Well, I finally got to see a Tiger in 'real life'! Actually, two. Arriving early, and sitting in the parking lot, I noticed a Tiger pulling into a space nearby. After jumping out my car, I approached the pair, explaining that I had driven up to Tacoma specifically to see the Tiger and asked about theirs, a 2009. They insisted I actually have a look at theirs (it turned out they were part of the Provan crew, helping out with the display). Impressive! Much, much roomier than I had anticipated. Nicely put together. Went inside to see the show and found the Bengal Tiger CX on display and had a nice conversation with the representative. The fit and finish of their display model were a bit of a disappointment--not as nice as the 2009 I had just looked at. Made me appreciate my Born Free. Still, the Tiger is in a class by itself in 4X4 versatility and compact but roomy living space. Glad I go to finally see one! Some day, who knows....?
2000 Born Free 24RB Class C
6.8L Ford V-10 Engine, E450 Chassis
2002 Honda CR-V toad
Roadmaster Sterling A/T towbar
VIP braking system
Eddyline Merlin kayak
The fit & finish and interior appearance took a big step forward about 2008. No regrets, but I can recall wishing that my '06 looked that nice. Sorry to hear that they may have stepped back from that. I still smile when I drive mine, and that's enough.
Jim, "I never finish anyth...."
'06 Tiger CX 'C Minus' on a Silverado 2500HD 4x4, 8.1 & Allison (aka 'Loafer's Glory') www.tigervehicles.com
Mostly little things like drawers with no slides and just a general appearance of not quite finished off in the interior. The doors to the under-sofa storage, made of non-wood material, are only held in place with magnets, coming off completely. While a little awkward, all the doors can come off in order to place long items under the sofa. Still strikes me as a little chintzy.
There were a few changes from the older models: The outside compartment (there is only one), which had been rectangular in past models was cut to a diagonal shape and, while the capacity was about the same, it would make it harder to get items through the narrower access door. The rep said he didn't know why this change was made. He did say that the factory is very receptive to customer wishes and will accommodate any reasonable request. The interior lights are all LED, the floor plan is excellent, providing a very roomy living area.
Now, the unit on display was the Bengal Tiger, which is a little taller than the regular Tiger and was on an extended cab. The added space would come in handy but the overall appearance was, to my taste, not as appealing as that of the more compact Tiger.
Was there a second outside storage compartment on the rear bumper beside the spare? That's one change made possible by the recent (~year old) redesign of the rear wall, and I like it, as well as the more modern look.
The under-couch storage on my '06 has a single long rigid panel on the face of the couch that pulls off, held by plastic ring-&-stud catches. There's also a somewhat useless bottom hinged wooden door at the stairwell end. But it all works fine.
You're right about the extended cab. Provides more inside storage, but IMO it's not as attractive or in-town parkable.
Handbasket wrote: Was there a second outside storage compartment on the rear bumper beside the spare? That's one change made possible by the recent (~year old) redesign of the rear wall, and I like it, as well as the more modern look.
The under-couch storage on my '06 has a single long rigid panel on the face of the couch that pulls off, held by plastic ring-&-stud catches. There's also a somewhat useless bottom hinged wooden door at the stairwell end. But it all works fine.
You're right about the extended cab. Provides more inside storage, but IMO it's not as attractive or in-town parkable.
Jim, "Textually active."
Yes, there was the box on the back bumper. It appears to be water-tight and fairly roomy but it occurred to me that all the contents might fall out on opening. Probably some kind of bungee cord arrangement would take care of that.
What I didn't like at all is the new abbreviated ladder. Tiger CX-What's New (click on Tire Gate w/ Storage and zoom in) It is unusable, at least for me. The 6'4" rep could easily reach the first rung from the bumper but I'm a 5'5" female and, though reasonably in shape, there's no way I could access it. What would be ideal would be to design a ladder for the cabover bed that would do double duty and attach to the bottom rail of the exterior ladder. I suggested as much.
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