2019 Volkswagen Tiguan

It offers a good combination of space and utility features. The face upfront is typical Volkswagen with straight lines and big shiny grille. It is not as fancy as some of its rivals but brings its flexibility and strong mechanicals on the table. This car has Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester as its rivals. Volkswagen charges a premium and delivers a strong engine which is nice to drive around. It has robust built quality and a long list of equipment which is rather saved for higher trims.

The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan comes in 7 trims that includes base, Tiguan 2.0T S, Tiguan 2.0T SE, Tiguan 2.0T SEL, Tiguan 2.0T SEL R-Line, Tiguan 2.0 SEL R-Line Black, TIguan 2.0T SEL Premium and Tiguan 2.0T SEL Premium R-Line. All trims are offered with one engine option, 2.0 litre Turbocharged 4 cylinder. Prices for 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan starts from $24,295 for FWD and $25,595 for AWD base trim and goes upto $38,895 for top of the line SEL Premium R-Line trim.

Which Trim should you buy?

SE trim with the 4 Motion all wheel drive. For an addition of $3,300 this trim gets extra safety features like Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind-spot monitoring and other creature comforts like Dual zone Climate control, Powered (only driver side) and heated seat for front row, bigger and better infotainment screen and the convenience of all wheel drive. 

2019 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SE 4Motion: $27,595

The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan comes in with 184-hp turbocharged, 2litre 4-cylinder engine with an 8-speed automatic transmission. It offers all wheel drive right from the base model. The engine feels smooth and refined but doesn't feel fast. Acceleration is brisk with evident turbo lag and shifting gears takes its own time. It takes 8.2 and 9.1 seconds for FWD and AWD to achieve 0-60mph. While time taken for a quarter mile is 16.9s.

How well does the Volkswagen TIGUAN handle?

Volkswagen Tiguan comes with a light steering setup which offers average feedback. It offers crisp handling on the road. Being a heavy SUV, it has restrained body roll. Driving dynamics are very well sorted giving a safe and stable feel. Though the engine churns out healthy power, turbo lag hurts its performance. 0-60mph comes in at 9.1s for AWD and 8.2s for FWD. 4Motion technology provides good grip on the road and extra capability to go off the road. 

Braking Performance

The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan comes with disc brakes on all corners for a better stopping power. It weighs more but also comes with bigger brakes. The braking feel is progressive. And bigger front and back rotors which gives it a boost in shedding the speed in a composed manner without any fuss. But more curb weight translates to a longer stopping distance. The electronic safety aids also work hands in glove for secure shedding of speed. 

The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan takes more ground while going under emergency braking compared to its rivals. Toyota RAV4 fares a bit better than Volkswagen Tiguan and covers 126ft. Subaru takes 120ft and Honda CR-V being the lightest stops at 116ft. The braking performance of all the cars in the category is good.

The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan has a combined fuel efficiency of around 24MPG which is lower than the competitors. Honda CR-V and Subaru offer similar combined efficiency at around 29MPG. And Toyota RAV4 leads at around 30MPG, combined efficiency. These fuel efficiency figures show that Volkswagen Tiguan falls short of the mileage figures achieved by its rivals.

The Volkswagen Tiguan has fuel capacity of 15.3 gallons which is better than both Honda CR-V as well as Toyota RAV4, but less than Subaru Forester which has a capacity of 16.6 gallons. Volkswagen Tiguan provides a range of 334 miles(city) and 461 miles(/highway). Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 provide better range but Subaru has the highest range of them all.

Clean and simple design philosophy is followed in interior designs. But introduction of some colors to the interior livens up the sense of space. Material used is premium and panels are very well put together. Rear seat passengers get their own climate vents. Plastics are soft to touch on the dashboard. Controls are easy to use and within reach. Seats are supportive and offer good comfort. Leather seats are reserved for top trim only. Last row seats are best used by kids, as they are low on space.

Volkswagen Tiguan is the only SUV here which offers 7 seats. It has a nice and huge interior with great shoulder and headroom, although it has a little less legroom at the rear compared to class leading Honda CRV’s. With the last row of seats folded down, Volkswagen Tiguan has comparatively less trunk capacity than all the three SUVs.

• 40/20/40 2nd row split seats offer cargo flexibility. They split and slide forward as well. 
• Centre armrest is soft to rest hands on. 
• Keyless entry
• Auto dimming IRVM and heated ORVMs with memory function.
• Powered Driver’s seat adjustment with memory functions
• Heated Front seats.
• Leather wrapped steering and seats in higher trims

What’s there to keep you entertained?

The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan comes with a 6.5 inch touchscreen display in the base variant. But the SE and above trims come with an 8.0 inch display which has a rather good resolution. User interface is also smooth and the touchscreen feels responsive. Navigation and Bluetooth are offered as standard features. There are several charging points in the front as well as rear. 

• Digital Driver’s display on higher trim
• 6.5-inch/8.0-inch touchscreens with navigation and satellite radio.
• Panoramic Sunroof 
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integrated screen.
• 6 speaker standard / 9 speaker Fender’s audio system on higher trim
• Voice command activated functions

The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan looks like a typical European SUV. Purposeful with reserved styling. LED headlights are reserved for the top trim only but they lend this car a fresh look. It comes with optional 20-inch wheels which provide a good looking stance. 

It is longer than most of its rivals. And is solidly put together.

Volkswagen Tiguan has the longest wheelbase which helps it offer 7 seats with some space left for the cargo. It is longer than the other three as well. But Honda and Toyota both are wider than Tiguan. Subaru Forester and Toyota RAV4, both, offer the best while Honda CR-V offers the least ground clearance. When it comes to the curb weight, Volkswagen Tiguan is the heaviest while Honda CR-V is the lightest with Subaru Forester closely behind.

The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan received the highest safety rating(Good) in IIHS. For 2019, Volkswagen Tiguan is underpinned by Volkswagen group’s famous MQB platform. It performs brilliantly under collisions and has integrated several electronic functions to mitigate collisions. The base model comes with minimal advanced safety features but higher trims include upgraded sensors and camera systems. The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan is a very stable car to drive around the city as well as on the highway. The body roll is well contained and straight line manners are good.

• Blind Spot Monitoring System
• Collision Warning System 
• Lane Assist Feature
• Automatic High beam Assist
• 360-degree surround view camera

2019 Volkswagen Tiguan vs 2019 Honda CR-V

The 2019 Honda CR-V is a very well rounded car. It offers a strong turbocharged engine which has better efficiency than the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan. CR-V manages to provide more interior space as well. Honda CR-V has a very good value for the money. Volkswagen Tiguan lacks behind in terms of fuel efficiency and mediocre transmission performance. If 7 seats is the requirement, 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan is the obvious choice, otherwise Honda CR-V is just ahead in terms of value for money.

2019 Volkswagen Tiguan vs 2019 Toyota RAV4

The 2019 Toyota RAV4 fares better than 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan in terms of outright fuel efficiency. It has less kerb weight as well. Space on offer is similar in both the SUVs. Volkswagen Tiguan offers 2 extra seats which RAV4 doesn't offer. In terms of performance, RAV4 has better handling and incredible reliability. But the Tiguan offers more features than the RAV4. If comfort and space is the requirement, Volkswagen Tiguan offers both space as well flexibility while providing less fuel efficiency.

2019 Volkswagen Tiguan vs Subaru Forester

Subaru Forester provides a good mix of interior space, safety features and reliability. It has better cargo space than the Volkswagen Tiguan. But unlike the Forester, Volkswagen Tiguan offers a turbocharged engine which has a better power figure and better acceleration. If efficiency is not a priority, Volkswagen Tiguan offers a better package with good styling and strong engine.

The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan is bigger than previous models, providing space for cargo and extra seats in the last row. Extra seats make it stand out from the likes of CR-V and RAV4. It offers decent engine performance but the fuel efficiency is on a lower side. Features in the higher trim get expensive. Design wise it has not changed much from previous models. 

For the price of SE trim, it misses out on advanced safety features, but the option of 2 extra seats make it standout. Tiguan also comes with the option of AWD.