Volkswagen's fast rise to the number three position in the worldwide sales count has nothing to do with luck or mistakes made by rivals. A prime example of how the German carmaker has made steady inroads into both the hearts and minds of an increasing number of car buyers would be the new Volkswagen Tiguan, the manufacturer's first foray into a compact SUV.

The styling team at Volkswagen has been on a roll with the beautiful R-series cars and the Eos over the last couple of years; the Tiguan is simply the icing on the cake. No unnecessary overhangs as the compact SUV displays its lean toned muscular lines with the highest level of attention paid to the design of the lightings. The application of chrome was generous and tasteful without veering into the Williams sisters' jewellery collection. Conclusively, none of the current crop of compact SUVs (read Japanese) come close to rivaling the Tiguan's looks.

In the face of stiff competition in its class such as the Volvo XC60, Ford Kuga, Mercedes GLK and in-house buddy Audi Q5, Volkswagen had to be determined to get into the market ahead of the rivals by allowing customers to take a brand new Volkswagen Golf home while you wait for a Tiguan as early production delays threatened the start of sales in Europe.

Based on the mechanics of the Volkswagen Golf MK V's PQ35 platform, sound driving mannerisms are almost assured. The translation from a regular hatchback into a SUV did no harm to the ride quality and refinement of the Tiguan. All road undulations were eased out by the superior suspension damping. No, Volkswagen did not perform the miracle of making the inherent SUV Rolly Polly behaviour disappear. Regardless, the Tiguan is impressively car-like to drive and its relatively compact dimensions is pain-free for "traffic brawls" at even the toughest of all urban settings. Incidentally, all Singapore bound cars are armed with sports suspension fitted as standard.

The 4-motion drive on the Tiguan is an updated Haldex system which maintains 90% of drive to the front wheels under normal driving conditions. Interestingly, the 4-Motion system is capable of sending 100% of its power to the rear wheels, where the Haldex clutch is located.

The Tiguan carries the Golf GTi's 2.0 Turbocharged engine hence assuring strong and free revving performance. No DSG gearbox here as a more conventional and smooth shifting six-speed automatic transmission is being employed here. The 0-100km/hr dash takes only 8.5 seconds, a thoroughly impressive figure for a SUV; however, the typical "turbo" sensation could have been refined (dulled) by the high levels of refinement as NVH issues are buried under the layers of excellent engineering by the folks at Wolfsburg.

Sharing the high set dash architecture with the Europe-only Golf plus did not stop the Volkswagen Tiguan from having a lovely interior. The Tiguan which was loaned to us had a fabulous optional full length panoramic glass roof which lifted the ambiance of the interior infinitely. There are eight circular air vents and plenty of utility space to store odd items while on the move. Interior room is adequate for both front and rear passengers as drivers of the regular Golfs might identify that there is additional headroom and legroom compared to their hatchbacks. Praise must be given to the designers at Volkswagen as the Tiguan possesses a low loading lip for a SUV. The Satellite Navigation system which is optional on the Tiguan offered a rather imprecise GPS, however the system is still highly recommended as it offered a Park Optic System which can be essential in tight parking spaces.

Also, the Volkswagen Tiguan is the first car in Singapore from an official importer to be offered with Park Assist System that is capable of steering itself into a parallel parking space. An intuitive system as I tried it out myself bravely at a far from deserted car park. First you would have to slow the Tiguan to speeds in the region of 30km/h or less. Press the Park Assist button which is located in front of the automatic shift gear. Indicate the side in which you would like to park as the sensors hunt a suitable size for the Tiguan. The Park Assist System would instruct you to engage reverse gear and to leave the steering wheel alone. In that time you can entertain passengers by shouting "No Hands" or even give your darling a kiss while on lookers decide which is more shocking - the Tiguan's brilliant parking system or you and your hot date making out! Now, you can start locating all the heavily trafficked parallel parking lots that you once steered clear of!

The Volkswagen Tiguan is the first of many compact European SUVs heading to our shores. Perhaps its direct rivals for now would be the Nissan Qashqai, the Honda CRV and the Subaru Forester. All three cost significantly less but none would match the depth of capabilities the Tiguan.

	Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 Sport (A)
Engine	1,984 cc 4 cylinder 16V, DOHC, Turbocharged
Transmission	6-Speed Automatic with Tiptronic  function, permanent 4-wheel drive (4Motion)
Max. Power	200 BHP @ 5100rpm
Max. Torque	280 NM @  1700-5000rpm
0-100 km/h	8.5 secs
Top speed	207 Km/h
Fuel Economy	9.9 L/100km (combined cycle)
CO2 Emissions	234 g/km (Euro IV compliant)
Dimensions (L x W x H)	4427mmX1809mmX1686mm
Price with COE*	$125,000^/ $150,000^^

*Prices quoted are indicative of prices in Singapore. Please contact your local distributor for prices in your country.
^Prices quoted are indicative of prices in Singapore. Please contact your local distributor for prices in your country.
^^(With optional Full length Panoramic Glass Roof and Volkswagen Media Sat NaV which includes the Park Optic System with a rear view camera, Bluetooth package and DVD player with SD card slot and 30GB harddisk with a touchscreen navigation system.)

With the brilliant parking systems/guides on board, the Tiguan does away with big wind buffeting door mirrors which most other SUVs suffer from.