I had a 1988 mustang GT back in the early 2000s. It even spent 2 years as a yard ornament before I got it. All the rubber was fine. The dash was fine. Looked nesr new inside. Contrast this with my 2010 jeep that by 2014 was mostly rotten, lol! Then consider my trans ams which always had dash issues, regarding sun exposure.
Why The Distaste For The Tiguan?
- Thread starter Zee09
- Start date
I don't hate the Tiguan, but on paper - it's just not competitive enough.
1) It has no hybrid/electric option, whereas bestsellers such as RAV-4 and CR-V have been offering at least a hybrid option for several years.
2) Weight / power ratio is one of the worst in this segment, despite having a turbocharger, that budack cycle engine is just not responsive enough, and the car is several hundred pounds heavier.
3) MPG is one of the worst, as it is one of the heaviest entries, it's not surprising to have crappy MPG.
4) Other entries usually offer more cargo space, or overall practicality is better. Especially the first gen Tiguan sucked so bad.
5) Resale value (at least in Canada) is bad, people buy cars based on the resale value.
6) VW models always have "sterile" interior design including the Tiguan, but typical SUV buyers look more rugged/versatile design - lots of big cubbies/storage compartments etc.
7) VW, as a brand and model range, is a more suitable brand for EU buyers. In North America, If you want reliability - you go with Japanese, if you want value - people choose Korean, if you want prestige - you go with Audi/BMW/Merc etc. VW could not offer anything to stand out with the Tiguan in North America. If you ever sit/check the EU models, they almost feel like an Audi, but here they couldn't offer same level of quality.
8) VW just don't have a good reputation after the emissions scandal, and many buyers steered away from the brand because of it. I think that's the main reason of the hate in the last few years.
The only unique feature was 7-seat option, but I think they don't offer it anymore. I also appreciate the fact that they are not using a dual clutch, or a CVT in an SUV, I'm glad they use Japanese Aisin 8 speed in Tiguan, that'd be the reason why I would've bought it (instead of something with CVT) if I was looking for a car in this segment.
Overall it's not a bad car, but it is just not the best in any category.
1) It has no hybrid/electric option, whereas bestsellers such as RAV-4 and CR-V have been offering at least a hybrid option for several years.
2) Weight / power ratio is one of the worst in this segment, despite having a turbocharger, that budack cycle engine is just not responsive enough, and the car is several hundred pounds heavier.
3) MPG is one of the worst, as it is one of the heaviest entries, it's not surprising to have crappy MPG.
4) Other entries usually offer more cargo space, or overall practicality is better. Especially the first gen Tiguan sucked so bad.
5) Resale value (at least in Canada) is bad, people buy cars based on the resale value.
6) VW models always have "sterile" interior design including the Tiguan, but typical SUV buyers look more rugged/versatile design - lots of big cubbies/storage compartments etc.
7) VW, as a brand and model range, is a more suitable brand for EU buyers. In North America, If you want reliability - you go with Japanese, if you want value - people choose Korean, if you want prestige - you go with Audi/BMW/Merc etc. VW could not offer anything to stand out with the Tiguan in North America. If you ever sit/check the EU models, they almost feel like an Audi, but here they couldn't offer same level of quality.
8) VW just don't have a good reputation after the emissions scandal, and many buyers steered away from the brand because of it. I think that's the main reason of the hate in the last few years.
The only unique feature was 7-seat option, but I think they don't offer it anymore. I also appreciate the fact that they are not using a dual clutch, or a CVT in an SUV, I'm glad they use Japanese Aisin 8 speed in Tiguan, that'd be the reason why I would've bought it (instead of something with CVT) if I was looking for a car in this segment.
Overall it's not a bad car, but it is just not the best in any category.
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The terrible anticipated "resale" (residual value) baked into leases made the 2018+ Tiguan one of the most profitable vehicles to buyout lease and resell it. A coworker who had one extra in family leased his 2018 and ended up taking loan and then turning around and selling to Carmax or Caravan for a $8k profit when all said and done. VERY happy Tiguan owner.
It has one feature that has worked really well for us that I don't believe any other Compact SUV offers, the third row has come in handy in a pinch to jamb 6 passengers(7 total inc driver) legally over short distances with kids friends.
Zee09
$200 Site Donor 2023
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A very lucky guy...
Back in 1999 I bought a 1999.5 Jetta w/2.0L I4 and 5 spd manual. In the US they were were sold with a 3yr/36k mile warranty. The vehicle was made in Mexico.
I had a couple of repairs.
A/C compressor blew at year 2
The plastic arms holding up all 4 windows slowly deformed and gave up the ghost at year 3
Warranty I opted not to claim
-Serious paint run in the factory paint. I never opted to have it fixed because the run was in the base coat (i.e. underneath the clear coat).
When I compare that to my 2012 Mazda3 I bought with ~68k mile which has only needed consumables: tires, fluids, brakes and a great leather interior. I'm now at 145k miles. So no quite the 165k of the Jetta you cite. But nothing broken, so I'm not seeing how you are making the case for VW reliability here
Ditto for my wife's 2017 RAV4. Other than flashing new code in the head until under warranty sometime in the first two years, it's the same story at 100k miles. Only fluids and consumables.
Probably more boring than the Tiguan, but for the wife, boring is good
That just means he got his money back from paying a terrible lease rate.
The US only got the long wheelbase version, so VW maximized its manufacturing parts by offering the Tiguan Allspace in other markets.
Europe doesn't get the Budack-cycle engine, which people complain about it being gutless in its stock form with the automatic transmission.
the short block is too weak for turbo upgrades and VW had IHI make a turbo that is very limited power upgrades from increasing the boost from a ECU reprogram.
Id be all about the R, but nada, here. Very lame.
True. The SQ5 would have been neat, but the performance bump wasn't worth it. I don't have anything bad to say about the sq5, nor the Tiguan R though. Just that 0.3 seconds to 60, 0.3 in the quarter, and 2mph trap speed was outweighed by far cheaper ownership costs and 2-3x the mpg, so I went Toyota. Handling, too, but I dont really push cars on the street hard enough to care when it comes to corners.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Our 2011 had HVAC resistor failure, one coil failure, water pump recall and thermostat stayed open recently as geniuses at VW replaced recalled water pump and left old thermostat. Took me some 2hrs to replace it.
It is a goat in snow, engine is powerful enough. It is built like a tank and we probably won’t ever sell it.
All issues I had were nothing compared to this issue I have to deal with on Toyota:
It is a goat in snow, engine is powerful enough. It is built like a tank and we probably won’t ever sell it.
All issues I had were nothing compared to this issue I have to deal with on Toyota:
It would be a neat vehicle. DCT from vag, and the chassis is a lot stiffer than what we get in America, I believe, too. Maybe not the car for me, but I'd appreciate them. The current NA market tiguan? Rubbish.
Toyota finally tightened up their panel gaps.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Yep, just don’t drive in rain or snow.
I’d like to know which Compact SUV is “better.”
A GMC Terrain? Chevy equinox? Ford Escape?
Toyota and Honda have better offerings than the domestics and the Tiguan doesn’t seem far off from those.
Nissan Rogue? Come on….
Subaru makes a couple good ones.
If I had to choose between a base model equinox and a Tiguan I’ll take the Tiguan every time (and I didn’t like it all that much).
A GMC Terrain? Chevy equinox? Ford Escape?
Toyota and Honda have better offerings than the domestics and the Tiguan doesn’t seem far off from those.
Nissan Rogue? Come on….
Subaru makes a couple good ones.
If I had to choose between a base model equinox and a Tiguan I’ll take the Tiguan every time (and I didn’t like it all that much).
Yes the Tiguan is well above a domestic crossover. It's not that the Tiguan is bad, just that the Rav4/CR-V/CX5 are so good.
We test drove a LOT of vehicles earlier this year. The domestics (and Nissan) were a pure no-go. The CVT’s in a lot of the Japanese cars were not fun.
We narrowed things down to a Subaru Outback and VW Tiguan. Then my wife drove the VW Atlas and that ended the debate.
I would have been happy with either the Outback or Tiguan. The 2.5L/CVT was buzzy and equally underwhelming compared to the Budack 2.0TSI, but at least the Aisin 8 speed was really nice.
The VW MQB and Subaru global platform are same/same for ride quality and smoothness in comparable trim levels.
My point is that outside of the domestics, most of these vehicles are very similar. In most cases if you see a winner it’s likely because that brand likely refreshed more recently than others. Nothing happens in a vacuum.
