doesn’t affect how the Tiguan drives on-road which makes it a very capable all-round SUV. The steering is very light (electronically assisted) and it’s very easy to park this car or maneuver around town but one issue I have is that even though it weighs up when you’re driving faster, it’s not as heavy as I would like it to be. Cornering is safe and predictable with not a lot of body-roll, but still, I would feel a lot better if the feedback through the steering wheel would be better.

Even as standard, 4WD Tiguans get an improved ground clearance of 20cm which is 11mm more than FWD models and that helps when you’re feeling adventurous and want to ‘conquer’ some neighboring hills. There are 4 Driving Modes that help in off-roading conditions and the Tiguan can also control its own speed and braking when ascending or descending hills - we actually tried both of these features and they worked great! People will most likely drive on the motorway and go on the school run with their kids and not do a lot of off-roading but even so, it’s good to know that the car is capable of doing the former anyway.

The engine produces a good mix of performance and economy and it feels powerful enough for daily tasks - the claimed fuel consumption being 5.7 litres/100km, we got around 6 - 6.5 l/100 which is close enough! The 7-speed DSG is quick, smooth and I think this is one of the best gearboxes on the market right now.

Ride quality and refinement depends on the terrain you are on - if you’re driving on the highway and around town it’s perfectly comfortable and quiet enough, but if you’re off-road it can be a bit bumpy which is understandable if I’m honest - it’s not as harsh as other SUV’s we took on the same course, but it’s not particularly comfortable either.

Moving to the interior we find something we’re very familiar with - VW’s latest interior design. It’s very easy to find your ideal driving position and you have great visibility all-round, especially in the front where, due to the fact that you sit higher up, you get a better view out. There’s lots of front head and leg room, and there’s plenty of cubby spaces and big door bins that offer useful storage options.

There are soft-touch plastics that look and feel decent everywhere and the dashboard is slightly angled towards the driver for ease of use. Everything is easy to operate and the huge, 23.4-inch infotainment screen is gorgeous! It works well, the menus are easy to use and intuitive and you shouldn’t have any issues navigating them. There’s also a secondary screen (12.3-inches), right in front of you called the Active Info Display that is brilliant! It has all the information you would ever need and it shows them in a very simple and classy way.

I also want to mention the sound system made by Dynaudio which is bloody brilliant! I think this is one of the best I’ve tested in any car until now. There’s also a bunch of other goodies such as a Head-up Display, Apple Music/Android Auto connectivity, DAB Radio, Area View to help with parking and many, many more!

You can easily fit two adults in the back, or three, but it will be a bit of a squeeze. The boot is one of the best in its class with 620-litres, it has no load lip to inconvenience you when loading heavier stuff and the rear seats fold 40/20/40 using levers placed by the tailgate. With the rear seats down, the load deck is completely flat if you raise the boot's dual-height floor.

3 things I really like about the Tiguan:

  • It can do pretty much anything - from regular town driving to tackling surrounding hills!

  • The infotainment system is great/easy to use and the Dynaudio sound system sounds brilliant!

  • It’s cheap to run and maintain!

3 things I really don’t like about the Tiguan:

  • The warranty is only 4-years while other rivals offer 5 or 7-year warranty!

  • The 19-inch wheels produce a little bit too much road noise when you pick up speed!

  • I can’t really say I enjoyed the seats too much - they are comfortable but they could do with a little more lateral support.

Would I get this car? Yes, but I would get the R-Line version. I’m not really an off-road kind of guy so I won’t really make use of the off-road pack.

Price of the tested model: ~45,000 Euro (VAT Included).

Engine and Gearbox: 2.0 TDI Diesel unit – 150HP (340NM of torque) with 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox.

Thank you Autoworld Volkswagen for lending us the car.

Photos by: Clau Morar