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| Brian Turk and Tim Dwenger from Listen Up Denver! Pick up their 2013 Tiguan, sponsored by Larry H. Miller Volkswagen Lakewood |
Larry H. Miller Volkswagen Lakewood sponsors Listen Up Denver! with a 2013 VW Tiguan, which travels around Colorado spreading the latest music news, reviews and photos. The Tiguan can be seen around Denver at The Bluebird, Ogden Theater, Red Rocks and more and traveling to the mountains for some of the world’s greatest music festivals. Here’s their review of the 2013 VW Tiguan and how it fits in perfectly with the Colorado lifestyle.
Since I picked up The Listen Up Denver Mobile in April from Larry H. Miller Volkswagen Lakewood, we have had some good times together and we are only 3,000 miles into our relationship. If we were dating, this is the time I’d usually start noticing the little things I don’t like about a partner. The first three months I’d introduce my other half around to my friends, be perpetually surprised at her beauty, constantly bring her up in any conversation and focus on the attributes that drew me to her. Driving off the lot with a new car is just like dating. After just over three months, and three thousand miles, I am happy to report my eyes have not strayed from the beautiful lines of the 2013 Volkswagen Tiquan.
When I drove The Listen Up Denver Mobile off the lot, I felt like I was dating out of my league. I was enveloped by the extremely comfortable driver's seat, and the metal trim glistened as the sun shone in through the panoramic sunroof. I was extremely taken by its looks. The upright seat position reminded me of an ex’s Honda CR-V, and I immediately had flashbacks of the Honda’s sluggish performance in the mountains. I was hoping the Tiguan did not give such a lackluster performance when humping the hills. I hopped on the highway to head back to Denver and, even though we had just met, I decided I decided to accelerate and she if I could make it purr. I got a growl instead. The 2.0 liter 4 cylinder turbo is a tiger under the hood.
The first couple months of spending time together, The Listen Up Denver Mobile and I spent most of our time taking short trips around the city. We got a lot of looks and smiles, because we are a cute couple, and we invited those looks more by pumping pristine sounds out of the windows. The stock stereo is great, and with the sunroof open and the windows down, you almost feel like you are in a convertible, but safer. The Listen Up Denver Mobile and I were on track for a successful relationship, but we needed to see if we could stand each other for long periods of time; so we decided to take a road trip out to Telluride for the 40th Annual Bluegrass Festival.
This road trip was when I truly fell in love with the car and noticed the only flaw I could find in my new companion. Heading to Telluride for seven days with some camping gear, I noticed The Listen Up Denver Mobile didn't have as much cargo space as I would have liked. With the seats folded down there is a ton of room, but my travelling companion and I were picking two other folks up at the Montrose Airport, at that was looking like a near impossibility with all our stuff. We figured we would worry about it when we got to the airport.
We took to the highway with speed and tons of passing power. The ride was seductively smooth, and at one point it reminded me of riding Denver’s light rail. Just floating along with no bumps, jolts, rattles or jerky turns. Although the Tiquan is considered a compact SUV, it drives like a car, and a sporty one at that. This could be attributed to the fact the Tiguan is based on a Volkswagen Golf frame, and has decades of engineering innovations to stand on.
The Listen Up Denver Mobile attacked the hills aggressively, but without a sweat. This is what makes the Tiguan perfect for an active lifestyle in Colorado. There was not one moment when I wished for more power, or had to push the Tiguan at all. When we arrived to the airport, it was a bit of a puzzle to fit everything and everyone in there, but after the Tiguan’s seven hour show of stamina, smoothness and sportiness, I figured I could easily deal with this one flaw. It is rare I have four people with a week’s worth of gear heading for the mountains, and everything else makes my heart melt, so like all relationships, I made a compromise. I even got The Listen Up Denver Mobile a little dirty getting to a trailhead, and the ground clearance made me wonder how this drives like a sporty car. Coming back from Telluride I knew the trip solidified the future of our relationship, but the Listen Up Denver Mobile had one more attribute to reveal. Up until the trip back to Denver I had never tried the Tiptronic transmission, and always operated in the automatic drive or sport modes. Not only could the Tiguan make it up the hills gracefully, but it can descend delicately as well. The ability to downshift on the descent was key, and the car performed just as smoothly as in full automatic mode.
I have spent time with other vehicles in the class, and this is the one for me. The Mazda CR-5 felt like a cheap toy when I recently rented one on a vacation, the CRV has Honda reliability, but no style or power, and the GMC terrain is just heavy and boring. The Volkswagen Tiguan could have easily been just another pretty face, but the endless list of attributes make it a keeper. Good looking, powerful, refined, fun, sporty and composed ... the Volkswagen Tiguan makes me want to stay in its seat forever.
-reviewed by by Brian Turk, Director of Operations at Listen Up Denver!
