SPACE CADET

Do more seats make a car better? Well, a new motor certainly does

- Aditya Upadhyaula

The absence of diesel engines in a carmaker’s lineup would’ve spelt disaster a couple of years ago, but things have changed. As the stringent BS6 norms are implemented, a lot of manufacturers are forced to ditch these torque monsters we love for petrol alternatives. This is basically the story of Volkswagen’s Indian range of cars. One model, however, took advantage of this situation as a chance to reinvent itself — the new Tiguan Allspace. Volkswagen discontinued the diesel-powered short-wheelbase Tiguan and replaced it with this three-row long-wheelbase version which is an important part of Volkswagen’s SUVW plan for India.

Apart from an additional 215 mm added to its overall length, the dimensions of the Tiguan remain more or less the same, with identical widths and heights between the two models. Visually, you can tell the Tiguan Allspace apart by its new LED DRLs, lack of plastic cladding on the sides, and, of course, its longer side profile. Another differentiator is the color schemes; the Tiguan Allspace is available in seven colors including the bright and vibrant Habanero Orange and Ruby Red. It’ll be easy to find your car in a crowd with these paint schemes.