2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Adventure new car review

The German brand has found a winning solution to the crisis causing excruciatingly long wait time for new cars.

The car industry calls it a “parts-bin special” but Volkswagen more elegantly describes the Tiguan Allspace Adventure as “a local solution to a global problem”.

A worldwide shortage of electronic chips has choked the supply of Volkswagens to Australia.

Sales of the Tiguan, the brand’s most popular car, plummeted to as few as 32 vehicles per month this year in a class where several rivals averaged more than 1000 deliveries per month.

The brand’s local arm has struggled to secure premium variants with powerful engines – the sort of vehicles preferred by Australian drivers. So it has created a limited-edition car to weather the microchip crisis.

2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Adventure.

The Adventure starts life as the long-bodied Tiguan Allspace, a seven-seat version of VW’s five-seat Tiguan.

Volkswagen has ditched features such as electronic multi-mode suspension, leather seats with hi-tech power adjustment and a 9.2-inch infotainment screen with “gesture control”, eliminating the need for dozens of semiconductors and making the car easier to build.

Power comes from the turbocharged 2.0-litre, 162kW and 350Nm engine normally found in high-end variants, as there is more demand for the powerful engine than less muscular 110kW or 132kW engines found in the Tiguan.

VW has produced a stripped down version of one of its most popular models.

Third-row seating has been ditched in favour of five chairs and a truly enormous boot.

Low-profile 20-inch rims were binned in favour of 17-inch wheels with chubby tyres, plus plastic underbody armour to protect mechanical components.

The adventure theme continues with a choice of free accessories including snow chains. Priced from $54,990 drive-away, it undercuts the loaded Tiguan R-Line by a handy $10,000 and is easily the cheapest ticket to a Tiguan with a punchy motor recently found in the Golf GTI performance car.

There are still all the mod cons you’d expect in a new car.

There are 1500 examples on the way, so supply should not be an issue.

It’s a compelling package that does not feel like a poor cousin to the rest of the range.

You still get a digital dash, three-zone climate control, plenty of USB points and heated cloth seats.

It has a comprehensive assortment of driver aids including front and rear auto emergency braking, active cruise control and lane keeping assistance. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alerts are also part of the deal.

The 8-inch stereo has a digital radio, smartphone mirroring, satnav and volume knobs missing from the larger display in premium variants.

Australian VW buyers love the 162TSI engine.

Handy storage drawers fill under-seat space normally reserved for electric motors, while a beefed-up battery and alternator make the car more practical for excursions off the beaten track.

The biggest disappointment on the spec sheet is a space-saver spare wheel. Cars pitched as off-road warriors should get a full-size tyre, though the temporary replacement is much better than a canned repair kit.

It’s not as though there wasn’t enough room for a bigger wheel and tyre – the Adventure’s 760 litres of boot space is truly cavernous.

It has a huge boot, too.

Fold the seats flat and its 1920 litres outgun the storage offered by VW’s much larger Touareg four-wheel-drive. This is an eminently practical wagon – it’s even rated to tow 2500 kilos, a full tonne more than the best-selling Toyota RAV4.

VW claims that the 0-100km/h sprint is dispatched in a brisk 6.8 seconds, a figure offset by less impressive 8.6L/100km premium fuel use. Servicing is also expensive at an average of $795 per year, including a particularly painful $1627 bill at the 60,000 kilometre mark.

The Tiguan Adventure impresses on the road.

A powerful engine and slick dual-clutch automatic transmission deliver effortless acceleration, helped by all-wheel-drive traction with impressive purchase on tarmac and dirt.

VW chose to equip this car with quick steering and sports suspension that work brilliantly on winding country roads. Crisp reactions to driver input are accompanied by impressive body control on tricky corners.

And the chubby sidewalls of its Hankook tyres take the sting out of sharp bumps. They’ll also be cheaper to replace when worn.

VERDICT 4/5

The Tiguan Adventure is a clever solution to a tricky problem. It’s a shame the limited-edition car won’t be available next year.

VW TIGUAN ALLSPACE ADVENTURE VITALS

PRICE $54,990 drive-away

ENGINE 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo, 162kW and 350Nm

WARRANTY/SERVICE 5-yr/u’ltd km, $3973 for 5 years

SAFETY auto emergency braking, active cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert.

THIRST 8.6L/100km

CARGO 760 litres

SPARE Space saver

Originally published as 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Adventure new car review