2025 Volkswagen Tiguan First Drive: VW's Modern Miracle

Once upon a time, way back in model year 2009 to be precise, the Volkswagen Tiguan arrived in America as little more than a lifted Golf hoping beyond hope to cater to a burgeoning crossover market. Now that segment clearly stands out as the largest swath of buyers in America—and the Tiguan is Volkswagen's clear best-seller. So for the little crossover's third generation, VW needed a knockout. And boy howdy, does the new third-gen Tiguan deliver, in a way not seen for decades, quite literally.

In many ways, the new Tiguan actually reminds me of the MkIV Golf, with premium touchpoints and a design that far outclasses its pricing. A perfectly calibrated powertrain, stunning suspension tuning, and even significant weight savings versus the outgoing gen all make the new Tiguan a true miracle of the modern automotive age.

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Unfortunately, Volkswagen held a media drive program in Montana on a couple of disappointingly drenched days—so my sincerest apologies for the foul-weather pics. And yet, the slippery conditions provided an excellent opportunity to test the Tiguan's front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants. I never thought in a thousand years that I might ever recommend a FWD car of any kind, yet as I sit here cranking out this story on the flight home, I can't help but confoundingly land on the conclusion that a base FWD Tiguan with perhaps only a few options tacked on might just be one of the best budget buys on the market today.

All variants and trims of the new Tiguan use the same turbocharged EA888evo5 inline-four engine, which received new turbo geometry, revised camshaft profiles, and a new fuel injection system for this generation. A forthcoming R-Line Turbo will step up to 268 horsepower, but for now, the S through SEL trims all receive ratings of 201 horsepower. Yet 4Motion-equipped models bump up modestly from 207 lb-ft of torque to 221 lb-ft, made possible by switching from the AQ301 transaxle to the all-wheel-drive AQ450, which can handle more peak torque.

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Despite the difference, in practice, the FWD Tiguan feels noticeably quicker at low speeds despite ECU tuning resulting in peak power coming on 250 RPM later, as well. So I needed to dig into the spec sheet to comprehend, and turns out the 4Motion system uses shorter gear ratios for first through fourth, but a taller final drive that results in slightly more sluggish acceleration. And none of the Tiguans on hand at the drive featured paddle shifters to help hold gears longer, either.

More important than all-out shove, though, the SE trim that I spent most of the day in rides on 19-inch wheels and Pirelli Scorpion Verde all-season tires with modestly high sidewalls. The tires and suspension pair perfectly, with body roll calibrated to absorb rough patches of asphalt and the occasional sojourn into some dirt (or, on this day, mud) without sending reverberations through the cockpit. The shock dampers and springs just seem to be in a happy middle zone that most automakers can't—or won't—figure out for commuter cars.

The SE's steering lacks some of the refinement of the powertrain and suspension, admittedly, but gets the job done with the sort of dull precision typical of electrically-assisted power steering. At least the mildly flat-bottom steering wheel's materials feel nice in the hand, as does the rest of the stunningly pristine interior design. 

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A 12.9-inch touchscreen dominates the dash, and I might even go slightly smaller in my dream world. Nobody needs the 15-incher of the SEL R-Line that I tested next, to say the least. And as I fiddled with the new "Atmosphere" knob—while listening to West Coast not Minnesota hip hop, admittedly—the ability to change ambient lighting, music volume, and drive modes all at the same time at least kept me somewhat entertained.

I find ambient lighting less than not at all interesting, though, so in my Tiguan I might toggle over to "Inactive" or figure out a more satisfying "Me" combo. Clearly, the fact that so many automakers now offer adjustable ambient lighting suggests that consumers must prioritize what I consider a distraction, so I suppose that Volkswagen believes this feature adds to the Tiguan's value given the inclusion at even base trim levels. The SE doesn't even have onboard navigation! Since we all use CarPlay anyway, why not skip out on that additional spend and prioritize budget elsewhere?

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Meanwhile, the seats kept me swaddled in comfort all day, as I alternated between heating against the wintry cold—and later, constantly kept the SEL R-Line's standard massaging seats running, true madness in a car that starts just under $40,000 before destination, and costs just $41,180 as tested. 

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I only climbed in the second row briefly, but at six-foot-one with long limbs I fit just fine. And my drive partner, at a towering six-foot-eight, almost fit lying down diagonally with the second row folded. Suffice to say, at least for anyone other than a Montana Sasquatch, car camping in this compact crossover might actually work!

Hence why I simply needed to find those dirt (aka mud) roads and blast down them at top speed, to test the Pirellis and how well Volkswagen's traction control works for a front-wheel-drive SE. Again the Tiguan impressed me, though on a particularly moist patch of grass while trying to turn around and get back to asphalt, a single front tire spun enough to cause a momentary spasm of anxiety that maybe I (or the yeti in my passenger seat) might need to get out and push.

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Of course, actually engaging in this kind of shenanigans (and we didn't get stuck anyway) almost warrants optioning 4Motion, which adds just $1,500 to each trim level. But after a shorter stint in the SEL R-Line, for the first time in my life, I stepped out entirely certain I preferred the FWD SE. 

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Yes, the 4Motion grip almost entirely eliminates torque steer. But the power delivery drops due to that final drive ratio, and nearly 10% higher curb weight thanks to the additional driveline components and the beefier transaxle all don't do the suspension any favors. Plus, the SEL R-Line's 20-inch tires reduce the tire sidewall height enough to create a bit more clunking, without improving the steering much either.

The only advantage of the top trim? Those seats, which actually massaged my back quite firmly. I can skip the bigger touchscreen, and don't need the wood grain even if it's a nice visual that might help with residual value—which can potentially justify lower lease payments, as Volkswagen reps pointed out. But finishing the SEL R-Line's center console in dreaded piano-black plastic, versus the matte trim pieces of the SE, somewhat counteracts the premium aesthetic.

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A few other details that impressed me do deserve noting. For one, the capacitive charging pad in the center console worked reliably for the first time in any vehicle I've ever driven. Nifty storage compartments on either side of the rear cargo floor also looked perfect for keeping groceries from rolling around. And the front row's armrest both ratchets and extends—another blast from the early-2000s Volkswagen past.

In matters of personal taste, however, the Tiguan might cause some division. To my eye, the front end more strongly resembles the ID.4 electric crossover, not quite my favorite design. The waterline from within the third-gen also perceptibly seems higher, since the overall impression of height drops lower than the first-gen in particular. And the tail end sort of blends Nissan and Infiniti details in a vaguely bland aesthetic, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but does provide another knock against spending more on higher trim levels.

I'm flying home from Montana still 100% convinced that most buyers will get the best bang for their buck by speccing a Tiguan as cheaply as possible. Here we get Volkswagen at their best, making the dollars and cents count in the places where spending more makes more of a difference. I'll miss the massagers—since obviously I can't spec single options in favor of larger packages—but the ten grand or so can cover a professional massage once a month and still net some savings.

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Without exaggeration, as my girlfriend's Toyota Corolla Cross lease nears the end of the line (I know, I know), we've been considering all options. Quite literally, from an El Camino to possibly a 1990s Mitsubishi truck, or just figuring out a solid EV lease deal based on what's not hot when the time comes. And then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, the new Tiguan enters the conversation in a big, big way. All by bucking the typical industry trends of inflated size and even more inflated pricing, despite catering even more perfectly to the American crossover buyer.