Is the Volkswagen Tiguan a Good SUV?
- The redesigned-for-2025 Volkswagen Tiguan is a well-rounded compact SUV that excels in many everyday tasks. Its high points include excellent space for both people and cargo, pleasant driving manners and a convincingly upscale ambiance in its topline trim. Some of its controls will likely require acclimation, however.
How Does the Volkswagen Tiguan Compare With Other Compact SUVs?
- In terms of occupant comfort and space in both seating rows, the Tiguan is a class leader, and its cargo space is competitive, too. It also stands out from the pack by offering a number of upscale features that aren’t available on most rivals — all at very reasonable prices. However, a number of rivals offer fuel-efficient hybrid powertrains, which the Tiguan currently doesn’t have in the U.S.
The redesigned 2025 Tiguan isn’t a wholesale reimagining of Volkswagen’s compact SUV, but there’s quite a lot that’s new — and improved. Among the newly available features are 12.9- or 15-inch infotainment touchscreens (replacing the previous-generation Tiguan’s 6.5- and 8-inch touchscreens), a console-mounted volume knob that also controls an “Atmospheres” ambient-lighting system in all but the base trim, a head-up display, illuminated door handles, heated rear outboard seats and massaging front seats. Also, a 10.25-inch digital instrument panel is now standard on all trims.
Related: What’s the Best Compact SUV for 2025?
The Tiguan’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder and eight-speed automatic transmission continue as the sole powertrain, but the engine has been upgraded to make 201 horsepower (a 17-hp bump from the outgoing Tiguan). Exterior styling gets a little curvier and adopts some of VW’s latest styling cues, including a full-width LED light bar and illuminated VW logos on the topline trim. Overall length shrinks by 1.7 inches, and all Tiguans are now two-row, five-seat vehicles; the marque elected to nix the previous-gen Tiguan’s available third-row seat. (Frankly, that’s not a big loss; those seats were so cramped that they were useful only for small children or very short trips.)
I attended the 2025 Tiguan’s press preview event in Bozeman, Mont., where I drove the flagship SEL R-Line trim and took a brief spin in a front-wheel-drive SE. (Per our ethics policy, Cars.com pays for its own airfare and lodging when attending such manufacturer-sponsored events.)
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How Spacious Is the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan’s Interior?
The new Tiguan offers excellent occupant space in both the front seats and the backseat. I’m 6 feet, 6 inches tall, and I had sufficient headroom in both the front and back even with the SEL R-Line’s standard panoramic moonroof (moonroof housings often steal an inch or two of headroom space). The front seats and steering column offer a broad range of adjustability, and the positionable center-console armrest is another nice touch. It slides fore and aft a few inches and is also height-adjustable, which helps in accommodating the preferences of drivers of various sizes.
Backseat space is also generous; with the driver’s seat positioned for my tall frame, I could fit in the backseat with my shins only lightly brushing the driver’s seat (which wasn’t a big deal because the front seatbacks are softly padded). Average-size adults should have room to spare, which is not a given in the compact SUV class. The wide rear door openings make backseat entry and exit easy; they should also make it easier to install child-safety seats and get little ones in and out of the vehicle, too.
We haven’t had the opportunity yet to do our own cargo measurements on the 2025 Tiguan, but its cargo-area dimensions are generally competitive with most class rivals. The cargo area’s side walls have handy molded-in bag hooks and release levers for flipping down the rear seatbacks, which fold flat to create a smooth, level load floor for larger cargo items. Bins on both sides of the cargo floor and a small cubby above the rear wheel well on the driver’s side are handy for stashing smaller items you don’t want rolling around.
Small-items storage is about par for the compact SUV course. Front and rear door pockets and bottle holders are decently sized, and there are also small storage cubbies on the outboard sides of the backseat. The Tiguan now uses a steering-column gear selector stalk, which takes a little getting used to but frees up center console space. The center console bin houses the standard wireless phone charger (which uses a spring-loaded clip to hold the phone to the driver’s side of the bin), dual USB-C ports and a removable tray that enables two-tier storage.
How Nice Is the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan’s Interior?
In the top SEL R-Line trim, the Tiguan’s cabin is convincingly luxurious, boasting upscale touches like quilted leather upholstery, real-wood dashboard trim, a decent number of soft-touch surfaces and lots of standard features. The S and SE cabins aren’t as lavish, naturally, but they’re still nicely trimmed and equipped for their respective price points.
Seat comfort is a strong point, too, thanks to the generous space and “just right” cushioning. The SEL R-Line’s new multifunction massaging front seats are a very rare feature among mainstream-brand SUVs, and its heated and ventilated front seats have a Seat Balance function that allows the user to adjust the proportion of heat or ventilation that is directed to the seatback or bottom cushion. Backseat passengers in the SEL R-Line enjoy heated outboard seats and rear climate controls, as well as LED reading lights in the headliner. The Atmospheres modes change ambient cabin-lighting colors, audio system settings and the digital gauge cluster’s display format via the console-mounted control knob — a frivolous feature, perhaps, but it’s still kind of fun to play with.
How Is the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan’s Technology?
The upsize touchscreens are a welcome upgrade, and the infotainment software itself looks to be robust and feature-packed. I’m not thrilled with the touch-sensitive slider controls for cabin temperature and audio system volume or the climate controls being integrated into the bottom of the touchscreen; I’d rather have physical controls, but happily, there’s the console-mounted volume knob as an alternative to the slider, and the climate controls do stay fixed on the bottom of the touchscreen. Simple functions are right on the surface, though more detailed settings require tapping through a menu or two. The system will require some acclimation, but owners will likely get used to it.
How Does the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan Drive?
Just fine, thanks. The Tiguan’s driving personality is very pleasant and relaxed overall, with a comfortable, absorbent ride even with the R-Line’s 20-inch wheels and tires (larger-diameter wheels usually mean shorter tire sidewalls, which typically hurt ride quality). The steering feel is nicely weighted for a confident, responsive feel in everyday driving, and road, wind and engine noise are all well muted for a respectably quiet cabin.
The engine delivers its power smoothly for the most part, though the horsepower infusion doesn’t turn the Tiguan into a sporting machine. Acceleration is perfectly fine for everyday driving, but the accelerator pedal is tuned for a rather “casual” response — maybe too casual for some drivers’ tastes, and the Sport drive mode doesn’t liven things up much. You won’t be zipping away from stoplights in this vehicle. I took a quick drive in a FWD SE trim, and it felt more responsive and quicker off the line than the SEL R-Line with its standard 4Motion all-wheel drive. If you want a spicier Tiguan, you have to wait a bit longer: A gutsier SEL R-Line Turbo trim with 268 hp is slated to go on sale this fall as a 2026 model.
The 2025 Tiguan’s EPA fuel-economy numbers are mildly improved over its predecessor’s. Its 25-29 mpg ratings in combined driving are in the ballpark of its class competitors, though several rivals offer fuel-sipping hybrid powertrains. The U.S.-spec Tiguan doesn’t offer a hybrid now, but Volkswagen sells a plug-in hybrid variant in Europe and might bring it to the U.S. in the future.
How Much Does the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan Cost?
The Tiguan’s core trim-level hierarchy carries over with no major changes for the redesigned version. As of this writing, prices for the 2025 Tiguan are as follows (all prices include a $1,425 destination fee):
- S: $30,920
- S AWD: $32,420
- SE: $33,720
- SE AWD: $35,220
- SE R-Line Black: $36,880
- SE R-Line Black AWD: $38,380
- SEL R-Line AWD: $41,180
Though it’s hard to do true apples-to-apples comparisons, the Tiguan stacks up well to its rivals in terms of all-around value and features for the money.
Should You Buy a 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan?
The 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan didn’t launch in time to be included in our 2025 compact SUV comparison test, but I’d wager it would have been a solid contender in that group. It’s a well-rounded daily driver that doesn’t commit any major gaffes, and its occupant space and available upscale features are big points in its favor. If you’re not put off by its unconventional controls, the Tiguan’s merits might elevate it to the top of your shopping list.
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