2018 Volkswagen Tiguan Review: First Impressions and Photo Gallery
CARS.COM — The 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan is impressively larger than the SUV it replaces. The specs are huge compared with the old Tiguan: 57 percent more cargo space, 10 additional inches in length and a newly available third row. For all of that extra size, however, the redesigned Tiguan’s packaging strikes me as a little odd after poking around the SUV at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit where it debuted.
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The backseat is no doubt roomier than the current Tiguan. Overall comfort isn’t quite as relaxed as the Nissan Rogue, which is now a Tiguan competitor; both SUVs have available third rows. The 2018 Tiguan has a large floor hump in the SUV’s middle and the area around the footwell is partially raised. The two-row Tiguan has a second row that slides rearward about an inch farther than the three-row model and is my pick for second-row roominess; I’m 6 feet tall and positioned the driver’s seat where I would normally sit.
In the Tiguan, as in the Rogue, the third row is bonus seating for children and not an option for adults. Still, I climbed back there; the Tiguan’s third row is barely elevated off the floor and the seat cushioning is thin, so comfort is poor for adults. However, the third row remains a great option for small families that may grow into larger families over the course of five years of car payments — and babies.
With the third row folded, there’s a good amount of cargo space for the compact class and almost another SUV’s worth of usable space more than the current Tiguan. The two-row Tiguan has a little more cargo area, however, because in three-row models, there’s a raised cargo floor behind the third row where the cargo cover is stored. Two-row models have a massive underfloor storage space.
Interior room is now on a similar level as the rest of the compact SUV class, and interior quality looks to be about on par as well. The highest SEL trim appeared on the show floor with the optional Virtual Cockpit that’s a high-tech VW Group feature in the class. The digitized, configurable instrument cluster and center console media display are a touch of the luxury class in a compact SUV. Materials aren’t quite as luxurious as some of the best examples in the class, like the Kia Sorento (two- or three-row as well), but they measure up to the majority of its competitors.
The 2018 Tiguan is a big step up from the old SUV, though it isn’t without its quirks. Of the two seating configurations, the two-row has a slight but noticeable advantage over the three-row Tiguan.
