Forty-two per cent of the owners of the Volkswagen Tiguan, a compact sports utility vehicle, are a young, professional Arab community of urban adventurers, a survey by the European carmaker said.

The survey released by Volkswagen Middle East in parallel with the re-launch of the Tiguan showed a thriving community of weekend ‘Ibn Battutas,’ dubbed Tiguanians by the regional headquarters of Europe’s largest car manufacturer.

The intrepid outdoor adventure Tiguanians typically enjoy cycling, driving, hill walking, football, fishing, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, climbing, caving, water sports, snow sports, dune-bashing and wadi-bashing, the survey said.

A total of 847 Volkswagen Tiguan owners from over 35 nations in seven countries across the region were surveyed, according to a statement.

Appealing almost equally to both men and women, the Tiguan has obviously struck a chord with the regions youth, with 39 per cent of Tiguanians aged between 25 and 34, and Arab nationals making up 73 per cent of those surveyed.

Kuwaitis, with 22 per cent, are the region’s most adventurous nationality. Omanis (18 per cent) were the second most adventurous, and Jordanians (10 per cent) third, closely followed by Syrians (6 per cent), Saudis (4 per cent), and the Emiratis, Egyptians and Lebanese, all with 3 per cent.

“The Tiguan mirrors - and is perfectly suited to - this ‘tribe’ of young Arab thrill-seekers, whom I like to call Tiguanians,” said Stefan Mecha, managing director of Volkswagen Middle East.

“Like Tiguanians during the working week, the Tiguan adopts a professional on-road urban persona; driving to and from the office, shops and family in comfort and style. But at the weekend, its wild side breaks free, and the Tiguan’s rugged off-road capabilities take its owners away from the beaten track, in search of fun-filled adrenaline-pumping adventure,” Mecha added.

Equipped with one of the latest off-road radio-navigation systems, the RNS 510, the Tiguan navigates its occupants away from civilisation using its off-road function. In this mode, up to 500 waypoints can be stored while driving in non-digitalized areas, allowing drivers to easily find their way back from any off-road adventure, the statement said.

The tours can be automatically recorded by the manual or automatic (Track function) saving of waypoints.

The Tiguan is available in three versions, Trend & Fun, Sport & Style, and the Track & Field.

The Trend & Fun and Sport & Style versions are designed with the urban environment in mind, with an on-road driving low ride height, and classic front end that still feature a maximum entry angle of 18 degrees.

The Tiguan Track & Field version – specially designed for uncompromising off-road duty – with its front end takes up a special position in achieving the greatest possible entry angle (28 instead of 18 degrees).

All versions are equipped with roof racks that can take up to a 100 kg payload. With five persons on board, the Tiguan stows 470 litres, and up to 1,510 litres and 650 kilograms payload can be stowed in the Tiguan when the rear seats are folded down.

All Tiguans are equipped with charged TSI engines, delivering greater power and torque, better fuel economy and lower emissions, the statement added. – TradeArabia News Service