Has Volkswagen got it right with the new Tiguan?

SUV’s are king in India.  If you’re a manufacturer and plan to enter the Indian automotive scene, starting off with an SUV is not a bad idea at all since India’s strong affinity for them is sure to guarantee very good numbers. VW has been in India for a while now and it’s only now that they have come up with their first SUV on Indian shores. Before they decided to bring it in, VW must have contemplated in plenty on deciding where exactly to place the Tiguan. While we thought the Tiguan would fit well in the Rs. 20 lakh bracket, VW must have looked at the other SUV in the segment, the Hyundai Tucson to think otherwise. With monthly numbers like 146 and 121 for March and April 2017, clearly the Tucson isn’t as popular as Hyundai would have hoped. The Tiguan as a result was pegged a little higher than the Tucson where it sits in a space just by itself. 

Like we mentioned, SUV’s rule the roost in India, but unless you get the important bits checked, one could go wrong with an SUV too and we have plenty of examples for those as well. Knowing VW, they have done well with the much awaited Tiguan. It boasts the typical low-key but elegant design, it’s got a bucket-load of features and has cutting edge safety features. 

So the Tiguan offers plenty, but then so do the others. Let’s start a rung lower with the aforementioned Hyundai Tucson. Low numbers aside, the Tucson is a stunner when it comes to looks. It’s got the go to match its show too thanks to the stonking 2.0 diesel that is more powerful than the Tiguan’s 2.0 TDI unit.  It’s almost as well equipped as the Tiguan but misses out things like ventilated seats and a sunroof. The top of the line Tucson is also a whopping 6 lakh cheaper than the Highline Tiguan. On the other end of the spectrum, the Tiguan goes up against the entry level variants of the BMW X1 and the Mercedes-Benz GLA. While the Tiguan will be better specced than the entry level X1 and the GLA, VW will have a tough time competing against premium brands like Mercedes and BMW which are held in very high regards irrespective of what they offer.

That begs the question, is just being a solid product enough or has the Tiguan landed up in no man’s land? While we haven’t driven the car, the Tiguan will really really have to stand out to make a strong case for itself when we get behind its wheel on 6th June. Keep watching this space for more.