Overview

The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace is a long-wheelbase version of the Tiguan that, in the UK, comes with seven seats as standard. It’s not as big as VW’s biggest SUV in the UK, the Touareg, but it looks and feels appreciably bigger than the regular five-seat Tiguan.

It shares much with the Skoda Kodiaq and the SEAT Tarraco which are probably its closest rivals, although other hugely capable alternatives incliude the Peugeot 5008, Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, all of which offer far longer warranties than the Volkswagen.

The Allspace was given a modest redesign in 2021 and the spec choice has been rationalised, with a general increase in the level of assistance systems fitted as standard.

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What’s it like inside?

There’s a generous amount of space in both the front and second row seats of the Tiguan Allspace. Even those well over six foot tall will have no trouble threading themselves behind the wheel or into the passenger seat. In the second row of seats it’s largely the same story. Legroom is deeply impressive (even with taller occupants sitting in front) while headroom is generous. There’s space to sit three adults across the second row in relative comfort, too.

Switches for functions such as the climate control, drive modes, windscreen wipers and headlights are all laid out where you’d expect, so it’s a shame that the cruise control buttons are fiddly. Mounted on the wheel, they’re not as easy to use as other offerings from the Volkswagen Group and take some getting used to.

There’s a generous amount of space in both the front and second row seats of the Tiguan Allspace. Even those well over six foot tall will have no trouble threading themselves behind the wheel or into the passenger seat. In the second row of seats it’s largely the same story. Legroom is deeply impressive (even with taller occupants sitting in front) while headroom is generous. There’s space to sit three adults across the second row in relative comfort, too.

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Folding the second and third (or just the third) row of seats down liberates oodles of space for carrying dogs or making trips to do the rubbish tip. With all seven seats upright there’s still a usable 230 litres, although this isn’t quite as much as in the Skoda Kodiaq.

VW’s older-generation infotainment system is fitted as standard to the Tiguan Allspace, and we still rather like it. The system boasts an 8.0-inch colour touchscreen with touch-senstive buttons on either side of the display. The graphics are sharp and up to date, and the menus are easy to understand, and it shows just how much of a dog’s dinner the company has made with the newer system fitted to the Golf Mk8. 

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Comfort

All drivers should be able to get comfortable in the Tiguan Allspace with very little trouble. There’s plenty of adjustment in the seat and steering wheel, all centering around the standard high-up SUV driving position. No matter where you set the seat and wheel, however, the gearstick (manual or DSG auto) and handbrake are always within easy reach.

The view out from all angles is surprisingly good for a car of this size, with smaller-than average blindspots, especially around the rear three-quarters of the car.

What’s it like to drive?

Your choice of Tiguan Allspaces involves the petrol TSI 150, 190 and 245, and diesel TDI 150 and TDI 200 models. The most powerful petrol model is the quickest-accelerating Tiguan Allspace at 6.2 seconds 0-62mph, but also the thirstiest and the dirtiest. The most frugal is the lowest-powered diesel with the manual gearbox.

As you’d expect, all Tiguan Allspaces handle in a broadly similar manner to the regular Tiguan. That means high levels of grip and predictably when cornering, but little in the way of excitement. Volkswagen’s Driver Profile selection allowing the user to cycle through four different drive modes: Eco, Comfort, Normal and Sport.

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Driven at a normal pace the Tiguan Allspace inspires plenty of confidence, providing bags of grip and traction with surprising levels of manoeuvrability for such a big car. We’d advise against getting too carried away, mind, as for all its grip and stability there’s still noticeable amounts of bodyroll (when the body of the car leans out of the corner) if you push the car hard through bends.

Turning into a tight bend yields excellent positivity from the steering wheel, even if levels of overall feedback are lacking. The steering also feels too light at speed – something that can be remedied with the Sport mode in the Driver Profile selection.

What models and trims are available?

There are three trim levels: Life, Elegance and R-Line. Life is only available with the 150hp engines, and at the other end of the scale the 245hp engine is only available with R-Line trim.

The most basic trim level (and the most popular in the UK), Life includes as standard LED headlights, adaptive cruise control, three-zone climate control, front and rear parking senosrs and an 8.0-inch navigation screen. Elegance trim has different upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, ambient lighting with a choice of 30 colours. Also standard are a reversing camera, Rear Traffic Alert, Side Assist and Park Assist (all of which help the driver avoid collisions), plus keyless entry and sensor-controlled boot opening.

R-Line, supposedly the more sporting trim, has bigger (20-inch) wheels, a black roof liner, stainless steel pedals, and even more assistance systems: Travel Assist (which takes care of some of the driver’s usual duties), Lane Assist and Emergency Assist. It also comes with more sporting steering and suspension set-ups.

Read on to find out how we rate the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace in our verdict.