test drives

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The idea of swiping a credit card has been transferred to the driving experience. Opening the sunroof, operating the heating or the radio is all done by a scroll of the finger in the Volkswagen Tiguan. Henry, my ten year old son likes this.

Correctly pronounced “TEE-gwan” (TEE-gwahn), the name is a blend of the German words Tiger (tiger) and Leguan (iguana).

Initially, I sit in the car on my driveway to familiarise myself. There’s a dial where the gearbox is often located but on first inspection this isn’t anything to do with that, it’s for the volume. So where’s the gearstick?

“It’s on the right of the steering wheel,” guides Henry who is far more aware than me!

This reminds me of the gear shifts on cars of the past, with a modern twist.

There’s a button behind the volume dial that releases or engages the electronic parking brake.

So that’s simple enough.

Only it isn’t. When I push the start button and engage drive mode, releasing the parking brake and pushing the accelerator, the car rolls down our sloping driveway, which is frightening. After some research I discover that when the footbrake is pressed hard at the same time as starting the engine this should engage auto hold, but even then there is some forward movement. The car doesn’t seem to like our bumblebee covered lavender bush. Reversing up the driveway it violently brakes all by itself, which when I don’t feel very well is almost enough to see the contents of my stomach plastered across the windscreen. It doesn’t matter whether I reverse down the driveway or park head on, the same problem presents itself. Even after I have switched off all parking technology it seems. If there ever was a case of incorporating too much technology, it is here.

As I pull away there is a delay as it takes a little time for the transmission to acknowledge that the accelerator has been pressed. Problematic, even dangerous, when pulling out onto a fast moving road. Selecting sports mode does not seem to speed things up either. It is also necessary to push the selector away from you when changing from sports mode to driving mode because if you don’t do that it falls into neutral, which you eventually notice when travelling at 60mph because of decreasing speed. Then when braking we don’t come to a smooth halt but more of a bouncy springy stop, which is all rather unnerving. No doubt for reasons of efficiency but other hybrids don’t feel so disconnected.

“This isn’t just a volume control,” smiles Heidi (13), pushing and turning the dial to reveal various driving modes that appear on the screen. This seems ill thought out to me. In my mind it should be used for one or the other. Not both. It’s confusing.

Externally, the Tiguan mild hybrid is a smart looking, sophisticated vehicle, finished in a tasteful metallic blue.

It’s a sizeable vehicle with good amounts of legroom for five occupants and the large boot is perfect for a family’s requirements from a tip run to a break away.

I take it on the Wightlink ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne on the Isle of Wight and when we return to the vehicle we find that the only cars to have their alarms sounding on the crossing are those from the VW Group – the Audis, VWs and Skodas. They must have very sensitive alarms compared to say, Hondas.

For me the Tiguan is a reflection of society. It highlights when change is incorporated for the sake of it and does not bring with it any advantages. Sadly, the Tiguan feels like a large lumbering lethargic vehicle, well suited to our times and in need of a health check.

Facts at a glance

By Tim Saunders

It’s a busy week during the course of the test and while I thrive under pressure, I do get a bit hot under the collar especially in persistent heat waves. The Jazz copes with my varying driving styles with ease.

“It’s a granny car,” smirk the children. “It’s the Yazoo car,” chips in Harriett.

So they all expect this happy looking car to crawl about at a snail’s pace with no pizzazz whatsoever.

So imagine their surprise, and mine, when on the A32 – an excellent driver’s road, favoured by motorcyclists – I’m able to put it through its paces a little. So much so, I’m not convinced that the quoted nought to sixty time of just under 10 seconds is correct in anyway at all. It feels considerably faster perhaps because it’s accompanied by a fabulously eager roar, not dissimilar to a motorbike (which of course Honda also manufactures as well as powerboats). Very much a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Lots of fun. It’s a fairly light and tinny vehicle and all in all this is a winning package for me. At the start of the test I miss my beloved five-speed manual gearbox but surprisingly it doesn’t dampen my enjoyment of this car. Pulling away from roundabouts on the A3 is an absolute delight when the road ahead is clear at night. “Stop doing that,” my wife insists. “It’s not comfortable as a passenger.” She’s right of course but selfishly I need to see what it can do and that roar is ever so slightly addictive. It’s certainly a reliable overtaking machine, helped by that large panoramic windscreen which gives excellent vision.

This superb all-round family friendly package can cost less than £30,000 and it includes luxuries like all round electric windows, heated front seats and steering wheel, cruise control, speed limiter and sat nav. There are no sticky leather seats, instead there’s very pleasant cloth trim and the seats, oh the seats are so supportive. This is one of the areas some manufacturers can come unstuck on but Honda gets it right time and time again. There’s no glass sunroof. But there is an excellent driving position and that’s what matters.

A slight issue is when the sun is in a certain position the mottled finish of the dashboard reflects on the windscreen, which can be a bit off-putting for the driver but thankfully this only happens once during the test.

Honda’s hybrids really take some beating and I am even able to drive at 60mph in electric vehicle mode, which I didn’t think possible. How technology advances.

I can’t believe how tall our children are growing (but we’re still able to shoehorn them into our 24-year-old three-door Corsa) – anyway they sit in the rear of the Jazz in greater comfort; there’s a good amount of legroom, which Harriett at 5ft 7 and Heidi at 5ft 2 do appreciate. Henry’s still playing catch-up but it won’t be long.  

Usually rear seats can be a bit awkward to get down when a large amount of space is required. Not so in the Honda. Simply lift the lever at the top of the seat and it goes flat. I’ve got some old chipboard that’s 6ft long to dispose of and it fits in the Jazz.

Whatever the situation - be it the school run and pootling around between 30mph and 40mph or demanding motorway driving, the Honda has all the Jazz it needs to cope. This is a little car with a massive Japanese personality. It embraces hardwork, much like Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa who founded this conglomerate back in 1948.

So you won’t be surprised when I say this is an excellent family car. Reliable, robust and raucous when pushed hard. A sports car paired with a family car. For me this is the one to beat. Go and test drive one today.

Facts at a glance