I thought it wasn't so much that the ranges were too short, but rather that they couldn't take advantage of their designed enhancements. Like, at close range, the 76mm gun on a lot of Soviet tanks COULD penetrate Tigers if flanked (maybe not frontal armor, though). Plus, given the slow turret traverse, the tigers can't correct aim quickly in close combat.
Tigers' main advantages are:
- 88mm gun with incredible range and lethality across that range.
- Strong armor which, at closer ranges, becomes less of a factor.
- Excellent optics for long-range spotting.
Thus it'd make sense that the Tigers should be providing long range fire. Kind of like the riflemen covering the SMG guys' advance.