Volkswagen Tiguan Black

So far, we’ve only had the chance to try a couple of the several engines available. The first of these is the 150 horsepower 2.0-litre turbodiesel. The Tiguan is a chunky piece of kit but this engine is up to the job, even if it doesn’t feel as lively as the figures suggest. It feels a little perkier in lighter two-wheel drive form, though. The standard manual gearbox has a nice action and you can also have the car with a seven-speed auto. It’s smooth enough, but the changes can occasionally feel a little slow and laboured, and there's an irritating - and sometimes slightly alarming - hesitancy when you're pulling away from a standstill. We’ve also driven the 190 horsepower petrol, likewise with the automatic gearbox. Again, the performance feels sprightly, if not quite as strong as the horsepower figures suggest, and the gearbox can occasionally feel a little undecided. The petrol engine is very smooth, however, and it also sounds really good, but it’ll cost you at the pumps compared with the diesel.