'19 Tiguan, my first VW experience

[paoester]

Just got a '19 Tiguan S 4-motion, few frills. 6 year bumper to bumper warranty and reasonable price meant it was the choice. I like the automatic obstacle avoidance braking feature option. Only option mine has. Plain vanilla inside too. Simple controls for the HVAC. 2.0L turbo, low horsepower at 184 hp. Got to be due to the early intake valve closing Budack cycle they run in this EA888 Gen3B DI DGUA iron block, Al head engine. https://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/05/20170523-tiguan.html https://www.greencarcongress.com/2017/06/20170627-tiguan.html Not a hot rod this one. Aisin 8-speed conventional automatic works well. They put that thing in about every current Volvo, and many BMWs, Minis, Cadillacs, Toyotas, etc., wow it gets around. AWF8F35 model. No fluid changes they say. I'll probably drop the pan at 10,000 miles, not sure if I should bother yet, just to get out break-in metal dust. If they have a magnet in there then I could leave it alone. MQB platform is nice to drive. Body doesn't have the bizarre Toyota RAV4 or GMC Terrain styling that makes you cringe. German stylists are more boring, inoffensive. This one blends in. Undercover cops should drive this, like the silver one I got. If it weren't for the long warranty and lower price of this Tiguan (Tiger+Iguana name, not kidding), I might have gotten the sweet CX-5 instead though. Odd drain plug. Kind of a reusable, yet expendable, plastic o-ring screw-on thing. (Goes with the increasingly more common plastic sump.) I used a penny gripped in large pliers to open & close it, although a large screw driver will also dig into it, while possibly damaging the inside of it due to low torque leverage. No skid plate or aero cover under the engine. There are mount holes for it though. I'm thinking about getting a hard plastic sheet and mounting one for better aero and protection. Cartridge oil filter is easy to get to and change on top of the engine. Mann cartridges are the OE ones. I pulled out the factory oil at 500 miles already and put in some non-spec SNdexos Pennzoil Platinum 0w-20 I had leftover, for a few thousand miles for now, until I can put in the spec VW 508 0w-20 that ECS Tuning sent me to start VW's 10,000 mile oil change intervals for the long run. I assume there were metal particles from break-in. I'd like to know what VW does for cylinder wall surface finishing (and maybe cam lobes). Reading about it, looks like multi-step "plateau honing" might be what they use. Break-in should be quick with that. Owner's Manual says there is increased friction during break-in, and oil consumption could be high for a while. Its the first Owner's Manual I've seen that actually says you can go a little bit over the cross-hatched area on the dipstick, and they give you some idea of just how much over you can safely go. Most don't get that detailed. I don't think they use those popular wireless tire pressure sensors attached to the tire valves. Don't have to mess with that. They use wheel rotation differences to detect a tire losing too much air. There is a calibration on the dashboard display to activate once you get all the tires to the rather high-ish 41 psi on the 215/65-17 tires placard spec. Re-do that easy calibration once in a while. Is the European (Germany, UK, etc.) Tiguan 2.0L the same as the N. American one? Mobil oil's website in Europe says you use VW 508 0w-20 for 10,000 mile intervals, and thicker VW-spec oils if you go 5,000 miles between oil changes, a choice of length & viscosity. The American Owner's Manual doesn't mention anything but strictly VW 508, and they even give dire warnings about using the thick stuff in the states. The power level (184 hp) of the 2.0L turbo engine here is the same as one they sell in Europe, so I guess this is the same identical engine.

 

[ls1mike]

So I read it. Do you like it? It sounds like is was just a good deal for you. Only 184 hp out the 2.0? What kind of torque? I am sure it is adequate,

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

My rule number one is never buy a car from a company that will lie to government as a customer that leaves you without a prayer.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

My rule number one is never buy a car from a company that will lie to government as a customer that leaves you without a prayer.

And yet you bought a GM vehicle? Oh, the irony...

 

[Skippy722]

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

My rule number one is never buy a car from a company that will lie to government as a customer that leaves you without a prayer.

So you walk everywhere right? Because I'm 99% positive all of the automakers have lied about something at some point in their histories

 

[123Saab]

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

My rule number one is never buy a car from a company that will lie to government as a customer that leaves you without a prayer.

oh wow, I better sell my GTI asap... LOL

 

[Eddie]

Sounds like a nice vehicle but, confused about the engine that has low HP and Torque for a 2L turbo although it was designed for high fuel mileage. Ed

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by Eddie

Sounds like a nice vehicle but, confused about the engine that has low HP and Torque for a 2L turbo although it was designed for high fuel mileage. Ed

People obsess about HP figures which often don't tell the story. That Tiguan engine has more torque than most of its competitors such as CRV, RAV4, Equinox, etc, and that torque is available as low as 1,600 RPM.

 

[geeman789]

Originally Posted by Eddie

Sounds like a nice vehicle but, confused about the engine that has low HP and Torque for a 2L turbo although it was designed for high fuel mileage. Ed

Hp is lowish at 184, but torque is healthy at 221 lbs/ft at a low 1600 rpm. Useable power in everyday driving scenarios, runs out of breath a bit at higher rpms. Unlike my previous Acura Integra, which had ZERO low end torque, but had lots of horsepower up at 7500 rpm. Really practical in day to day driving ...

 

[ls1mike]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete

Originally Posted by Eddie

Sounds like a nice vehicle but, confused about the engine that has low HP and Torque for a 2L turbo although it was designed for high fuel mileage. Ed

People obsess about HP figures which often don't tell the story. That Tiguan engine has more torque than most of its competitors such as CRV, RAV4, Equinox, etc, and that torque is available as low as 1,600 RPM.

Pete the only reason I ask is because the wife's Malibu is a 2.0 Turbo with 259HP and 295Ft/lbs of torque and has a nice curve. They use that engine in the Equinox. Just wonder why 184 out of the 2.0 from VW. On dyno graphs for the 2.0 LTG(Malibu) it is generally 260FT/lbs of torque from 1700 rpm to 5500. That is at the wheels. I am still confused. Did OP buy the car because he likes it or he just got a good deal?

 

[MParr]

We got a 2019 SE for my wife's daily driver. I like it. The dash layout is great. The fuel mileage is good. The car is very comfortable. The engine sounds a bit like a Mitsubishi diesel tractor engine when first taking off. At highway speeds it's not noticeable. It has enough power for us. The car has a very solid build. The ZF 8 speed transmission is a pretty good transmission.

 

[Andrew1972]

Wife has similar 2018 Tiguan and I find the torque incredibly useful, accessible and snappy in everyday normal driving. Loaded with 5 bikes and family of 5 it was revving but managed 75 MPH on I89 hills in VT without drama just a little noise albeit 24MPG. 2.0T is getting 29 MPG average for us with mix of city and highway. The low HP is specific to this variant of 2.0T as the same engine different intake/tune from GTI/Audi jumps quite a bit all the way to 288 HP and 280 ft-lb torque (Golf R)

 

[UG_Passat]

Europe gets a 190 PS, 220 PS, and 230 PS 2.0TSI engines, different from the Budack cycle on the US Tiguan.

 

[dishdude]

I bought one because I was too cheap to buy a Terrain, and every time I get in I'm reminded that I'm a cheapskate. For what I paid it's not bad, a decent amount of features, steering, brakes and ride quality are nice, and it has the the 6 yr/72k bumper to bumper warranty. The engine is a bit underpowered until RPMs build, fuel economy is less than impressive and it has more vibration at idle than I'd like. Came from the factory with Giti brand tires, third row seat is a joke. If you're looking for a big and cheap CUV, this one checks all the boxes.

 

[Andrew1972]

3rd row is for 5'2" or less. Nice in a pinch driving a few extra kids locally. Majority of compact CUV are useless for that.

 

[paoester]

I do like it (styling, quiet ride, handles well), but mostly it is the warranty and deal. Other CUVs of this size are faster. Also nice having a VW for a change. They have a different approach to things. Every CUV has a list of pros and cons, and no others have a 6 year bumper to bumper. Funny story about the dieselGate scandal: The young salesman had never heard of it. Nice guy though. I was his first sale ever. As for the low power, I'm not sure why it lags behind, for example, the GM 2.0T, since it can stop early intake valve closing (budack) and act normal when you put your foot into it. MPG is just average, so the Atkinson-like intake valve timing changes and greater efficiency don't come through well. The Tiguan's 0-60 time is slower than about anything else out there. I won't take home many race trophys with this. 1.5T's in other CUVs are even faster.

 

[AC1DD]

Originally Posted by JohnnyJohnson

My rule number one is never buy a car from a company that will lie to government as a customer that leaves you without a prayer.

Unlike Ford, and GM this situation didn't result in any actual deaths. It's only a technicality in reality, sure they broke the law and paid for it, but they didn't kill anyone with it.

 

[paoester]

Originally Posted by dishdude

Came from the factory with Giti brand tires, third row seat is a joke. If you're looking for a big and cheap CUV, this one checks all the boxes.

Agree there. My cheapness shined through. OE tires are Goodyear Assurance Finesse 215/65-17 on aluminum wheels. I assume they are like Assurance All Seasons at Tire Rack. Giti sounds even too cheap for me. I didn't get the 3rd row. Saving money ain't a bad thing, right?

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted by paoester

Originally Posted by dishdude

Came from the factory with Giti brand tires, third row seat is a joke. If you're looking for a big and cheap CUV, this one checks all the boxes.

Agree there. My cheapness shined through. OE tires are Goodyear Assurance Finesse 215/65-17 on aluminum wheels. I assume they are like Assurance All Seasons at Tire Rack. Giti sounds even too cheap for me. I didn't get the 3rd row. Saving money ain't a bad thing, right?

I would prefer not to have the third row, but it's standard on FWD and optional on AWD models. You lucked out with the Goodyears.

 

[doitmyself]

Originally Posted by paoester

My cheapness shined through...........I didn't get the 3rd row. Saving money ain't a bad thing, right?

For all the belly aching that goes on at BITOG about financial responsibility and living within one's means..........PLEASE, no need whatsoever to be apologetic for buying an affordable vehicle! Good for you!!!!!!!!!