Previous generations of the Wolfsburg-based brand’s family car were very popular in South Africa. The 3rd-gen model again looks like a strong competitor, but given its stiff competition, is the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan a class leader – or an also-ran?
More than 40 000 Tiguans had found homes in Mzansi before this 3rd-gen model was launched in 2024. Its predecessors were frontrunners in the medium SUV/family segment, but the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan faces much stiffer competition than they did. The local arrivals of particularly high-value Chinese models (especially from GWM/Haval and Chery/Jaecoo/Omoda) have truly disrupted this sector of the market.
The 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan (in 1.4 TSI R-Line guise) is vying for a category win in the 2024/25 Cars.co.za Awards, sponsored by Absa. We recently spent a month with the 1.4 TSI Life derivative, taking in numerous long-distance trips, gravel-road driving along the Garden Route, and making full use of its cabin flexibility (and the fitment of a tow hitch) to discover the strengths and weaknesses of the model.
Stylish, but mind the options!
The 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan is a slightly bigger car than before, and features more rounded styling than its chiselled predecessor – it clearly borrows styling cues from the SA-bound ID.4 electric crossover.
Some will appreciate those aesthetic elements, and others won’t, but as a team, we feel the Tiguan has lost a bit of character. Then again, it is a design that “dresses up well”. Several onlookers commented favourably on the design, particularly the rear light bar, as well as the striking 18-inch Bologna alloys.
Those attractive wheels are optional, however (17-inch Bari wheels are standard); they’re bundled with the Life Plus package (R20 700) that also includes Adaptive cruise control with forward-collision warning and brake reaction, rear-traffic alert, a lane-change system and a reverse-view camera.
You also have to consider that the desirable tilting and sliding panoramic sunroof is optional, specifying it will add another R18 000 to the base price of R716 900.
Move inside and the changes are very easy to spot. Tech is the dominant theme, with a large (12.9-inch as standard) central infotainment screen with crisp and clear graphics taking pride of place.
Fronting the driver is a neat (and configurable) 10-inch digital instrument cluster. Available as an option is an even larger (15-inch) screen, which is combined with dual wireless charging pads.
Another nice touch is the placement of the transmission stalk behind the steering wheel, which frees up space in the centre console. Speaking of which, here you can find a single rotary knob (called the Driving Experience Dial) to control both the volume of the audio system, as well as selecting driving modes.
Overall, it’s an attractively designed cabin, but you must be mindful of the optional extras: what you see isn’t quite what you get (as standard). The lovely Varenna leather trim is optional (R24 800), but includes massage-, heating- and ventilation functions, plus electric adjustment (with memory) for the front seats.
Loading up
The 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan is 30 mm longer and 4 mm wider than its predecessor, but has a marginally shorter wheelbase. Nevertheless, the newcomer’s cabin packaging is impressive.
The load-bay capacity is claimed to be 37 litres bigger than before (at 652 litres), making it one of the most capacious in its segment. The rear seatbacks can be tumbled forward by using levers mounted in the walls of the load bay, and they fold almost completely flat, which aids practicality.
Another plus is the fitment of an actual spare tyre underneath the boot floor, instead of a tyre repair kit.
Our Tiguan test unit was also fitted with the optional mechanical swivelling and power-detachable trailer hitch (a R20 700 extra cost) as well as the electric Easy-Open tailgate (R11 700).
Even when the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan was fully occupied during longer trips, there were no complaints from passengers: rear legroom is excellent, and rear ventilation outlets keep passengers seated in the back cool. And, at the front of the cabin, several more nice touches boost the VW’s overall practicality.
There is a large, configurable storage area between the front seats (as shown above – it’s located underneath a welcome armrest), and we love the flap over the charge pads, which creates a neat additional surface (rubberised, too) for storage of smaller items.
In addition to dual wireless charge pads fitted to our vehicle (shown below), there are also two USB-C ports to keep devices charged.
Performance and Efficiency
This Tiguan derivative is powered by Volkswagen’s well-known 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbopetrol engine that delivers up to 110 kW and 250 Nm of torque. Both these outputs are on the low side, compared with those of its segment rivals, but the Tiguan is a significantly lighter vehicle: it tips the scales at 1 384 kg.
Consequently, its performance hasn’t been impacted too much, with the claimed 0-100 kph figure (9.2 seconds) being more or less on par with rivals.
Mated with the brand’s 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, the focus has really been on delivering a balance of performance and efficiency, with the weighting slightly balanced towards the latter.
Volkswagen claims an average consumption of 7.6 L/100km, and we averaged about 8.4 L/100 km during the month-long test. Given the 55-litre tank, you should be able to travel around 650 km between refills.
Under full load, there is a noticeable dip in performance at or near the speed limit, and it’s something to bear in mind especially if you are considering towing regularly. The tow rating is 1 900 kg (braked trailer).
General Driving Experience
There is a fairly noticeable difference in the driving experience provided by the new Tiguan vs that of the previous-gen model. The low-speed ride is not very supple, perhaps exacerbated by the bigger wheels.
As a result, poor road surfaces can be felt (and heard) in the cabin. The 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan is also lighter than the previous model (even though it’s a bigger vehicle), pointing to potential weight-saving measures that could explain the “thinner” feel (in terms of cabin insulation).
Also, the 1.4 TSI Life’s throttle mapping is not ideal. The test unit exhibited significant lag, particularly in start-off/pull-away conditions, followed by a quick ramp-up in power delivery that sometimes resulted in undesired wheelspin (and traction problems on gravel/sand); remember, this variant is front-wheel drive.
That said, the Volkswagen’s throttle mapping is, however, something one can get used to with time.
Happily, both the ride comfort and throttle mapping issues largely disappear on the open road, where the Tiguan feels a lot more comfortable. In such conditions, it is a comfortable, refined cruiser.
On gravel, the Tiguan is a sure-footed companion (provided the surface is relatively good), but its firm ride quality does make it feel skittish on corrugations.
A few niggles
As stated earlier in this review, Volkswagen has positioned the 3rd-gen Tiguan as somewhat of a tech leader in the segment; it boasts various advanced safety features – some are standard, but some are not.
As part of the optional Life Plus Package, the Tiguan gains adaptive cruise control and forward-collision warning and braking reaction to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, as well as rear-traffic alert.
This package costs a not insignificant R20 700 and also includes a useful reverse-view camera and those lovely 18-inch wheels. Unfortunately, some of the tech features were problematic.
Very early during the 1.4 TSI Life‘s tenure in our fleet, the test unit’s Front Assist function failed, which made adaptive cruise control unavailable. This system would have been particularly helpful on the long-distance trips we were planning, but it remained unavailable for the duration of the evaluation.
Furthermore, the car’s assistance systems are way too sensitive in general, causing heartstopping braking situations when manoeuvring at low speeds. Of course, some of these features can be switched off, but then what would be the point of having them in the first place (let alone paying for them)?
Finally, the left centre ventilation outlet in the front of the car (shown above) “seized”, meaning that the horizontal direction of the airflow could no longer be altered.
Price and after-sales support
The Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI Life retails for R716 900, which includes a 3-year/120 000 km warranty and a 5-year/90 000 km service plan. Note, however, that the vehicle as tested (and fitted with the options outlined in this article) costs R812 800.
New Volkswagen Tiguan Specs & Prices in South Africa
Find a new/used Volkswagen Tiguan listed for sale on Cars.co.za
Verdict
At its list price (pre-options), the 2025 Volkswagen 1.4 TSI Life looks like an attractive option in this segment, with a desirable badge, pleasing spaciousness and an admirable spread of features. At the price as tested, however, it is considerably more difficult to make an argument in the Tiguan’s favour.
The winner of the 2024 #CarsAwards’ Family Car category – the Kia Sportage – can be had in 1.6T-GDi GT Line Plus guise for considerably less than the Tiguan 1.4 TSI Life, and the same goes for powerful and fully-loaded Haval H6 HEV Ultra Luxury. Those are just 2 examples of more keenly-priced competitors.
As it stands, we think the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan will continue to appeal to VW brand loyalists (of which there are MANY in Mzansi), but for brand-agnostic consumers, particularly those who prioritise value-for-money, the purchasing proposition offered by the Tiguan may no longer be strong enough.
Watch Jacob Moshokoa’s video review of the Volkswagen Tiguan 1.4 TSI R-Line
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