Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 2023 review: 110TSI Life

What does it look like?

Well, we’ve figured out it’s a nice size and looks the part of the family mover. Its relatively low to the ground for an SUV but this was a bonus for me because it meant I didn’t have to help my five-year old in and out of the car all week. 

Initially, it looks likes a standard Tiguan, albeit stretched. It sports the same crisp styling in the pinched lines running the length of the body and the shiny grille is modern and fresh. 

The snazzy looking 18-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lights and headlights also give it a sporty edge. It’s a very smart looking exterior but the finishes on the interior is where it's let down.

The interior is a bit of a mixed bag. There’s a mesh of basic and high-tech styling, particularly in the dashboard that integrates digital displays and touchpads with harder plastics. 

The top of the dash doesn’t sit flush with the door panels and there are significant gaps between the doors and dash, too. Big enough that I could slide my fingers in-between them. It’s still nice inside but it could have been executed better.

How does it drive?

The 110TSI Life has the smallest engine of all the Allspace variants but there’s still plenty of power under the hood. There’s great pick up with the turbo and cruising on the open road is a pleasure. 

The supple but direct steering is a highlight. The steering wheel also feels lovely under your hands. It’s usually smooth to drive and the suspension feels fairly forgiving over all of the potholes but there is some roll in corners. 

My mum was grabbing the handles when I was turning in the city at low speeds, so don’t expect to be tackling bends with much gusto.

Despite having a longer wheelbase than the five-seat Tiguan, the Allspace is really easy to park. It has a good reversing camera but on two occasions this week, it didn’t switch on. That’s probably just a little glitch in this particular car but it was surprising that it happened at all. 

The front and rear sensors feel accurate and I love that all grades of the Allspace have a parking assist feature, where it will park itself! Very handy when you’re not confident you’ll fit in a spot.

How spacious is it?

It lives up to the Allspace name with the very generous head and legroom, there’s plenty of elbow space too but those in the front and middle rows will appreciate the space the most. 

My five-year old enjoyed how much space he had in the middle row, and the big windows meant a good view for him, too. Consider the third row as ‘sometimes seats’ because they’re really only suitable for children or a smaller adult on a (very) short trip.

The storage is good throughout the car. The glove box and centre console are average in size but the drink holders in the doors seem larger than usual, and you should be able to fit a pretty big bottle in them. 

In the front row, the two cupholders are retractable, meaning you can tuck them away when not in use and add a pretty big storage cubby to the console. 

There’s a cubby to the right of the steering wheel and one on top of the dash and two shelves in the roof that are designed for loose items but they seem the right size for sunglasses (four, if we’re being specific). There is a drawer underneath each front seat, which adds some flexible storage options, too.

The middle row is curiously narrow and there’s about 10cm (or the width of a large iPhone) between the edge of seat and door on each side and I can’t see a reason for it. Having that extra width, may have meant you could get a third car seat in. 

The boot is a great size when the third row is down and easily fits large luggage. When the cargo blind isn’t stored underneath the floor, there is a deep storage pocket on each side which would be handy for smaller items that you don’t want rolling around.  The second row has a 40/20/40 split-fold, and the front passengers seat folds flat, too, so there’s some great flexibility with storage of gear. A bigger boot, though, means you compromise by having a space saver spare tyre.

How easy is it to use every day?

The Allspace is simple to operate, it’s easy to park and has the space to fit your gear. That’s a pretty good combination for a family SUV. 

The seats are of a classic Euro hardness but surprisingly comfortable, even on a longer trip. The quilted black cloth has a nice texture but I prefer something hardier with kids around! 

The 110 TSI Life is the entry-level model and that means you’ll be making do with manual adjustments on the seats but they do have lumbar support, which is always welcome. 

You can get an optional 'Luxury Pack', that adds leather seats with electric adjustments and heated front seats, as well as other features, but that will cost you an extra $5500. Which is a steep increase. 

The back seat doesn’t have a lot going on, in terms of looks, but some comforts have been well-thought out. There’s climate and fan control, as well as, device pockets and map pockets. 

I always a prefer a hard kickplate for little feet, as I can see some wear and tear with little ones on the backs of front seats. The armrest is wide and comfortable and has two cupholders. 

The third row has no directional air vents or reading lights, so I think while it may suit the tweens of the family, even they will prefer the trip to be short.

The boot sports a handy rechargeable torch, if you ever need one and even at this price-point, the Allspace comes with one of my fav features – a powered tailgate.

How safe is it?

The Tiguan Allspace comes with some great safety features, like: adaptive cruise control, AEB with pedestrian detection, rear cross-traffic alert, lane keeping aids and blind-spot monitoring system - as well as a thing called ‘manoeuvre braking’ that is designed to stop you from reversing or driving into objects at low speed. I quite like the parking assist feature, where it will park itself. 

It also comes with seven airbags including curtain airbags covering the third row, which is good, and better than some big-name rivals like the Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento, among others. 

The Tiguan has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating but the testing was done ages ago, in 2016.

There are ISOFIX mounts on the outboard seats plus three top tether child seat mounts but it’s fairly narrow and depending on your child seats, you might struggle to fit three in side by side. 

However, it was pretty easy fitting my harnessed booster (which is a monster) and a rearward facing seat plus, there’s good room for front passengers when a 0-4 rearward facing seat is fitted, which is excellent!

What’s the tech like?

The tech is reliable and the packaging looks good. The 8.8-inch touchscreen has been nicely integrated with the dashboard and is intuitive to use. You won’t be scratching your head trying to make head or tails of it, which is always good. 

The digital instrument panel looks really good and is easily customisable. It was easy to connect my iPhone 8 Plus to the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but there are also two USB-C ports up front if you can’t get the wireless connection going.

The wireless charging pad has been handy this week to charge my smart phone while I’ve been driving. Backseat passengers can also stay charged up with the USB-C port and 12-volt outlet. 

How much does it cost to own?

This is the entry-level model and will cost $44,590, before on-road costs. It has plenty of competitors, including the Skoda Kodiaq and Kia Sorento and while they’re slightly bigger, the Allspace offers the same flexibility with its seven seats and healthy standard features list, so it’s reasonable value for money.

The official combined cycle fuel consumption is 7.3L/100km and I achieved just shy of that at 7.4L/100km. Impressive for a turbo-petrol SUV but I have done a fair bit of open road driving this week, with some city mixed in. That figure will likely be much higher in an urban setting, so that’s something to consider if you do mostly city driving.

The Tiguan Allspace comes with Volkswagen’s five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard for the class but it also comes with one-year roadside assistance. 

You can get five-years capped-priced servicing but servicing averages at $650, which is expensive for this class. Servicing intervals are reasonable, coming every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.

Verdict