Volkswagen might be the biggest selling brand in Europe, but it’s sometimes amazingly slow to give its customers what they want. It took the company seven years to offer the Touran as a riposte to Renault’s 1996 Scénic MPV, for instance, and it’s a staggering 13 years since the appearance of the Toyota RAV4, the compact 4x4 that inspired this Tiguan “baby off roader”.

And there have been heaps of successful offerings from other manufacturers in the meantime, not least Honda with its CR-V, Mitsubishi with its Outlander, and Nissan with the recently launched Qashqai. However, it is the Land Rover Freelander that the Tiguan is aimed at.

One advantage of being late to the party is that you get to see what everyone else is wearing, and if the Tiguan is not the most glamorous or modish of off roaders, it is certainly one of the better thought through.

For a start it comes packed with all the latest whizzy motorist aids that would have drivers of an old Land Rover Defender scratching their heads in bemusement. These include an electronic self-parking system, a rear parking camera, a panoramic sunroof and a particularly flash sat nav and stereo system that can store 30 gigabytes worth of music.

More practical is the fact that the Tiguan can tow 2½ tons, more than any other car in its class and an advantage complemented by a neat, optional pop-out tow hook. Further pleasing details include a steering system that prevents the wheel being wrenched about during serious off-roading, a sat nav system that can work out where you are even if you are off road and a front passenger seat whose backrest folds forward for extra long loads.

Acknowledging that few drivers do in fact go off road with these soft-roaders, VW has devised a version called Escape, specifically intended for the rough and tumble of unasphalted topography.

It has a different front-end design that allows it to mount steeper banks without scraping its bumper, and comes with a more sophisticated battery of electronic off-road aids. These include hill-descent control, pioneered by Land Rover, which brakes the car to crawling speed on steep slippery slopes, and a hill-holder that operates in conjunction with the electronic handbrake so you don’t roll backwards in the boondocks.

The car’s brain also activates a limited slip differential to eliminate wheelspin, alters the antilock brakes’ strategy to suit loose surfaces and reduces the accelerator’s sensitivity – useful over rough stuff. And there’s also a compass.

Yet VW reckons only 5-10% of Tiguan buyers will opt for this version. As with most four-wheel drives, the majority of buyers see these cars as stylish estate cars. They enjoy the high seating position and the feeling of enhanced security it provides, the better view and the protection of all-wheel drive in slippery conditions.

All Tiguans come equipped with permanent four-wheel drive – 4Motion, in VW parlance. Rather than sending most power to the front wheels when moving off, this latest system divides it equally between all four wheels, ensuring maximum traction from rest whatever the weather. Once on the move it will send 90% of the engine’s energy to the front wheels if conditions are clement, this being the more economical arrangement.

And this is the problem for VW. On the one hand it knows there is a market for 4x4s such as this, while on the other it is sensitive to accusations of environmental vandalism. After all, how many mothers need thirsty four-wheel drive for the school run?

To try to counter this image the Tiguan is the first VW to be fitted with the company’s latest, much-needed and more efficient diesel engine. It’s a 2 litre direct injection turbodiesel. As you’d hope, the new 140bhp diesel is considerably quieter than VW’s cacklingly loud old-school diesels, especially at a cruise.

This engine is expected to be the bestseller in the UK, although at its launch next February there will also be a 150bhp 1.4 litre petrol unit. If that sounds unfeasibly small for the task of propelling a moderately stout off-roader, fear not, for this engine is boosted not only with a turbocharger but a supercharger too.

The TSI petrol engine, as it’s called, has already debuted – to mixed reviews – in the VW Golf GT, and is an early example of an engine trend called downsizing that’s sweeping through the car business.

Smaller capacity motors, even when boosted like this, are inherently more economical, improving a car’s consumption and reducing its carbon dioxide emissions. That the Tiguan 1.4 TSI puts out 199g/km – pretty close to the 189g/km achieved by the slower 140bhp diesel – proves the point. These two engines will eventually be joined by two additional petrol units and one more diesel.

The economy of all Tiguans is improved by the standard fitment of a six-speed manual transmission, a component that will see a fair bit of use in the 1.4 TSI, which demands committed gearchanging to get the best of an engine that sometimes struggles slightly, not least when moving from rest. Happily, it’s an otherwise brisk performer, if less relaxed than the 140bhp diesel that makes the better buy.

The Tiguan’s road manners are complemented by its comfortable and classily appointed cabin, which is not only well finished but also exceptionally well laid out. The sat nav screen is sited conveniently high, the instruments and controls are easily understood and the electronic handbrake frees plenty of storage space between the comfortable front seats.

Better still, given this is a family car, is that the back bench is almost equally accommodating, and when slid into its rearmost position provides generous legroom. The seat is split 60:40, is easily dropped (though folding it back requires unexpected effort), and though it doesn’t pack totally flat it nevertheless opens up a substantial load bay. The boot itself is well shaped and reasonably big, even with the back seats pushed fully back.

If all this sounds dourly practical, keen drivers will be pleased to hear the Tiguan turns out to be unexpectedly deft on twisting back roads, rather like Honda’s CR-V.

Body roll doesn’t disturb the equilibrium of either car or occupants, there’s plenty of grip and a surprising resistance to running wide. So while the steering hardly feels like it’s been lifted from a sports car, this off-roader gets about with satisfying athleticism.

It achieves athleticism of a different kind off road, too, tackling steep hills, monsoon drainage ditches and body-tilting earth banks with pleasingly robust insouciance, though its stiff suspension can make the experience rather jostling for occupants. That this is quite often the case on poorly surfaced tarmac roads may turn out to be the Tiguan’s biggest drawback, unless you hold rather unexciting styling against it.

But unostentatious, sober design and a well honed blend of abilities to go with it are what VW specialises in. Factor in a standard of finish that’s usually a cut above – as is the case here – and a pleasing absence of irritating foibles, and you can see why Volkswagens usually sell.

The Tiguan is unlikely to buck that trend, despite the long, long wait. Freelander beware.

Vital statistics

Model VW Tiguan 2.0 TDI SE
Engine type 1995cc, four cylinders
Power/Torque 150bhp @4000rpm /251 lb ft @ 2000rpm
Transmission Six-speed manual
Fuel/CO2 39.2mpg (combined) / 189g/km
Performance 0-62mph: 10.5sec / Top speed: 116mph
Price £21,000 (estimated)
Verdict Sober, well thought through SUV
Rating
Date of release February next year
The opposition Model Honda CR-V 2.2 i-CDTi £21,417
For Practical, comfortable, good to drive Against Odd styling
Model Land Rover Freelander 2.2 TD4 £20,960
For Classy, stylish, excellent to drive
Against Lacks space and versatility