Mumbai To Goa Road Trip Review With Volkswagen Tiguan — IN PICS

A road trip is the best way to declutter our lives and an open road with a nice set of wheels is quite possibly the best to unwind.

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With the year winding down, it was a last chance to spend some quality time behind the wheel along with doing Mumbai to Goa and back once more. This is a route that is quite close to me, having done this trip many times. However, this time the pace was a bit more relaxed and less frantic. I remember doing an all-night drive while the current plan was to start from Mumbai early in the morning. During the year-end season, Goa is understandably full of tourists and does get busy, however, that did not deter us to have some fun- as and when we reach. (Photo: Somnath Chatterjee)

We ended up starting late from Mumbai and traffic caught us up. However, before all that, a back story is crucial. We were looking for a year-end break and Goa was a natural choice but the choice of wheels was something that was a matter of constant debate. It had to be comfy, fast, and practical while also being fun to drive. A stringent selection process involving many hot cups of chai narrowed it down to the Tiguan from Volkswagen. Why? Because it is quick with its 2.0 TSI turbo petrol and also practical with a large boot along with the typical German quality that you expect. I also like the quiet aggression which VWs have and it was a good way to drive the Tiguan for a couple of weeks. The nice folks at Volkswagen dropped the car the day before which helped us start the journey early but planning and a late breakfast pushed things back anyways. (Photo: Somnath Chatterjee)

In the Tiguan it wasn't a massive worry though, with a nice audio system, three-zone climate control, and whatnot keeping us busy. The move to replace physical controls does mean more fiddling around with the climate control functions but we soon got used to it. Where the DSG dual-clutch scores is the smoothness with its shifts being precise for stop go traffic. It isn't jerky and way better than the earlier DSGs. The 2.0l turbo petrol engine is the reason we chose the Tiguan and at low speeds, it is fuss-free and does not leap out of traffic or be difficult to drive. It feels restrained when you want it to while giving the impression that it wants an open piece of road. (Photo: Somnath Chatterjee)

This is something you won't find on the Mumbai-Goa route which is choc-a-block with traffic. What we did like was the tough suspension which manages to handle our roads quite well. In fact this is one of the toughest German cars out there in terms of managing to meet our road conditions. The AWD system has plenty of grip and it feels tough with the typical low-speed firmness that one expects from a German. However, amongst the many SUVs that I have driven, the Tiguan punches above its weight in being solidly capable for our roads. (Photo: Somnath Chatterjee)

We took the scenic route to Goa and the roads when giving us the chance made me uncork the 190 horses- though I had to be mindful of my colleagues, however, the Tiguan hides big speeds very well! Mumbai to Goa is one of the cliche road trips but we decided to explore Goa differently when we reached it. I was determined to look at Goa in a different way being away from the usual places that I have been to before. The roads in Goa are quite cramped but the Tiguan while being big was not overly so. It is the right size while also swallowing up the bad roads that we encountered. (Photo: Somnath Chatterjee)

Goa has many hidden beaches and places where there is less crowd along with being cleaner too. If you make the effort to go there, it is worth it for sure. You can access one through Cola village, which is a small path that leads to a beach which is deserted. Another important bit is that during peak season, it can be wise to avoid booked hotels and book in an AirBnB with many villas being available. It is more fun and available rather than overbooked hotels. (Photo: Somnath Chatterjee)

After being satiated with as much seafood as we can have and soaking in the Goan sunshine, it was a long drive back but in the Tiguan, it was all about stretching the legs of its engine whenever possible. The Tiguan is seriously quick and has a sense of lightness while being a typical fun-to-drive German car. Of course, a large petrol SUV filled to the brim with luggage and passengers along with an enthusiastic driver behind the wheel isn't a recipe for good efficiency but in the Tiguan, it wasn't that bad since we go 8-10 kmpl. (Photo: Somnath Chatterjee)

The Tiguan is one of our favourite SUVs and a closer look reveals why it is also very good value since it has a more powerful engine than many SUVs from luxury brands priced a lot higher along with more space. Hence, that is why we chose it for the trip to Goa and for two weeks it performed flawlessly while further climbing into our list of ideal SUVs to take on a road trip! (Photo: Somnath Chatterjee)