optical illusion and five other treats

[garethusa]

i love how the tiguan appears small but once you are in the vehicle, it feels like you are in a larger vehicle. this is one of my favorite things about this VW model. i still have challenges parking it because it feels big looking from the inside out! although i know it fits just about anywhere. parallel parking has been actually easier than i thought.

the top five features that i love about my tiggy are - not in any particular order:
1. panoroof, when its open, the cover operation, when its closed....me gusta!
2. navigation/bluetooth integration and use with iPod/iPhone/sirius.....gone are the garmin days. now i love having navigation directions while my music is playing and it adjusts itself so i can hear both
3. very simple layout with less buttons - just a very efficient, easy to use compartment; i can't stand to see ford, mazda, honda, etc. with all those dash buttons all over the place. less is more. it's a very handsome vehicle inside and out.
4. hatchesque operation - love hatchbacks and station wagons. although i would have loved to have this as a power liftgate, i certainly like this too. altho only 23 cu ft, i really love having to put things away in this space.
5. love my beige interior more and more each day. it looks better and better all the time.

after a month of ownership, i can't complain about my tiggy transmission though. it seems quiet and knows just what to do as i want. i haven't been tempted to use tiptronic at all to remedy any funky shifting as it seems to shift fine. although, i did use tiptronic once just to try it out. prefer the D mode. haven't used S yet. i'd rather enjoy my premium fuel a bit longer

what are your favorite five things about your tiguan?

[blipsman]

I've had mine about a month, too, and it has been great. My top 5 favorite things (in no order):

1. Perfect Size - the interior is roomy, but the footprint is compact. Did we gain any space by going from '02 Passat to Tiguan? Maybe not much... but the footprint is smaller and easier to park in downtown Chicago.

2. Styling - I like the clean, crisp VW design. Definitely a Europhile when it comes to cars, and the American and Japanese cars are either bland or odd. And I love our deep blue/beige color combo... in fact we jumped into buying our car a bit sooner than planned because we found a CPO with those exact colors we wanted. Also, I think I like the grill better on our 2011 than the new 2012.

3. Handling - Just as I love the Euro design, I also love the engineering. The turbo engine and sporty handling are great! Don't feel like I had to compromise handling by moving into an SUV from a sedan.

4. Bluetooth Integration - I love the hands free phone, being able to listen to podcasts or Pandora from my iPhone, etc.

5. Power Memory Seats - I'm 5'9", but my wife is 5'2". It was a pain to share a car w/out power memory seats. It would take a week to get it back to the right position, and then she'd use the car again. Now, we each have our settings programmed in, and it's so much easier. No knocked knees trying to get in after she's driven.

And I didn't even get into the panoramic sunroof, the quality of the interior materials...

[artronics]

I've had mine for a month and a half and, although I have similar likes as the previous posters, here is my top 5:

1. Looks. It looks awesome! Well built, nicely designed, cool and very Deutsch.
2. Sunroof. Puts a smile on my face when I open it fully. Did you ever sit in the back? AWESOME!!!
3. Fast. Although I've been taking it easy (still breaking it in), I floored it a couple of times and it MOOOVES. Love the turbo, but I almost wish I could hear it. Almost. ;-)
4. Spacious. Like a TARDIS. Bigger on the inside, he he he.
5. Ergonomic. Many a time I had to pull over in my rental to find out how the F%$# to (fill in function here). The Tig is so easy to figure out, just by looking at the icons on the controls. And the touch screen, OMG, the touch screen. Aaaaaah (imagine Homer Simpson's drooling right now)

And while I'm at it, here's the top 5 complaints:
1. For the pile'o'cash I had to shell out, too many issues/annoyances: shifting issue, forgetful heater, whistling water pump.
2. Radio shuts off with the ignition. I often sit in the car and turn the engine off and I hate having to turn the radio back on and wait for the bluetooth phone to re-sync.
3. There is an orange plastic part in the engine compartment that I would have preferred to be green. ;-) Sorry, nothing else to bitch about so I'm just making stuff up.
4. See #3.
5. That's it.