For the longest time in the 20th century, Volkswagen really didn't do SUVs. They were comfortably shifting tons upon tons of units of the Beetle, the Bus, and eventually, the Golf. They got off to a great start in the North American market as well, especially with cars like the beloved Jetta. Volkswagen's first ever SUV, the massively over-complicated and luxurious Touareg, came along in the early 2000s.

Soon after, Volkswagen realized that luxury SUVs wasn't the way to go for their buyer base, so in 2009, they came out with the Tiguan as their entrant into the normal, mass market compact crossover segment. Despite its setbacks and slow sales at first, the Tiguan, whose second and current generation recently got a facelift, quickly became and continues to be one of America's favorite SUVs.

2022 Volkswagen Tiguan

7.90 / 10
Key Features
  • Available AWD
  • 184-hp turbo four-cylinder
  • Updated SE R-Line Black trim level
Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: Tiguan
  • Segment: Array
  • Engine/Motor: 2.0-Liter Turbo Inline-4
  • Horsepower: 184 hp
  • Torque: 221 lb-ft
  • Drivetrain: FWD, AWD
  • Transmission: 8-Speed Automatic
  • MSRP: $26,950 (base)
Pros
  • No-nonsense exterior styling
  • Affordable
  • Very practical
Cons
  • Just a little bland
  • Standard safety equipment is poor
  • No hybrid option

2023 Tiguan Overview

Volkswagen Tiguan Front Right Quarter Oryx White
Volkswagen

The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan continues to write the success story for Volkswagen's compact crossover that they have been offering in North America for almost 15 years. The second generation car arrived on the market in 2018, which was definitely a surprise. The first generation Tiguan came to the United States from Germany, and that made it relatively expensive, which ultimately led to slower and smaller sales numbers. For the second generation, Volkswagen decided to change tracks.

Volkswagen introduced a long wheelbase version of the Tiguan, known as the Tiguan Allspace in some markets, and they shifted production of the LWB car to Mexico. As a result, for the second generation Tiguan, Volkswagen simply opted to just bring over the LWB car from Mexico to the US and Canada. This meant that the Tiguan would appeal more to North American palettes, and they could sell it at a lower price, which has transformed this car's sales.

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The Tiguan's exterior styling isn't much different from the competition, but it's still a pretty captivating, attractive crossover. The biggest change came to the front end, which features new headlights, a new front grille design, as well as a new front fascia. Some trim levels also get a light bar that spans the entire width of the grille. The sides and the rear are all pretty similar, but the Tiguan does get some fresh alloy wheel designs, and the SE R-Line Black trim gets completely new ones for 2023.

The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan is available in four different trim levels, S, SE, SE R-Line Black, and SEL R-Line, and it continues its battle in the ever-so-competitive compact crossover segment, with the likes of the Hyundai Tucson, the Kia Sportage, which we have reviewed, the other best-seller, the Toyota RAV4, the recently refreshed Ford Escape, and the Honda CR-V.

2023 Tiguan Powertrain

For 2023, the Tiguan keeps its sole powertrain option. Under the hood is a fairly standard 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 184 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque. Pretty respectable figures and on par with the other favorites in the segment. This powertrain propels the Tiguan to 60 mph in around eight seconds, which isn't too bad. As for fuel economy, the EPA estimates the Tiguan at around 24 MPG city and 31 highway for the FWD version, and 22/29, respectively, for the AWD model.

RELATED: Here's How The 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan May Fare With The Competition

Those aren't bad figures, but it highlights a small problem with the Tiguan's powertrain offer: Volkswagen still doesn't offer any sort of hybrid. Still, the numbers are pretty good for a pure internal combustion engine in a vehicle like this. Power goes to either the front wheels or all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, which is the sole transmission option.

2023 Tiguan Interior And Features

Volkswagen Tiguan Interior Center Noisette
Volkswagen 

On the inside, the face-lifted Tiguan also received a few updates here and there, including a new steering wheel, an updated gauge cluster screen, and a slightly updated infotainment system. There are also new climate controls, which use capacitive touch sliders instead of dials and buttons on the upper scale trim levels. The upper scale trim levels also offer the surprisingly attractive Noisette interior upholstery.

In terms of features, the Tiguan offers third row seating as standard, which is a one-up on some of its competitors, which don't offer third-row seating at all. Heated front seats are also standard, along with keyless entry and start, and the digital gauge cluster also comes as standard. Options include a Fender sound system, ventilated front seats, automatic power lift gate, and a panoramic sunroof.

RELATED: Blacked-Out Volkswagen Tiguan Rino Shows Off The SUV's Aftermarket Potential

As far as safety tech goes, the Tiguan is available with Volkswagen's IQ.DRIVE suite of safety systems, but it's an option on the base model. If you do go for it, it includes adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning with auto emergency braking, and lane keep assist. The Tiguan seats seven passengers, though the third row is pretty small. It offers up 12 cubic-feet of cargo space behind the third row, 33 cubic feet behind the second row, and 65.3 cubic feet with all the seats down.

2023 Tiguan Pricing

Volkswagen Tiguan Front Grille Details
Volkswagen

Тhe 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan has a base MSRP of $26,950, which nets you a base S trim level with FWD. The top of the line SEL R-Line starts at $37,680, and that car offers AWD as standard. While the competitors do a few things better than the Tiguan, it's still a fantastic value proposition, due to its low starting MSRP and the fact that it offers three-row seating as standard.