Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have encountered the scourge of semiconductor shortages affecting new-car production.

Instead of telling people to wait patiently for three, six, or 12 months (though you still can) Volkswagen has another solution for its three-row SUV.

The 2023 Tiguan Allspace Adventure is a fat-trimmed variant that was announced shortly after the facelifted Allspace’s launch in June.

Adventure trim pairs the Allspace R-Line's popular 162kW 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine with 17-inch ‘Dublin’ alloy wheels, sports suspension, manually-adjustable front seats, wireless smartphone mirroring and a teaspoon of outdoorsy marketing.

There is a small catch: the Adventure loses the Allspace’s third row of seating, but 1500 examples in six colours (including the Golf GTI’s King’s Red duco) will land before the end of the 2022.

That means you can walk into a dealer and get a turbo-petrol Tiguan Allspace Adventure right now. So, should you skip the wait?

JUMP AHEAD

• How much is it, and what do you get?
• How do rivals compare on value?
• Interior comfort, space and storage
• What is it like to drive?
• How is it on fuel?
• How safe is it?
• Warranty and running costs
• VERDICT

How much is it, and what do you get?

2023 VW Tiguan Allspace Adventure: The basics

For the privilege of driving this lightly-deconted SUV off the forecourt immediately, the 2023 VW Allspace Adventure carries a $54,990 driveaway price.

Compared to an equivalently-powered Tiguan 162TSI Elegance or R-Line, that’s around a $6700 saving on-the-road. Under the skin, the Mexican-built Allspace Adventure starts as a Life variant with some tweaks and extras, tailored to Aussie tastes.

These include the deletion of the third row for an extra 60 litres of boot space, more underbody protection (made from hard plastic), a larger accessory battery, rear luggage net, and the swapping from easy-clean leather-appointed electric front seats to cloth-upholstered manual pews. Three-stage seat-heating remains standard on Adventure.

The 2023 Tiguan Allspace Adventure retains the Elegance’s high-resolution 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity that worked faultlessly on test. Two USB-C fast-charging points and a wireless charging pad feature to keep devices juiced up.

The Allspace Adventure's eight-speaker sound system is adequate, though not as warm in tone or powerful as the R-Line and Elegance’s optional 16-speaker Harman-Kardon setup.

Finally, the 10.25-inch digital driver’s display is standard. This is still one of the best in the business with the Allspace Adventure able to display a full map and detailed navigation directions. There’s no head-up display, but the digital cluster means you’re unlikely to miss a turn.

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How do rivals compare on value?

If small wheels, comfortable suspension, all-wheel-drive security and outdoorsy marketing remind you of a certain Subaru, you wouldn’t be far wrong. In fact, the Outback wagon was in VW Australia’s mind when locking in the Allspace Adventure’s spec.

A range-topping Outback Touring ($50,990 before on-road costs) is similar in price to the Adventure, while getting leather upholstery and seat cooling. That said (until the XT turbo arrives), the Outback’s thrashy 138kW 2.5-litre atmo boxer engine and CVT combo can’t compete with the Allspace Adventure’s excellent powertrain.

The Tiguan Allspace may be classified as a large SUV, but at 4.73-metres long it’s on the cusp of midsize. We see it as a cross-shop against the Skoda Kodiaq 132TSI Sportline, Mitsubishi Outlander Exceed, Kia Sorento Sport and Hyundai Santa Fe Elite.

With fairly compact dimensions, the Allspace is also a real alternative to the short wheelbase Tiguan – especially if you’re craving the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol’s torque hit without the 12-month wait.

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Interior comfort, space and storage

The normal Allspace is an especially well-packaged vehicle, and the Adventure is no different. Ditching the third row gives the Tiguan Allspace Adventure more boot space – 760 litres of the stuff.

With the second row folded, cargo space climbs to 1920 litres, beating the larger Touareg (1800L). The load space is flat, too, making it perfect for mountain bikes and camping gear.

In Adventure trim, VW throws in a standard boot net to stop the groceries and smaller cargo from sliding around. A space-saver spare wheel is located beneath the two-position boot floor. The Adventure’s tailgate is manually operated, but the action is light enough.

The Tiguan Allspace has vast amounts of storage in the cabin. There’s a cubby up on the dash (where the Harman Kardon subwoofer goes), two more hidey-holes in the roof, door bins big enough for a one-litre camping bottle, covered cubby under the adjustable centre armrest, two cup holders and sliding trays under each front seat.

The Adventure's hidey-holes are lined with felt to stop any odds-and-ends rattling. That's great attention-to-detail.

The front seats may ‘only’ be manually adjustable, but the infinite backrest positions and lever-movable lumbar support means you can really dial in a comfy position. The only issue comes if you share the car regularly, where electric memory seats can be invaluable.

While the cloth upholstery doesn’t feel ultra-high-quality, the seats themselves are supportive and exceedingly comfortable on long drives. Three-stage heating is very welcome on cold mornings, too. The plastics all have quality graining and are soft in high-traffic areas.

For child seats, the 2023 Tiguan Allspace has Isofix ports and top tether points for all three rear positions. There is a fold-down armrest with two cupholders and enough bench width for three adults.

It’s a shame to lose the third row, but in a regular Allspace that really is a kids-only zone. In the second row, I had plenty of headroom and toe room at 188cm tall. The sliding rear bench adds flexibility for owners to prioritise luggage or occupant space.

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What is it like to drive?

With the Adventure’s off-road pitch, it’s slightly odd VW didn’t choose the 147TDI turbo-diesel.

But, Australians love the Tiguan’s 162TSI turbo-petrol – it makes up over 50 per cent of sales to the diesel’s 10 per cent – so it isn’t all that surprising.

This still isn’t a car you'd regularly tow a caravan with (though the Tiguan Allspace Adventure's braked capacity is decent at 2500kg) or go hardcore off-roading in (186mm of ground clearance isn’t heaps), so the Adventure isn't really up for more than light-duty dirt.

That’s exactly what we were treated to on the Adventure’s launch.

A typical Australian farm road that jumped between intensely pot-holed bitumen and gravel at random – often mid-corner – was the perfect test. It’s the sort of surface that would have the R-Line’s 255/40 20-inch Pirellis bursting and buckling.

Instead, the Adventure’s beefy 215/65 R17 Hankook S1 Evo rubber took the battering with glee. It’s amazing, the difference that can be made with the right wheels and tyres.

The 17-inch alloys have another benefit – this is the only Tiguan Allspace that can be fitted with snow chains straight from a VW dealership.

Back on smoother and more predictable roads, the Allspace Adventure doesn’t turn into a soggy mess. Its unique combination of the small wheels and non-adaptive sports suspension gives excellent body control and cornering support.

The Adventure’s progressive electrically-assisted steering rack is lifted from the R-Line. There’s not much feel, but the ratio is quick and natural. While firm at high speed, the Allspace Adventure’s steering becomes light and breezy around town.

Those big balloon tyres also improve the urban ride, too. The Adventure isolates all passengers from concrete expansion joints and braking bumps around Sydney better than the occasionally-abrupt R-Line, even with that variant’s adaptive dampers in Comfort mode.

As for the engine, it’s a known quantity. The 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder in the Allspace Adventure develops 162kW of power and 350Nm of torque. The torque peak is available between 1600-4200rpm, and that broad spread makes the Allspace Adventure very tractable.

It isn’t slow either, with the seven-speed ‘wet’ clutch DSG and well-calibrated AWD system seeing it claim 100km/h in 6.8 seconds. That’s quicker than a 2007 Mk5 Golf GTI (7.2 seconds).

Dialling the drive mode selector to Sport brings some more bark from the powertrain and improves throttle response. And when you want to relax instead of go quickly, the Allspace Adventure suppresses tyre and engine noise excellently. There are various terrain modes including snow and mud. For gravel, I left the Adventure in Auto off-road mode.

It may be special to get out of semiconductor shortages, but the team at Volkswagen Australia has done a great job balancing wants and needs.

The Allspace Adventure is one of the most satisfying cars in its class to punt down a country road.

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How is it on fuel?

Although the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol is much more efficient than the 3.5-litre V6 you’d find in a Toyota Kluger, a vehicle of the Allspace’s size still likes a drink.

The combined fuel consumption figure for the Tiguan Allspace Adventure is 8.6L/100km. Over 300km of open-road driving, we saw 8.1L/100km.

That’s totally acceptable for the amount of performance on offer. Around town, this is likely to climb – the official urban figure is 10.7L/100km. The Allspace Adventure requires premium 95 RON unleaded petrol.

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How safe is it?

The Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace scored a maximum five-star ANCAP rating in 2016.

The Allspace Adventure is fitted with front and rear AEB, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane-departure warning, lane-trace assist and semi-autonomous 'Travel Assist' program.

As all Adventures are MY22, they also keep blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert that will be dropped for MY23 to keep supply flowing. (Another reason to consider this unique variant.)

Recently, safety evaluation has centred on electronic aids, but the Tiguan Allspace really excels when it comes to passive safety with excellent road-holding, adept ABS and ESC tuning – particularly on dirt.

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Warranty and running costs

Volkswagen backs the Tiguan range with a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

European cars are typically more expensive than Japanese counterparts to service. VW’s five-year service pack for the Tiguan Allspace Adventure 162TSI costs $2953, a $1023 discount from scheduled maintenance.

Maintenance is due every 12 months/15,000km – and servicing a Tiguan Allspace for five years is dearer than a Honda CR-V ($625) and Toyota Kluger ($1250), but compares favourably to the Subaru Outback ($2458).

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VERDICT

It would be easy to write the Adventure off as a bit of a cash-grab for VW, but it isn’t one. The Adventure isn’t dirt cheap, but nor is it missing must-have features: wireless phone mirroring, a powerful turbo engine, surprise-and-delight storage solutions are all present.

VW has taken genuine steps to make this Tiguan Allspace more gravel-friendly, too. If you’re a country-buyer – or anyone for that matter – who regularly encounters dirt tracks, pockmarked roads or just values excellent ride, then the Adventure’s 17-inch alloys with big tyres are brilliant.

If you’re considering a Tiguan with the 162kW engine, then the Adventure makes a very strong case for itself if you can live without leather upholstery and electric seats.

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2023 Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace Adventure specifications