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2025 Buick Enclave vs Honda Pilot2023 Volkswagen Tiguan: Europe’s Version of an American Favorite
The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan, combines America’s love of compact crossovers with European style. We look at interior options, trim levels, and more.
What’s New for the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan?
It seems that the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan is the only compact crossover to offer a European style. While it is limited to only one engine choice – a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder – the classy crossover delivers crisp handling and great fuel efficiency. It is a bit underpowered, but the power is adequate without detracting too much from the driving experience.
What helps make it one of the best compact SUVs on the market is the comfort factor that it provides. It has a spacious cabin that gives plenty of room for passengers and luggage. It can also be ordered with third-row seating.
Let’s take a closer look at what the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan has to offer.
There haven’t been a lot of changes for 2023. It had a makeover in 2022 and many of those changes have carried over into 2023. Most notably, the USB-C ports have been upgraded to provide up to 45W of power, and the wheels on the SE R-Line Black trim have been redesigned. That’s about it as far as changes go.
2023 Volkswagen Tiguan – vw.com | Shop 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan on Carsforsale.com
The Breakdown
Roomy cabin space
Quiet ride
Impressive driver assistance tech
Available third-row seating is very tight
Engine can feel sluggish at times
Touch-sensing controls are distracting
The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan provides world-class comfort
2023 Volkswagen Specs
- 184 horsepower from base engine
- 221 lb-ft of torque from base engine
- 4 available trims
- 65.3 cu-ft of cargo capacity
- Standard automatic forward braking
- 8-inch or 10.3-inch digital gauge display
- 4-year/50,000-mile powertrain warranty
2023 Volkswagen Tiguan Powertrain
The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan offers only one engine choice: a turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder. It provides 184 horsepower and 221 lbs.-ft. of torque that is controlled by an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The powertrain could have used some improvement. While it feels lively in city traffic, it feels sluggish when pushed to accelerate quickly to highway speeds. The average 0-60 time was 8.9 seconds which is a bit slow.
The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan comes with a fully independent front coil spring suspension and a fully independent four-link rear axle. This provides a very smooth ride and quick handling that zips effortlessly through traffic. Even though it suffers from a serious lack of power, it still feels fun to drive.
While it won’t win any awards for off-road capabilities, it does have 7.4 inches of ground clearance if you need to get off the pavement for a little while.
Front-wheel drive is standard across trim levels with an optional 4Motion all-wheel drive for those who need the added traction.
2023 Volkswagen Tiguan Fuel Economy & MPG
The FWD-equipped 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan gets 24 MPG city/31 MPG highway. The Tiguan is certainly one of the best in its class when it comes to fuel economy.
If you decide to go with the AWD model, be prepared to sacrifice a little bit of mileage. The AWD versions get 22 MPG city/29 MPG highway.
Interior, Comfort, & Cargo Space
The interior of the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan is simplistic and functional. It isn’t trying to be a luxury vehicle, but the materials are high-quality. The base model comes with cloth seats and partial power adjustments for the front seats.
Step up to a higher trim level and get faux leather seats, fully powered front seats, and a panoramic sunroof.
The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan is also one of the only options available in its class if you’re wanting third-row seating. While the third row is extremely tight for two adults, it can still be comfortable on shorter trips. The third row does limit the cargo space to only 12 cubic feet (enough room for your groceries), so don’t expect to go on any extended vacations or haul a ton of stuff while the third-row seating is in use.
If you need more cargo space, simply fold down the third row. If you need even more, fold down the second row and you get 65.3 cubic feet of space.
The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan does a great job of isolating the cabin from the road. The ride is quiet with very little noise coming from the road or the engine. While competitors offer more legroom, you do not feel cramped. It would certainly be comfortable for a family of four that is taking a road trip.
Entertainment & Technology
The infotainment system is attractively designed and comes with an 8.0-inch screen standard. Higher trims get a 10.3-inch gauge display that looks even better. The controls are touchscreen which can be distracting when trying to use them while driving.
The system comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities. A Wi-Fi hotspot is standard on all models. There are two USB-C ports up front on all models, but only one for the second-row passengers on the upper trims. Third-row passengers do not have any USB-C ports available.
If you are a fan of great audio, the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan can also be equipped with a 480-watt Fender nine-speaker sound system.
Safety Features
The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan offers some great safety tech as well. Drivers get features such as forward collision warning with advanced automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assist (option), adaptive cruise control with semiautonomous driving (option), and blind-spot monitoring.
It should be noted that most of the safety features work very well. The only complaint that we have are that the lane-keeping assist does not work very well if there is more than just a slight bend in the road. Otherwise, it keeps the vehicle within the lane when on the highway.
2023 Volkswagen Tiguan Trims & Pricing
S – $28,245
The base model Tiguan gives drivers a lot of bang for their buck. Standard features include a forward collision warning system with automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a rear-view monitor, tire pressure monitoring, four selectable drive modes, heated front seats, 8.0-inch digital gauge display, lane-keeping assist, three 12v outlets, front and rear cupholders, and folding/reclining rear seats.
That’s a ton of standard features for a base model!
SE- $31,875
The SE trim adds heated washer nozzles, heated windshield wiper deicers, remote start, 18-inch alloy wheels, a power rear liftgate, SiriusXM satellite radio, two additional USB-C ports, dual-zone automatic climate control, faux leather upholstery, 8-way power driver’s seat with lumbar control.
You can also add a panoramic glass sunroof if you want!
You get a lot for just a little more money when you go with the SE trim.
SE R-Line Black – $34,605
Step up to the blacked-out SE R-Line Black trim and get black 19-inch wheels, LED ambient interior lighting, parking sensors, a panoramic sunroof, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.
This is the package for you if you’re looking for something that looks sporty.
SEL R-Line – $38,975
The top-tier SEL R-Line comes standard with everything mentioned plus a Fender Premium audio system, ventilated front seats, an area view camera, 10.3-inch gauge cluster, 4Motion AWD, illuminated grille outline, power-folding side mirrors with puddle lights, parking assist, automatic high-beam headlights, leather upholstery, and a heated steering wheel.
This is the trim for those who want to add some luxury to their ride.
Warranties
The powertrain warranty covers 4 years/50,000 miles as well.
Volkswagen shortened what was previously the industry’s best warranty to only 4 years/50,000 miles bumper-to-bumper. However, they offer a 2-year/20,000-mile scheduled maintenance package for no extra charge.
What we think
If you plan on getting a brand-new Volkswagen Tiguan, check out our new car incentives here.
Overall, the 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan is a great choice for small families that do a lot of city driving without the need for more power or tons of storage. It packs a lot of features into a compact SUV, and we certainly like that!
We would have loved to have seen a second engine option to give the higher trim levels a bit more power. We would have also gone with hard buttons instead of touchscreen icons for the infotainment controls. The touchscreen buttons are just too distracting while driving.
2023 Volkswagen Tiguan – vw.com | Shop 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan on Carsforsale.com
The SE trim offers drivers the most value even though the base model comes with a ton of standard features. The price difference between the S and SE is justifiable with all the additional features that are provided.
The ride is smooth and quiet, and there is ample space in the cabin for at least 5 passengers. If you are going to be seating 7 people, then things could get tight.
The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan is fun to drive because of its nimble handling. It is fine around town, but we seemed to miss the power when we were getting on the highway.
