If you're shopping for a compact SUV you have ten choices (not counting near-luxury and luxury brands).
There's the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Chevrolet Equinox, Subaru Forester, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Ford Escape, Volkswagen Tiguan and Mazda CX-50.
And according to year-to-date sales figures, that's the rank in which they sell---the Tiguan ninth out of ten, only outpacing the CX-50.
Not to say the others don't deserve their success, but a purely subjective case can be made that both the CX-50 and the Tiguan are nicer vehicles in terms of feel while driving. We're talking cabin comfort and levels of noise, vibration and harshness.
If you go to the statistics, though, the Tiguan keeps landing squarely in the middle of the pack.
Our tester is the 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-LINE 4MOTION. The 2.0-liter 16-valve dual overhead cam turbo four makes 184 horsepower, 221 lb-ft of torque, with an eight-speed automatic with TIPTRONIC. Power goes to all four wheels (that's 4MOTION---Volkswagen's all-wheel drive system).
Its 8.2-second 0-60 times are on par with the RAV4, CR-V and Rogue, and quicker than the Sportage, Tucson and Forester. The CX-50 and Escape are both significantly quicker (close to six seconds). The EPA fuel economy estimate of 24 combined (22 city/29 highway) is on the low end for the competitive group.
The Tiguan's cargo space is about mid-pack, too. Our tester, a two-row model, has 37.6 cubic feet behind the second row, 73.4 cubic feet with it folded down. It beats the Mazda, Subaru, and Chevy, is on par with the Nissan and Ford, and trails the rest, but only by a couple of cubic feet. Three-row Tiguans are available, and the dimensions are 12 cubic feet behind the third row, 33 behind the second row and 65.3 with rows two and three folded.
Rear seat legroom is plentiful. Every contender in the segment is solid in this respect. The difference between least and most room is less than four inches, and again, the VW slides in around the middle.
The base price of our top-of-the line Tiguan SEL R-Line with 4MOTION is $39,855 including destination. Standard at that price---20-inch alloy wheels, automatic LED headlights, taillights and daytime running lights, power-folding heated outside mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, a panoramic sunroof, dual-zone climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated and ventilated driver's and front passenger's seats, Vienna leather seating surfaces, auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, ambient lighting, a comprehensive suite of active safety features, keyless access, remote start, a Fender premium audio system with subwoofer and wireless phone charging.
VW has wisely, in my view, adopted the Asian manufacturers' approach to pricing, with inclusive trim levels and very few extra cost options. In this case, the only additional cost was $395 for the Kings Red Metallic paint, making the bottom line on the window sticker $40,250.
There are a lot of things in life where the experience outweighs the data. My opinion? The 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan is a lot better than the numbers suggest.
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