Outlander v Outlander PHEV v Tiguan

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#3204192 7-Mar-2024 17:28

If you are interested in the Tiguan then perhaps the Skoda Kodiaq could be an option. They are the same vehicle...

I cant comment on either models reliability but ive owned a couple of recent model skoda's (2009 and 2019) as well as some family members. Havent encountered any big issues.

scuwp

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#3204198 7-Mar-2024 17:52

I have owned a VW (not a Tiguan). Loved the car. Hated the cost of servicing and repairs.

We have had the Outlanders at work for several years. You get a lot of vehicle for your money.

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#3204227 7-Mar-2024 19:25

Just be aware that the Outlander PHEV will have 50km battery range in summer and 30km battery range in winter. I had one for a couple of years and generally only filled up with petrol every 3 months when the car forced me to.

jonb

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#3204325 7-Mar-2024 23:49

ratsun81:
If you are interested in the Tiguan then perhaps the Skoda Kodiaq could be an option. They are the same vehicle...

I cant comment on either models reliability but ive owned a couple of recent model skoda's (2009 and 2019) as well as some family members. Havent encountered any big issues.

I was going to recommend Kodiaq too, I think Skodas are better made than VW based on experience of having a Polo Vs Fabia. It is also much more wagon like compared to the Tiguan SUV shape and prob better value.

Lizard1977

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#3204352 8-Mar-2024 09:25

Thanks for those replies.

I did look briefly at the Rav4. Toyota's reputation for reliability is well-founded. But the Rav4 (at least in the price-bracket I can afford) seems to be quite high mileage. For instance, this one here (2018 Toyota RAV4 GXL 2.5P 4WD AUTO - Just Arrived | Trade Me Motors) is $3k more than the 2019 Outlander I drove, which has similar mileage, the extra row of seats that would be an advantage, and a fully documented service history. I guess it's weighing up those different things - is the Rav4 significantly more reliable than the Outlander to justify giving up the extra row of seats? And while it's not a criteria that I weight highly, the interior of the Rav4 (and many Toyota's) feels a bit "meh". I'm not saying that the Outlander was a rocket ship, but I drove it for an hour and didn't fall asleep.

I did look at the Kodiaq. I think someone in the previous thread mentioned they were basically the same vehicle. But unfortunately they all seem to be out of my price range. I found a 2018 model in Hawkes Bay which was closer, but it was the 1.4L engine (which presumably means it's the same problem with the 1.4L Tiguan). If the 2.0L Kodiaq was closer to my budget I would be seriously considering it.

Speaking of the Tiguan, I got in touch with a local euro car workshop, and got an estimate for annual servicing for a specific model I was looking at, and he suggested about $550. That's more than I pay currently for my Legacy, but not exactly eye-watering. I guess it really comes down to how expensive the occasional maintenance is - things like brakes, filters, transmission, etc - and what kind of "unplanned maintenance" (e.g. breakdowns) I can expect - and how much that can run to.

@larknz - thanks for that info about the Outlander PHEV. Can you share any more about your experience? What kind of driving did you do, and what kind of fuel economy did you regularly see? I'm guessing if you filled up just a few times a year that you must have been able to run on the battery most of the time. Did you buy new or second hand? Did you encounter any major issues with servicing or breakdowns?

Lizard1977

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#3204360 8-Mar-2024 09:36

@scuwp - do you recall what kinds of things you had to fix/pay for with your Tiguan?

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#3204408 8-Mar-2024 10:59

Lizard1977:

Speaking of the Tiguan, I got in touch with a local euro car workshop, and got an estimate for annual servicing for a specific model I was looking at, and he suggested about $550. That's more than I pay currently for my Legacy, but not exactly eye-watering. I guess it really comes down to how expensive the occasional maintenance is - things like brakes, filters, transmission, etc - and what kind of "unplanned maintenance" (e.g. breakdowns) I can expect - and how much that can run to.

In reality servicing costs will vary significantly between particular intervals, but Volkswagen have a service cost calculator which might help:

Service Cost Calculator (volkswagen.co.nz)

There is no doubt that Volkswagens are nice cars, but people who buy nice cars on tight budgets tend to end up in a financial pickle down the track. I drove a few hundred kilometres around Victoria in an Outlander five years ago and the driving dynamics were a bit mediocre compared with my CX-5 but it was a good practical fuss free vehicle. I think you'd be happy with it.

I agree that the RAV4 interior is quite plasticy so I wouldn't pay a premium for one.

Lizard1977

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#3204410 8-Mar-2024 11:05

Thanks. I found that service cost calculator as well, which is helpful but it tops out at 90K kms and 6 years old. For the 2019 model I found it had already done 119K kms. If it's been serviced regularly and according to the schedule, then I would expect it to have already had those big service costs. But it doesn't help beyond the 90K kms. Do they just assume that it will be "ordinary" servicing after that point? Unlikely. I'm hoping that someone with a Tiguan who has been through the servicing over its life will be able to share exactly how painful those servicing and repair costs have been.

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#3204411 8-Mar-2024 11:05

General servicing on the Allspace won't be terrible, at least if you avoid branded dealership prices, but will be a bit more than a typical Japanese marque - in my experience of VAG products (not a Tiguan specifically), it's been about a 20% premium over similar vehicles from the likes of Mazda, Mitsi, Toyota for servicing. Depending where you are, finding a good independent mechanic that actually knows the VAG products would be important, imo.

The Outlanders are, generally, very reliable (remember, they're the only brand that offers a 10 year drivetrain warranty for new vehicles - don't think it's transferable to subsequent owners though). Mitsi have some fairly high tolerances for reduced SoH of the batteries, unfortunately, and the fuel economy figures they officially state include a high-SoH battery doing a bunch of the work, so actual fuel economy in the real world will vary heavily, and like a number of PHEV options, they suffer on long trips where you don't or can't keep their charge up, as they just become an ICE vehicle at that point. But if you're typically doing short runs around town, to work, etc, can be really fuel efficient.

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#3204414 8-Mar-2024 11:10

Lizard1977:

Thanks. I found that service cost calculator as well, which is helpful but it tops out at 90K kms and 6 years old. For the 2019 model I found it had already done 119K kms. If it's been serviced regularly and according to the schedule, then I would expect it to have already had those big service costs. But it doesn't help beyond the 90K kms. Do they just assume that it will be "ordinary" servicing after that point? Unlikely. I'm hoping that someone with a Tiguan who has been through the servicing over its life will be able to share exactly how painful those servicing and repair costs have been.

Most servicing checklist items would have intervals consistently between one and six years. So you can probably assume that roughly the same costs will repeat every six years.

Lizard1977

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#3204415 8-Mar-2024 11:12

Thanks @Inphinity

The PHEV intrigues me because so much of my daily driving would be well under the 20km total range. I like the idea of being able to run around mostly on the battery, but still have that ability to drive further/longer or haul stuff and have that all within one vehicle. If it came with 7 seats that would be perfect, but they only added the third row to the PHEV range after 2022, and that's not in budget unfortunately.

It seems like it comes down to the battery condition, which is a bit of a gamble in the second-hand market. I found an Outlander PHEV owners' group on FB so I've begun pestering them for specifics about the Outlander.

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larknz

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#3204418 8-Mar-2024 11:21

Lizard1977:

Thanks for those replies.

@larknz - thanks for that info about the Outlander PHEV. Can you share any more about your experience? What kind of driving did you do, and what kind of fuel economy did you regularly see? I'm guessing if you filled up just a few times a year that you must have been able to run on the battery most of the time. Did you buy new or second hand? Did you encounter any major issues with servicing or breakdowns?

I used it mainly for commuting to work, 30 - 40km per day and then charged it at night at home. The Outlander will force you to replace the fuel approximately every 3 months. So it will run on petrol until it has used enough to allow you to put a minimum of 15 litres back in. I found it be cheap for commuting, although on really cold days it would end up using petrol because of the drop in battery capacity.

On long trips and towing I found it to be a bit underpowered even though it had a 2.5 litre motor. I think that the earlier models only had a 2 litre motor. They weigh 2 tonnes, because of the batteries and the extra motor. It was also a bit thirsty when running on petrol.

They also have no spare tyre, like most ev's. I found this a bit stressful on long trips and in remote locations.

I bought the car new and had it for almost 3 years and had no problems in that time. One of the reasons I sold it was because of future resale value and potential battery life. I also wasn't happy with the drop off in battery capacity in cold weather, which is something the advocates for EV's never really mention.

Lizard1977

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#3204420 8-Mar-2024 11:23

alasta:

Lizard1977:

Thanks. I found that service cost calculator as well, which is helpful but it tops out at 90K kms and 6 years old. For the 2019 model I found it had already done 119K kms. If it's been serviced regularly and according to the schedule, then I would expect it to have already had those big service costs. But it doesn't help beyond the 90K kms. Do they just assume that it will be "ordinary" servicing after that point? Unlikely. I'm hoping that someone with a Tiguan who has been through the servicing over its life will be able to share exactly how painful those servicing and repair costs have been.

Most servicing checklist items would have intervals consistently between one and six years. So you can probably assume that roughly the same costs will repeat every six years.

That's a useful yardstick - thanks @alasta

So let's assume - using that VW service cost calculator - that over six years of ownership each of the scheduled services is the same or similar cost. That would be approximately $6500. Potentially less if I had it serviced by a reputable third-party that specialises in euro cars; potentially more if overall costs go up with inflation, etc.

That comes to around $1100/yr in standard service costs, on average. Let's round it up to $1500/year to be on the safe side. And presumably, it would be wise to put aside some additional money to cover other breakdowns. Say, $500/year? It comes to around $2K in service and maintenance costs per year. Does that sound about right, for those with experience owning VWs or other euro cars?

alasta

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#3204567 8-Mar-2024 15:04

I've just had a look at the five services that I had done during the time I owned my Mazda CX-5. The first three were part of the free servicing package, but the values are still shown on the invoice:

Year 1 : $348
Year 2 : $357
Year 3 : $378
Year 4 : $828
Year 5 : $495

Year 4 included new brake pads, otherwise everything else was standard checklist items. So, I would say that a Japanese car would cost you quite a lot less than the VW.

ascroft

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#3204606 8-Mar-2024 17:15

I love my VW - not a Tiguan but still….

It will be full of nasty surprises - one year was $5k…….

Would stick with Japanese unless you are a gambler.

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