At this point some will claim the Qashqai is much smaller. And while on the outside the Nissan is 10cm shorter, on the inside it is much better designed and is much more spacious both for passengers and in the boot – the Tiguan comes in at 395 litres against the Nissan’s 410.
Another area of disappointment is VW’s auto ‘box. It may be good for fuel consumption but it’s not as smooth as rivals’ autos. This is particularly obvious under braking when the gearbox ‘grabs’ on down-changes.
From here, though, things improve for the Tiguan. It is possibly the most refined 4×4 on the motorway with next to no engine noise and no wind noise at 70mph. The only intrusion is tyre noise, which is dependant on the road surface. Interior quality is brilliant, too and is easily a match for the BMW or Land Rover.
So what the fleet manager or user-chooser has to decide is: can they put up with the lack of space for refinement and badge appeal?
