Some people love a car with all the bells and whistles, while others just want something that gets them safely from Point A to Point B. The entry level variant in the Volkswagen Tiguan model line-up, the 110TSI Trendline that I recently drove, is for the latter person.
The Trendline is powered by a 1.4 litre, 4 cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine, which generates 110kW and 250Nm of torque that is paired with a 6-speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) and front-wheel drive (FWD). The ride in the Tiguan Trendline is comfortable enough, but it isn’t aiming to win any performance awards. It will do 0-100km/h in 9.2 seconds and suffers from some loss of traction under hard acceleration off the line. Where you will appreciate the engine is when you fill up at the fuel station. This Tiguan has a claimed combined fuel consumption is 7.1L/100km and I used close to this for my week at 7.8L/100km.
The interior of the Trendline is basic with the majority of the surfaces covered in hard plastics, straight lines and it even has a key you still have to put into the steering column and turn to start the vehicle. The seats are covered in cloth that was a bit itchy on my skin and the front seats are firm and offer very little support, they have manual adjustment only. But this does include height adjustment in addition to forward/back and recline. There are also no floor mats, meaning the carpet could wear over time, but the designers have lined the door cubbies with cloth to prevent rattles.
The climate control is adjusted using knobs for temperature, mode and fan speed. In the centre of the dash is an 8” colour touch screen display with smartphone style graphics and the great thing about this screen is it is the type that doesn’t show finger marks badly. The screen also displays the rear view camera, which has multi-angle views and dynamic guidance lines.
The Trendline does come standard with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and you will need to use the map function on these apps as there is no sat nav in this Tiguan. In addition to music streaming your other media options include AM/FM radio, Bluetooth, USB, AUX, CD, and SD card; with the last two accessed in the glovebox. The centre console has two adjustable cup holders and at the front is a ledge for your phone with two USB ports, one 12V outlet and the AUX inlet. One luxury item on the Tiguan is the glove box can be cooled.
The steering wheel has a nice design and features voice control, but I was unable to test the voice control because the activation key had not been activated. The Trendline has an analogue speedo and taco with a small central digital display, but you do get auto lights and auto wipers.
The rear seats are firm, have good head and leg room for adults and two ISOFIX/three rear tether child seat restraint points. Rear passengers get air vents with basic on/off control only and below the central air vents is one USB port and one 12V outlet.
The boot is adequately sized and would fit a stroller and the weekly shop and has manual open/close only. The rear seats have a 40/20/40 split folding functionality for maximum storage flexibility. Other features in the boot include six tie down points, two hooks, one 12V outlet and a temporary space saver tyre.
Passive safety features on all Tiguan models include driver and front passenger airbags, a driver’s knee airbag, driver and front passenger side airbags and curtain airbags for the front and rear. Autonomous emergency braking (City, Interurban) is standard on all variants as well. The Trendline features Lane Assist with Adaptive Lane Guidance, which helps keep your Tiguan on track by detecting if the vehicle is straying from its intended course and gently counter-steering it back into the lane. The Trendline has standard cruise control that only moves up or down in increments of 10km/h once it has been set.
All model variants in the Volkswagen Tiguan range have a 5-star ANCAP (2016) safety rating and an Adult Occupant Protection score of 36.6 out of 38 (96%) and a Child Occupant Protection rating of 39.5 out of 49 (80%).
All new Volkswagen models come with a five year, unlimited kilometre warranty and one year’s membership to Volkswagen Roadside Assist. Roadside assistance can be extended if your vehicle is in a roadworthy condition and you have the Volkswagen standard scheduled service carried out by a participating authorised Volkswagen Dealer, but Dealers may charge a service fee to activate this. Service intervals for the Tiguan are 15,000km or 12 months, whichever comes first. Using the Volkswagen Assured Service Pricing I calculated for the first five services of a 2020 Tiguan would cost $2,837.
The Volkswagen Tiguan 110TSI Trendline starts at just $34,150 and as tested in Atlantic Blue metallic paint ($800 option) it was $34,950 plus on-road costs. If you visit the Volkswagen Australia website you can calculate your drive-away price and even order your new Tiguan online with just a $500 deposit to reserve your vehicle. You then select your nearest Volkswagen dealer to finalise your purchase. And this is possibly the perfect feature for people who just want to get in their next new car and drive.
| Pros | Cons |
| Apple CarPlay/Android Auto comes standard | No sat nav |
| Touch screen doesn’t show bad finger marks | Itchy cloth seats |
| Roomy mid-sized SUV | Cruise control only adjusts in 10km/h increments |
Photographs by Driven Women Magazine.