What is it?
Turbocharged Direct Injection technology (you may not know) is a Volkswagen Group invention, first used in 1989 for a TDI-badged diesel version of the Audi 100, before going on (for reasons you will know) to bring the company some quite undesirable publicity 26 years later.
Injecting diesel fuel directly into the combustion chamber is nothing new, and neither is combining that fuel vapour with ice-cold turbocharged air for a bigger bang, but its starring role in this review will no doubt spark discussion for the very fact that it runs so overtly counter to the future-thinking rhetoric at the heart of Volkswagen’s current manifesto.
Curiously, in fact, you could walk into a Volkswagen dealership at this very moment with a little over £30,000 in your pocket and emerge with either this 2.0-litre, four-cylinder diesel SUV or a much more futuristically styled electric hatchback (with a 261-mile range) in tow. Of course, as Wolfsburg gradually expands its electric ID line-up, we’ll start to see oil-burners such as this discontinued, but for now they continue to form an integral part of the brand’s European range, to the extent that some 20% of facelifted Tiguans sold in the UK are expected to be diesel-powered, even after the market introduction of the tax-friendly, plug-in eHybrid version next month.
There’s no denying the superficial appeal of such a powertrain, even in light of the social stigma that’s now grown around cars that sup from the black pump. Even the most abstemious modern petrol motors can’t quite match a diesel for long-distance frugality, and for lugging large loads - in this case likely three children, a dog and maybe a bike or two - the low-end torque will be a significant boon. But the fact remains that these cars are no longer as cheap to run as they once were - for the majority at least - and as low-emission zones are adopted and expanded across the country, their daily usage will gradually become less and less viable.
Join the debate
Add your comment
"It’s worth noting that if you’re married to the idea of a diesel Tiguan but do lots of urban driving, the closely related Seat Tarraco can still be specified with the 2.0-litre lump and a row-your-own ’box for similar money"
What? Did Autocar just recommend bigger SUV with manual gearbox for URBAN driving? This makes no sense!
So many comments from diesel-lovers here, many of whom probably haven't driven an alternative for years. Who's most biased, the journalist who wrote the article or the people who write the comments?
The journalist wrote something that was totally untrue not so much biased, more like bollocks.
Completely under-represents the well proven value of diesels in cars like this:
simple, well proven reliability of well known diesel technology, much better real world mpg, effortless torque at the revs most drivers use, ease of use without dicking around with charging cables, fuel range, additional weight of hybrid batteries and motors.
Not to mention that the risk of the most modern diesels being banned from urban centres is minimal. And, of course, forgets about the additional damage to the planet caused by making huge batteries.
Completely agree! Not sure where the 25% of sales is coming from as most of these are diesels for the reasons everyone has mentioned! I haven't looked but whatever the petrol MPG figures are, take 5 off straightaway and yes this applies to diesels too. When my wife was getting a Tiguan and looking at the diesels, the salesman tried to sell her the 2.0T petrol as it was in stock (fair enough) and tried to sell it as "only 12mpg less than the diesel". Problem was that's 38mpg and with the above in mind and that engine you are looking at early thirties realistically! No chance and especially as she does decent miles in one! Anyway away from that, a very strange and also frustrating review. Completely biased and it added no value to the reader at all really. Poor show.