[mac1]

Hi
I've had a Mk2.5 Active for 2 months and just realized the front passenger seat is missing the lever to fold it flat. When I test drove a Mk2.5 Life last year I checked the seat folded so I'm wondering if this has been discontinued on the latest cars?

 

[CUK]

Hi
I've had a Mk2.5 Active for 2 months and just realized the front passenger seat is missing the lever to fold it flat. When I test drove a Mk2.5 Life last year I checked the seat folded so I'm wondering if this has been discontinued on the latest cars?

If you look at the standard spec lists the Life has it but the Active doesn’t. Different seats by the look of it.

 

[A1VWD]

If you look at the standard spec lists the Life has it but the Active doesn’t. Different seats by the look of it.

Ah yes, I spotted that with the Configurator. For the Life it says: Backrest release for front passenger seat but this is not listed under the Active. It shows this as standard for the Elegance and R-Line as well but not the R. I wonder why?

 

[CUK]

Ah yes, I spotted that with the Configurator. For the Life it says: Backrest release for front passenger seat but this is not listed under the Active. It shows this as standard for the Elegance and R-Line as well but not the R. I wonder why?

Completely different seats in the R

 

[A1VWD]

Completely different seats in the R

Yes, but the seats in an Active are the same design as the Life but just with a different fabric. They both have the underseat drawers and presumably having heated seats doesn't make a difference although the Active has them as standard whereas the Life includes heated seats with the Winter Pack.

 

[CUK]

Yes, but the seats in an Active are the same design as the Life but just with a different fabric. They both have the underseat drawers and presumably having heated seats doesn't make a difference although the Active has them as standard whereas the Life includes heated seats with the Winter Pack.

Same basic design - but without the folding mechanism and different upholstery.

 

[mac1]

Thanks for your replies. We were initially looking at the Life but decided that as we needed folding mirrors anyway it made more sense to get the Active as it came with lots of extras. I must have assumed that the folding seats would be included as standard.

 

[A1VWD]

Thanks for your replies. We were initially looking at the Life but decided that as we needed folding mirrors anyway it made more sense to get the Active as it came with lots of extras. I must have assumed that the folding seats would be included as standard.

I've ordered a Life, well everyone told me to go get a Life! Anyway, I added the option of power folding mirrors, mind you the Active did have loads of options as standard and if the idiot Dealer/Supplier had ordered the right car for me last year I might have had an Active myself by now. By the way, do the 17" wheels look small for an SUV? At least the Life has 18" rims.

 

[nheather]

I've ordered a Life, well everyone told me to go get a Life! Anyway, I added the option of power folding mirrors, mind you the Active did have loads of options as standard and if the idiot Dealer/Supplier had ordered the right car for me last year I might have had an Active myself by now. By the way, do the 17" wheels look small for an SUV? At least the Life has 18" rims.

Remember the diameter of the tyre will be roughly the same regardless of whether the wheels are 17", 18", 19" or 20". It is a bit of an illusion that the wheels look bigger because you don't 'see' the black tyre.

I do agree that the wheels look better with bigger rims up to a point - personally I don't like wheels when the sidewalls become so small - I don't really care for the harsher ride, the kerb damage magnet and there comes a point (though the Tiguan never goes that far) when rubber band tyres look awful to me.

For me (and each has their personal taste) the 18" or 19" rims are the sweet spot of looking good, comfort and some degree of kerb protection.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[A1VWD]

Remember the diameter of the tyre will be roughly the same whether the wheels are 17", 18", 19" or 20". It is a bit of an illusion that the wheels look bigger because you don't 'see' the black tyre.

I do agree that the wheels look better with bigger rims up to a point - personally I don't like wheels when the sidewalls become so small - I don't really care for the harsher ride, the kerb damage magnet and there comes a point (though the Tiguan never goes that far) when rubber band tyres look awful to me.

For me (and each has their personal taste) the 18" or 19" rims are the sweet spot of looking good, comfort and some degree of kerb protection.

Cheers,

Nigel

Yes, I agree. I think 18" rims are best for the average size SUV. 17" might be slightly more comfortable with the higher profile tyre but could look too small for the size of vehicle. 19" might be okay but 20" or higher are really for the enthusiasts that love big wheels.

 

[nheather]

Yes, I agree. I think 18" rims are best for the average size SUV. 17" might be slightly more comfortable with the higher profile tyre but could look too small for the size of vehicle. 19" might be okay but 20" or higher are really for the enthusiasts that love big wheels.

Yes the 20" wheels was one of the two things that led to me choosing the Elegance over the R-Line. Interestingly the Audi Q3 equivalent of the R-Line (the S-Line) has 19" wheels.

Cheers,

Nigel

 

[Blakey]

Yes the 20" wheels was one of the two things that led to me choosing the Elegance over the R-Line. Interestingly the Audi Q3 equivalent of the R-Line (the S-Line) has 19" wheels.

Cheers,

Nigel

When I was at my dealers waiting for a software update to be done, I got chatting to one of the showroom managers. We discussed the pros & cons of the R-Line vs Elegance quandry. We were both in agreement that the 19" rims on the Elegance gave a much better ride. The 20" wheels did make that much difference. Also the 19" are much less likely to suffer from curbing. There were other points we disagreed on and it was a cracking conversation tbh.

 

[nheather]

When I was at my dealers waiting for a software update to be done, I got chatting to one of the showroom managers. We discussed the pros & cons of the R-Line vs Elegance quandry. We were both in agreement that the 19" rims on the Elegance gave a much better ride. The 20" wheels did make that much difference. Also the 19" are much less likely to suffer from curbing. There were other points we disagreed on and it was a cracking conversation tbh.

The Audi Q3 S-Line has 19" wheels, the RS Q3 has 20" and 21" (depending on trim) - that is a really nice car, my first choice but then I foolishly switched to the Tiguan because I wanted to avoid the £40k luxury tax threshold (that was a complete failure).

I really don't know why VW insist on fitting the larger wheels - I do have a theory though. Certainly when I was looking the Audi Q3 S-Line and the VW Tiguan R-Line were about the same price. I guess VW have to justify why they are charging Audi prices which they do by adding a few more bells and whistles as standard including bigger wheels. I don't think the 20" wheels were added to the R-Line because they suit the car but because they are bigger than those of the equivalent Audi.

Cheers,

Nigel