2022 Volkswagen Tiguan R Review

Volkswagen’s best selling model in Australia – the Tiguan – has just been given the R treatment with more power and more aggressive styling. For those who thought their Tiguan 162TSI was a bit of a slouch, the Tiguan R fixes this by adding nearly 40% more power. We tested the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan R to see if it’s worth the extra coin over the rest of the Tiguan range.

The Tiguan R sits in the rather niche and strange segment of performance mid-size SUVs. Only the Tiguan’s cousins, the Skoda Kodiaq RS and Cupra Ateca, plus maybe the Mazda CX-5 Akera with its muscular turbocharged engine can rival it. With Australians turning more and more towards SUVs, we firmly believe cars such as the Tiguan R deserve to find more and more homes. So how does the Tiguan R stack up for those after a hotter SUV, without sacrificing liveability and everyday usability? Let’s find out.

Price & Equipment: 8/10

While the entry level Tiguan starts at $41,390 plus on-road costs, the Tiguan R is no base model and sits at the very top of the Tiguan tree. The 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan R starts at $68,990 plus on-road costs. This makes it $12,600 more expensive than the model below it: the Tiguan 162TSI R-Line.

Being a top-spec model, the Tiguan R comes with a long equipment list. This includes 21-inch ‘R’ alloy wheels, adaptive dampers, all-LED lighting, auto lights and wipers, tri-zone climate control, Nappa leather upholstery, electrically adjustable front seats with both heating and memory functionality, a heated steering wheel with paddle shifters, selectable driving modes, keyless entry with push button start, auto-folding and heated mirrors that dip automatically in reverse, a heads-up display, a 9.2-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, digital radio, a 10-speaker sound system and an electric tailgate.

Safety features are also aplenty in the Tiguan R: there are seven airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, lane keep assist with lane travel assist, Matrix adaptive high beam headlight functionality, adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality, driver fatigue monitoring, tyre pressure monitoring, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, rear automatic braking, a reversing camera with front and rear parking sensors, semi-auto parking and a system called emergency assist, which will gradually stop the car if the driver becomes unresponsive.

It’s clear Volkswagen Australia has thrown a lot of equipment at the Tiguan R as it comes pretty fully loaded. The only items we would like to see added to the Tiguan R are a wireless smartphone charger, cooled front seats and rear heated seats. Other than that, the Tiguan comes very well equipped.

All of the colours available on the Tiguan R are at no extra cost. There is ‘Deep Black Pearl’, ‘dolphin grey’, ‘Pure White’, ‘Reflex Silver’ and our test cars ‘Lapiz Blue’. Optional on the Tiguan R is a $1,100 10-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system and a $2,100 panoramic sunroof with an electric blind. Our test car was fitted with both of these options, bringing the price to $72,190 plus on-road costs or around $81,000 drive away (depending on your location).

Like we said, rivals to the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan R are a little tricky to pin down due to the Tiguan’s high performance figures. The Skoda Kodiaq RS is priced from $74,990 drive away, features a 55kW power deficit to the Tiguan R but it has seven seats as standard, while the Mazda CX-5 Akera with the optional turbocharged engine comes in at $53,380 plus on-road costs but only makes do with 170kW of power (but a full fat 420Nm of torque). It’s clear that the Tiguan R is faster and more performance orientated than both of the above, offering more pace and driver appeal than the Kodiaq RS, but with less room and practicality, while the Mazda manages to offer a more inviting and premium interior, along with a more relaxed on road feel.

Engine & Performance: 9/10

Like with other ‘R’ models in Volkswagen’s lineup, the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan R comes with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine. It produces a massive 235kW of power and 400Nm of torque. These are the same outputs as the the rather brisk and hyper Golf R hatch. For those after hot hatch-rivalling performance from their SUV, look no further – the Tiguan R is your weapon of choice. Power is sent to a ‘4Motion’ all-wheel drive system, and the sole transmission on offer is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

The engine powering the Tiguan R is a firecracker. It produces a huge amount of power for this segment and though it does have a little lag when accelerating from down low in the rev range, as soon as you get it past 2000rpm, it builds pace beautifully and linearly. The engine is responsive and did we mention it was quick? The 0-100km/h sprint is completed in just 5.1 seconds.

The transmission is broadly good in the way it goes about its business, though much like other DSG units, it is a little jerky when taking off from a standstill or when in reverse. Once rolling the shifts are quick and the gears selected with incredible speed and precision. The transmission matches this engine perfectly in this application. Getting the best out of the engine comes with popping the gearbox into manual mode, and using the lovely steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.

The claimed average fuel consumption in the Tiguan R is 8.8L/100km on the combined cycle – a respectable result, considering how much power is on tap. Our week spent steering the Tiguan on a mixture of motorway and city settings saw a combined figure of 9.7L/100km, even with our heavy right foot. Safe to say, we were really impressed by this figure, proving a fast SUV doesn’t have to cost your hip-pocket too much.

Ride & Handling: 9/10

The adaptive dampers on the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan R do a fantastic job of changing the characteristic of the ride, depending on which drive mode you are in. In ‘comfort’ mode, the ride is compliant for a sporty SUV, taking the edge off sharper road imperfections. Switching drive modes into ‘sport’ brings a firmer approach, and makes the Tiguan R straddle a finely judged balance of quick responses and still-decent ride quality. Flicking the drive mode into ‘race’ really sharpens things up, making the Tiguan R hunker down. The ride is really firms up, making the mid-size performance SUV feel poised and ready for action.

There’s no getting around it, the Tiguan R’s handling ability is exceptional for a mid-sized SUV. You would never be able to corner at the speeds you can in this in a Mazda CX-5 or Toyota RAV4. The Tiguan R (thanks again to its adaptive dampers) hugs the road and offers only a very slight amount of body roll. The fat Continental Sport Contact 6 tyres do an impressive job of gripping this SUV to the road. We cannot think of an SUV under $100k that handles better than the Tiguan R.

Barrel the Tiguan R into a corner at speed and revel in the feel-some steering guiding the SUV with precision and accuracy through a corner, with barely any hint of slip through the corner. It’s all very point and shoot, much like a larger Golf R. The steering feel is on the heavier side even in Comfort mode, though we feel that for a performance SUV this is a good thing. The steering does offer a good amount of feel which is helpful when cornering hard.

The Tiguan’s active safety tech works really well too. The adaptive cruise control works intuitively, the forward collision alert isn’t too sensitive and the lane keep assist only shows itself when necessary. The cameras are clear and sharp, making parking a doddle.

Interior & Practicality: 9/10

Much like the regular Volkswagen Tiguan range, the Tiguan R’s interior is very well thought out, with a solid, Germanic look to all of the elements inside. Everything is where you would expect it to be and nothing is hard to find or operate. All very proper. The quality of materials is largely good and the storage on offer is impressive. We really like that the Tiguan R exudes a certain air of space inside which bellies its external dimensions. The Tiguan R all features some nice touches to liven the interior up a little with performance oriented touches. Blue accents abound and the sporty bucket seats really help in this aspect.

Settling into the driver’s seat, one aspect of the interior we weren’t too keen on was the driving position. While we know that this is a mid-size SUV with family ferrying duties front and centre, we had to constantly adjust our driving position to get comfortable. Put simply, the seat always felt a little too high, the steering wheel a little too bus-like and and even the pedals a little off centre. In saying this, the sports seats in the Tiguan R are very supportive.

Up front, there are plenty of storage options in the Tiguan. These include a sliding centre console, covered cupholders that double as a storage bin, flock lined door bins, a deep glove box, a small compartment by the driver’s right hand knee to hide valuables and map pockets on the front seats.

Centre of the cabin is a 9.2-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation and digital radio. The infotainment system is easy to get the hang of, we like how it is laid out and its reasonably responsive and clear. It might not be the latest and greatest system which Volkswagen features in other models such as the Golf Mk8, but there’s an air of simplicity to it. Kudos as well to the physical climate controls, which don’t feature on solely on the infotainment screen. The digital driver’s display is also great quality and very configurable. The optional 10-speaker Harmon Kardon sound system is punchy with well controlled bass and high range notes. We recommend ticking that box.

The second row seating of the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan R is quite generous, with ample room in all directions, even for taller passengers with the optional panoramic sunroof. It’s reasonably well featured too, with a separate climate zone, map pockets, flock-lined door bins and a central arm rest with cupholders – though no rear heated seats or window blinds. There is also one USB-C input and a 12-volt power outlet for rear passengers to charge their devices.

Opening the power tailgate of the Tiguan reveals 615-litres of cargo space (with the rear seats slid forward) and folding the rear seats down opens this up to a huge 1,655L. This is less than the 765L/2,005L that the larger Kodiaq RS offers but is more than the 442L/1,342L of the Mazda CX-5. The Tiguan’s boot also features some hooks, side storage and under-floor storage, but no spare wheel.

Service & Warranty: 7/10

Like all other Volkswagens, the Tiguan R comes with a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty with 12-months of roadside assistance. The warranty period is the same that is offered on the Mazda CX-5, though two years less than the Skoda warranty – the Mazda gets five-years of roadside assistance while the Skoda gets the same 12 months that the Tiguan does, but it can be extended up to seven years.

Servicing the Tiguan comes around every 12-months or 15,000km. The cost to service this high performance SUV over the span of five-years or 75,000km is an eye watering $4,054 (an average service cost of $810.80). This service cost is $1,321 more than it costs to service the Kodiaq RS over the same period. You can purchase a service pack at the time of purchasing the vehicle for the span of five-years or 75,000km for $3,100, which we thoroughly recommend.

2022 Volkswagen Tiguan R DiscoverAuto Rating: 8.4/10

The 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan R is an interesting car. It promises to offer the impeccable mid-size SUV practicality of a hum-drum Tiguan with the firecracker thrill of a Golf R hyper hatch. And boy does it deliver, with an almost perfect marriage of performance and practicality. It is the most driver orientated SUV on the market under six-figures, doing so without sacrificing everyday liveability. Here is an SUV an enthusiast would happily own, and drive on the daily school run.

So would we trade in our hot hatch in for the Tiguan R if we needed more space? We would. Sure, it does have its flaws such as the odd driving position, the expensive servicing and some lack of key equipment such a wireless phone charger, but there is so much to love about it The 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan R is close to being the perfect blend of performance and usability which Volkswagen pioneered all those years ago with the world’s first hot hatch, the Golf GTI back in the 70s. We can’t help but be impressed with how well the Volkswagen Tiguan R follows that legacy of offering so much, to so many.