My sister purchased her Tiguan a few months ago, and I have been out in it many times, and also helped with a lot of the driving on long trips too, so I am in a fairly good place to write a review of it.

The model is the Tiguan Sport 2.0 TDI 140 PS 4MOTION, a 6 speed manual, and a starting price of £23,775. This sits above the Passat in the price range, but lower than the Phaeton and larger Toureg. Described as a 'compact SUV' it is basically a people carrier with extra ground clearance and four wheel drive. So if you don't need these two things you may as well look at other models like the Passat or Golf.

Performance from the 140PS diesel is excellent, 0-60 apparently in 10.5sec, which in the real world means if you put your foot down you'll leave most cars behind. There is also 236lb/ft of torque, which basically gives great in gear accelleration for overtaking, and excellent pulling power when you've got the car full of people/kids/luggage. I really like driving, and I certainly had a smile on my face in this car :-) certainly a pleasing experience for what could have been a boring family carrier! Economy is pretty good too, 45mpg is fairly normal, and on a cruise then 50mpg is also attainable.

From the outside the metalic blue paint looks very smart, as do the 18" alloys. As you would expect from a VW all the body panels meet evenly and nice and close together.

Inside, the legendary VW quality continues, with excellent quality 'touchy feely' finishes and aluminium trimmings. There are plenty of options and gadgets to keep everyone happy too. CD/MP3 player, electric windows, climate control, see me home headlights, auto lights, auto wipers, and an electronic parking brake. Now that takes a bit of getting used to, but if you don't like hill starts then you will probably find it very helpful. My sister got the panoramic sunroof too which is brilliant, it makes sitting in the back a pleasure, and adds to the sense of space.

On the safety side it comes with the usual myriad of air bags, ABS and also ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme) which includes EDL (Electronic Differential Lock) and ASR (Traction Control). These gadgets basically help reduce the likelyhood of you sliding and losing traction and ending up needing the airbags!

The seats seem fairly firm at first, but they are very comfortable, even after several hours I didn't have any problems. My dad who has a bad back also found it very good too, and was even happy in the back which is a minor mirracle!

There is plenty of boot space, swallowing luggage for a long family holiday, or giving two dogs plenty of space on a day trip out. There are also roof rails, which make adding a roof rack for bikes/kayaks/roof box an easy operation further increasing the carrying capacity.

The only negative point about this vehicle was the tyres it came with. These were very sporty tyres, and therefore don't have much grip when it comes to any form of mud or snow. Being a 4 wheel drive this is a bit stupid, and the ABS, traction contol was always kicking in. Suffice to say that when the first sprinkling of snow appeared the car went to the garage for some winter tyres. These have been a revalation! Suddenly the ABS/traction control hardly ever kicks in, and the car stops better, and doesn't slip anywhere near as much! I'm sure a lot of people won't care about that, but if you need to stay mobile and live out in the sticks then changing the tyres is pretty much essential!

Overall however the Tiguan is a great vehicle, and I would be very tempted by it if I needed a four wheel drive people carrier type vehicle.