2012 Volkswagen Tiguan

The 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan is offered in three trim lines which are S, SE, and SEL. The base S trim with the standard manual gearbox is priced pretty reasonably at $22,840 but opting for the automatic gearbox would increase the price to $24,340 which is significantly higher than the starting price of the competitors. All models are powered by the same 2.0 L Inline-4 engine with two transmission options, the manual reserved for the base trim. The Tiguan comes in an FWD configuration as standard while 4Motion AWD is also optional with all trims. The following table shows the different trims of the Tiguan and their feature list- 

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The 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan in the SE trim would be the ideal choice in the Tiguan lineup. It comes with a lot of extra features over the base trim and has the same strong 2.0 L turbocharged engine mated to the 6-speed automatic gearbox. The SE trim could also be configured with Sunroof, Navigation, and the larger touchscreen infotainment unit. All of this makes the Tiguan SE the best trim option.

The 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan is powered by a 2.0L TSI in-line 4-cylinder turbocharged engine protruding 200 hp, 207 lb-ft of maximum power and torque. The base S trim comes with a 6-speed manual transmission as standard while a 6-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic and Sport mode is optional. This automatic transmission is the standard transmission in all trims except the base trim. The power outputs of Tiguan are higher than the competitors in the segment.

The 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan takes 7.8 seconds to achieve a speed of 60 mph while the quarter-mile is passed in 16.2 seconds. These figures are among the best in the segment and Volkswagen has tuned and set up the Tiguan in such a way that you will be able to have the maximum fun with the available power. The Tiguan handles excellently and its cornering ability is also impressive. The ride quality in the Tiguan is also poise and comfortable and the suspension handles rough patches of roads efficiently. 

The Volkswagen Tiguan is the most powerful and the fastest among these machines while also being the most expensive one. The higher price is actually justified by the Tiguan delivering better acceleration and impressive handling. The CR-V and the Nissan Rogue also come with capable handling while the Subaru is a good car to drive but the outdated 4-speed transmission limits its capabilities. The Tiguan overall is one of the best performers in the segment.

The Volkswagen Tiguan even while being the most powerful and fastest one, also happens to hold up with the competition with respectable fuel economy figures. The Tiguan outputs fuel efficiency figures of 22 mpg in the city, 27 on the highway, and a combined efficiency of 24 mpg. The Tiguan also comes with a higher capacity fuel tank measuring 16.8 which enables it to reach up to more than 400 miles without a fuel halt. This makes the Tiguan a great option in terms of fuel economy. 

The Honda CR-V which has been redesigned for 2012 comes with the best efficiency figures followed by the Nissan Rogue. The Volkswagen however, comes with a longer range although not by a significant margin. The Subaru Forester is the least efficient machine here, but with a higher capacity fuel tank equipped, it holds up with the competition with a very slightly lower range. 

The 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan has a superior quality interior made up of a super high-quality interior and a nicely built cabin. The dashboard layout is just superb, everything is placed nicely and at reach although there is an excessive number of buttons in the cabin. The interior is spacious and there is an ample amount of space in both rows. However, the rear row is not very spacious and the cargo capacity is limited to 23.8 cu-ft which is disappointing. 

The seats are supportive and of high quality and they would be super comfortable during long trips. The seats are trimmed in cloth in the base trim which gets upgraded to V-tex leatherette in the mid-level variant while the top-end trim gets leather seating surfaces. The top-end SEL trim of the Tiguan stands a level above the competition as it provides a lot of extra features while being super luxurious and having exceptional interior quality.

The Volkswagen Tiguan has the best-looking and highest quality interior while the Honda CR-V is the most spacious. The interior quality of the Honda and Nissan Rogue is also great but they are not as luxurious as the Tiguan. The Subaru has a spacious interior and enough cargo room, but its interior quality is not up to the mark. Overall the Tiguan is the winner in the interior section and the following are its standout interior features-

• Climatronic dual-zone electronic climate control with pollen filter
• Leather seating surfaces
• 8-way manual passenger comfort seat with adjustable lumbar support, fold-flat function, 
• and rear seat pockets 
• 12-way power-adjustable driver seat; memory function for driver seat and exterior mirrors 
• Heated front seats
• 40/20/40-split folding rear seat, slide adjustment, adjustable backrest

How intuitive is the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan’s infotainment unit?

The 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan comes equipped with an RNS 315 navigation system with a 5" color touchscreen. The touchscreen is responsive and the interface is nice to look at and clearly visible. A standard audio system is an 8-speaker unit while there is an optional Dynaudio premium sound system with 8 high-end speakers (4 tweeters, 4 bass/midrange) outputting a 300-watt amplifier and comes with DSP (Digital Sound Processor) technology. The following are some of the most important infotainment features-

• RNS 315 navigation system with 5" color touchscreen and SD memory card reader
• Dynaudio premium sound system 
• SiriusXM Satellite Radio with 3-month trial subscription –
• AUX-in for portable audio players
• Media Device Interface (MDI) with iPod cable 
• Bluetooth technology
• 6-disc CD changer

The Volkswagen Tiguan is the sportiest-looking crossover in the segment and looks premium and old school. The exterior has been revised for 2012 and the Tiguan looks much better now. The front-end gets the most revision as the front grille has been connected to the headlamps now which looks cool. Overall it is one of the best-looking crossovers in a segment filled with weird-looking machines that just turn you off. 

The 2012 Tiguan comes equipped with 16-inch steel wheels in the base trim while the mid-level trim gets 18-inch alloys and the top-end SEL trim comes with even larger 19-inch wheels. The Tiguan is offered in seven color options among which the Wild Cherry Metallic and Night Blue Metallic shades look particularly impressive. There is an overall grace and classiness to the exterior design of the Tiguan which just screams that this one is a quality product.

The Tiguan is undoubtedly the best-looking machine here followed by the Honda CR-V which also looks pretty good but has a rear-end that is disproportionate and weird-looking. The Forester looks good but is a little boring to look at while the Nissan Rogue is just bad-looking. The Tiguan is the clear winner in terms of exterior beauty, but it is also the heaviest here by a slight margin while the Nissan is the longest and the Subaru, the most off-road friendly. The following are the main exterior features of the 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan- 

• 19" alloy wheels with anti-theft wheel locks
• Bi-Xenon high-intensity headlights with LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL) and Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS)
• Chrome applications to exterior side window frames
• Power-operated, heated side mirrors with integrated turn signals and memory
• Rain-sensing windshield wipers
• Privacy glass

The Volkswagen Tiguan has been crash-tested by IIHS and they have selected it as the Top Safety Pick of the year which ensures the safety of the vehicle. The Tiguan also gets an impressive rating of ‘Good’ in almost all tests conducted. NHTSA has not crash-tested the Tiguan under all individual parameters or has given it an overall score. However, they tested the Tiguan for rollover protection, and for that, it gets a 4-star rating which further concretes the safety side of the Tiguan. The following are its main safety features-

• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
• Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR)
• Electronic Differential Lock (EDL)
• Engine Braking Assist (EBA)
• Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA)
• Intelligent Crash Response System (ICRS)†
• An electric parking brake with a brake disc wipe feature
• Trailer roll stability program

The Volkswagen Tiguan is a capable option in this segment equipped with a higher-powered engine and impressive handling. The interior quality is also extremely good and the materials and elements used on the inside are of superb quality. All of this along with impeccable safety rating and features make the Tiguan a great choice. Overall, even though the Tiguan is offered at a higher price compared to the competition, it is worth the extra money paid.