Seven-seat Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace on sale now

Order books are open for Volkswagen's expanded, seven-seat Tiguan SUV, and prices start from £29,370.

Occupying a gap between the five-seat Tiguan and the bulkier, more expensive Volkswagen Touareg, the new model provides VW with a rival to the seven-seat Land Rover Discovery Sport, Nissan X-Trail and Skoda Kodiaq.

Volkswagen isn't making any bold claims about spaciousness, though – it describes the Allspace as offering a "third row of fold-flat occasional seats", so space in the rearmost seats is likely to be tighter than you'll find in a seven-seat MPV like the Vauxhall Zafira Tourer or Ford S-MAX.

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Three trim levels are available: SE Navigation, SEL and sporty R-Line. All are well equipped, with climate control, 18-inch alloy wheels, parking sensors and VW's Discover Pro infotainment system with DAB radio, Bluetooth and sat nav. Range-topping R-Line cars boast 20-inch alloy wheels and more aggressive looks, and will become available to order later in the year.

All versions offer adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance to reduce the driver's workload on monotonous journeys, while safety is boosted by autonomous emergency braking.

2017 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace: practicality

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The Allspace is around 20cm longer than the standard Tiguan, and that extra length has allowed for two extra seats, which fold out from the boot floor. It’s also seen the Tiguan’s already-generous boot grow by a considerable margin, as the Allspace offers 700 litres of storage space – an 85-litre gain on the 'regular' Tiguan.

On higher trim levels the second row of seats can be slid back by 18cm to increase rear legroom when it's needed – Volkswagen promises as much room as in "a large touring saloon". That 700-litre boot space figure applies when they're in their furthest forward position but, if you fold them flat, you can unlock a van-like 1,775 litres of cargo capacity. If your cargo comprises more people than paraphernalia, the Allspace still offers a supermini-sized 230-litre boot when the third row of seats is in use.

Engines

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Like the standard Tiguan, the Tiguan Allspace will be offered with front and four-wheel drive, but its engine range will start one notch higher. That means the cheapest engine will be the 148bhp 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol, followed by 178 and 217bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre petrols.

Diesel buyers can choose from three 2.0-litre engines, offering 148, 187 and 237bhp – although the most powerful is a quasi-performance-orientated twin-turbo engine. Four-wheel drive is standard with the four most powerful petrol and diesel engines, optional with the 148bhp diesel and unavailable on the 148bhp turbo-petrol. A manual gearbox is standard at the lower reaches of the engine range, while VW’s twin-clutch DSG automatic comes as standard with four-wheel-drive variants. Full economy figures are still being ironed out, but the 1.4-litre petrol engine should manage 47mpg, while the 148bhp 4x4 diesel gets 42mpg.

Interior, dashboard, trims and equipment

The Tiguan Allspace is offered in three trim levels, starting with the entry-level SE Navigation. This brings seven seats as standard, along with three-zone climate control, Volkswagen's eight-inch touchscreen Discover Navigation infotainment system, DAB radio and Bluetooth. A set of 18-inch alloy wheels is fitted, as are parking sensors.

Upgrading to SEL adds VW's 12.3-inch 'active info display' which replaces the conventional instrument panel with configurable digital gauges and 3D navigation mapping. It also brings larger 19-inch alloy wheels, 14-way adjustable front sports seats, a panoramic sunroof and hands-free boot opening.

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Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace: price & on-sale date

The SE Navigation and SEL models are available to order now – the former starts at £29,370 with the 1.4-litre petrol engine, while the SEL begins at £32,545 with the same engine.

A 2.0-litre diesel SE Navigation costs from £31,550 and an SEL £33,125, both with a six-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive. Prices for the R-Line will be announced before it goes on sale at the end of the first quarter of 2018.