Engine and range options for the Volkswagen Tiguan Mk1
Volkswagen originally launched the Tiguan with a couple of mid-power engines, coupled to 4Motion all-wheel drive. A supercharged and turbocharged 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine developed 150hp and 240Nm, while the much-more-common 2.0 TDI had less power, at 140hp, but considerably more torque with 320Nm. The standard gearbox was a six-speed manual, although a six-speed DSG auto was optionally available.
As the range developed, front-wheel-drive versions of both this 1.4 TSI and 2.0 TDI arrived, as did a lower-powered derivation of each: the 1.4 TSI equipped with 122hp and the 2.0 TDI trimmed to 110hp; these engines were mated only to front-wheel drive. There was also a 4Motion-only 177hp 2.0 TDI offered, as well as a couple of 2.0 TSI turbocharged petrol options (with 170- and 200hp), but none of these three high-powered versions was offered here in Ireland. You may find some UK imports of them on the second-hand market, however.
A facelift took place in 2011 and, in later years, a seven-speed DSG automatic made an appearance in some models, although this is rare, so in the main used Tiguans tend to have a six-speed gearbox of some kind and anything between 110- and 150hp. Later in the model's life, all Irish 4Motion Tiguans were the 150hp TDI versions, with other cars running front-wheel drive instead.
Trim lines for the Tiguan are very confusing. To understand why, we can tell you that the Tiguan was named by the public, following a competition held by a leading motoring magazine in Volkswagen's homeland of Germany, with the moniker being a conflation of 'tiger' and 'iguana'. To match with this ;spirit of youth and lifestyle; in terms of coming up with the model's name, Volkswagen also abandoned its usual trim and specification names for a line-up that ran Trend & Fun, Sport & Style and Track & Field. Confounding the issue further, variants just called 'Sport' (often used as shorthand for Sport & Style) or 'Sportline' appeared in various markets (including the UK, from which some imports may have been sourced for Ireland), while an Edition-R later paved the way for the more familiar R-Line trim, which continues in Volkswagen products today. Volkswagen dealers more comfortable with the prevalent Trendline, Comfortline and Highline ascendancy can also sometimes refer to different specifications of Mk1 Tiguans by these names, which clouds the situation further.
Therefore, in the interests of clarity, we will concentrate on the official, post-facelift line-up of Life & Leisure, Sport & Style and then Edition-R to give an idea of the equipment levels you will find on various used Mk1 Tiguans. The Life & Leisure models came as standard with a multifunction leather steering wheel, 60:40 split-folding rear seats, a height-adjustable driver's seat with lumbar support, a trip computer and Multifunction Display Plus in the instrument cluster, 17-inch 'New Orleans' alloy wheels, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, body-coloured bumpers with black roof rails and side-window surrounds, Halogen headlights, front fog lights with a fixed cornering function, the five-inch Composition Colour radio/CD player with eight speakers, Bluetooth, cruise control, front and rear Park Distance Control with parallel Park Assist, Hill-Hold Control, dual-zone climate control, electric windows all round and remote central locking.
Stepping up to Sport & Style built on this generous specification, with 'Vienna' leather upholstery, heated front sports seats, a power-adjustable driver's seat, 18-inch 'New York' alloys, silver roof rails and chrome window surrounds, the addition of folding functionality, puddle lights and a Kerb View camera to the door mirrors, auto headlights and wipers, the 6.5-inch Composition Media system, ambient lighting and also the Multifunction Display Premium. Top-grade Edition-R added 'R-Line' logos to the steering wheel, the Vienna leather and the head restraints of the seats, while also bringing in stainless steel pedals, a Titanium Black headliner, 18-inch 'Mallory' alloy wheels, an R-Line rear spoiler, R-Line bumpers, the ultimate 6.5-inch Discover Media TFT satnav system, sports suspension and a USB media interface for iPods and iPhones.
One final note: many of these specifications are often abbreviated on the used-car market, so expect to see listings of the Volkswagen crossover with 'TFN', 'LL', 'TFD', 'TL', 'CL' and 'HL' for the various specifications.
How much is it to tax the Volkswagen Tiguan Mk1?
Refer to our Motor Road Tax Prices in Ireland Explained feature for the up-to-date cost to tax the Volkswagen Tiguan.