Volkswagen Tiguan SUV (2007-2016) | owner reviews: MPG, Problems & Reliability

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I would have said this was one of the most unreliable cars I've owned - though that would be a lie as that honour goes to the VW Touran. Although not much in it to separate disappointment. Whist the Tiguan is a comfortable car and fairly enjoyable to drive, it has major issues in my opinion with electrics and engine. No matter what the issue is, it always seems to cost £400 + labour to fix it. In the 8 years I've owned this vehicle (from new), I've only done 35K miles in total, yet after it's warranty period ended, I seem to be spending around £1K in servicing costs (because of faults the VW dealership manage to find somehow). This year was no different - I was quoted £2K to fix all faults (ranging from rear washer not working - due to electrics - surprise surprise £400 to fix, suspension needs fixing, number plates fading!, timing belt ... etc etc). Even the bare minimum fixes (to allow MOT pass) was going to be £1400). This is my last ever VW and I most certainly would not recommend either the manufacturer or their cars. Avoid!

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This is the second Tiguan I have owned and I can honestly say it is the best car I have ever driven having previously owned Audi's and BMW's. It is everything you could ask for in one complete motoring package. The driving position is superb and the seats are so comfortable and supportive that even the longest of journeys are no hardship at all. The engine is powerful and responsive but returns excellent MPG whether on the daily commute around town or on the longer motorway runs. Build quality is up there with the best, no annoying rattles or squeaks to be heard anywhere and everything always works as it should. The dashboard is laid out perfectly and all buttons and switches are within easy reach. The electronic handbrake with auto hold is a work of art and makes general driving and hill starts a doddle, why anyone would complain about this feature is beyond me to be honest but each to his own I suppose. Road noise, even at speed is kept down to a minimum thanks to excellent soundproofing which makes for an even more relaxed journey. The Sat Nav is also simple to use and has never let me down. Overall I cannot emphasise enough what a great car the TIguan is and would recommend it to anyone without hesitation.

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Having received my new Tiguan only 2 weeks ago, this is a report of my first impressions. The car drives well, though at high speed my old Passat feels more stable: I presume this is an unavoidable consequence of the Tiguan being a higher 4-wheel-drive car, which comes with its own advantages. The car is quite roomy even in the back as the back seats can be adjusted to increase legroom at the expense of a smaller boot. I just love some of the Tiguan safety features such as adaptive cruise control, LED headlights with dynamic Light Assist , and the side scan that alerts me about cars about to overtake or on my side. I was very keen on the lane assist as well, and it can be useful, though I noticed today the car swerved slightly of its own volition without good reason (?misread lane lines). Lane assist is actually teaching me good driving manners: if you overtake in a 4 lane road, the car may offer some resistance to my attempt to move back to the left-hand lane unless I have signalled my intention. My choice of models was limited: I would have wanted the SEL or R-line, but both always have a panoramic sunroof. I hate sunroofs because they reduce the internal height for the passengers, make the car less safe and are prone to leaks (based on my past experience and car users reports). Thus I had to settle for the SE Nav and had to pay significantly more for optionals which would have been available as standards in the higher models. My greatest disappointment has been the front ergoComfort seats for which I paid an additional £ 550. They are meant to have “electric 14-way adjustments”, but actually the only electric adjustment is for the lumbar support, all the other adjustments are manual. The brochure is somewhat misleading on this. The seats are not terribly comfortable either: they are very firm and the driver’s seat has a hard plastic edge at the front, whenever I pull my legs back I hit and then rest my legs against a hard plastic edge. The standard seats of my old VW Passat are much more comfortable and have a soft cushioned front edge. I bought a model with manual gears and had to re-adapt to learning gear changes as my previous passatwas auto DSG. The display does tell you in which gear you are but only after you have released the clutch (too late if you have gone into the wrong gear).

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My first car since retiring. Always had company cars VWs, so obvious choice, was another VW. Didn't want a Golf, as had a few over the years needed a taller vehicle for easier access. Can not fault Tiguan, everything I wanted. Quick, comfortable, and practical. No problems in the first year - books for its first service in a few days time. But have to say very pleased with performance and look of it. I am already asking for the hybrid, which should be out soon. Overall would recommend this car, notwithstanding the emission scandals, which doesn't bother me, I think VW have created a superb car and will definitely buy another one, when the PCP is up.

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I purchased the 4Motion Tiguan to help with the launching of a 5m Cabin Cruiser - this it does superbly! The electronic handbrake works brilliantly - as long as I remember to plug the seat belt in before getting in the car when launching and recovering the boat. My previous car was a TDI 130bhp Golf estate with the PD engine - it sometimes struggled with the boat - the Tiguan never falters! Overall I am very pleased with the Tiguan and would quite happily have another one when it is time to replace it.

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Stunning design, stunning interior on the R-Line and the fact it's great fun to drive make this a must buy. Also there's not so many about, which made us go for this rather than the Evoque that seems to be the most common SUV on the roads. Generally no complaints except that I wish I had bought two!

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Had a few annoying electrical problems, burt otherwise good.

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Have had only one minor issue with the car - a filter became blocked. The problem was soon solved by the dealer

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Very good

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No problems what so ever. Brilliant.

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2 warrany issues Sat Nav malfunctions & blown turbo in first 5 months

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To early to comment but good so far with the exception of the auto park brake didn't connect a few time.

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it has never let me down

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problem with the exhaust sensor at 32,000 miles and was replaced under waranty

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Love it.

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Really like it - would buy another without hesitation. Hard to get response from vw on two issues: 1 why can't you get foglights retrofitted (black blanking spaces look awful) 2 why can't you get the 170bhp in auto?

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Good drive with good economy and is very easy to drive.All Controls fall naturally to hand. Boot size a little on the small size.

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Fairly pleased but it does have a rattle which was caused by a missing grommit from the windscreen wiper linkage. Fixed under warranty but think it may have returned. Rattles are my pet hate. Was also told that the doorlocks have a tendency to rattle and have also experienced this. Becoming accustomed to the electronic hand brake took a while but seem to have more confidence in it now. It is early days yet but the tiguan is doing what it was bought for, which is to tow a small caravan, with ease. No regrets yet and the main dealer is a pleasure to deal with.

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Although it is early days, i am very pleased with the car, it has been a bonus being four wheel drive with the very bad snow in scotland. The fuel consuption is in excess of 44mpg on a long journey, the road tax as it has a dsg gearbox is an advantage. I have changed the brand as i feel the build quality is far better.

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I have owned my 13 plate Tiguan for 2 and a half years, it has covered 50,000 miles and has a full service history. Unfortunately we have spent around £2.5k repairing various issues. Steering wheel clock spring failure, clutch failure, throttle valve, engine management etc. VWs don't seem to be the the reliable car they used to be.

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New car, model upgrade, VW, so expect reliability

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No problems

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2 issues in first 6 months - blown turbo & sat nav fault

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For a bluemotion car the fuel mpg is rubbish book says average should be 42mpg i am getting 27mpg

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Great car apart from the front seats, the seats are so bad i have had to change the car. I could not drive the car for more than 30 min's at a time, due to the pain in my back. I have never had a problem with a car seat before.

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Simply the most comfortable, practical, and enjoyable car to drive

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Excellent value for money for small suv, best for space- people & boot (amazing for size) easy to park in spaces last car couldn't (vw passat 4 motion)

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I like the styling, interior space, engine performance but l dislike the electric handbrake and it is hard to change gear smoothly. Also the quality of the interior is not what i expected from a vw.

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Brilliant car offering everything one would want from a car in terms of practicality, comfort, safety and economy.

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Generally a good vehicle, has good ability in all weather conditions, has acceptable running costs, feels secure and safe and is well equipped.

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The tiguan is subtly stylish, compact yet spacious enough for my needs and quite flexible. As with most cars, visibility is restricted so i'm glad i have parking sensors. First gear is too low and 6th could be more relaxed, but i average 45mpgish. Dashboard/interior design could be a bit more interesting without going bling. After 43k miles i haven't seen a car that would suit me better without spending a lot more for a q5.

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Fun to drive

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This is the worst car I have ever had and it goes back into the stealers tomorrow to be fixed again. So far both rear springs have failed, keys failed, timing on cam failed, EGR failed, pipe from EGR to inlet failed, the head gasket failed, engine not mounted back right after new head so exhaust failed, now leaking exhaust fumes into car and it's leaking fuel from somewhere near the engine. After a software update the economy is down to 32-35 mpg on a 100 mile a day mainly dual-carriage way driving and it uses litre of oil every thousand miles. Before the head gasket change and update no oil was used between services and it returned 45-48 mpg. It's now sluggish, stalls and has no go at all. It's cost me nearly £3000 more after buying it in warranties and things not covered. If I could get rid of it I would.

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Mine leaked like a sieve in both back doors also the boot. In this day and age the least you should expect from a new car is that it should be watertight. The main agent refused to deal with corrosion on the alloy wheels. He said the car is a week out of warranty, but would sell me new alloys at a discounted £620. Your minimum rating is 1 star, otherwise I would have given a big fat zero.

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Runs well, is stable and reasonably quiet and nippy. It is a likeable car with a few negatives for me. 1) The seats feel as if made of concrete 2) The electric handbrake is stupidity itself - a nuisance, pure and simple 3) The interior is well laid out but desperately dull and dark. If it has to be grey does it need to be reminiscent of rain clouds?

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Do not move house just before anything goes wrong with your Tiguan. Because the retailer you end up at does not have a relationship with you, they and VW will decline reasonable support. Less than 5 years old, £2k bill. For a timing chain issue they know all about, and the side-effects.

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the car drives well and has never let me down

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Needed new headlamp unit and exhaust bracket. Quickly fixed by main dealer

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HAD NEARY 3YEARS AND NO POBLEMS

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Only had car for 6 months but no problems at all

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No problems since purchase

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New so would expect no problem

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well made

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I have had the car for 7 months and has proved totally reliable.

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Great to drive, a quality car

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No breakdowns but a few unexpected advisories during the recent service despite the highish mileage.

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In over three years not one single problem.

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Nothing has broken or needed replacement in 3 years

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I have experienced no reliability issues whatsoever during the first 4 months since buying the car

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It does everything that it states on the tin and confirms why I researched and test drove every make/model of a Cross over before I bought and it does have the highest residual of any other car

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Had no problems since I bought the car not even a light bulb.

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Looks nice. But it was the most unreliable car I have ever owned. 3 months old when bought from a main dealer. Several oil leaks, radiator leak, engine management system light, accelerator pedal, squealing brakes, etc etc. In all about a dozen visits to VW under warranty. Final straw was the aircon compressor failing and VW quoting over £1000 to fix it. Enormous weight lifted from shoulders when we got rid of it. Avoid this model if you want reliability.

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Easy to drive .Over 40mpg.Comfortable Over long distances.Nice Car to drive. Downside being lack of electric retraction of mirrors.

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It does everything it says on the tin.

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All round comfort, safety and economy from an easily driven car.

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Possibly the best car i've ever had for drivability and practicality, excellent build quality, and helpful attentive dealer.

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Love the car - shame about the 'clattering' windscreen wiper that is still being resolved.

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At 90,000 miles the timing chain broke which resulted in engine damage. This is a non serviceable supposed to last the lifetime of the vehicle. VW recognise there is a known problem with vehicles built prior to 2012 (see Auto Bild magazine) yet VW did not recall these vehicles. You have no dashboard warning, regular servicing does not prevent this curved ball happening, and it wipes off £5k value from your car in just one unannounced, inconvenient moment. Avoid these cars at all costs.

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A very comfortable driver's car, great on the motorway very little wind and tyre noise considering it’s an R-line with 18in wheels. I'm very impressed with how well it hugs the road when driving at 70mph. My old A3 sline 2.0TDI 170 road noise was deafening on certain road surfaces, even with low noise tyres fitted on motorways. Has loads of power to overtake. MPG is around 38-45 on the motorway depends lot on the speed you are doing. The engine stop/start can be pain specially when driving in stop/move traffic on the motorway so I always have to turn it off. Love the electronic hand brake once you get used to it, you can hear it coming on when you turn the engine off. The DSG gearbox is brilliant, loved it on my A3 s-line so had to have one on my new car. Done about 9k miles in over 12 months, no problems with reliability. The only annoying issue’s I’ve had is rattle on drivers door, which was fixed by VW dealer. Now the front passenger seat has annoying rattle when no one is sitting in it. The boot also has a rattle, after removing everything from the boot it’s still present. Had this looked at on the 2nd service under warranty was told it was fixed apparently problem with head rest, it's still happening. Thing is the car very quite on the motorway these rattle are happening when driving on side roads many with pot holes/gritted surface. Going to be taking it back to the dealer but they want it for 5 days this time, hopefully they find the source or making it bit less noisy. We also have Zafira almost 8 years old now which is rattle free.

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I loved my first Tiguan - a manual - and I love this DSG even more. Compared with the manual, the DSG almost drives itself. With in-built sat nav and some of the most comfortable seats I've ever sat in, it's an absolute pleasure to drive. MPG figures remain controversial, especially with the 177 diesel that does tempt you to put your foot down from time to time, but on long steady runs it's an acceptable 40-45mpg.

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Comfy ride and good high driving position. Like the panoramic roof but is causing a big problem. Garage have had it for almost two weeks, third time it has been in as water is leaking in through the roof lining on the front passenger side. It needs a new frame for the glass to sit in. Do not find the electronic handbrake a problem. Dealer very helpful and provided a car immediately while they looked at mine.

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My alloys started to deteriorate. I mentioned at 11th sept when car in for first MOT. Was told warranty ran out on 7th sept & was not prepared to do anything. Even though car had only done 6944 mls is not parked on the road has not been off road even though it is the escape for off road. I contacted VW UK who said it's not a manufacture fault & was offered new ones for £653 with 2yr guarantee & be back to sqare one in 3yrs time. So is it the laquer manufacturer fault = VW alloys are rubbish be prepared to refurbish after 3 yrs.

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A comfortable cruiser that handles well and as the power to overtake when needed. Build quality is what you would expect from Volkswagen. MPG is not what the book stated but it is improving and with only 15k on the clock i still expect it to get better. For any run under 30 miles don't expect to get near the combined figure, once you go over 30 miles on a run then 50+ is easily achievable. As other has stated the automatic hand brake does take getting used to, its the need to rev the engine harder then you would normally to pull away that signals the release of the handbrake. it more of a problem when you first start the car then when in stop start traffic. The ride is comfortable, but can get a little bumpy on some back roads, but even when this happens it still grips well, Over all in the few months i have owed the vehicle i have been impressed with how is had handled everything i have thrown at it, from everyday commutes to 400 miles motorway trip.

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No problems at all since purchase.

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Two initial faults quickly sorted and then totally reliable

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No problems to date

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No problems so far

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Fantastic

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Change of battery, and thats it!

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Good car and so easy to drive

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Good car and so easy to drive, all controls fall easily to hand without looking for them.

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Quite simply, the tiguan is the best all-round car i've owned in almost 30 years of driving. Comfortable, practical and with the 4-motion all-wheel drive system, it's been terrific in coping with the bad weather we've seen over the past two winters. Also rate the dealership from whom we bought the car very highly (citygate, high wycombe).

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The performance of the diesel engine with the dsg six speed gearbox makes motoring enjoyable particularly overtaking on the motorway- i guess exhilarating sums it up . Even with rises in diesel prices it has proven a good switch from petrol as the economy has proven to be better than the claimed mpg. Panoramic sunroof is an engineering masterpiece and a joy to use. Depth of the flat white paintwork finish washes up easily every time leaving water beading when it rains and shining as it were on a test run out of the dealers showroom. Great value for money providing an effortless way to lift your spirits on the drive to work or one's mother in law.

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Very practical, comfortable and great to drive. I enjoy the higher driving position and the added security of the four wheel drive if required. The only thing i'm not keen on is the electronic handbrake. In auto mode this has failed to release on a number of occassions causing the car to stall, on one occassion nearly causing someone to run in the back. One small thing, the metallic black paint seems to chip very easily.

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Solid, reliable, comfortable, good visibility, commanding drive position, fairly economical considering build, attractive design, roomy for all passengers (even large ones), relatively low cabin noise when driving, nice assured drive/handling, nice enough standard radio. Good all-round vehicle

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Probably the most practical compac suv on the market, great quality from a great brand/manufacturer. Had the vehicle for a short period of time but have enjoyed all my driving. Bought as a tow vehicle but so far only towed large caravan for a short distnace but it performed extremely well.

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Reliable, classy, spacious family car, with good performance and fuel consumption. The boot could be a bit bigger, but this is more than compensated by the cabin space. Excellent for 6 footers! Vw still make very good cars, and the tiguan is up there with the best of them.

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Purchased three years ago and excellent until six months ago. Car runs lumpy and despite paying VW dealer £600+ to replace the fault - they said it was the intake manifold - the car runs exactly the same! Looked online and VW acknowledge there was a design fault, but refuse to pay for further work to fix the problem, despite recalling/fixing and extending warranties for this problem in USA & Canada.

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