Tiguan SE 4wd 140 ps TDI

Good solid well handling and comfortable compact SUV much in demand

Car has generally performed well over nearly 3 years of ownership, often in very adverse weather conditions with some minor reservations about slow distribution of drive selection of 4wd system in ice and snow. On longer journies has performed extremely well very confortable for driver and 4 passengers with reasonable space for luggage. Variable rear seat adjustmenty and folding found to aid comfort and when carrying longer or bulkier items. Pre-owned with relatively short-term but high mileage when I took over the car it was notable that Reflex paint does not seem too reslient to frontal stone chipping and increased front tyre-wear was also quite noticeable and I have recently had to change front tyres, but this may be a symptom of driving style and use by others?
Downside - recent failure of sensor controlling operation of Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) a month out of initial 3-year VW Warranty. Matter to be resolved by VW and Agency under a Goodwill claim.
Overall personal ratings:
Styling - original excellent but not too impressed with VW's latest attempts including narrow grille
Performance - very good in terms of diesel consumption, handling, acceleration and speed, etc.
Handling - overall excellent some minor reservations on speed of 4wd drive selection in ice an snow with slightly heavier than expected front tyrewear (perhaps in an earlier life?)
Finish - paint appears prone to frontal stone chipping (perhaps in an earlier life?), interior rugged and hard wearing easily cleaned and comfortably firm for occupants on longer runs
Flexibility of internal seating and load capacity - excellent relatively easy to configure and adjust
Minor niggles concerns to date - life expectancy of electrical components
General - lot of competent and close competition out there but excellent styling and VW residual values are major factors, with overall very good performance and fuel consumptiion considered. Final line - sold the car in April 2012 as doing low annual mileage and did not want to line myself up with facing expensive bills due to DPF filter failures, etc. which may not be covered by warranty.

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