2009 VW Tiguan

If you're in the market for a compact SUV and appreciate German engineering, consider the VW Tiguan

By Thane Peterson

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Quickness, handling, safety, upscale and flexible interior

The Bad: Relatively high price, lack of luggage space, no third row of seats

The Bottom Line: One of the sweetest compact SUVs around—for a price

Reader Reviews

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Up Front

I like just about everything about the handling and ergonomics of the new Volkswagen Tiguan, a compact SUV that competes with models such as the Toyota (TM) Rav4, Honda (HMC) CR-V, Ford (F) Escape, and Nissan Rogue. The Tiguan has an upscale cabin, tasteful, understated styling, and well laid-out controls, as well as handling and quickness reminiscent of the sporty Volkswagen (VOWG) GTI. If you're in the market for a compact SUV and appreciate German engineering, the Tiguan is definitely worth considering.

However, there are several big negatives about the new model, which appeared in the U.S. last spring. The first is its price, which mounts quickly as you move up the line—which isn't too hard to do. The entry-level, front-wheel-drive Tiguan S lists at $23,950 with a stick shift, and $25,050 with an automatic. However, the base price jumps to $29,625 for a midrange SE with all-wheel drive (which comes only with an automatic transmission), and to $33,690 for a fancy SEL with all-wheel drive. The Tiguan's main rivals aren't as much fun to drive but end up costing an average of about four grand less

The second consideration is fuel economy. With an automatic transmission and front-wheel drive, the Tiguan is only rated to average 21 miles per gallon (18 in the city, 24 on the highway), which lags the four-cylinder Honda CR-V (20/27), Ford Escape (20/28) and Nissan Rogue (21/26), as well as both the four- and six-cylinder Toyota RAV 4 (even the six-cylinder version gets 19/27). Premium gasoline is recommended in the Tiguan, while its rivals use regular.

The third reason for doubt is VW's reputation for iffy quality. As a new vehicle, the Tiguan hasn't been rated, but in the past VW has scored lower than Honda and Toyota, to say nothing of Ford and Nissan, in J.D. Power's rankings of overall vehicle dependability.

On the other hand, a big selling point for the Tiguan is its engine, which is the same turbo-charged, 2.0-liter, 200-horsepower inline four-banger that's found in the Audi TT sports car (Volkswagen is Audi's parent company). It's a great little powerplant that generates 206 ft.-lb. of torque and provides lots of oomph both from a full stop and at highway speed. A further plus for driving enthusiasts is that the entry-level Tiguan S can be had with either a six-speed stick shift or automatic transmission. The front-wheel and all-wheel-drive versions of the SE and SEL are only available with the automatic, but there's a manual function for those who want to do the shifting themselves.

Safety is another of the Tiguan's strong points. The model earned excellent crash-test ratings in Europe and is a Top Safety Pick of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in the U.S. Standard equipment includes stability and traction control and six airbags, with rear side airbags available as an option.

Volkswagen is doing better than most other carmakers right now: U.S. sales were down only14.7% in the first two months of this year, to 26,404, while rivals such as General Motors (GM) and Ford saw their sales cut in half.