Once you grow accustomed to the perks of an electric vehicle (EV), going back to the traditional way can be a challenge.
Just like fast WiFi or powerful air-conditioning, it resets one’s bar.
Now, this petrolhead loves the clatter of a battle-hardened Mercedes-Benz W123 240D or the pungent sulphuric pong of a 2000s Volkswagen Group product with the 1.9 TDI as much as the next engine fetishist.
And there is still plenty to be said about the energy density of diesel as fuel, as well as the seeming longevity of beloved oil-burning engines.
But you also have to wonder. Did people cling to their typewriters for the sound of clicking keys? Some, certainly, but most of the world embraced the slickness and convenience of the personal computer. An easier, quicker and cleaner way of doing things.
Last week Volkswagen’s diesel derivative of the latest Tiguan arrived for testing. My feelings toward it might have been warmer, had a recent trip to Denmark not happened, where just about every car on the road is an EV.
Unsurprisingly, the purpose of said trip was to test something with zero-emissions credentials. One marvelled not only at the palpable quietness of Copenhagen’s urban environment, but also the freshness of its atmosphere. A stark contrast with the haze of Johannesburg, with its lingering thicket of smog.
Volkswagen knows a thing or two about emissions and it is arguable that the brand’s embarrassing 2017 Dieselgate scandal catalysed a hastier shift towards electrification.
While the brand is moving full steam ahead with its EV reinvention and I.D sub-brand (at a slower pace in SA), models like the Tiguan TDI represent the last vestiges of the old diesel guard.
The TDI is served exclusively with the 4Motion all-wheel drive system, in Life and R-Line model grades, priced from R774,400 to R855,100 respectively. This includes a three year/120,000km warranty and a five year/90,000km service plan.
Volkswagen has refined its diesel technology over many decades. Starting up the modern Tiguan TDI is a far cry from what you might have remembered from those days when the brand’s diesels were a novelty, from the era of the Golf 4.
Gratuitous insulation materials and clever vibration-suppressing measures will have some struggling to distinguish the TDI between the 1.4l TSI on idle.
On the road, however, the satisfying grunt served up on kick-down is a clear giveaway. The 2.0l displacement is good for 110kW/340Nm, transmitted in unfettered fashion via the well-proven seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
It is a pairing that comes together nicely, reminding one of a time when sophisticated European diesels — particularly from Volkswagen and its divisions — were regarded as the next frontier, blending power and economy. Volkswagen claims 6.6l/100km, but if you drive sensibly, seeing better than that is a realistic possibility.
We tested the R-Line version, which has the upper hand over the Life from a visual perspective and in terms of amenities. Aside from the obvious outward highlights, the cabin has seats with aggressive contouring (and massaging capabilities for the front occupants), a larger infotainment screen, swankier trim elements and more.
There is still an options list, however, comprising niceties like a panoramic sunroof, which style-conscious SA shoppers may feel compelled to tick. Overall build quality of the Tiguan is still above average, if not on the level of its predecessor. But this reservation seems to apply to more than a few products in the post-Dieselgate Volkswagen Group.
Diesel options in the C-segment category are a dying breed. You can just about count the remaining fighters on one hand. If you fancy the torque richness and frugality of a diesel, then the Tiguan TDI will not disappoint.
But it is worth remembering that torque richness and frugality are virtues that can be delivered in other ways these days — with the silence, smoothness and instantaneous response from an EV or hybrid.
