The latest VW Tiguan reminds me of a 1996 Jetta. And that’s a good thing. Austere. Purposeful. No fluff. It gets me.
The price ain’t bad, either: $30,805 for our base Tiguan S. The Mazda CX-5 starts at $29,990. The Mazda makes a little less power–187 versus 201–but comes standard with all-wheel drive.
Base doesn’t have to mean Spartan. The dash, for example, isn’t bathed in boring vinyl. There’s a stripe of cloth running across it that ties in nicely with the seats. That’s fancy, right?
Like that Rad-era VW, the Tiguan also gives you comfortable, supportive seats, big, clear gauges and a roomy, efficient interior. For a smaller SUV, the Tiguan is fairly quiet and comfortable. No complaints.
It’ll carry your stuff, too. The VW beats the CX-5 in interior volume with the rear seat down: 69.8 cubic feet versus 66.5 for the Mazda.
The Tiguan feels peppy. Volkswagen still makes some of the best automatics out there: snappy shifts with no waiting. VW is also embracing the column shifter, with the Tiguan getting one as well. It’s kinda like the ’70s again.
Remember how Mazda was all about Zoom-Zoom several years back and worked to convince the world that even its SUVs were fun to drive? I’d rather take the Tiguan.
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