The People’s Reviewer Final
The grand final brought together your three favourite reviewers for a full day in the company of a Tiguan and a film crew, starting and finishing at the famous Silverstone racing circuit. Base for the day was the stunning Porsche Driving Experience centre, where three keys were ready for collection. Hurrying out to a waiting trio of Tiguans, Harriet pressed her key to reveal which was her car.
Once aboard, she opened her instructions: she was to head for the bustling city of Oxford and had to find three locations by interpreting cryptic clues. Harriet had never been to Oxford before and doubted even the Tiguan’s technology was going to solve these riddles, but she was still smiling.
Next was Johnny, who learned he was off to a nearby farm. His instructions warned “It could get dirty”, but that was hardly any deterrent for the man who had always been keen to push the Tiguan to its limits.
Finally, Eric was to spend the day at the track, with expert instruction from professional driver Phil, or – as Eric described him – “my own personal Stig”.
Eric’s day started with some laps around the Porsche circuit, replicating a challenging country road. Then it was off to the ‘kick plate’, which creates the effect of losing rear traction on a sheet of ice, driven with the Tiguan’s ESP off and then on to show its remarkable handling quality.
Next he had to locate, hook up and tow a huge American caravan, before a drive (minus caravan) down the notorious “ice hill”.
At each stage, Phil explained exactly what should be done to get the best performance out of the Tiguan. “When I got behind the wheel that was all out of the window,” confessed Eric. “But it didn’t matter because when you have the ESP on, the car more or less drives itself.”
For Johnny, the day involved rounding up sheep, moving and erecting pens, and even transporting two sheep in the back of the Tiguan. The car emerged unscathed, as did the sheep. Johnny ended up with sheep poo on his jeans, but was more interested in how the Tiguan coped off-road. “I’ve proved it will do 60mph across a field and still stop when you want it to!”
Harriet’s day in the city, with film crew in tow, meant she was easily mistaken for a celebrity. One passer-by told her “I know I’ve seen you in something, but I can’t remember what.”
Locating landmarks was just part of the challenge - Harriet then had to take a string quartet to the train station. After all that, it was back to Silverstone for a final piece to camera, summing up the Tiguan in less than 30 seconds, and with just a few minutes to prepare.
All three performed like true professionals, though Johnny spoke for all of them when he described it as “the toughest part of the day”.
Harriet summed up just how stressful that challenge was: “I even forgot what I was called,” she said.
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