Tiguan Allspace's seven-seater replacement is destined to take VW Touareg's crown in future.
The newly-introduced Volkswagen Tayron finds itself in an awkward place.
Officially it’s the seven-seater replacement for the Tiguan Allspace. But unlike the discontinued Tiguan Allspace that was an extended Tiguan, the VW Tayron is much more than a bigger Tiguan.
Where the Tiguan Allspace was only offered in seven-seat configuration, the Tayron can be had with seven or five seats. But the latter layout won’t impede on the Tiguan, as its aspirations lie higher up in the food chain.
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The VW Touareg goes out of production in the next couple of years and the Tayron is destined to take over the mantle as the head of VW’s SUV T-family.
Lightweight under the bonnet
The biggest reason why the VW Tayron is stuck between a rock and a hard place lies under the bonnet. Here the only powertrain on offer is the 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine that produces 110kW of power and 250Nm of torques sent the front wheels via seven-speed DSG transmission.
The four-pot blown mill is a Volkswagen and Audi stalwart and worth a good flutter on to survive the apocalypse. But unlike the likes of Golf 8.5, Audi A3 and even the Tiguan Life, it has a lot more weight to move. Compared to the Tiguan, we are talking a gravitational increase of 245kg. Not exactly ideal for moving seven occupants or towing.
While the trusty the 2.0-litre turbodiesel in the Tiguan won’t be on offer due to the high sulphur content of our diesel, there are big plans for the VW Tayron’s powertrain. Not only is the 2.0-litre TSI pencilled in for next year, but chances are good that the approval of the mild-hybrid eTSI can make the Tayron VW’s first local new energy vehicle. This will bode very well for its credentials once it ascends the throne of the T-family post Touareg.
Aura of German quality
So where does this leave the VW Tayron for the moment? In a very sticky spot. The pricing, which starts at a whopping R811 800, is not doing the German whose name translates to “people’s car” any good. Peoples are rather broke.
The Citizen Motoring recently sampled the top spec R-Line derivative that comes in at R899 900 before optional extras. Three options on our test unit, the panoramic sunroof, trailer hitch and Black Style Package, pushed the total price up to a staggering R967 300. Almost a bar for seven-seater with a 1.4-litre engine is going to be a hard sell. Especially in a climate where the Chinese have started unleashing premium-quality products at the top.
What the Tayron does have going for it is the aura of quality German engineering that goes with the VW badge. Everything from the built quality to the ride quality is as solid as you can get. And very easy to envision it replacing the Touareg – with a bit more punch of course.
Striking styling
We really liked the exterior styling. Barring a slightly lowered roofline, a tweaked headlight design and square-off rear bumper, it is obvious that it is the Tiguan’s big brother. And related to the all-electric ID.4.
Standard are full-width lights strips at the front and rear along with illuminated badging. These are white in front and red at the rear.
The Black Styling pack that the standard R-Line 19-inch alloy wheels were upgraded to 20-inch York rims at no cost.
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Inside, the Tayron will have a hard time convincing buyers that it is not a Tiguan. The simplistic cabin is almost identical to that of its smaller sibling with a 10-inch Digital Cockpit digital instrument cluster and 12.9-inch infotainment system standard features.
Loads of creature comforts
Being the R-Line derivative, our tester also boasted heated, ventilated and electric front seats with a massaging function clad in Varenna leather. It also featured 30-colour ambient lighting, rear window blinds, tri-zone climate control and electric tailgate.
In addition to standard safety systems like Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Monitoring, Park Assist, Lane Keep Assist, Front Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert, the R-Line also gets LED Plus diodes for clearer vision at night.
Like almost every seven-seater, legroom in the third row isn’t exactly meant to keep adults comfortable on a road trip to Cape Town. But they will suffice on daily school runs.
Plenty of space inside
With all seven seats up, the Tayron offers 345 litres of boots space, which goes up to 885 with the rear row folded flat. In comparison, the Tiguan Allspace offered 230 and 700 litres in these configurations respectively.
Out on the road, the Tayron was a pleasure to drive. The ride is plush with the DSG box having less low-down turbo lag than the eight-speed Tiptronic mated to the same engine in our long-term Golf 8.5.
The mill did not feel underpowered, but we never had more than two adults and two slimline teenage girls in the car. Going up inclines with seven occupants on board will be a whole different story.
VW Tayron’s time will come
Fuel consumption worked out to 10.6L/100km, which is par for the course with this engine and the added weight over the Golf and Tiguan.
The VW Tayron is a solid offering hamstrung by its powertrain. Until it gets a more powerful engine, it will struggle to lure non-VW faithful to the brand, especially at that price. Once it gets the arsenal deserving of the heir to the Touareg’s throne, it will be a different ball game.
