2023 Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition review

The VW Tiguan R is pitched as an all-trades, semi-premium sporty mid-size SUV that can do the daily grind with comfort and ease, as well as hold its own at the traffic lights or on a twisting country back road.

But does the pared-back Grid Edition, which attractively lowers the cost of entry in exchange for some considered savings on specification (and, importantly for VW, silicon chips) diminish any of the flagship Tiguan’s lovely liveability factor?

Wheels digs in to find out.

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JUMP AHEAD

• How much is it, and what do you get?
• How do rivals compare on value?
• Interior comfort, space and storage
• What is it like to drive?
• How much fuel does it use?
• How safe is it?
• Warranty and running costs
• VERDICT
• Specifications

How much is it, and what do you get?

Asking $63,990 (all prices shown before on-road costs), buyers of the Tiguan R Grid Edition save some significant change on the $70,490 fully-loaded Tiguan R.

For your dollars, you net the same running gear lifted from the heroic Golf R, comprising a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol four-cylinder producing 235kW and 400Nm, seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and 4Motion all-wheel drive including the Golf R’s new torque-vectoring twin-clutch rear axle.

Elsewhere, carryover features from the standard Tiguan R include 21-inch ‘Estoril’ machine-faced alloy wheels, keyless entry, leather steering wheel, reverse tilt passenger mirror, three-zone climate control, 9.2-inch infotainment screen with satellite navigation, DAB+ digital radio, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and more.

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Tiguan R Grid Editions are distinguished by their black door mirrors, roof rails, grille and body trim, manually adjustable ‘R Sport’ seats with cloth and microfleece trim, and a Grid Edition rear badge.

The sportily-spec’d Tiguan trades its matrix LED headlights for adaptive ‘Performance’ LED units, and loses its premium LED tail lights, Nappa leather electrically adjustable front seats, head-up display and power tailgate along with blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and VW’s ‘Proactive passenger protection system’ which does a variety of things in the event of an accident, including pre-tensioning seatbelts and flashing hazard lights.

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How do rivals compare on value?

The Tiguan R Grid Edition intelligently offers a genuine mid-sized performance SUV for what’s closer to flagship small SUV positioning.

As such, the Tiguan R Grid Edition often undercuts more premium but similarly sized, Europeans offering similar levels of power.

Audi’s Q5 45 TFSI offers 183kW/400Nm for $74,500, for example, and the 185kW/350Nm BMW X3 xDrive 30i M Sport asks $91,900. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio Veolce comes close at 206kW/400Nm, but still asks $82,950.

New Volkswagen Group stablemate Cupra comes close to delivering the Tiguan R Grid’s attractive mix of performance and price, with the Ateca VZx asking slightly less money at $60,990 while delivering slightly less in the way of power (221kW versus 235kW) and an older Haldex-based version of Volkswagen Group’s all-wheel drive system.

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Interior comfort, space and storage

The Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition’s cabin comes across with a restrained, measured level of design and what it may lack in visual flair, it more than makes up for with a level of intuitiveness and instant ease of use that few manufacturers nail with such aplomb.

Despite leatherless front seats, the Grid Edition’s cloth/microfleece upholstery feels lovely to the touch, and the seat centres feature a tartan-like pattern that pays homage to the Golf GTI.

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This motoring writer insists there is nothing wrong with a good manually adjusted seat, with quick actions and smooth, damped levers. Adjustments are quick as journalists hop in and out throughout the launch event but, on the other hand, it is easy to imagine that busy family owners with multiple drivers hopping in and out might miss an electric system with memory function.

Elsewhere, drivers are greeted by Volkswagen’s still-impressive 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster, complemented by a 9.2-inch central infotainment display featuring DAB+ digital radio, satellite navigation and wireless smartphone mirroring.

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One does wonder if offering wireless phone connectivity without a wireless charger may prove to be a long-term ownership gripe, but with two USB-C ports up front and one in the rear, it’s not like buyers haven’t been provided with solutions.

The rear seats are comfortable, with a nice ambience and airiness to the second row. There’s decent leg and headroom, with niceties including air vents and a third climate zone, 12-volt socket and that USB-C port. The outboard seats are especially adult-friendly, though fitting a third adult passenger in between may feel a bit cosy.

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You can fold the second row 60:40 or 40:20:40 and it has both tilt and slide adjustment for prioritising boot space or legroom. The boot floor can be lowered (if you remove the spare wheel) to free up extra space.

With the boot in its default position, and the rear seats set back to their furthest, the Tiguan’s boot accommodates 615 litres, expanding to 1655L with the second row folded.

The standard Tiguan R’s powered tailgate has been sacrificed in the name of Grid, which fits its more driver-oriented pitch, but is more at odds with the Tiguan’s family-filling remit than it is in the smaller T-Roc R Grid Edition.

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What is it like to drive?

At the beginning of our launch route on metropolitan roads out of town, the Tiguan R Grid Edition exhibits its softer side to great effect, as damping in Comfort mode delivers generous levels of compliance, made even more impressive given its 21-inch 255/35 rolling stock.

Secondary body movements are subtly arrested, with polish, and make the Tiguan R feel confidently more tied down than a pedestrian non-R Tiguan without introducing any hint of discomfort.

Sport mode dials up the throttle response nicely to a level that is still palatable around town and in traffic, with a measured increase in exhaust note without descending into full ‘R’ theatrics.

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Steering weight doesn’t vary much through the cornering phases, but it’s nicely linear and instantly keyed into.

The wet-style dual-clutch transmission is an impressively smooth operator around town, with just a slight shunt from second to first during slow deceleration being the worst of this dual-clutch’s tendencies.

Even without an open road and R Mode engaged, the Grid feels athletic for its size and is entertaining to guide through inner-city roads.

As we venture out of Melbourne into the Victorian High Country, however, the blue ‘R’ button on the haptic multi-function steering wheel gives the Tiguan R Grid an instant character transformation and, as the going gets twisty, it feels as if it shrinks further around the driver.

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As a fast road car, the Tiguan is more than deserving of its esteemed ‘R’ boot badge, but perhaps for different reasons than the ubiquitous and hugely sought-after Golf R.

The Tiguan R, naturally, does different things. Despite sharing the same trick rear axle, it doesn’t boast quite the same level of agility and rear-end rotation. It prefers to be firmly guided through a twisting hill road rather than outright pushed, progressively easing into a safe understeer bias when a corner is entered with a touch too much pace.

Nevertheless, the way the Tiguan R Grid Edition consumes consecutive hard direction changes, interspersed with moments of both hard and transient braking, arguably makes it a more impressive feat of engineering than the naturally athletic Golf hatchback.

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Its 5.1-seconds claim from 0-100km/h is very believable, and the Tiguan R Grid feels genuinely rapid in an under-the-radar sort of way, the subtle ‘vooomph’ of its exhaust overrun under a hard-load gear change exuding an air of empowered maturity.

One imagines this jaunt through the Victorian High Country is beyond what a Tiguan R will face for much of its life and, as a semi-premium family car that keeps those in the back comfortable while keeping the driver entertained, the Tiguan R Grid Edition nails its brief.

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How is it on fuel?

The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan R Grid Edition claims 8.8L/100km on the ADR combined cycle.

Sadly, this day’s launch program involved us switching between various vehicles spanning two different models, preventing us from gathering accurate fuel-use figures.

One could reasonably expect mid-to-high nines in everyday use.

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How safe is it?

There is an asterisk next to the Volkswagen Tiguan in the safety department and it previously wore a carryover five-star rating from the pre-facelift Tiguan of 2016.

Current ANCAP guidelines see safety ratings expire after six years, meaning every Volkswagen Tiguan produced after December 2016 is technically ‘unrated’ by ANCAP.

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The Tiguan’s airbag suite includes dual front and dual front-side cushions, curtain airbags front and rear, plus a driver’s knee cushion.

Active safety features include adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, adaptive lane guidance, lane-keep assist, semi-auto park assist, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, 360-degree cameras and low-speed forward and reverse auto emergency braking.

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Warranty and running costs

All Volkswagens are covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre manufacturer’s warranty.

Volkswagen offers two pre-paid servicing schemes, spanning three and five years.

The three-year pre-paid service plan asks $1700, saving buyers $222 over pay-as-you-go pricing during the same timeframe.

The longer five-year service plan costs $3200 and includes the first service for free, saving buyers $1081 over the first five years of ownership.

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VERDICT

Volkswagen’s Tiguan R, even in this slightly stripped-back Grid Edition, adopts many of the brand’s hallmark levels of scope, and breadth of talent, and is instantly accessible, intuitive and rarely puts a foot wrong.

It takes the winning do-it-all formula of the Golf R hatch and reintroduces it in a larger, markedly more comfy SUV, delivering a more mature and considered product more befitting the whole family.

It’s hard to argue with the value proposition and the level of talent and performance afforded but, for young family buyers where driver and passengers command equal importance, some trimmed luxuries such as the powered tailgate and head-up display will be missed.

For family car buyers who value the drive, however, or those with children who have aged out of the pram, car seat and all requisite carry-on luggage, the Tiguan R Grid Edition is a polished urban navigator that will handle the mid-week grind with ease, and one that doesn’t shy away when the leash is let loose on the weekend.

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Specifications

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