# 2018 Tiguan - 5-seater vs 7-seater cargo opinion



## RCA777 (Sep 13, 2017)

The mathematical differences in cargo space between the 5-seater and 7-seater appear in the US specs with the 7-seater offering 65.7 cubic feet of cargo space and the 5-seater offering 73.5 cubic feet of cargo space.

Considering that the extra seats are ~$600 -- where does the 7.8 cubic feet of space "go"? 

After comparing the two models side by side, hopefully this helps.

The 7-seater removable floor (above the spare) is shorter than that of the 5-seater, due to the existence of the two back seats.
That obviously leaves less "room around the spare" to put things -- however, it also negates something that only the 5-seater can offer - and that's the ability to "drop" the removable floor by an inch or two. 
In other words, the rear floor in the 5-seater can be slotted into a lower groove - it can be closer to the spare tire. That creates a little more space for cargo.

The 7-seater has a cup-holder/arm rest on the left above the rear wheel arch; above the right wheel arch is an arm rest also. 
(It's a good way to tell if the Tiguan on your dealer lot is a 5 or 7 seater; check for the cupholder armest on the left).
Those two rests consume a negligible amount of cargo space.

When the two back seats are folded down, they do not provide a perfectly flat surface compared to the 5-seat floor. 
The top of the two folded rear seats in the 7-seater is in line with the bottom of the LATCH hook on the back of the seats in front. 
With the 5-seater, there is a 2-3" gap between the bottom of the LATCH hook on the back of the seats in front. 

In other words, from a day-to-day practical perspective -- I don't perceive there being too much of a difference.

Either way, the dealer cost (Sep 2017) in Canada for the back row option is around $550CAD; MSRP is $750CAD. 
If you can negotiate around that... I'm not sure if it will truly have much impact on resale further down the road.

I bought the 5-seater; I like to store things around the spare -- however, I would have accepted the 7-seater if the price was equivalent.


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## ahealey74 (Sep 12, 2017)

I'm sure that practically speaking the extra cargo room is negligible. However, having owned a 2004 Pilot with a 3rd row, they are pretty much useless for adults and only good for very small children. Even then, I found we never really used the 3rd row except as "emergency seating" when trying to take a group of people in one car to dinner or someplace close. I went with the five seater since I really didn't want to spend $500 on a virtually useless feature. From what I have read the third row exists solely to classify the FWD variant as a light truck which puts it in a different class for MPG regulations.


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## baboondumdum (Apr 15, 2016)

ahealey74 said:


> I'm sure that practically speaking the extra cargo room is negligible. However, having owned a 2004 Pilot with a 3rd row, they are pretty much useless for adults and only good for very small children. Even then, I found we never really used the 3rd row except as "emergency seating" when trying to take a group of people in one car to dinner or someplace close. I went with the five seater since I really didn't want to spend $500 on a virtually useless feature. From what I have read the third row exists solely to classify the FWD variant as a light truck which puts it in a different class for MPG regulations.


Exactly. I'm not a fan at all with these SUV pop up 7 seater options. Particularly on half baked varieties found in smaller CUVs that make the 3rd row pretty much unusable for bigger adults. Total gimmick. It's a feature that you pay and you never use, just like many other things in life.

People who need to consistently carry 7 passengers, maybe they have a large family to haul around all the time, will probably be getting a van of some sort where all 7 seats are usable sized and that you can effortlessly get in and out of. But for others with 4 in the family, buying a 7 seater CUV for the off chance you may carry more people (but don't 99.9999-100% of the time)? Total waste. Or large families who pay more to buy a small CUV to fit 7 people uncomfortably? Maybe one ought to buy a van instead.


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## ahealey74 (Sep 12, 2017)

baboondumdum said:


> Exactly. I'm not a fan at all with these SUV pop up 7 seater options. Particularly on half baked varieties found in smaller CUVs that make the 3rd row pretty much unusable for bigger adults. Total gimmick. It's a feature that you pay and you never use, just like many other things in life.
> 
> People who need to consistently carry 7 passengers, maybe they have a large family to haul around all the time, will probably be getting a van of some sort where all 7 seats are usable sized and that you can effortlessly get in and out of. But for others with 4 in the family, buying a 7 seater CUV for the off chance you may carry more people (but don't 99.9999-100% of the time)? Total waste. Or large families who pay more to buy a small CUV to fit 7 people uncomfortably? Maybe one ought to buy a van instead.


EXACTLY. We have a Honda Odyssey that is perfect for 7 passengers and can actually handle up to 8 people without too much squishing. Not to mention you have cargo room for days - when the rear seats are down and the second row removed you essentially have a short bed pickup. The best part is that the top trim lines rival luxury brands. Minivans won't ever be particularly cool or stylish, but they are the best practical solution on the market. Large SUVs are better suited for people that need towing capacity or just want a larger interior cabin space.


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## mauislick (Aug 30, 2017)

I could care less about the 3rd row seat, In USA it's standard on S, SE , SEL but an option on the 4 motions which I don't want or need........sort of sucks as I use the car for delivery work of someitime fairly large loads........is a SE without the third row too much to ask for.......? VW.........YES


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## baboondumdum (Apr 15, 2016)

ahealey74 said:


> EXACTLY. We have a Honda Odyssey that is perfect for 7 passengers and can actually handle up to 8 people without too much squishing. Not to mention you have cargo room for days - when the rear seats are down and the second row removed you essentially have a short bed pickup. The best part is that the top trim lines rival luxury brands. Minivans won't ever be particularly cool or stylish, but they are the best practical solution on the market. Large SUVs are better suited for people that need towing capacity or just want a larger interior cabin space.


I can maybe see a point to the pop up 3rd row for a taxi/uber kinda service where there is a business case for flexibility carrying more passengers. But I think a large family is probably best served with a van.


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## 00noma (Mar 30, 2006)

One thing I noticed is that it doesn't appear (to me?) that you can install a trailer hitch on the 7 seat Tiguan. 

Does anyone have access to confirm this? 

Here's the info I'm sourcing and I haven't seen anyone else talk about it 


https://www.vwpartsandservice.ca/p/...r-only--Max-1-500-lbs/70240939/5NA092135.html


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## GavinD (Jun 19, 2014)

00noma said:


> One thing I noticed is that it doesn't appear (to me?) that you can install a trailer hitch on the 7 seat Tiguan.
> 
> Does anyone have access to confirm this?
> 
> ...


:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

Chalk me up as interested in this as well. Why is the existing tow package not allowed with the 3rd row?

GVWR issue? Physical hardware changes?


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## 2001 Variant (May 27, 2007)

I agree that 3rd rows in small SUVs are not very usable. However, I can see the point. I have 4 small children. We have an Odyssey because a van makes getting in and out a lot easier than a 3 row SUV and remote sliding doors are great because the kids can't bang them into the car next to us and you can open them remotely when it's raining. Also the width of the van is great for car seats. We also have a 3 row SUV-wagon-kinda-thing that used to be the family hauler when we had 2 kids. It was nice to take grandparents or friends when needed but access to the 3rd row is greatly obstructed by kids car seats in the middle row. We kept it though because I like to have a backup where I can take the whole family if I need to. My Passat can't do that. At some point I will replace the Passat and the old SUV and it will definitely be a car with a 3rd row and it doesn't have to be a van because most of the time it's just me driving to work.


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## D.Johnson (Feb 18, 1999)

2015 Golf is my dd. We also have a Chevy Express 2500 for the trips to grandmas house and for hauling stuff. It's great; lots of room. Take the back seat out, and we can load up the bikes, coolers, suitcases, etc. Great for hauling plywood, lumber, Christmas trees, and so on and so forth.

Only problem with the Chevy is that it gets poor gas mileage. When we we need it to haul stuff, or go on a long trip, I can deal with it. But just to take the kids to the zoo or bowling at 12mpg?

When I get around to trading in the Golf, I'll probably get the 7 seat Tiguan. I wouldn't need the trunk space in the Tiguan, just the 7 seats (occasionally) and the better mpg. It would be my daily driver and for those short trips when we run off to the movies or a ball game. For those long trips and to haul things, we'll still have the Express.


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## Lothareb (Sep 14, 2017)

The reason the 7 passenger Tiguan is not offered with the hitch option (or accessory), is you exceed the gross vehicle weight. I was visiting a RV trailer dealer in Escondido Saturday, and he said quite a few SUVs have the problem as they calculate 195 lbs per person. It does not matter than 2, 195 lbs persons would not fit in the 3rd row. Anyway with their calculations with seven people, and they add 70 lbs luggage you are withing a dozen pounds of the gross vehicle weight. Remove about 400 LBS (the two people in the third row, and you have the tongue weight of a small trailer.


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## weebl (Sep 27, 2017)

We picked the 7 seater over the 5, as the real world impact on cargo space appears to be minimal with the 7 seater. This allows us to have the option of grabbing our kids' friends or cousins in a pinch on short notice, and we went in fully knowing the 3rd row is useless for anyone other than kids. Otherwise, those seats are folded down, and seem to provide enough room for the day to day stuff, like hauling back groceries. Would also be plenty for a reasonable amount of luggage on a road trip. In fact, we are thinking this would be our go to vehicle for weekend road trips.

For more serious people moving, or some more cargo room, my Toyota Sienna would simply come into play.


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## jbschroeder (Jan 12, 2003)

I have found the 5NA092135 for around (or slightly under ) $300... has anyone installed it yet? Is it pretty bolt-on or am I in for a weekend?


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