Reliability

I’ve owned my 2023 Tiguan R from new, and it’s now done just over 47,000km. Overall it’s been a really reliable car. Mechanically, I honestly can’t complain. The engine and gearbox have been faultless, and it hasn’t left me stranded once.

Most of the issues I’ve had have been with the technology rather than the car itself. The biggest one is Travel Assist. Sometimes it just won’t let you turn it on; other times it’ll randomly cancel itself while you’re driving.

I’ve also noticed condensation can build up around the front camera behind the windscreen, which disables Travel Assist and Auto High Beam until it clears. It’s not a huge issue, but it can get frustrating.

The Harman Kardon sound system is great, although both front doors rattle a bit once you start turning the volume up. It feels like Volkswagen could’ve put a bit more sound insulation in the doors.

The other downside has been tyres. The factory 21-inch size isn’t always easy to find, and when you do find them, they’re not exactly cheap.

Other than those few things, it’s been smooth sailing. I bought the prepaid servicing plan before delivery, which has made servicing easy and predictable.

I also have a mechanic friend who helps out with oil changes in between its scheduled services and will be doing a transmission and diff soon too. Overall, I’d happily call it a reliable car so far.

How it drives

This is easily the best part about owning the Tiguan R. It honestly drives more like a hot hatch than a family SUV. The steering is sharp, the DSG gearbox is quick, and the EA888 engine has heaps of punch. It still surprises people just how quick one of these things is.

The adaptive suspension makes a noticeable difference between Comfort and Race mode, but even in Comfort it can still feel firm over potholes and bigger bumps.

One thing I learnt pretty quickly was how much tyre pressures affect the ride. I topped mine up on a cold morning, then by the afternoon, when the temperature had gone back up, the ride became almost unbearable.

Dropping the pressures back down completely changed the car. If you’re buying one, definitely keep an eye on tyre pressures.

Road noise is probably a little higher than I’d like, but that’s expected with 21-inch wheels and wide tyres.

One thing that surprised me was finding out the Tiguan R actually has less torque than the Golf R from the same generation. You don’t really notice it on the road though, as it still feels seriously quick for something this practical

Ownership experience

Overall ownership has been pretty easy. The prepaid servicing plan has taken the guesswork out of servicing, and the local Volkswagen dealer has been good to deal with.

Running costs are what you’d expect from a performance SUV. It likes 98 fuel, tyres are expensive, and because of the uncommon tyre size, they’re sometimes hard to find.

The only thing that lets the ownership experience down is some of the technology. Google Maps won’t display in the Digital Cockpit, yet every time you start navigation through Android Auto, it switches the driver’s display back to Volkswagen’s own maps for no reason. It just seems like an odd design choice.

Talking about CarPlay and Android Auto, sometimes the audio from the phone completely cuts out, and you have to reconnect the phone again. A hack I found was just to switch to Bluetooth for a sec on the dash and then switch back to Android Auto (It’s still a bit annoying).

The sound disconnection happens randomly on start-up once in a blue moon for the wireless connection.

The head-up display is showing its age. It works fine until you wear polarised sunglasses, then it’s almost impossible to see. It’s also disappointing that the flagship Tiguan still misses out on ventilated seats.

Overall though, nothing has been expensive unexpectedly and the car has been enjoyable to own. Oh, definitely recommend PPF, as the paint is a bit on the thin side. I had my paint corrected and ceramic coated. Looked better but didn’t help with the sensitivity to scratches.

Features and practicality

This is where the Tiguan R really shines. It’s quick enough to be fun, but practical enough to use every day. There’s heaps of room inside, the boot is a good size, and the rear seats easily fit adults.

Technology is a nice middle ground too. It still has enough physical controls that you don’t have to do everything through a screen, but it still feels modern.

There are a few things I’d change though. The touch controls for the lights aren’t illuminated at night, which seems like a strange thing to overlook, especially in a car at this price. The infotainment is generally good, but some of the software decisions don’t really make sense.

The front sports seats hold you in well, although for longer trips I actually find the standard Comfortline seats a little more comfortable. That’s probably just personal preference.

Overall, I think Volkswagen got the balance right. It’s practical enough to be a family car but still feels special every time you drive it.

Any other thoughts?

After 47,000 km, I’d still buy another one. It definitely isn’t perfect. The software could do with a few updates, Travel Assist needs to be more reliable, and there are a couple of missing features you’d expect on the top-spec model.

But every time I drive it, those little annoyances disappear. It’s quick, comfortable enough, practical and still puts a smile on my face.

If you want something that can carry the family during the week but still be genuinely fun on a back road, the Tiguan R is hard to beat. It’s one of those cars that makes you look for excuses to go for a drive.

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