This is a VW Tiguan that’s expected to cost around £38,000 when it comes to Britain. Top money, that, for what will be the top-spec diesel engine – and one which manages to be not just more powerful but also cleaner and more fuel efficient than a wide slew of premium rivals in the SUV market.

An impressive 44.1mpg and 167g/km see to that. The 2.0-litre biturbo unit, which delivers 237bhp and 369lb ft, is mated to a seven-speed DSG box and drives all four wheels as standard.

Available in the UK imminently, the engine will be offered in two models, SEL and R-Line. It’s the latter, which is more sportily set up, that we’ve got here.

The R-Line bodykit is restrained enough not to be vulgar, but with a sprint time of 6.5 seconds the Tiguan is quick enough to confound a good number of boy racers. It’s at its quickest with the DSG box in Sport mode, whereupon its responses allow you to knife through traffic with panache.

The box does jolt its way into gear at times, however. Combine this with a slightly noisy engine and, more troublingly, a clumsy ride (albeit on our test car’s optional 20” rims, fitted in lieu of the standard 19” jobs) and you have a Tiguan that doesn’t settle down in the same sophisticated manner as the best in the range.

Better is the level of grip you get from the tyres wrapped around those hefty alloys. The aforementioned boy racers would perhaps find the Tiguan low on engagement in corners, but if you’re in search of that kind of drama a car like this would be a very strange choice.

What Tiguan buyers do search for is interior space and practicality, a fine interior and tip-top overall build quality. They don’t much want to be challenged; to wreck a much-loved modern marketing phrase, their delight is in the lack of surprise.

Nonetheless, with the 2.0 BiTDI 240 engine under its bonnet the Tiguan has enough power to surprise anyone who climbs aboard. But while the R-Line model looks good in its own way, dynamically there’s nothing about it that lives up to the engine.

So it’s not really a Tiguan only better, but merely a Tiguan only faster. If you’re looking for thrills, look elsewhere. And if you’re looking for the definitive Tiguan, look down. You can save plenty of money here and get a much better car in the process.

Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 BiTDI 240 R-line 4Motion DSG

Location: Munich

On sale: August

Price: £38,000 (est)

Engine: 4 cyls, 1968cc, twin-turbo, diesel

Power: 237bhp at 4000rpm

Torque: 369lb ft 1750-2500rpm

Gearbox: 7-spd dual-clutch automatic

Kerb weight: 1795kg

Top speed: 142mph

0-62mph: 6.5sec

Economy: 44.1mpg (combined)

CO2/tax band: 167g/km, 33%