The positioning of all these new 4x4 cars that flood the market is somewhat hard to follow. The Volkswagen Tiguan is not a totally road-biased SUV or a crossover, but then it's not really a thoroughbred off-roader, so perhaps it is easier just to say that it is a smaller version of the VW Touareg, the German manufacturer's other 4x4.
The car fills a hole in VW's range for people who only need something like a Golf but want something more like the Touareg - a lifestyle 4x4 that has all of the posing appeal without forcing you to pay for all that expensive off-roading technology or unnecessary girth.
The engineering of the Tiguan is based on that of the Golf, however, so that should give you an idea of what to expect. It isn't really intended to go off-roading, although it can be specced with four-wheel-drive systems. There is a special model on sale for those who think they might want to take their Tiguan further than the kerb. The 'Escape', as it is known, has extra underbody cladding and different bodywork that allows it a greater angle of approach.
Those Golf mechanicals mean that the Tiguan drives fairly pleasantly - the laws of physics are inevitably going to rein in the fun somewhat, but the VW is surprisingly lithe and rolls surprisingly little. As these cars go, it's actually quite fun.
It is practical too, offering plenty of load space seats up or down, and five can be seated reasonably comfortably with plenty of leg room. The interior is of good quality, as you would expect from a Volkswagen. The oily bits might be borrowed from the Golf, but the dashboard has been lifted out of the Golf Plus with some premium materials stuck on along the way. There are two petrols and one diesel option available - the diesel engine is the one to go for, with its smooth torque.
The Tiguan's styling doesn't really stand out as much as it should, but then VWs have become notoriously conservative with their design. The pricing of the Tiguan is quite competitive with the likes of the Honda CR-V and the Ford Kuga which are the real competition here. The VW undercuts the Land Rover Freelander quite significantly too - it might not have the cachet of that off-roader, but the Tiguan is in many ways quite a bargain.