Volkswagen Tiguan R Review and Prices

Think of the Volkswagen Tiguan R performance SUV like you would your favourite fruity punch drink.

On the one hand, you’ve got your sensible pineapple or orange juice foundation in the form of its practical, spacious SUV body. Appetising, but not especially exciting on its own. On the other hand, however, you’ve got a shedload of rum – which is always good for spicing things up a bit.

Here, that extra kick comes in the form of a high-performance engine that’s been lifted straight out of the new Golf R hot hatch, sportier suspension, and some aggressive new styling tweaks. Sounds like it should make for a pretty delicious concoction, right? In any case, it’s a similar recipe to what we’ve seen in the likes of the Cupra Ateca and pricier Audi SQ5.

But let’s get back to those tweaks. You won’t miss the Tiguan R in a crowd, that’s for sure. Its pumped-up body kit and standard 21-inch alloy wheels really help it to stand out, and its quad exhaust pipes look particularly mean too.

The cabin has also been given a bit of a makeover. There’s cool blue ambient lighting and plenty of R badging. The chunky sports seats are decently supportive and comfortable, but while their blue and grey upholstery looks smart, it feels cheap. The same goes for some of the other interior plastics.

That said, this is still a Tiguan underneath it all. So there’s loads of passenger space, a big boot, and a clear view out of the front and back – which is always handy around town. The 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system is the same as what you’ll find in the standard Tiguan, which is no bad thing.

Under the bonnet you’ll find a 2.0-litre 320hp turbocharged petrol engine, which allows it to accelerate from 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds. It’s a fantastically smooth and muscular power plant, but it doesn’t sound as exciting as you might hope it would.

The Tiguan R certainly doesn’t hang about - put your foot down and it just goes. It’s not as fun as a Golf R, but it’s pretty comfortable.

A seven-speed automatic gearbox comes as standard, and the Tiguan R gets four-wheel drive and torque vectoring too. The latter is a system that helps shift power to the wheels where it’s needed most to maximise grip in tight corners.

They work extremely well together, too; just don’t expect the Tiguan R to be quite as fun and engaging as the smaller Golf R. It’s a big, heavy SUV after all. Still, its steering is nicely weighted and confidence inspiring, which is handy when you’re on your favourite country road.

It’s also pretty comfortable when you’re just driving normally, too. With its adjustable suspension in its softest setting you don’t have to worry about bumps too much, and while those huge 21-inch alloys do make a bit of extra road noise on the motorway, this is far from draining.

And while this might be a Tiguan with a significant amount of extra punch, that doesn’t come at the expense of safety systems and driver aides. You’ll still find adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, parking sensors and a lane-keep assist included as standard.

That performance and tech does come at a price, however. The Tiguan R starts at £45,915, which makes it more expensive than a Cupra Ateca, but cheaper than the posher 7-seat Mercedes-AMG GLB 35. It’s a pretty thirsty beast too – we saw a fuel economy of 25mpg during our time with the car.

There’s also the small issue of the Golf R. If you want a practical family car that’s faster and even more fun than, then that’d be a very good option to consider.

But if the Volkswagen Tiguan R’s cocktail of performance and practicality takes your fancy, head on over to our deals page to see how much money you can save.