Volkswagen Tiguan

2014 Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line: Solid, versatile SUV

No matter how revered an old car model was, an automaker must offer the latest designs to remain popular. The beloved 1950s-1970s Volkswagen Beetle put VW on the map here, but offered little performance or practicality. While the Beetle operated in an auto world that’s vanished, the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan R-Line is right in step with the times. The handsome Tiguan is contemporary partly because many Americans have tired of bulky SUVs and opted for carlike crossover vehicles such as the Tiguan, which won’t be changed much for 2015. It’s a tall hatchback based on Volkswagen‘s popular, sporty Golf GTI auto and is sized for this country with an overall length of 174.5 inches. The Tiguan comes in a variety

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2014 Volkswagen Tiguan: A lot beyond the name

Eight years after its debut as a concept car at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan retains the compact crossover vehicle’s unique status. It’s still largely unheralded, and it’s among the oddest named cars in the United States. The Volkswagen Tiguan concept debuted at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show to a fair amount of head scratching . . . “What’s a Tiguan?” The name (pronounced TEE-gwan) is a combination of the word Tiger and the German word “leguan”, which means “iguana.” The name is odd, for sure. But it won a naming contest in a German car magazine over more bizarre finalists: Namib, Rockton, Liger, Samun and Nanuk. The Weekly Driver Test Drive The 2014 Volkswagen

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Volkswagen Tiguan, 2012: Roomy SUV that drives like a sports sedan

The 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan has an odd “half tiger-half iguana” name decided on by an apparently intoxicated group of Germans. But never mind — because it’s among Volkwagen’s top vehicles. The 2012 model has mildly revised front styling that will be unnoticed by most. But that’s no demerit because the solid Tiguan looked good to begin with when introduced for 2009 as Volkswagen’s first car-based crossover/SUVand is among the most refined models in its class. Actually, the Tiguan is more of a crossover vehicle than an SUV, because it’s built on a Volkswagen auto platform, not a truck frame. That helps it feel carlike, with quick, nicely weighted electro-mechanical power steering and a supple ride. The Tiguan is fun to

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Volkswagen lineup, 2012: sports cars, station wagons and a Bug

By David Colman I have never experienced a press roll out like this in more than 20 years of attending Volkswagen events in the United Sates and Germany, Usually, the occasions focus on one or two new models with long, complex drive routes scheduled to foster a maximum driving experience. This year, there were multiple models available, but in a three-hour window. Here are my brief impressions from either a 15-mile or 25-mile Northern California loop that encompassed flat and hilly driving conditions in the Half Moon Bay and San Mateo areas: 2012 VW GOLF R This baby is a “little bomb.” The Golf R replaces the Golf R32, which has come and gone in several iterations during the past

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Volkswagen Tiguan, 2009: Weidel on Wheels

As someone whose first two vehicles were Volkswagens, I remain a fan of the German automaker, and I’m not alone in my admiration. Volkswagen rose to prominence in the 1960s and continued to grow for two decades. The line began to falter in the early ‘90s, but Volkswagen has refocused and made a successful turnaround. In the past decade, Volkswagen has kept rolling out hits. The latest is the 2009 Tiguan, a compact sport utility vehicle recently driven for a week. Like many of its predecessors, the Tiguan has received high marks in many areas. It’s understandable because VW is consistently again offering vehicles with refined handling and upscale accommodations. Naming vehicles in not one of VW’s strengths. Like its

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