Specifications of Volkswagen Tiguan X 330 TSI (186 HP) DSG

General characteristics of Volkswagen Tiguan X 330 TSI (186 HP) DSG

As the dimensions show, the new VW Tiguan is one of the bigger competitors in its segment which is necessary to accommodate that third row. At 186.1 inches in length, it is around five inches longer than the Toyota RAV4. The Tiguan has a 109.9-inch wheelbase, a width without the mirrors of 72.4 inches, and a height of 66.4 inches. With all-wheel drive, the height increases to 66.5 inches. Ground clearance is either 7.4 inches for front-wheel-drive models or 7.6 inches with AWD.

Curb weight is 3,765 pounds with FWD and 3,856 lbs with AWD.

VW's familiar EA888 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine finds use in the Tiguan but is detuned for efficiency over power compared to other applications. Here, it has 184 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque. It does what it needs to do; progress is smooth and the low-down torque is useful, but it will never set your pants on fire. That's perfectly acceptable in a vehicle of this kind. A smooth eight-speed automatic transmission is the only transmission choice, and together with just one engine choice, VW believes that this setup will suit the needs of its core target market. Considering that the Tiguan is VW's biggest seller in the US, it seems to be a smart move.

Tootling around town or cruising at the legal limit is no problem for the Tiguan, as any quick test drive will reveal. It's only when joining the highway and needing to get up to speed quickly that the vehicle starts to feel labored. In these cases, competition from Mazda and some others will make the Tiguan feel underpowered.

The base Tiguan has seen a small improvement in its EPA figures for the 2022 model year. The FWD models will now return 23/30/26 mpg city/highway/combined, a 1 mpg improvement on the highway and combined cycles. With AWD, the Tiguan's gas mileage figures drop to 22/29/25 mpg; again, the combined rating is 1 mpg better. The least economical model is the R-Line 4motion which returns 21/28/24 mpg.

The FWD models have a 15.3-gallon gas tank so can cover about 398 miles on a tank. With its bigger 15.9-gallon gas tank, expect the same range from regular AWD models or 382 miles in R-Line specification.

In front-wheel-drive models, the Tiguan is a seven-seater, but with the usual caveat of all three-row crossovers - you'll only want to put the smallest passengers in the back where headroom and legroom are at their least (33.8 and 27.9 inches). It's a little cramped back there but your average tweens are going to be just fine. You can't get the third row in all-wheel-drive optioned Tiguan models, and the gain there is in a little extra cargo space, which becomes even more generous with the seats down. Legroom is excellent for the second row in either layout (36.6 inches FWD/38.7 inches AWD), and standard heated front seats and steering wheel are a welcome addition to the standard features list.

The driver's seat provides a prominent position with great visibility front and back and plenty of adjustability from the eight-way power seat with lumbar adjustment. While the seats appear simple, we spent a lot of time on the road in the Tiguan and found back fatigue was no problem - it's easy to go a couple of hours driving the Tiguan without a stretching break.

Even with all three rows in place, the FWD Tiguan still offers 12 cubic feet of cargo space. For quick trips to the grocery store, it's unlikely that you'll need to fold the third row. Behind the second row, FWD models have a generous 33 cubes and AWD derivatives have 37.6 cubes. Behind the first row, expect 65.3 cubes in FWD models and 73.4 cubes in the AWD models. The AWD versions have more cargo space because these models can't be equipped with a third row. Most trims have a power tailgate. If cargo space is a top concern, the Honda CR-V does ultimately beat the Tiguan in this area.

Interior storage space consists of large door pockets, two large cupholders in front, and a covered center console that doubles as an armrest. At the back, there are seatback map pockets, and second-row passengers have a fold-down armrest with two more cupholders.

Four trims provide enough choice for customers to balance their budgets with the features they need. The base model is the S and it gets all the essentials like cruise control, air conditioning, manually-adjustable front seats with heating, and an eight-inch digital gauge cluster. From a safety perspective, the base price buys you a rearview camera, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, and rear traffic alert. The SE is the first trim to get the new dual-zone automatic climate control system with touch-sensitive controls. It also adds an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat, an auto-dimming interior rearview mirror, a power liftgate, wireless charging, the IQ-DRIVE driver-assist system, and adaptive cruise control.

The SE R-Line Black gains a 15-color LED ambient lighting system that gives the cabin a cool glow at night. It also has park distance control, but otherwise, its changes are more visual than anything else. Finally, the top-spec SEL R-Line leads the way with an overhead camera system, dynamic road sign display, a parking steering assistant, the larger digital gauge cluster, a heated steering wheel, a power-adjustable front passenger seat, and seat ventilation for those in front.

For shoppers who look above the base S model, Volkswagen's new eight-inch MIB3 infotainment system is intuitive to use once you realize you need to go into the Apps section to get to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto - both of which are standard. As well as Bluetooth, two USB ports are standard up front and a 6.5-inch screen with the eight-inch digital cluster. On the base S, you make do with the older MIB2 system on a 6.5-inch screen. Upgrades can include a Fender Premium Audio System (standard on the SEL R-Line) with 480 watts and nine speakers over the standard six and a 10-inch digital cluster for the Digital Cockpit system. The standard sound system is a little hollow sounding, so if you care about the quality of music, then upgrading to the full, rich sound of the Fender system is well worth considering. Other standard features include Amazon Alexa, SiriusXM, a Wi-Fi hotspot, and HD Radio.