VOLKSWAGEN'S ALLSTAR (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Introductionword count: 48

Volkswagen's second generation Tiguan widened its market reach in this lengthened 'Allspace' guise to include those wanting a third seating row in their mid-sized SUV. Could a used one be all the car you'll ever really need? Here, we look at the earliest 2017-2021-era versions of this model.

Modelsword count: 10

5dr SUV (1.4 TSI, 1.5 TSI, 2.0 TSI, 2.0 TDI)

Historyword count: 411

By 2017, increasingly, it was no longer enough for mainstream brands to just offer a single mid-sized SUV. By then, the market was demanding that mainstream makers also provide variants of such models that were lengthened so as to be able to incorporate a third seating row. Volkswagen couldn't ignore this trend - and didn't, bringing us this bigger 'Allspace' Tiguan derivative. It wasn't hugely larger than the standard version - 215mm longer, with a wheelbase extended by 106mm. Still, that was enough to make quite a difference to the way customers could potentially use this car. And quite a difference to the way that Volkswagen could sell it too. The standard Tiguan wasn't really big enough for the brand to offer in countries like America, but in pumped-up 'Allspace' form, it was a perfect fit as an entry-level SUV for that market, the additional rear inches also freeing up the extra second row room that burly Yankee buyers often need. This helps explain why Volkswagen did more than just add some extra length to this model - the styling of the front end and the roof was different too. And why this Allspace variant was built on the other side of the Atlantic from its standard stablemate - at the company's factory in Peubla, Mexico, the plant then assembling Beetle and Jetta models. The distance that fully-assembled versions of this car had to come to sell in our market wasn't what accounted for this larger Tiguan's rather higher price point though. That was down to the fact that that for this variant, Volkswagen ignored the lower-spec and lower-powered trim and engine options you could have with the standard body style, seeking to position the Allspace as a stepping stone to its larger more luxurious Touareg SUV. So, it wasn't a budget-buyer's choice in this segment, but if you're a Volkswagen customer who was already after a plusher Tiguan from the 2017-2021 period, the prospect of extra seats and extra space could well appeal. But will this model also interest families shopping amongst up-market versions of more affordable contenders in this sector from this period - like Nissan's X-Trail and Peugeot's 5008. Or the Skoda Kodiaq and SEAT Tarraco twins, cars that shared much of this Tiguan's engineering? That's a much tougher ask. Let's taker closer look at what this car has to offer to the used buyer. This earlier version is our focus here: it was lightly updated in mid-2022.

What You Getword count: 686

In Allspace form, this Tiguan ought to be just slightly bigger. Which of course it is, but somehow the changes made in creating this larger model created something more. From the central B-pillar backwards, everything was re-designed to allow for the 215mm of additional length. As part of that, the wheelbase became 106mm longer, stretching between black plastic-trimmed wheel arches housing rims of either 18 or 20-inches in size. The bodywork of this bigger variant follows a different contour from that of the standard model and the rear part of the side window design features a sharper curve upwards where it rises directly behind the C-pillar. The roof was redesigned too, featuring its own unique set of structural lines and framed by standard silver roof rails. More surprisingly, there were also changes at the front, where the radiator grille became higher in comparison to the standard car. Plus the bonnet became more upright at the front, and carries different accent lines from front to rear. All well and good, but what you'll really want to know is just how much difference the Allspace design changes made in terms of luggage capacity and rear seat room. We'll start with the impact on passenger space - and passenger access: that's aided hugely by the much longer rear doors. Most of the time of course, the folks you're carrying will want to take a pew in the middle row, where they'll enjoy 54mm more kneeroom than they'd get in an ordinary Tiguan. That's assuming the rear bench is set in the correct position. As in the ordinary model, it can slide backwards or forwards over a range of 180mm. What about the third row seating? Volkswagen suggests that this area is 'ideally suited' to folk of less than five feet two inches in height - children in other words. Should you have really drawn the short straw and be confined to the third row as an adult, then as usual in a mid-sized seven-seat SUV, you'll find that the high floor line necessitated by having to make space for a 4WD system means that your knees will be a little uncomfortably positioned up towards your chest. Still, if those in the middle row can be persuaded to push their bench forward, it'd be bearable here for fully-sized folk on shorter trips. OK, so we've covered the additional room that this bigger Allspace body style frees up for people. But what about packages? Once the hatch is raised, the room you'll have to play with depends of course on whether the third row chairs are upright. If they are, you'll have 230-litres of carriage space. If you need more room, then folding the third row chairs into the floor is easy, providing the second row seats aren't pushed all the way back. If they're pushed all the way forward, then once you've done that, you'll have 700-litres of space to play with, 85-litres more than you'd get in the similarly-configured boot of an ordinary Tiguan.. If you need to flatten the middle backrest, then you can do it by using neat latches on either sidewall on each side of the cargo bay. That frees up 1,775-litres of space, 120-litres more than an ordinary Tiguan can provide. Enough on the spacial advantages that this Allspace body style can offer. Let's finish with a focus on an area of this larger Tiguan model that didn't change with this body style - the front seat environment. And remind ourselves just why a seat behind the wheel of this Volkswagen SUV persuades so many potential customers to buy one. Basically, the appeal is that here, you're getting near-premium segment quality at near-volume segment pricing. The extra technology on offer helps with this impression and it's certainly something that your sales person will want to emphasise. You get more of it in the Allspace as all variants come complete with the upgraded 'Discover Navigation' version of the brand's classy 8-inch glass-fronted centre-dash infotainment display. As well as sat nav, this touchscreen effectively deals with all the usual DAB stereo, Bluetooth 'phone and car informational functions.

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