Enough Talk, How Do They Drive?

So round one goes to the Grand Vitara, but now for the real test – on-road performance.

Despite it’s rough-and-tumble exterior and high ride height, sealed roads are where the Tiguan is at its finest. Volkswagen has mastered the art of chassis tuning in recent times, and its current lineup certainly makes great use of this expertise.

The Tiguan, which is based on the Jetta platform, is a fairly nimble handler and surprisingly competent when negotiating a winding mountain road or two. Yeah, the extra weight of all that 4Motion gubbins blunts its edge somewhat, but for a tall midsized crossover the Tiguan is a delight to drive.

Body roll is kept in check and pushing too hard through a corner will only reward you with nice, safe understeer – if the ESP is switched off, that is. Bumps big and small are soaked up with no fuss at all, and the Tiguan is exceptionally well damped.

The diesel does a great job of getting the Tiguan moving and the six-speed manual’s ratios are well-matched to the engine, but the 2.0 litre oil-burner tends to run out of puff fairly early in the piece should you decide to get busy with the accelerator.

Clutch take-up is also a little bit awkward on the Tiguan and can make for some fairly jerky gearchanges until you become familiarized with it. Quick getaways necessitate fast and frequent shifting.

The Grand Vitara makes a solid case for itself on the open road too, with well-weighted steering, confidence-inspiring levels of grip and minimal body roll making it easy to hustle around town. That heavy V6 hanging out front does it’s best to hinder cornering performance, however, and the Grand Vitara we tested earlier with the 2.4 litre four-pot felt like a much nimbler car.

However, the V6 more than makes up for its extra heft with its ability to slingshot the small crossover to the legal limit in very short order, although fuel misers be warned – it gets pretty thirsty when pushed.

It’s a slightly firmer ride than the Tiguan and it doesn’t seem to make the most of its big suspension travel over choppy pavement. It feels sporty, but those who regularly commute over low-quality roads may find it grating after a while.

The five-speed auto worked well around town even if it did exhibit a small amount of (journalist-inflicted?) drivetrain slack, but we really do wish Suzuki offered the V6 Prestige with a manual ‘box. It’s always nice to have the option.

Both cars are great to drive on the sealed roads of suburbia, but the more car-based Tiguan emerges victorious in this instance. It’s no racecar, but it’s a better handler than the Suzuki.

So round two to the Tiguan.