Tiguans and Rough Roads.

[jcubed]

Hi T&M,

You are exactly right. And I check the classifieds EVERY DAY. Twice.

Now if I wanted a diesel, I could find 5 models for sale any day, but in the almost a year I have been looking, only one i6 2008 model came up for sale, and by the time I saw the advert, it was gone. It's then that I updated the weekly ritual to a daily one.

But I hear hope springs eternal ...

[jimbomort]

Based on my own experience and the findings of an off-road review of this car viewable at http://www.caradvice.com.au/16363/20...ffroad-review/, in standard form it would be unsuccessful in deep sand due to - almost exclusively - insufficient ground clearance under the sump, especially after deflating the tyres to 0.8 bar.

I suspect this is why the manufacturer instructs in the owner’s manual that you do not deflate the tyres when driving on sand, effectively disqualifying you from this terrain, per se.

j, good stuff, though I disagree on the sand based on my experience - see post #18 on this thread. We ran our tyres at 18psi.

I found our Tig (off road, manual, remapped TSI) very capable on the sand, including when it was loaded to the hilt. Sure some extra clearance would have been nice, but that aside, not a problem. Only caveat was it had been raining a fair bit, so sand not as loose as after a long dry spell, but then that also meant the rutts were more defined, the main reason clearance was a bit of an issue. I actually found it easier (and so did the car) driving on 'virgin sand' high on the beach, than in the rutts.

[jcubed]

Hi jimbomort,

I think your quote below is key to what you experienced. Don't get me wrong - I badly want the Tiguan to do as well as we were led to believe by the local pre-launch press, e.g. "tested under the harsh conditions of the Namib". However, the mere fact that none of the reports actually list the results of this "suggested" sand driving, indicates that it was not tested there, or the results were poor.

What triggered my contribution was another poster's reference to the Caradvice offroad test. I knew you guys were familiar with it, so it would be easy to explain what I meant. OK, I do think that the tester was driving like a bit of a berk, as the images showing the Tiguan being recovered from FLAT sand, is inexcusable. Yes, the sump would have dragged, but not enough to bog the vehicle down. The dune does look formidable, although I can see patches of damp, so outright speed may have done it, but as the reviewer explains, to avoid the heavy contact of the airdam when the front suspendion goes into full compression as you enter the dune, this was not possible. This compression is not something to underestimate, as the resultant thud can be pretty solid. Goodbye plastic sump cover - Arctra, stop wasting time, and go test that bash plate of yours, mate .

Where the difference lies, is as you rightly mentioned in post #18: I should say however that it rained a lot while we were there and so sand was more compacted.

The video links I posted under the "Great utube link" may explain what I mean when the sand is NOT damp. What compounds the problem, is when the route starts twisting and you cannot see around bends when the track runs in a channel. In a convoy, the natural reaction is to slow down, as you have no idea where the vehicle ahead of you is, often leading to reversing out and trying again.

It was also explained to me by the tour leader when I did the 5-day Namib trip in my Forester in 2006 - 500km of sand, mostly dunes - that the reason I was able to traverse it so easily was exactly due to the good rainy season a few months prior to the trip. So on sand, the results may well be seasonal.

Ok, so if someone can please explain how to post images on this forum from a folder instead of a URL, or alternatively how to get images from a folder onto a URL, and whether there is a dedicated one for this forum, I would greatly appreciate it, and update the text with some illustrative images in an edit.

[team_v]

Best way is to use an imagehosting website.


I use ImageHost.org - Free Image & File Hosting but you can use others like ImageBanana or ImageShack® - Online Media Hosting

[trueman]

this link may be elsewhere on the forum, but cant say I have ever found it before and have searched for articles lots of times.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/16363/20...ffroad-review/

interestingly, car is same colour as mine!, but a TDI.

they gave it a pretty good workout in the sand, and well......it didn't fair too well.

part of the problem was TDi bogging down at low revs, ESP kicking in and difficulties getting out of ruts.

so for all its worth, for those wanting to use their Tigs on deeper sand, a remapped TSI with the OFF road tech option may be best. On Moreton ours didn't have any of the problems cited in this article ie no problem at all getting out of ruts, no issues with the engine bogging down and no issues with the ESP slowing us down. In fact I finished the trip with a high degree of confidence in the Tigs ability on sand. Presumably the offroad option on our car, the faster throttle response of the TSI, and impressive torque with the APR remap even at low revs account for the difference.

MMMMM I think I'd just get a subaru still a softroader but more capable IMO

[jcubed]

1st image - the typical bends around which you can't see.
2nd image - the sand plume kicked up by the front wheel is caused by the operation of the HDC. With it switched out - by disabling the Offroad mode - you won't look like you're driving like a muppet.
3rd image - I'm actually stuck here. In deep ruts caused by the preceding vehicles, the lack of run-up and sheer speed required to stay on top of the powder, kills progress, even with the lift kit installed. After three unsuccessful attempts, I went round and did it from the other side.
4th image - same place as the utube Trig.AVI clip.

Thanks for the advice, team_v.

[Sharkie]

Sorry to say, but the Tig is no off-roader by any means. A dirt road, yes, but soft sand and real off-road, no.

Our 5 yr old RAV4 will run rings around the Tig off-road and in sand, I'm afraid. It has no ESC to mess with power, weighs 300kgs less, has a mechanical permanent 50:50 AWD and no turbo lag.

If you are after something to do sand or semi-serious off-road work in a small SUV, buy a Suzuki Vitara or a Subaru Forrester ... with permanent AWD and NO turbo.

EDIT: I recently sold our Mitsubishi 4x4 DC (with lift kit etc) that we used for real off-road work, and can say this with certainty, don't confuse 4Motion AWD and VW marketing spiel with real off-road (and sand) capability.

Enjoy the Tiguans for what they are, really great AWD hatchbacks with efficient and grunty engines that beat any other small SUV on the market on the road .....

[jcubed]

Hi Trueman and Sharkie,

Comment, and a couple of definitions.

Yes, in HINDSIGHT a Forester is better.

Better what? Better SOFTROADER.

What is a softroader? An off-roader without low range. So Vitaras not in contention.

Unfortunately not available in Diesel, has an archaic 4-speed auto transmission (from Nissan, the same they used in the pick-ups distributed here from about 10 years ago), and the boxer engine layout is not compatible with good fuel economy.

The Tiguan has all these, and as a pioneering buyer of a brand new vehicle only having a glossy brochure and the pedigree of a Touareg to go on, you could be misled to believe that the off-road ability is also a given. E.g. that the Tiguan is a mini-Touareg. It is not.

Did I mention that hindsight is an exact science?

The RAV may well be better that the Tiguan, but will be less equal than a Forester, for the simple reason that with specific Forester models you get self-levelling suspension. This is crucial to keep the rear end from bumping through when loaded with 2 weeks camping gear and tyres deflated.

But you do not mention the Freelander 2?

[T&M]

This is for the road and maybe some light offroad dirt tracks (perhaps soem beach work at a push) - no hardcore 4WD stuff at all.


This is for other 4WD stuff


Both have their place.

[Sharkie]

Unfortunately not available in Diesel, has an archaic 4-speed auto transmission (from Nissan, the same they used in the pick-ups distributed here from about 10 years ago), and the boxer engine layout is not compatible with good fuel economy.

In Australia we get the Vitara in a diesel and price wise its a valid comparison to the Tiguan ....

But you do not mention the Freelander 2?

Yes, sorry, forgot the Freelanders are big in ZA, not so much here .... and yes, that is a better small softroad alternative ... if you have the patience you need with its reliability ....