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Volkswagen's Tiguan has made a bit of a name for itself in recent years as a competitive player in the booming SUV market, and is the manufacturer's third-bestselling car in the UK, behind the highly successful Golf and Polo.
To build on its current popularity, VW has decided to step things up a bit and add an even bigger, seven-seater Tiguan to the line-up, named the Allspace.
As suggested, the car has a longer wheelbase and a greater overall length than its sibling, measuring 2,787mm between the axles, compared with the Tiguan's 2,681mm, and 4,701mm end to end, compared with 4,486mm.
Practicality and space are the name of the game here, and with five people in the car the luggage capacity is 700 litres, an increase of 85 litres over the regular Tiguan and far bigger than the Kodiaq, which only offers 630 litres with five seats in place.
A third row of fold-flat seats means the Allspace can carry up to seven people and still boast a luggage capacity of 230 litres. The middle row of seats can also fold flat, giving a maximum 1,775 litres of space. However, don't expect to fit in that third row of seats if you're a fully grown adult. You're best off leaving that row to the kids.
Jump inside the cabin and head and legroom is ample, as it is in the regular Tiguan. In fact, aside from more seats and some design changes, the Allspace is exactly the same as the standard five-seat model with no mechanical changes. Tweaks to the basic Tiguan design include a slightly raised bonnet and roofline, plus longer rear doors, which aid cabin access.
As you'd expect, if you're familiar with VW, you won't struggle to find your way around the dashboard. All the switches and controls are laid out logically and the materials aren't very interesting, but nonetheless they are of a decent quality.
We weren't offered a chance to try any petrol engines; however, they're only projected to account for 5% of sales. On offer, then, were three 2.0-litre diesel engines, producing 150, 190 or 240hp. We tested the 2.0-litre diesel 150hp engine, mated with the super-smooth seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox, on a good mixture of country roads and a dual carriageway around Woburn in Bedfordshire to test its abilities.
The engine was powerful, with no obvious lag, and boasted plenty of impressive performance too. The 0-62mph sprint is achieved in 9.9 seconds and, thanks to the 340Nm of torque, the car feels quick too. Higher in the range, there is also a punchy 240hp version, but we don't feel it's necessary, as this 150hp version offers plenty of pull in lower gears. If desired, you can also knock the auto gearbox from D to S mode or switch to manual paddle shifts.
The car also impresses when it comes to refinement, with wind and tyre noise kept to a minimum. Despite its extra size compared with the regular Tiguan, we didn't notice any difference with body roll in corners, and the 4Motion 4WD makes for a sturdy and stable ride with lots of grip. Just as impressively, all trims come with adaptive cruise control, lane assist and city emergency braking as standard.
We opted for the trim and engine combination that is expected to be the fleet bestseller, so this meant we got to have a good look around the SE Navigation trim. It has an impressive amount of kit as standard compared with rivals such as the Nissan X-Trail, coming with parking sensors, three-zone climate control and 18in alloy wheels, not to mention PreCrash preventive occupant protection, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality.
The CO2 emissions for the Allspace 4Motion range from 150g/km for the 150hp diesel with a manual gearbox to 175g/km for the 2.0-litre 180hp diesel. The 150hp auto we drove offers 153g/km, a bit more than the Kodiaq with a 2.0-diesel engine at 149g/km. We are not sure that 4WD is always needed for a seven-seater SUV but unfortunately, that's the case here, with CO2for the 2WD coming in at 132g/km - that's 20g lower than its 4WD counterpart.
Prices for the Allspace 4Motion range from £32,860 for the SE Navigation six-speed manual, up to £37,000 for the SEL with the 240hp diesel engine and DSG gearbox. The SE Technology paired with the 2.0-litre 150hp costs £34,350, compared with a far cheaper Skoda in the equivalent trim at £30,255.
Overall, VW's Allspace does a fine job of expanding the model's appeal and versatility beyond the now-familiar five-seat SUV format. Do we think it does the job as a seven-seater? Yes we do. But with rivals such as the Kodiaq and the X-Trail costing less while doing a very similar job, VW will have to hope its reputation precedes it.
P11D £34,350
On sale February 2018
Residual value 41.9%
Depreciation £19,925
Fuel £7,026
Service, maintenance and repair £3,065
Cost per mile 72.2p
Fuel consumption 47.9mpg
CO2 (BIK band) 153g/km (32%)
BIK 20/40% a month £183/£366
Boot space 615/1,655 litres
Engine size/power 1,395cc/150hp
Verdict |
7/10 |
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