Lepas L6 vs Volkswagen Tiguan

What's the difference?

Chery really doesn’t need any more brands in Australia, but here is Lepas, anyway.

While the L6 EV is rather characterless, it’s arguably the best Chery Group vehicle I’ve experienced to date. You can tell a lot of work has been put into localising it and as an electric mid-size SUV, it’s a pragmatic choice.

The new Tiguan is as confident as ever in its identity, even in such a crowded mid-size SUV space where there are so many models worthy of your attention.

No matter which version you choose, this is still the mid-size SUV for a driving enthusiast who doesn’t quite have premium dollars to spend.

While it may not quite expand its appeal as much as the brand hopes precluding a hybrid variant, those who are choosing this as their family hauler for the right reasons won’t be disappointed.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Take away the Lepas badge on this car and you could tell me the L6 is a new model from any new Chinese brand in Australia.

The overall silhouette screams generic mid-size SUV with design elements to make it look modern, tougher and sleeker. There’s nothing revolutionary about it and as a result it blends into mediocrity.

What isn’t bland about the exterior though is the paint colours that are available. There’s a bright orange, as well as a lovely purple. You unfortunately don’t see colours like this on the road as often anymore.

If orange and purple are too lairy, Lepas also offers boring colours like white and grey. There’s also black, though it’s strangely only available to those who pre-order.

Inside the uniformity continues. It’s an ultra-minimal look with the majority of the dashboard focus being on the portrait-oriented 13.2-inch touchscreen multimedia system.

It’s nice to see different types of materials around the cabin as it helps to elevate the premium feel. There’s also barely any glossy piano black, though unfortunately it does feature on the steering wheel buttons which are frequently used and can get grubby quickly.

While the beige synthetic leather upholstery stands out, it’s not particularly family-friendly. It would be nice if there was a black or darker option for those who don’t want a light interior.

The new Tiguan is a bit of a mind-bender. Its new design seems to make it feel smaller than the outgoing vehicle, despite it being both slightly wider and longer.

This, I have decided, is because the design creates a visual effect, where the upper curvier parts seem to shrink it down, and the additional length makes it seem narrower than the more boxy visage of the previous model. Also, it’s 20mm shorter than the previous design, which we’re told combines with the new bodywork to make for a 15 per cent drag reduction.

Either way, it’s nice not to see a mid-size SUV not continually engage in an arms race to get bigger and bigger. Volkswagen will also introduce the dedicated seven-seat Tayron later in 2025. It’s a half-size up and replaces the outgoing Tiguan Allspace, and this time it features a much more distinct design from its Tiguan sibling.

The third-generation Tiguan not only embraces a more curvy design aesthetic than its predecessor, but it also features many more contemporary design elements. The headlights and curvy accents over the wheelarches feel like they more closely associate this SUV with the new ID.4 and ID.5 EVs, while the light bar across the front on some grades combines with the new light bar across the rear to give it a trendy silhouette. It tops things off with the ‘Tiguan’ letterwork on the tailgate, and, as usual, a sporty spoiler fitting giving the rear hatch a bit of depth.

As usual, VW’s array of gloss-black, chrome or plastic garnishes on the outside, depending on grade, offer a subtle and tasteful finish to the exterior appearance.

The inside is revolution rather than evolution, now heavily screen-centri, and featuring an array of lighting features like many of its rivals.

The screens look the part and have fast and mostly straightforward-to-navigate software, while the seat designs are a real highlight, being both aesthetically pleasing and nice to the touch in all grades.

The ambient lighting features add a sense of presence to the cabin, and unlike the outgoing car, the new one feels a bit more driver-centric thanks to the design of the dash and screens effectively pointing their way down the road from the driver’s point of view.

It does away with the sparse feeling of the previous car, elevating things a notch with an increase of nice materials throughout.

While some may find the abundance of gloss-black finishes a bit harder to maintain, it’s hard not to feel like this new Tiguan is a major generational jump from the previous one. Mission accomplished, VW.

Like many SUVs, the driver’s seating position is high. This gives the driver a commanding view of the road ahead, though it may be a touch too high for taller people.

The front seats are comfortable and soft. The amount of electric adjustment available is enough, though it would be nice if the under-thigh support could be adjusted.

Looking ahead, the steering wheel is a classic, flat-bottomed Chery unit with a Lepas badge on it. It’s nice to hold and while the glossy piano button sections can get grimy quickly, there are physical buttons that press. There’s no awkward touch-sensitive button nonsense.

Behind the steering wheel is a short and wide 8.9-inch digital instrument cluster that, despite its size, displays a lot of content. There are a series of informative pages you can cycle through, which is good for customisation.

Moving across, the portrait-oriented touchscreen multimedia system has a simple layout and user interface that’s hard to get lost in.

There’s a handy swipe-down control centre menu with many key functions, plus you can swipe up from the bottom to change the climate control functions.

It’s great to see a bank of physical buttons under the touchscreen for key functions like the drive modes, air conditioning and the defoggers, among others. These aren’t guaranteed in every Chinese car now.

Around the cabin there’s a 50W wireless charger with a slot on the other side for the passenger to put their phone, two cupholders, a large centre console with an additional open storage area under the touchscreen, as well as a glove box.

In the second row there’s plenty of space on offer, like many Chinese SUVs. There’s oodles of legroom and headroom is good too, even with the panoramic glass sunroof.

The rear bench is reclined back a fair way, creating a lounge-like experience and the seat itself is soft and plush.

In terms of amenities there are air vents on the back of the centre console, a USB-A and USB-C port as well as a fold-down armrest with cupholders.

At the back there’s a power tailgate as standard. When it opens it presents the boot which offers 435L with the rear seats upright. It’s a decent space with a flat load floor.

There’s a surprisingly deep 99L underfloor storage area that’s great for charging cables among other odds and ends.

Lepas has said it’s exploring options of a space-saver spare wheel or an esky accessory to better utilise this cavernous underfloor space. Nothing is confirmed yet, though, so that means the L6 EV only has a tyre repair kit.

Like the previous model, VW hasn’t forgotten its pragmatic touches for the interior, despite its increase in complexity and appointments.

Finding a driving position was easy for me at 182cm tall, with both a healthy adjustment range for the seats and steering wheel. The digital instrument cluster remains one of the best on the market in terms of usability and customisation, while the multi-function steering wheel commits to buttons rather than the widely-disliked haptic feedback panels, which have appeared on various other VW models.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t entirely extend to switchgear for key functions, with the climate control exclusively controlled via touch sliders, a touchscreen menu or the Tiguan’s new voice control suite, none of which are as intuitive as just having a physical dial for temperature and fan speed and buttons for recirculate, auto and on-off.

However, the Tiguan does have a central dial on the console, which can cycle through volume control, drive modes or ambient lighting modes when pressed. A welcome addition.

Moving the shift stalk to the steering column, like the ID.4 and ID.5, has also allowed additional space for the centre console area, which is now quite versatile. It includes a variable-height armrest console box with either dividers or a dual-bottle-holder fitting, which can be interchanged between the two areas, while the dual-charging bays up front have a rubberised cover, which can be pulled down as to not waste the storage space. This has the additional feature of making the cooling system for the wireless charging phones more effective.

There are two large bottle holders and pockets in each door, which have a carpeted finish to reduce vibration, and there’s also a passenger glovebox.

The rear seat offers a healthy amount of space behind my own driving position. I had leagues of knee room and a healthy amount of airspace above me, however the presence of a tall raise for the transmission tunnel eats into the amount of room a centre passenger would have for their feet.

The comfortable seats continue and are on rails if you need to increase the amount of room in the boot, or simply want a more aggressive recline. When it comes to storage, there are bottle holders in each door, a drop-down armrest with dual bottle holders, dual USB-C outlets on the back of the console, as well as dual air vents with a touch control panel for the independent third climate zone. The only thing it seems to be missing is built-in window shades, which are offered on some Skodas and the now-discontinued Passat (RIP).

The boot helpfully features a powered tailgate on all grades, and measures in at 652 litres with the second row up, or 1650L with the seats down. Numbers can be deceptive, but it does seem large for the class, and there’s a space-saver spare wheel under the floor.

Volkswagen is attempting to broaden the appeal of the Tiguan this time around. As such, it hasn’t jacked prices up massively like some recent new-generation versions of rivals, despite a comprehensive cabin tech overhaul and big lift in standard equipment.

As a result, the range is vast, with six variants covering a wide price spectrum and, as the brand says (or hopes), a wide range of potential buyers.

Kicking it off is the base model 110TSI Life, which, at $44,990 plus-road costs, is only $1000 more than the outgoing version. It sports a carryover 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, although it has a new version of VW’s seven-speed wet dual-clutch automatic sending power to the front wheels, replacing the derided dry dual-clutch that marred the base version of the old car.

Standard equipment on the base car is high, including 19-inch alloys, a full array of LED lights both for the headlight clusters and rears, it also includes a 12.9-inch multimedia touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster with the brand’s signature digital cockpit software, tri-zone climate control, ‘comfort’ cloth seats (said to be benchmarked against the best in-class) with manual adjustments, a leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel, dual wireless phone chargers, ambient dashboard lighting and even an electric tailgate.

The mid-spec Elegance grade can be chosen with either the 110TSI engine in front-wheel drive, or the new 150TSI 2.0-litre engine in all-wheel drive, priced at $50,690 and $60,690 respectively. It increases the equipment to include chrome styling on the exterior with alternate 19-inch wheel designs, rear privacy glass, improved LED headlights with a lit-up centre strip and dynamic cornering functions, leather interior trim, power adjustments with heating, ventilation, and message functions for the front two seats, and a heated steering wheel.

Alternatively, there is the 150TSI R-Line which starts at $55,690, representing a $4600 price reduction compared to the outgoing 162TSI R-Line. It is also all-wheel drive only and features an R-Line styling pack inside and outside, with sporty but manually adjusted cloth bucket seats featuring integrated headrests up front (which miss out on the heating and ventilation of the Elegance grade), black headlining, an R-line steering wheel with additional contouring, 19-inch alloys in a sportier design, a wider wheel and tyre package for enhanced grip, and the VW’s signature progressive steering tune.

Both 150TSI cars also add adaptive chassis control and hill descent control as standard, with an additional off-road and snow driving mode, while the Elegance specifically scores a larger 15-inch multimedia screen.

Finally, topping out the range is the new 195TSI R-Line priced at a massive $70,490. Not only does this grade score its own 195TSI engine sourced from the Golf GTI, but it also adds everything available in the range, swapping out the 150TSI R-Line’s cloth seats for the leather-trimmed, heated, cooled and massaging ones otherwise only available on the Elegance, along with the larger 15-inch screen, sporty steering wheel and R-Line appearance package inside and out, along with its own set of 20-inch alloy wheels.

Option packs include a black styling pack for the R-Line at $1500, a panoramic sunroof available on the Elegance and R-Line grades at $2100, and the Sound and Vision package, which adds premium audio and the larger 15-inch multimedia screen to the 110TSI variants for $2700.

This makes the Tiguan range span from surprisingly good value at the low end, to a real enthusiast-only proposition at the pinnacle, with VW even pitching the 195TSI R-Line at the lower-end BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC buyers.

In reality many of its mainstream rivals should include options like the dominant Toyota RAV4 ($42,260 - $58,360), Subaru Forester ($38,690 - $50,140), Nissan X-Trail ($38,025 - $59,265), Hyundai Tucson ($39,100 - $61,100) and Kia Sportage ($32,995 - $55,420).

The surprise, some will note, is all of the Tiguan’s rivals have at least one hybrid variant, where VW has chosen to stick with combustion only for the time being for its new-generation mid-sizer.

Power for the L6 EV comes from a front-mounted electric motor sending 160kW and 275Nm to the front wheels.

Lepas claims it can do the 0-100km/h sprint in 7.9 seconds, which historically would have been supercar territory, but it’s now average for EVs.

There are three engine options in the Tiguan range, and it is notable none are even mild hybrids (MHEVs) in 2025.

The base engine present in 110TSI variants is even a carryover 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine, providing 110kW/250Nm to the front wheels. The big news for these base cars is the dry-clutch DCT has been swapped out for the better-performing wet-clutch version, which also has various improvements made to it for this iteration. Notably, VW has stripped-out the stop-start system with this engine and transmission combination. 

The brand says it opted not to use the more recent 1.5-litre MHEV version of this engine as it simply didn’t need it to meet Australia’s new emissions standards and it would have added a prohibitive amount to the cost of entry-level variants to justify its inclusion in the range.

Next up is the new 150TSI engine. It is a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder unit, which replaces both the 132TSI and 162TSI engines from the previous-generation model. It provides 150kW/320Nm and drives all four wheels via the same seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. This engine also reintroduces stop-start.

At the top of the range, solely available on the R-Line, is the 195TSI engine. VW says this offers buyers of the previous Tiguan R somewhere to go, but also an option for those who wanted more than the previous 162TSI R-Line offered. The 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged 195TSI engine is sourced from the Golf GTI and produces 195kW/400Nm, driving all four wheels via the same seven-speed dual-clutch. It reduces the 0-100km/h sprint time from 7.1 seconds to 5.9 seconds.

It is a shame in the current environment VW hasn’t chosen to make a splash with the 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant, which is available overseas. This Tiguan features a 25kWh battery paired to the 110kW engine to make for an estimated 100km electric-only driving range. It even features both 11kW AC charging and 50kW DC charging for convenient top-ups.

If you want it, tell your dealer. VW tells us they’re working on a business case for the PHEV in the background, but if you want electric driving for now, it’s pointing current customers to the ID.4 (from $59,990 before on-roads).

The electric motor in the L6 EV is fed by a 65kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery that allows for up to 440km of claimed range, according to NEDC testing.

That's less than the BYD Atto 3 Evo Premium offers and is roughly equivalent to Geely EX5 Extended Range. Both of these mid-size Chinese electric SUVs are cheaper than the L6 EV.

DC fast-charging is available at rates up to 120kW, which allows for a 30 to 80 per cent charge in as little as 22 minutes.

AC charging, on the other hand, is offered at rates up to 6.6kW. This is much slower than the 11kW benchmark at this price point.

Efficiency is remarkably even across the Tiguan range, with the new engines and updated transmission helping to make things reasonably straightforward.

The base 110TSI versions have an official/combined fuel consumption of 7.6L/100km, as do the 150TSI versions thar benefit from the stop/start system but have the added heft of all-wheel drive.

The top-of-the-range 195TSI R-Line, meanwhile, is said to consume 8.5L/100km. All versions require 95RON mid-shelf unleaded. And for those who care, the 110TSI and 150TSI produce 173g/km of CO2, while the 195TSI produces 194g/km.

Interestingly, the 110TSI variants have a 55-litre fuel tank, while the 150TSI and 195TSI have a 58-litre fuel tank.

Behind the wheel, the Lepas L6 EV offers just the right amount of oomph. Goldilocks would approve.

Around town you can accelerate with traffic easily, plus if you boot it a little harder, there’s still enough in the tank. It’s fun watching the power gauge on the instrument cluster go red when you accelerate harder.

It’s worth noting if you gun it from a standstill, there may be some tyre squeal. This is a front-wheel drive car with 300Nm of torque.

There are three drive modes available - Eco, Normal and Sport - which all do what they say on the tin. Normal as a default mode is all you really need in a car like this.

For regenerative braking there are also three modes and you can cycle through them using a configurable button on the steering wheel. None offer one-pedal driving, however, meaning you need to use the brake pedal to come to a complete stop.

My favourite of the three regen modes tended to be the weakest. This more closely simulates a combustion or hybrid driving experience, as with the stronger modes the transition to regen can be a little too strong.

With the steering there’s an adequate amount of weight, though there is almost no road feel. It feels like you’re steering the car in a video game as there’s no feedback from the front wheels.

Lepas claims the L6 EV has “European” tuning for the suspension and in practice it is a little more composed and settled than previous Chery Group vehicles I’ve driven.

You wouldn’t call this a sports car by a long shot, though, as the car wallows about when pushed harder. In the everyday this car is agreeable enough, just mediocre and soulless to drive.

For noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), the L6 EV is naturally already a quiet car given it’s an EV. We didn’t do a great deal of high-speed driving at this launch, so we’ll have to wait and see how road and tyre noise is at a later date.

The Tiguan range has some significant upgrades from behind the wheel this time around, but there are a handful of areas where I was surprised to find it didn’t quite live up to expectations.

Firstly, the seating position and driver-centric cabin design make the Tiguan feel like more of a driver’s car than ever before. The bucket-style seats and the high beltline combine to make the seating position feel like more of a hatchback than an SUV. Yet visibility out of the cabin is healthy thanks to large windows and mirrors.

As you set off, the Tiguan feels smoother through its drivetrain than its predecessor, thanks to the new dual-clutch automatic being sandpapered when it comes to its initial engagement and shift-mapping. Even the base 110TSI, which can sometimes struggle for initial torque thanks to a dollop of turbo-lag, has a decent roll-on, and with no stop-start system this time, it’s much more friendly when hopping on the accelerator from a standstill.

The steering tune is great in all grades, helping to make this new Tiguan feel light and reactive, despite its slightly expanded dimensions. This lightness is a trait which shines through on this new version, making it feel much less pedestrian than almost all of its rivals.

On the base variant, this can be to its detriment at times, with the 110TSI engine occasionally overcoming the grip of the front tyres when a lot is asked of it, however all-wheel-drive versions are much more confident in their footing, not only delivering power in a more linear fashion, but also putting it to the ground more smoothly.

R-Line variants, with wider and more expensive tyres, are reactive, grippy, and simply outstanding to drive in this mid-size segment, with the 195TSI bringing a strong additional lump of torque and a throatier engine note.

Indeed, this version of the Tiguan leans into the nameplate’s best traits and solidifies its position as the driver’s option in the segment. The 150TSI R-Line in particular stood out as raucous amounts of fun for a mid-sizer for a fair price, as it could be driven significantly harder than the more powerful 195TSI.

However, this new Tiguan was also not without some disappointments. The amount of road noise in all grades was notable, and while VWs are usually known for their balanced ride quality, all Tiguan variants also featured a certain seemingly inherent firm response to sharper blemishes in the road, perhaps a cost for the otherwise superb body control.

These blemishes in driving ambiance were relatively minor in scale, but surprising to find nonetheless.

Every new Tiguan gets the full array of modern active safety kit, including freeway-speed auto emergency braking with vulnerable road-user protections and intersection features, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, both rear and front cross traffic alert, a 360-degree parking camera suite, driver attention alert, traffic sign recognition, adaptive cruise control and exit warning.

It also features an emergency assist feature, and there’s a suite of nine airbags, including a centre airbag. VW is anticipating a maximum five-star ANCAP rating, although at the time we put this review together, the SUV’s score was yet to be released.

Lepas covers the L6 EV with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, whereas the high-voltage battery pack is covered for eight years or 200,000km.

Logbook servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km. The first seven services are capped-price and total a pretty sharp $2043, or $291 on average.

There’s also up to seven years of roadside assistance and as part of an introductory offer, L6 EV buyers can get either a complimentary home charger or public fast-charging subscription.

It’s worth noting Lepas has a separate dealer network from Chery and Omoda Jaecoo. At launch there are 23 dealers and the company plans to have a total of 30.

Thanks to the Chery Group, Lepas already has official channels for aftersales and spare parts. A metro dealer is claimed to be able to receive a spare part overnight, for example.

Volkswagen offers the Tiguan with its usual five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. While this is still the prevailing standard, the warranty wars are back with more manufacturers pushing into the seven-to-10-year category.

The Tiguan requires servicing once every 12 months or 15,000km, although pricing for the service packages was yet to be revealed at the time we put this review together.