Volkswagen Tiguan 5N (2008-2016)

Good car - expensive replacement parts (in Australia) - I call it Theft! Here's why: – Had a factory fitted trailer tow pack fitted (from new) which became faulty. Fault was no right indicator on trailer (only the trailer). Took it to VW dealer. Too hard to check out while in for service (aparently) and would need to bring it back at around $150 per hour = labour costs. Decided to do some fault finding (Electrical fitter in a past… Read more

life) and narrowed the fault to the Trailer module which sits on top of the rear passenger side wheel arch. Contacted VW Spare Parts at my dealer with the part number of the module. They quoted $990 for this part. I searched around and found www.carsystems.com (in Western Poland) whom I provided my VIN to and they confirmed the correct part. They Internationally expressed posted this to me which I fitted after replacing fuses F40 & F41 in front of the drivers right knee - both for this module and both were blown). Total cost delivered from Poland - AU$189. I saved AU$800 and more if I let VW actually do the fault finding. Frankly, I call the difference in price highway robbery - THEFT! FYI to all you VW owners out there with a factory tow pack.

Ok car but expensive to maintain – Drive 2 or more hours in it a day. Had it regularly serviced. Interior although not cheap plastic, is very basic. Leather seats are good though. Unfortunately though I could not afford to pay top dollar to have it serviced at a VW specialist and took it to Ultratune, Mycar and Kmart auto. Oil constantly leaked from engine and I had to replace… Read more

the water pump 3 times. Just got rid of it as it became undrivable. Was told it needed an engine rebuild at $14000. I would never buy VW again.

Disappointed – My reversing camera just stopped working, car just out of warranty, had to take back to VW twice for them to diagnose ($180 each time), can't believe a major function on the car would fail in such a young car. Cost to replace camera will be close to $800 and that is with a good will discount from VW. Was hoping VW would cover the total replacement of camera but not to be. Show details

Intake manifold problem – The vw centre inspect the car and charges me $596 for nothing and just says intke manifold problem which was changed in by the dealer few weeks ago. It has been the dramatic diagnosis and the Vw still says I need to get another intake manifold form dealer Or either pay 1300 for the new one fitted included labour. The problem here is what if I pay… Read more

1300 for the repair and it doesn’t work out. I don’t trust these 2011- 2012 Tiguan car - Tiguan anymore and I don’t believe the Vw Centre in Goldcoast and their diagnosis Style. They should have spare manifold to check the real problem and then perform the report which gives clear vision of what has to be done and what is the one to repair. Performed sin by buying this car. Report says - I take manifold problem if no ecu. Charged $596. I wish Australia had strict guild lines about these Vw car like USA has and followed their path and good legal system to help common citizens. I am sandwiched between dealer and Vw centre for the repair and there is not relieve. Vw all cars are crap and repairers are just evenworst trash....

Best car I've owned – This is my second Tig. I bought a used 2010 model 3.5 years ago and loved it. A year ago (October 2017) I wanted to upgrade and bought the 2017 110 TDI Comfortline version. Couldn't be happier. The options that come with the Comfortline are amazing. Love the leather seats, front seats heated, sunroof, driving assistance package (cruise control,… Read more

lane assist, etc) and I could go on. The Adaptive Cruise Control function is something I use every day, whether driving on suburban streets or the freeway - it's ability to moderate the speed according to how close you are to the vehicle in front is fantastic and makes driving much less stressful, as well as helping to avoid unintentional speeding fines! I found the boot space in the earlier model a bit limiting, but they increased it in 2017 and I find it adequate. You can easily release the back of the rear seats to fall forward if you need more space - you can do this from inside the boot itself as well as from each side of the rear seats - another convenience.

The economy of the diesel engine is also great. Around town, I'm usually achieving between 6 and 7 litres per 100 kms. On a trip, it can go down to around 5 - can't complain about that!!. And although the smallest diesel VW offers in the Tig, it has plenty enough power. If you plant your boot, it will take off fast. If you want to tow a trailer with a good load (rated up to 2000 kgs), it handles it easily (be aware, however, that VW only allow max. 100 kgs on the towball, so you have to be a bit careful how you load the trailer or the type of caravan you tow).

All round, I highly recommend this as a family vehicle or just as your normal vehicle because as an SUV it's higher off the road and for a 70-year old like me I find it much easier to get in and out of than my wife's Mazda 3 (which by the way is another great car in all other respects).

Excellent car, great value for money – The Tiguan is a great car that represents excellent value for money. The handling and overall driving dynamics of the car is quite good. Having driven almost all the cars in this segment (CX5, CRV, etc.) the Tiguan was easily the best car to drive in this segment. The 1.4L engine (110kw) is a great engine that provides plenty of punch, and is more… Read more

than enough for every day use. The fuel economy is also excellent too, with the engine having cylinder deactivation tech, meaning it can run on 2 cylinders at times to save fuel.

There's also plenty of tech in the car, even in the entry level Trendline trim, this includes the 8" infotainment system that has Apple CarPlay. The touch screen is very responsive and the menus are clear and intuitive to use. The safety tech is also great, including AEB and active lane keeping which is very cool, and the biggest party trick: self-parking. All this in an entry level car is quite amazing.

The interior is very clean and functional, as you'd expect from a German car. Inside the car is quite well insulated from external noises. There's plenty of room for both front and rear passengers. It has a quite a premium feel to it.

The DSG gearbox can be quite jerky at low speed manoeuvres, especially if you're used to conventional automatics, and there's a slight learning curve in getting used to the gearbox. Once the car gets going, nothing compares to how smooth the gearbox is.

The running costs so far seem to be fine, with the yearly service schedule with capped price servicing ($360 approx.).

One of the best cars I have ever had – I've bought this car at a second hand dealer so it wasn't new to begin with. My Tiguan is serviced at the specified, required times. I am driving it for my second year now. Apart from general maintenance, the Tiguan has performed excellent with no mechanical failures yet. Compared to the other cars in our household, the Tiguan has outperformed… Read more

them by far in terms of mexhanical issues. As a women driving almost always alone, it is a great comfort and peace of mind that the car I'm driving is reliable.

Great SUV – Car is a daily drive, gets serviced every 15,000....car has not missed a beat after 60,000. The 155 is powerful, put it in sport mode and sport suspension and take to a spirited mountain run. This car surprises everyone. Show details

Best SUV I've owned – Absolutely love it! Very well built, comfortable and economical SUV that has the edge on many other similar priced vehicles. Handling is excellent and ride is very good and quiet. Ive driven a lot of SUV's of this size and price and I reckon the Tiguan 2 ltr turbo petrol is as good or better than most. Had no issues whatsoever. Love this piece of German engineering! Show details

Nice car is it reliable – I got 2017 vw tiguan highline all the goodies got off my wife farther done 86000 k so far had replaced water washer motor push button start went now it say on dash gear box in emergency mode can drive on gear box is fine . all so come up crash asst not working front parking cencer not working come on dash but after restart car goes away don't no what's wrong happen in morning then nothing all day Show details

Shame on VW – Since I purchased this car I have replaced the following parts which are common issues for lots of people.Cluch kit which cost me more than $3000 The roof was leaking as is sunroof so i`ve put silicon on the plastic tubes,because of the leak roof liner was gone had to replace that, the roof curtain stopped working new one cost more then $1000.00… Read more

After that intake manifold replaced it twice as it fails all the time,next fuel injectors replaced then fuel pump failed, after that started leaking so main seal was replaced I can only say one thing would not recommend this car to worse of enemy and again shame on vw for cheating on people

So many issues – We bought the top of the range Tiguan back in 2011 when we started our family and have issues ever since. This is my first BRAND new car purchase and am really disappointed. There’s always a bad smell coming through from the beginning and even though I’ve taken it back to dealer they just clean the filter until I ask them to replace it and even… Read more

then it needs to be done very regularly. And then the oil consumption issue start- need to top up the oil engine around every 1000k - apparently this is NORMAL and because it’s within RANGE they can’t do anything else about it besides topping it up!! Then recently I discovered that there’s a oil leak (I’ve bought up that this could be the cause of the low oil but they said it wasn’t!) it’s and a coolant leak- bye bye $2000 to fix and now the oil light still comes on at 1000k - Generally I love my car but with all these issues I’m thinking I need to get rid of it and soon. Will never buy another VW again

NOT a reliable car at all – Bought this car brand new from VW Wangara WA in 2014 for 38000. sold in 2018 for 12000. Second-hand value took a dive after warranty expired. The maintenance is very high range from 500-900 every time and lack of feature. at 97000KM the engine start getting rough so I took the car for check and apparently the DSG gear is worn out!! to fix the… Read more

problem will cost 2000!!!!!!!!!! so guys, do not buy this car regardless if this is a German engineering and 5 star safety rating. for the money I spend, you can easily get something much more from that. This is my lesson.

Not quite a family car – I purchased a Volkswagon Tiguan 162 TSI with the r-line package, sunroof and sound and vision package. The car looks great, and is comfortable to drive. The sound and vision upgrade was a definate must have. Unfortunately, once we had our first child we have found it to be a little too small. The car seat fits; however, limits the room for the… Read more

front seat passenger. Once the pram is in the boot there is very little room for anything else. In addition to this, we experienced a few issues with a number of warning lights within the first few months. The engine light came on and the car dumped all of its oil due to an issue with the o-ring on the dipstick. The car has had 2 warranty claims. I do really enjoy driving this car but it's size and the issues experienced means it isn't quite up to scratch.

OVER PRICED RUBBISH – We purchased a 2014 132 TSI Pacific, 7 speed DSG with only 58,000km's five months ago and have had nothing but problems with it. Initially, our insurer advised us that Tiguans are really over priced in the used car sector so be careful what you buy. In five months, the car has been back to the dealer for leaking oil at the bottom of the engine… Read more

near the timing chain, timing chain tension replacement, transmission problems and sunroof jamming. $20,000 down the drain if you ask me when you have this many problems. Should have bought a Hyundai or Kia I think.

Good, quick and and mostly reliable car – Got the 2010 125kW TSI Tiguan some 9 years ago. Good acceleration (best among SUV), car like dynamics (compared to other SUV). Average city mileage. Not without flaws. Battery changed when 5 yo. Tyres changed at only 40K. A major issue was the water pump when 8 year old (an expensive $1400 service). Quite thirsty in town(11/100), economy increases… Read more

greatly (8/100) on the freeway. Supercharger getting noisy lately. Would i buy another? If handling and road manners are important, then yes, if luxury and cabin comfort are more important, than my wife's CRV feels/ looks better.

Love It – I bought my 2017 Tiguan froma gentleman who had owned it for about 12 months. It is lovely to drive, very comfortable and has all the features you would expect. I like the way it handles and the reversing camera. perhaps I was easy to please I had previously owned a Polo which was a wondeful car too. The Tiguan has great seating positions so is very comfortable for a long drive. Show details

Perfect for small family – After doing lot of research bought tiguan 118 tsi..it s perfect suv for small family with young kids,for every day use ..i m getting 8 l /100.. Good mileage in summer than winter . haven't had any problem yet . Show details

Perfect economical family car!! – We purchased the VW Tiguan Allspace 6 weeks ago brand new and couldn’t be happier!! It is the perfect size for our family and the extra seats have come in handy on numerous occasions. We purchased the 2.0L Turbo Diesel and it fuel efficiency is outstanding!! We use this car for our everyday driving to and from school drop off, work and kids after… Read more

school activities. So plenty of short local trips done. Have also done a couple of long distance trips to test fuel consumption and couldn’t be happier!! Well done VW you have produced a reliable and economical family car.

Beware new VW buyers. Dishonest. Known common faults on many models. Read our experience – My wife purchased brand new Tiguan. Top model costing $50,000 Even now the new model sounds like a very suitable car for her, but we would never buy another vw product. Just google it for yourself. Yes the cars feel great to sit in and drive, but please google the faults and VW attitude for yourself before buying a new vw. Some faults: Car… Read more

filled with water from sunroof fault (common problem). Things were floating around the floor.

We had to have the ENTIRE interior removed and dried out. There were small mold trees growing under the seats!

Fuse box burnt out in engine bay (common problem)

DSG transmission erratic (common problem)

Aircon fan blower motor failed (common problem)

Sunroof headlining fell out

Dealer-fitted accessories started to fall off but servicing dealer would not rectify as they were not the actual vw dealer who fitted them. This should have been covered by any vw dealer.

Dash warning lights serially come on for no reason but vw say it’s no problem

Rattles and squeaks, omg! On many road surfaces it sounds like a plumbers work van inside!

Badges faded in colour.

Aircon barely cool on hot days.

During warranty period, dealer ignored our reports of dsg problems.

VW insisted on using a very expensive DSG oil in transmission. Some years later they changed their story and said to use a very different oil and that the special oil had been causing many of the vast number of problems. Poor owners had been paying for the expensive oil and actually causing problems in the process.

The dealers extended warranty wasn’t worth the paper it’s written on, when we looked more closely.

The fuse box caught fire under bonnet and is common. Despite a recall, the Penrith NSW dealership said that only the $1 fuse was covered by recall and we had to pay $800 for the new fuse box. They offered to ask VW Australia for a goodwill replacement of the faulty part and when I questioned this, the service staff member told me that he now wouldn’t even request the goodwill offer. A call to VW Aus proved that the dealer was lying and the repair was fully covered and arranged at another dealer. How dishonest!

Our car is not new anymore, but I urge anyone considering a new vw, go and do some research yourself. Google VW faults and read about the customer experiences and dishonest practices customers write about all over the internet. Read also about customers experience with timing chain (belt?) issues and the lies they have been told. Google is your friend lol

Remember vw falsifying emission tests worldwide?

We purchased the top of the line model, and when it rains I need to run outside and tie a tarp over the roof of the car to stop the water flooding in! Truly, this was the top of the line model at the time? Give me a break. Never again VW for us. We know a number of other vw owners who have reported great disappointment with breakdowns of their vw. Message on the instrument panel indicates one thing but it’s always something much more major and costs a fortune to fix because a normal mechanic tries to fix what the instrument cluster reports, whereas only vw scan tools can detect true source of the problem and they are very expensive repairs. Please google and inform yourself before you buy any vw product.

We fear the transmission will fail anytime soon...despite recording our concerns at every service and being ignored.

She is still driving the car, but what a joke to have to tarp the roof when it rains and find undercover parking whenever the forecast says a possibility of storms.

What a disappointing experience owning this “quality European car” has been. I think in fact it’s built in Mexico?

Dreadful experience overall.

German engineering at its best!! – We use the Tigaun as a family car, it's very spacious and comfortable! Plenty of room for 5 people and our puppy, serviced every 10,000 kilometers. Mechanic said this is a very reliable and fuel efficiency is excellent! We love the turbo diesel and will definitely be purchasing a future model  Show details

So much better and roomier than the previous generation – We love our Tiguan, it has all the benefits of the Golf but with a great ride hide and comfort. We had the previous Tiguan and found while good, it lacked the space to be a true family SUV. The current Tiguan is just perfect in so many ways, the size, power and features.  Show details

Lovely little car – LOVE this car so much! It's such a joy to drive and easy to navigate. There is plenty of space within the car without it being super bulky. It has great speed and great modifications. I am very tall so get very uncomfortable on long drives but the Tiguan is super comfy and added bonus that it looks super smart too. :)  Show details

Nice dry weather car – Front sensors and cruise control can cease to operate in light rain. Sales staff say they are unaware of the problem. Our car is early 2017 model and Management were saying at the time they were unaware of the problem, it's happened to us 5 times in 16 months and we know how dry it's been, now there saying refer to the Manual which says it can… Read more

happen in extreme wet conditions, who reads the manual before they buy a car, and it can happen in any sort of wet conditions. VOLKSWAGON HAS IGNORED ALL OUR COMPLAINTS, AND NOW SAY THE CASE IS CLOSED.

Great Car – Recently purchased a used 2008 TDi model for my son. Came with a near new tow bar and the full sun roof. A one owner well maintained car. I am really impressed with this car. Good solid well build German engineering. Runs on the smell of an oily rag. Happy to recommend this as a great family car.  Show details ·  1

2012 VW Tiguan 132 TSI Pacific – I had this car since new and have nothing but praise did about 110K and was issue free and the engine was powerful and very smooth to drive and the quality was top notch, It has been in 3 hail storms on highway still not a mark...now thats what I call quality, Sadly had to sell it as we were after 7 seater and VW allspace didn't have enough room for our requirement. miss our little tiguan.  Show details

Tiguan R line – We’ve replaced our beloved Amarok with another veedub only because the Amarok didn’t have rear passenger airbags. We are actually glad we’ve made the swap because this model is leap and bounds from the previous model it replaced. The look first and foremost, looks mean and aggressive with its lines and bulges. The R line made this even a head… Read more

turner with its 20in wheels and smoked lights. The extras we’ve got made this like an autonomous car, car assist and added safety features were most welcomed and works well. It’s definitely a solid build and the only gripe is because it’s so good, I see a lot of it on the road. Lastly, it drives like a petrol, meaning it’s quiet and the torque! It’s awesome.

Frugal featured monster – Love this car, economy is 7 or below on 95ion unleaded. Love the sunroof and digital dash. Can’t really fault this car, would of loved the LED updated headlights reserved for the top spec, but this is the base model with and Audi stable engine. Happy motoring guys and girls. Oh and kids love this car due to their own air con, table on the back of front seat chairs, and the seating height.  Show details

132Tsi oil consumption – Agree with others comments on VW, partners 132Tsi uses around a half a litre of oil every few thousand k's. Also Shine lawyers have conducted a class action on 2012 model Tiguans which some models the engine timing chain can break causing engine failure. The oil burning issue is apparently because the engine bores are honed in a particular way to… Read more

minimise friction and the oil control ring is too small (1.5mm as against 2.5mm). As a result owners are finding relatively low kilometre motors consuming a lot of oil. This is a known issue with VW but the company is apparently only interested in selling volumes. As someone else mentioned stick with Japanese or Korean cars if you want long term reliability and a good warranty, or get rid of your "Euro vehicles when the warranty runs out.

Hasn't skipped a beat – Needed to upgrade my car due to increased driving on dirt roads in the country, and the need to switch to diesel. Fuel consumption is incredible - 1000k to the tank (a lot of highway driving). The interior is so stylish, with the luxury packeage included. Seat warmers are my savior in winter. A/C is very efficient in summer and don't notice it… Read more

affecting fuel consumption.

Only annoying thing is the AdBlue and finding petrol stations with it on tank. Annoying having to buy it in containers and add yourself as liquid is quite corrosive.

The other annoying thing is the auto-stop. It should be designed to be turned off by default with the option to turn on if needed. A few times I have had auto-stop activated and needed to quickly enter an intersection and the pause between kicking back in is dangerous. I would not recommend using it if you need to cross a busy street.

Besides that I absolutely love it!

Great car – The body is sturdy, it’s not a tin box like other cheaper SUVs. It has excellent pickup and responsive braking and steering. My one criticism is the boot space. It’s barely enough to fit a large stroller. Add shopping to that and you are putting groceries all over your passenger seat and in the foot well. However, it’s a trade off I would take over having a big, slow, ugly SUV or people mover (eek!).  Show details

2016 110 TSI Comfortline - Excellent – Great to drive, so far no mechanical issues. Servicing with VW at Mile End (SA) I thought would be a pain, as I wanted to do it closer to home, but in the end it was delivered on time & washed. I was happy :-). Reversing light (there's only 1, even though 2 "lights") is a bit of a pain, I thought one of the lights wasn't working! Sometimes the… Read more

engine takes a while to kick in if you floor it. Fuel economy is great. GPS is excellent. terrific visibility. Love the sun roof. The lips on the front bucket seats are a bit annoying getting in and out. On the whole would buy another one

VW Tiguan.. great when working but a nightmare when not! – I bought my 2009 Tiguan 3 years ago.. and I have to agree with the others reviews...When a problem occurs (and inevitably it will), parts and servicing are EXTREMELY expensive. It’s a difficult job for your local mechanic without the specialised diagnostic equipment. Off to the VW dealer. Several weeks and a few thousand dollars later and The same… Read more

type of issue ... different faults. VW Tiguans really are the motorists worst nightmare! Don't risk it. Stay away from this VW like the plague.

Late 2016 5N2 Tiguan 132 Tsi comfortline 4motion – 8.5 ltr/100, so far so good , only done 11000 kms ( due for service at 15000kms) , driven more than 2500kms thru Wave Rock, Denmark , Bluff Knoll and Albany in WA without any drama in various country roads conditions on and off roads with 4 motions on and off , gone thru storm and wet road Conditions without any drama. Super stable body roll ,… Read more

sure footed like a magnet to the road ( standard Michelin tyres ) as we often had to drive a bit faster at very late night and early morning through super long empty country road in southern WA. Still finding so many new things wiTh the gadgets in this car ( comfortline safety package with active info display ) . It’s truly an amazing European car quality compared to outlander and RAV4 we had driven down to the southern of WA in previous trips . Highly recommended for very long drive as you need a great car for safety and back comfort :)