• Impressive petrol and diesel efficiency
• Mild hybrids work well in the real world
• Unimpressive warranty length

What are the running costs?

As a modern family SUV with modern combustion engines, the Tiguan gives a good account of itself when it comes to running costs. The cheapest in terms of fuel efficiency will ultimately be the 2.0-litre TDI turbodiesel – but as this is best-suited to longer distance driving, you won’t be making the most of it if you’re only doing short hops around town.

As such, the 1.5-litre eTSI turbos petrol models are usually the most popular. They cost less per litre to fill up, acquit themselves well in urban environments and can tickle 40mpg in the real world if driven gently on longer runs. The mild-hybrid assistance and the standard seven-speed DSG automatic transmission make such gentle driving a breeze, too.

45

The 2.0-litre TSI petrol models – which don’t have mild-hybrid tech and do have all-wheel drive – are engaging and exciting, but also the least efficient. Officially, VW claims these are only capable of around 33mpg; we found ourselves getting 28mpg in the 265hp version over a week-long test period that covered a range of different journey types. As a fun, multipurpose car, this doesn’t seem like a bad result – and it certainly felt to us like it was worth it.

Full fuel efficiency and CO2 details can be found on our VW Tiguan specs pages.

Servicing and warranty

The Tiguan has fixed or variable servicing intervals, depending on how you’re likely to drive it. If you do lots of miles, variable may make more sense, as the car will inform you – with plenty of warning – when a visit to the dealer is required. If you do fewer miles, fixed service intervals of 12,000 miles or 12 months will be better for the vehicle.

Volkswagen’s warranty coverage is for three years or 60,000 miles. By modern standards, this is a poor level of cover. Official VW extended warranties and VW service plans are available at extra cost.

Reliability

• Software issues widely reported
• Some squeaks and rattles
• Starting and safety kit problems also

At the time of writing, this Tiguan has been available for less than 12 months, and it’s apparent that there have been some teething issues with the reliability.

While owners will typically only bother to write about their car to complain – so it’s sometimes hard to gauge how widespread they are – the software issues you’ll see mentioned in forums we’ve experienced ourselves on other VW Group vehicles based on the same technology. This resonates with Volkswagen’s poor reputation in this area at the moment.

Other issues include an intermittent ‘failure to start’ problem that has impacted at least a few 1.5-litre models while ‘squeaking’ door mirrors is a common complaint as well. This is related to the folding process that happens every time you start and stop the car. Some owners have also experienced issues with the autonomous emergency braking.

If you drive one already, why not leave a Parkers owner review to help other potential buyers.