Did you know that the the Tiguan is currently Volkwagen’s best-selling nameplate? Did you really? I don’t think I realized it until one of Volkswagen’s nice PR folks told me while standing in front of a big slide that also told me, but, you know, through my eyes. And, strangely, I think I can understand why: the Tiguan is a bit like the result of averaging out VW’s offerings. Say you were a magic colossal being of astounding power, and you took VW’s product lineup from the past decade or so, picked out the outliers (ID.Buzz, Beetle, Eos, and so on), then blended everything together into a thick, viscous paste, then drank that paste down, I suspect that you would then find yourself magically pooping out something like the Tiguan. It’s a lot like an encapsulation of most of modern VW into one compact-ish SUV package, and, generally, I think that’s an appealing thing.
I mean, especially for something pooped out by a magic colossal being of astounding power.
Now, I’m a Tiguan owner myself: I have a first-gen Tiguan, a 2010, and one that, I’ll be honest, has caused me an extraordinary amount of ass-pain. For all the money I’ve had to pour into this thing, you’d think I’d hate Tiguans forever. But, somehow, I don’t. I don’t even hate the one I have, which is baffling. But the truth is that somehow VW builds and designs these SUVs in such a way that they end up being strangely, if quietly, appealing machines. My Tiguan, for all its faults, remains a pretty nice car to be in. It’s a pleasant car to drive and live with. And the latest Tiguan, the third generation of the car, seems to be that as well: pleasant to drive, seems pleasant to live with, maybe not particularly exciting or groundbreaking, but that’s not what it’s supposed to be. I think the most important thing about this new Tiguan is that it’s evidence that VW has been listening to customers and people, at least a little bit.
They Listened
Mostly what I mean by that is that VW has heard the chorus of bitching about their move away from physical controls to screen-based and flat, touch-based controls and has quite rightly decided to reverse course. This new Tiguan, I’m happy to say, has lots of physical, tactile controls again, the centerpiece of which seems to be this large knob located on the center console that incorporates a round display and is used primarily for audio system volume, though it also lets you select one of many “Driving Experience” modes:
Aside from the obvious ambient lighting changes (which are nicely done, I’m not going to fecate upon a well-executed bit of ambient lighting) I didn’t notice much difference among these different modes, but then again, I only had a couple hours in the car driving at VW’s launch event in Bozeman, Montana, so I can’t really say I had a chance to, you know, explore these things.
As far as the knob itself goes, though, it’s quite nice and pleasingly textured, and the volume setting has a nice arcing white line visual of the volume level in the display on the knob. It’s amazing how much one appreciates something as basic as a freaking volume knob when its been denied to you for so long. It’s like how a starving person greets a slice of bread with a Kraft single plopped upon it – at that moment, it’s the best thing ever. I’m not saying this knob is like that – with the slick integrated display and pleasing tactile qualities, this is much more like a well-crafted Ruben.
More importantly, VW finally got rid of their maddening front/rear toggle-based power window controls that I’ve bitched about before, replacing them with a far more rational full set of four switches, as nature intended. All of the interior controls are better, and that’s much appreciated. HVAC controls are still touch-based, which I’m not thrilled about, but it’s not so bad and avoids the worst offenses of this genre, because at least the vents can still be physically controlled.
The interior, like almost all Tiguan interiors have been, is quite nice. All the materials feel very good, including something VW calls CloudTex, which is like their version of Alcantara, but without the cruel and rampant slaughter of the beautiful wild alcantars, which, as you know, are mercilessly hunted for their hides as they gallop down the Northern Galifracian steppes, gunned down by hunters on modified jetskis, who then harvest their hides for Alcantara and their rich, purple-hued meat for processing into McRibs.
Oh another nice thing: the wireless charger has a clip to hold your phone in place, so it actually stays in position to actually get charged:
You can’t look at it when it’s in there, of course, but you’re not supposed to do that anyway, and besides, you can get what you need on the center display because the Tig has CarPlay and/or Android Auto.
That big screen also makes the 360° fauxverhead (like that? I just made it up) camera view a treat, too.
That spattering of techno-confetti on the passenger’s side of the dash isn’t a display, but rather a set pattern of glowing dots. These dots can change color via the various Driving Experience modes, but, more importantly, I found that they also flash amber when the hazard lights are active:
It’s fantastic! Finally, the passenger can really feel involved in the whole hazard light experience!
Oh, speaking hazard lights and blinkers in general, I was delighted to find out that the rear turn indicators on the new Tiguan are, in fact, amber:
Well, since I already brought this up, we may as well continue down this path:
Taillight And Other Lighting Design
Volkswagen has been doing some good work on lighting design lately; the new Tig has some striking-looking light units up front, with a trio of staggered lighting elements, all of which have some interesting illuminated and textured side panels that may function as a cornering light, but I’m not certain.
They look almost quilted, which is an interesting choice.
Also, VW is committed to illuminated logos front and rear, hoping, I imagine, to capture some of that Wolseley nostalgia that approximately 0.04% of Americans have. They’re fun, I like the illuminated VW badges. The taillights are well-designed, too with some bold graphics and a side-marker motif that mimics the staggered-rectangles look of the headlamps:
Okay, now that the important stuff is out of the way, let’s get to some details, like how it actually drives.
How It Drives
Oh, it’s fine. I mean, it drives how most of its customers want it to: predictably and safely, easily, undemanding, it’s all of that. It’s comfortable and while not especially engaging, it’s not really supposed to be. You can push it a bit, and it does handle in a more satisfying way, because VW does give a shit about that. It’s built on the same MQB Evo platform as the Golf and GTI, which is a pretty good base from which to start.
The amount of power the new Tiguan makes I think is interesting. It’s plenty, let’s get that out of the way – it accelerates well, and while I haven’t seen any 0-60 times, it felt brisk enough to me, a man who daily drives a 52 hp car. What I think is interesting is that the amount of power this new engine makes – it’s an updated version of VW’s 1984cc EA888 turbocharged inline-four, and this latest version first saw use in the China-market VW Teramont, which we get as the Atlas here – is 201 hp, just about the same as the very first generation of Tiguans, which also made about 200 hp. The second gen Tiguans, the outgoing ones, only made 184 hp, so this is a return back to where the Tig started, power-wise. Torque is unchanged from the last gen at 207 lb-ft (FWD) or 221 lb-ft (AWD).
Under that rubbery cover with the fake intake manifold molded into it is an interesting engine, a Miller-cycle engine, even. Miller-cycle engines are similar to Atkinson-cycle engines, but where the Atkinson-cycle avoids carbohydrates in favor of proteins – shit, wait, no, that’s the Atkins diet – I mean where the Atkinson-cycle holds the intake valve open longer, the Miller cycle does the same but adds a sort of two-stage compression stroke. Like Atkinson-cycle engines, Miller engines are more efficient at the expense of power, but Miller engines use turbochargers to compensate.
Here, I’ll let VW’s press release go on about the engine:
The engine, which is known as the EA888 evo5, is substantially changed from the powerplant in the outgoing Tiguan, with new charge cooling, turbocharger, injection system, and camshaft design among the revisions.
Even the basic reciprocating components have been optimized. The crankpin diameter has been increased from 1.88 in (47.8mm) to 1.97 in (50.0mm), while the connecting rods have been shortened from 5.67 in (144mm) to 5.51 in (140mm) to facilitate a thicker piston crown.
The turbocharger is all new, employing a variable geometry design that allows for higher boost ratios without causing high exhaust gas temperatures. Fuel injection pressure has been raised from 5076 to 7252 psi (350 to 500 bar), which necessitated relocating the drive for the mechanical fuel pump from the exhaust cam to the balancer shaft within the crankcase. A new forged fuel rail also helps accommodate the increased pressure.
The engine’s Miller cycle is more extreme in this engine, requiring a revised combustion chamber design and a new charge cooling system that incorporates an air-to-water heat exchanger. The evo5 also features an electronic intake cam adjuster, in place of the previous hydraulic unit, and a simplified cam system, which substitutes four separate cam pieces with eight adjusters for two pairs of cam pieces with double actuators.
So, they changed a lot, the result of which is that this 3,500-3,800 pound SUV gets 26 mpg city, 34 highway, and 29 combined (the last Tig got 24 city, 31 highway, and 27 combined) for the FWD one, and 4Motion AWD ones get 22 city, 30 highway, 22 combined MPG. That’s not bad for a non-hybrid combustion car.
A couple other nice things about the engine: there’s no stupid stick to hold up the hood, there’s real gas struts, which is nice and something I feel like I don’t see too often.
The catalytic converter is also well tucked up into the engine bay, which may be for thermal reasons but I suspect also to help make the thing harder to steal, which is nice.
Also, I like these beefy connectors on the brain box; those release clips also look refreshingly unlikely to snap off in your fingers.
Oh, also, look at these hood latches:
There’s two of these beefy boys! Why do they have such robust hood latches?
How’s It Look?
The new Tiguan’s look fits in with the overall new Volkswagen design language, which is quite clean and unfussy, but with a bold, grimace-like grille up front, and, in the case of the Tiguan, a duplicate faux one at the rear:
The rear grille as a graphic element I don’t mind, but you know what I’d rather see there than a fake grille pattern? Rubber. Black rubber. Black rubber that could take a solid whack into a utility pole and not leave the car with $2,000 worth of damage. That’s what should be there.
Speaking of fake grilles, if you’re wondering, these seem to be the parts of the front grille that are actually used for air intake:
I mean, I understand why the designers would want more visual grille area, I just think the differential between perceived air intake demand and reality is interesting.
The Tiguan is pretty handsome, unoffensive and sleek. The hoodline has been raised a good bit and the overall beltline, which does take away some of the interior airiness of the earlier Tiguan generations. The wheels are pretty striking, though.
Oh! But one thing I’m not crazy about for the wheels is this:
VW is still using these ridiculous plastic caps over the actual wheel lug nuts, and I’m as annoyed by these as I was the ones on my own Tiguan that I wrote about a couple years ago. I don’t get the point of them. VW has to include that little bent-wire tool to extract them, and they just get in the way or, worse, trap moisture around the bolt, leading to rust. They’re silly, and I don’t know why they’re still a thing.
That’s a pretty minor quibble, though; overall, it’s a handsome machine.
The color selection does at least include some color, and VW does take pains to point out the heritage of one color, at least in name:
That’s not really the same green as the one on the old Thing, but at least it’s a modern car you can get in green, so that’s something to celebrate.
How Big Is The Cargo Area?
That big.
You know, big enough to, say, hold two beer kegs, three BeBoxes, a bean bag chair, and a mid-sized dog, like an Australian Shepherd.
Pricing and Thoughts And Oh Yeah The Seat Massager Is Pretty Good
The 2025 VW Tiguan starts at under $30 grand, which feels pretty reasonable in these dark times. Here’s the full price breakdown by trim level:
Even the lower-spec ones had that “premium” feeling that I know is all the rage with the 25-85 year-old kids these days, even if I don’t entirely get the appeal myself. But maybe I don’t really believe I deserve such nice things due to some lingering self-esteem issues; all you well-adjusted people should know that the new Tiguan I think will feel worthy of your considerable value.
Oh, and that picture does show that we ended up in a bit of mud, and even the 4Motion one we drove had an awful lot of wheelspin, but I blame that on the tires, mostly. I would like to apologize to VW about how muddy we got the pedals, though:
Yikes. Sorry about that.
Overall, I think the new Tiguan is worthy of all those things that made the Tiguan an appealing car from the start. It feels like a taller, bigger Golf still, and I think that’s actual praise. The interior is a well-designed, comfortable space for five people and their stuff, it drives well, and looks pretty good. It’s perhaps not the most exciting thing on the road, but this isn’t really for people who need the most exciting thing on the road.
Assuming that modern-day VW mechanicals are finally free of my 2010s-era gremlins, this seems like a fine compact SUV. And, yes, that seat massager does feel awful nice.
All photos: Author
But does it have Fahrvergnügen?
I’d still like to see some kind of optional powertrain. Either a some kind of hybrid for better economy or one of the more powerful EA888 variant from like a Golf R or even GTI. VW is a massive company, yet somehow one of the few that only has a single base engine and nothing else in this category. Somehow much smaller competitors like Subaru, Mazda, and Honda can offer more powertrains yet VW doesn’t (even though VW has multiple that would pretty easily work already sitting on the shelf).
I miss when VW had a whole array of powertrains. My ex has a 2005 Passat. In that generation of Passat you could get: a 1.8T gas engine, a V6, a W8, or two(?) diesel engines. Those could all be paired with front wheel drive, or all wheel drive, with an automatic or manual.
Well you’re in luck. VW already has confirmed that the Tiguan is getting a 268 HP version of the EA888 in the top-spec SEL R-Line for 2026. That’ll essentially make it the most powerful (non-electrified) vehicle in its segment.
And VW has already confirmed that a hybrid version is on the way. Knowing how slow VW takes to launch new products in the US though, I expect it might not be until MY27 or maybe for the MK3’s refresh.
This is the kind of garbage that makes a Camry look appealing today.
22 city? Eek. That’s barely any better than my 2013 RAV4 AWD. I bet this would tow a trailer better in Denver, so there’s that.
Am I missing the dipstick? Heavy sigh.
I don’t get why all modern cars look so incredibly ugly and aggressive, and this one is no exception. Bring down the belt line, decrease the grill area, make the lights bigger, that kind of thing would be nice.
Because it’s either what new car buyers buy, or the automakers are convinced that’s what new car buyers want to buy. My opinion leans towards the latter being reality, but even then, what new car buyers want in a vehicle continues to deviate farther and farther from what used car buyers want.
Yes, I knew that VW’s best selling vehicle in the USA was the Tiguan. If you remove the F-Series and Sierra /Silverado you will find every manufacturer’s best selling vehicle is a compact / midsize crossover.
Toyota – RAV4
Honda – CRV
Tesla – Model Y
Nissan – Rogue
Chevy – Equinox
Hyundai – Tuscon
Ford – Explorer
Subaru – Forester
Kia – Sportage
Mazda – CX-50
I would have thought that it was the Outback for Subaru, and not the Forester. I probably see 30 Outbacks for every Forester around New England. (totally unscientific observation natch).
It varies a bit by source but they are very close. Looking at KBB they say 2024 sales were:
181,811 – Crosstrek
175,521 – Forester
168,771 – Outback
The source I used yesterday said Forester, Crosstrek, Outback. They are all crossovers so it really doesn’t change my thesis that the best selling vehicle of pretty much every car company is going to be crossover.
That is a serious mpg hit from FWD to AWD if true. And yes, low 20’s combined mpg is atrocious today on a vehicle this size. My AWD ’13 BMW X3 netted high 20’s around town and climbed into the 30’s on the highway regularly 10+ years ago, was quite zippy with 240 hp/280 tq, and had plenty of german quirks and comforts.
This is pretty poor, especially compared to my experience. We have a AWD 2022 Tiguan in the family, and it frequently turns in 28-29 miles per Imperial gallon in the city, and 36-40 mpg on the highway.
We leased a 2014 back in the day and were very happy with it. We didn’t have any kids yet so the back seats didn’t get used much for anything other than the occasional friend who drank too much.
It was peppy enough for everyday driving, had plenty of power for passing, and while not a canyon carver, handled pretty well all things considered. It never had a single problem for the three years we had it and we used every one of those lease miles.
I wouldn’t say I miss it, but my wife sure does. It was the first brand new vehicle she drove off a lot and still talks about how much she likes Tiguans. This new one does look pretty good and those prices are decent these days.
Those hood latches are how VW is squaring-the-circle with pedestrian impact regulations. They move the big, heavy, not-nice-to-hit latches down and outboard, where a person getting hit and falling onto the hood is unlikely to encounter them (because they’re buried deep in the bodywork).
These newer regulations are why the latest generation of Audis have such ugly and awkward cut lines around the bumper/fascia/hood/logo area — VW has nearly avoided what their corporate cousins could not.
Great article. Leave it to Torch to make a review of such mass market car this entertaining. With that out of the way I’m this class it would be hard to talk me out of a Forester Hybrid at this point. The combination of efficiency, an excellent/mechanical all wheel drive system, tons of space, and having that little extra bit of charm that so many crossovers lack is hard to top.
But I’ll give Volkswagen some credit for actually trying here. They still have a ways to go, but this isn’t a bad place to start. The upcoming turbo trim adds a little bit of enthusiast cred for the dads who’ve outgrown their GTIs crowd as well, which I am grateful for even though I’m not going to buy another VW.
Former FXT owner and current GTI (mkv) owner. I’ll never own another subaru. VW is a maybe, but Subaru is a definite no.
Due to most of the hybrid tech being borrowed from Toyota and the transmission being an eCVT rather than a belt driven one I’m cautiously optimistic about the longevity of a Forester Hybrid.
Fair points, good luck.
Yes, I did enjoy fauxverhead.
Me too. It should become the official name for slightly misleading imaginary camera displays.
Excellent Gonzo journalism once again.
Yes, saw the shadow image of Gonzo the Great instantly
Great review but having an almost all EV fleet now I just read through all the different things about the engine and cringe, that all sounds just so terribly complicated.
Variable geometry turbo-charged Miller cycle engine with electronic adjusted cam intake…that’s a lot of things to break to achieve the astounding…201hp.
That’s such an improvement over the Miller cycle engine that Mazda had 25 years ago with its….(reads wiki) 210 hp!
25 years and they have less horsepower?? Just stick a hybrid in it and call it a day dang.
Yeah I totally agree, I think this is how this can be offered relatively cheaply. It relies on tech that has been paid for and developed for years.
It’s nothing groundbreaking wrapped in a decent looking exterior/interior combo for not too much money. The value is there for some.
While this IS a lot of complexity for a commodity commuter vehicle, BEVs are really only less complex if you ignore all the details inside the battery case.
None of them are serviceable, so maybe they SHOULD be ignored, but there are still many, many things to break.
20,000 parts, some at 800 volts, glued and screwed together in a way you can never inspect.
I’m grateful VW can manage to produce the same constant paranoia about expensive failure while still relying n ICE technology.
ICE isn’t all about power, it’s a constant struggle to reduce emissions too.
Yeah I get that, but that’s where I’m thinking if they’d just make it a hybrid they’d be set, well, they’d be set for emissions, it’d still be a VW, with more electronics…I don’t think they can win any way they slice it lol.
They’re listening to us? Did i miss the part where they offer it with a manual?
And in more actual “color” colors than dark green and muted blue?
“The catalytic converter is also well tucked up into the engine bay, which may be for thermal reasons”
Back in the mid 1970’s, Mercedes-Benz had their catalytic converters under the hood for thermal reasons – and they caused no end of troubles due to their heat causing vapor lock on hot restarts.
I’m sure this caused similar troubles for other manufacturers too – leading cats to be moved down under cars away from the engines where they’ve been for the past 50 years.
I’d be interested to know how VW solved this issue.
But did they, or did they leave that as an exercise for the owners and dealers like they usually do.
Great read Jason.
Cats are routinely bolted right up next to the cylinder head to reduce light off times, and have been for at least 30 years. It’s fine. Well, it’s a durability nightmare, but one we’ve had a lot of practice of coping with.
However, in the US we have to fit a second cat further back to ensure emissions are fine in case of a failure of the primary cats/cats (in Europe we have a warning light instead). That secondary cat mostly sits under the floor, doing nothing but costing money, until it’s stolen.
There is no universe in which I would take this ugly thing over a Golf. Or better yet, a Golf WAGON. So wallet remains very firmly closed. Sorry VW, I bought two brand-new Golfs from you, but you are dead to me now.
I really liked the last gen Tiguan we had for about 3 years. Was a perfectly cromulent car, great cargo space, good mpg, and solid on a road trip.
I always wished it had more power though, and the new one is getting a higher output Turbo trim per the NY Auto show, so it seems like they’re listening.
“I understand why the designers would want more visual grille area”
Do You, Do You? I sure as toot’n don’t. As your point about the rear fascia should have a forgiving rubber “bumper”(we used to have them), so should the front dangit.
Tittering, chortling, and guffawing at your wordplay throughout.
A proper, bashable rear bumper would be nice, but I’d settle for a rubber insert, or polished or chrome metal plate on the horizontal surface just below the hatch opening. That would protect the paint on the bumper top from getting scratched like our GTI from my wife & kids dragging heavy objects out of the luggage area.
It seems fine. Which is what a compact CUV should be. Whether it is the best of the “fine” options comes down to the cost of ownership. I’ve had VWs I’ve loved, Scirocco, GLI, Golf-R, GTI, and they were worth the extra running costs they tended to demand. A Tiguan isn’t like providing the same benefits. The RAV4 Hybrid is likely the better choice as a daily transportation appliance.
I guess it depends on whether you want pure mileage, or a comfortable, solid interior feel. I believe the Tiguan also has greater rear legroom (although most RAV-4 competitors do, it’s tight back there).
Sure, but a slightly nicer interior feel and half an inch of legroom don’t seem like a great tradeoff for 10mpg, VW running costs, and worse depreciation. Especially when the entire category is designed to be the most practical set of compromises.
While the Tiguan wouldn’t necessarily be my first choice over a RAV-4, the RAV-4 would definitely be my last choice. Toyotas are just not pleasant places to spend time.
Fine, pick the Honda, or Mazda, it’s just that dealing with a VW in a segment that only exists for transportation appliances seems silly.
Well it’s not a bad car, and it is available in more markets than most VW vehicles. Offers more colors I VW is marketing the Tiguan so it is a winner. I am pretty sure I forwarded a story where manufacturers are transferring to more buttons and dials due to customer demand and VE wasn’t even in the forefront of the movement.
Did the knob taste funny?
a little but not unexpectedly so
Please refrain from tasting the knob
And this is why I came here. Thank you.
“And the kid with the glasses really likes the muscle man.”
I would prefer it taste Energetic rather than Inactive, Off or Me.
But now the pedals taste like Nature…
“Assuming that modern-day VW mechanicals are finally free of my 2010s-era gremlins“
I have no earthly idea on what basis you’d make this assumption, but god speed to the people who settle for one of these instead of just getting the RAV4.
Driving dynamics or reliability aside, I’ll give a nod to the Tiguan for “people who have eyeballs”
A surprisingly small number of the photos in the piece include a Muppet, and NONE of them include the beloved comedian. Most disappointing for a Monday afternoon.
I approve of your demands for more Muppet based content.
To be fair, the 2nd gen Tiguan was spared the stupid window switch debacle from the ID series of cars, instead staying with four window switches like every other 4-door vehicle from the last million years. My wife has a facelift second gen tiguan and it is OK. It’s a pretty good looking vehicle that falls a little flat in terms of “German-ness” but it’s close enough to keep us in the VW family once we needed a car larger than a Golf for 2-kid duty.
What I am VERY happy to see in this third gen is the return to actual physical controls on the steering wheel. I have – at VW’s expense, thankfully – replaced the haptic steering wheel in my wife’s 2022 Tiguan FOUR TIMES. Yes, that is stupid. I can almost guarantee it has something to do with the “cost cutting” addition of haptic buttons on the wheel. Unfortunately, now her steering wheel is about 1.5 degrees off center and I can’t get it fixed without an alignment. GRR… VW can’t simply leave well-enough alone and had to reinvent their own steering wheel.
It also appears interior materials quality have improved since gen 2. The center console armrest doesn’t adjust positions in the gen 2 and it’s infuriating. I think it’s adjustable on this new one.