Video: 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan Review: Likes and Dislikes

We've got a top line SEL R-Line trim level here and we're gonna drive it today and figure out a few things we'd like and a few things we don't like about Volkswagen's all new compact SUV. Let's get into it. (upbeat music) So we'll go ahead and count the Tiguan's cargo area as alike. It's not the biggest in the class, but it's definitely competitive and there are some really nice thoughtful features here. One thing I like is these depressed cargo bins on either side of the load floor itself. This one on the driver's side is especially good just for tossing a milk jug. Anything else you don't want rolling around. There's also a nice little cubby bin up here for smaller items to kind of keep those contained. And there's also a little bit of storage space under the load floor around the spare tire. So decent overall. Some other nice touches, integrated bag hooks in the sidewalls here. And something else I really liked, second-row seat back release latches so you can fold those without walking around to the side of the vehicle, and they fold to create a nice-level cargo floor, which makes it easy to slide big items forward. So overall, very nice cargo area. So in general, the new Tiguan has a very pleasant driving personality. This SEL R-Line has 20-inch wheels, which bigger diameter wheels and tires often hurt ride quality, but the ride quality here is quite good. Even with these larger wheels, and other Tiguan models have smaller diameter wheels and larger tire sidewalls that should make them ride even better. So ride quality is a plus. Steering feel is also very nice. The feel is nicely weighted but also responsive and communicative as well. It's also laudably quiet. Road noise and wind noise are nicely muted. When you stand on the gas, (vehicle engine revving) of engine noise, but even that is nicely muted. So again, very pleasant driving experience overall. So the Tiguan's upscale cabin ambiance is a definite plus, especially in this top-line SEL R-Line trim. We've got some very nice quilted leather seats, really nice soft, supple leather, real wood trim, some padded stitched leather on the dash, and a very large 15-inch infotainment screen. This is an upgrade from the standard 12.9-inch screen in less Tiguan trims, even that's pretty generously sized for the class. All Tiguans have a digital gauge cluster. This one's got a great amount of capability. I've even got the nav route display in it, if I want. But I can also cycle through other gauge layouts as well. Just different ways to display the information. There's also kind of a novel feature on the console. We've got a consol-mounted volume control knob, but you press the integrated touchscreen on the knob that switches to both a drive mode selector. I can choose from Comfort, Sport, Off-Road, Snow Custom, kind of your standard drive modes. But then there also is a atmosphere selector. This is a little bit gimmicky. We've got nature, joy, energetic, just themed settings, lounge. This changes the ambient lighting in the vehicle. There's a passenger side of the dashboard color display. Can't really see it in the daytime. And then it also changes the equalizer settings in the audio system to kind of match the mood of the setting. Again, a little bit gimmicky, but kind of a novel feature. So front seat comfort is another big plus in the Tiguan. Starting with first ample space. I am six foot six, extra tall, and even with the SELs panoramic sunroof, the housings of these sunroofs usually steal an inch or two of space. But I still have just enough room even with my hat on under the headliner. Broad range of adjustability in the driver's seat, both height and fore-and-aft adjustability. Decent range of adjustability in the steering column as well. And another feature that I really like that isn't that common is a height and fore-and-aft adjustable center armrest and put it all the way up like this. It allows me to kind of even rest my elbow with my hand on the steering wheel. Four and a half adjustability again, as I said. And you just... There are several different notches you can set it at and list it all the way up and put it back down. So seat comfort is another big plus as well. We've got massaging seats standard in this top line SEL. That's a very uncommon feature in the mainstream class. Can choose the duration, the type of massage, how long it lasts, the level of intensity all through the touchscreen. And there are, in this top line trim level, at least ventilated and heated seats. But even those are a step above the norm in that I can go to the settings in the control panel, go to seat climate control settings and I can even apportion how I want the ventilation or heat distributed. Let's say I have a sore back and I only want the seat heat on the seat back, I can do that. And then I want my seat bottom ventilated so I can adjust that a portion each, So it's all the way heat on the seat back or all the way on the bottom or some sliding scale in between. Very uncommon feature. I don't know that I've seen this recently on any vehicle. So just all contributes to the Tiguan's excellent front seat comfort. So just like it is in the front seat, the Tiguan's back seat space is excellent. And this is the back-back seat now. Volkswagen did away with the previously available third-row seats with the redesign. Not a big loss overall 'cause those third-row seats were so cramped. Anyway, that has enabled Volkswagen to focus more on this second-row seat and it's excellent. Six-foot-six guy talking here. And I have the driver's seat set for me and I still have adequate leg room in the backseat here. And again, even with the panoramic sunroof, I have enough head room that my head is not rubbing. On another nice thing is, okay, even though my knees might be rubbing the front seat back a little, which is not gonna be an issue for an average size adult, the back of the seat is nice and cushy and padded. So it's not uncomfortable even if it's brushing a little bit there. Also some nice convenience features. We've got integrated LED reading lights. We've also got heated outboard rear seats, some air vents built into the rear of the center console, touch climate control settings and a pair of USBC charging ports for the backseat passengers as well. So while the Tiguan's 201 horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine has adequate acceleration and competitive fuel economy ratings, and there's a gutsier turbocharged engine coming for 2026, most leading compact SUVs also offer a hybrid powertrain. And at this point, the Tiguan doesn't have one. So if you're looking for a Tiguan with a fuel sipping hybrid powertrain, you're outta luck. And if you like an SUV that zips away from stop signs and stoplights, the Tiguan is not your vehicle. This throttle pedal has been tuned for a very casual response that some drivers might find sluggish, lethargic. So I'm on a straight stretch here. I'm just gonna trump on the gas. (clock ticking) (vehicle engine revving) Eventually it decides that, "Oh, you want to go? Okay." But it's fairly slow response. So again, some drivers might like it that way. If you want a zippy or feeling vehicle, we would count that as a dislike. So while the Tiguan's 15-inch infotainment screen is very nice overall, bright, clear graphics, we have some nitpicks with it and they're common to a lot of recent VW products that we've tested. We're not really crazy about these slider controls at the bottom of the screen to adjust like climate control temperature and the audio system volume. Although, we do like that there is now a physical volume knob on the console so you're not stuck using the slider. But while it is nice that the climate controls are always fixed at the bottom of the screen, they are still touchscreen controls. We usually prefer physical buttons and knobs for climate control settings. And there are some things you need to dig a couple layers into the menus to adjust. And so the Tiguan system, I think will get easier to use over time and acclimation. There are other infotainment systems in competitive vehicles that are a little bit more intuitive from the start. The designed 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan is set to go on sale imminently. The base S trim level starts at around $31,000 while the SEL R-Line starts at around $41,000. For my full review of the 2025 Tiguan, be sure to check out cars.com/news.