Best SUVs of 2021 and 2022

CARLOS LAGO: Hey, Carlos Lago from Edmonds, here and that is the 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan. Now Tiguan is a unique SUV because it actually falls into two different categories. On one hand it's a two row compact SUV, much like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V, but on the other hand, it's also a three row compact SUV much like the new Kia Sorento. You can see our reviews for all those SUVs on this channel. Now there are upsides and downsides to either configuration. And in this video, we're going to explain what those are, and also what else you should know about this updated Tiguan from its new exterior styling, new interior tech, and so on. But before we do, hey. Have you ever enjoyed Peter Stormare telling you to unpimp your auto? Go ahead and hit that subscribe button. Otherwise like, comment, and also check out the links in the description below for more information about these vehicles and edmunds.com/sellmycar to get an instant cash offer on the car you want to sell. The Tiguan starts at 27 grand, roughly, and all wheel drive is a $1,500 option on all but the top of the line trim level. That one's about $38,000. Most people will settle on the mid-range SE trim level, which costs about 32 grand. The thing to know, though, is that front drive Tiguans only have three rows, and all wheel drive Tiguans only have two rows. So if you want all wheel drive and three rows, it's not happening. Sorry. On the other hand, you can choose which setup you want, provided you're happy with the drive train that Tiguan comes with. In terms of size, the Tiguan is a little longer than the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V that I mentioned earlier, but on the other hand, generally speaking, it's a little smaller than the Kia Sorento as well. So it kind of splits a little bit of this sizes. We'll talk about how that affects interior storage and seating capacity with the bit. But for now, let's talk about the exterior, because that's the most obviously new part about the Tiguan from the outside. The front end has been restyled, resculpted to look more like the Volkswagen Atlas. I think it looks really sharp. In fact, I think generally the whole vehicle looks really sharp. There's a couple of reasons for that. These 20 inch wheels on this trim level look great. Wheel sizes range from 17 to 20, depending on trim level. That looks really strong. I also like this body line. Gives this car, I don't know, boldness, strength, whatever. Just looks good. Cars can just look good, right? This part right here, if you look at the Tiguan from right here just by itself, it reminds me of the BMW X5, which is not a bad thing at all by any stretch, but something I noticed first while looking at it. As I come around to the back. Here's where we talk about tow capacity. This doesn't have the optional tow hitch. If it did, it'd have a tow rating of 1,500 pounds. Lastly my only real complaint about the style are these. Remember when cars actually had exhaust tips and not just chrome plastic down here? And what's the point, right? Getting inside the updated Tiguan, I want to point out that all trim levels SE and up have remote start. That's nice. What's better though is all 2022 Tiguans have heated seats. This being the fully loaded trim level, it has heated and ventilated. So that's nice too. In terms of size, at least for the front row, this compares nicely with other compact SUVs, and that's to say that most people of most sizes are going to have plenty of room in this Tiguan. Let's talk about technology though, because that's one of the biggest changes for this year of the Tiguan. And I point that out because modern Volkswagen digital interfaces, we've criticized them pretty heavily in the Volkswagen GTI and in the ID.4. And we criticize them for relying too much on touch sensitive controls. Capacitive switches, so like when I hit this radio button here, there's no feedback to tell me that I've hit that radio button. So I have to pay attention to it. That's fine when we're sitting here parked, but I'm driving on the freeway, I don't want to have to pay that much attention to make sure I'm hitting the right button on this display. I haven't spent enough time with this specific vehicle to know if it's been improved or not versus those other Volkswagens that we've tested, but I'll say that having touch sensitive controls on the steering wheel right here, not my favorite idea because it's nearby where your thumbs rest. These controls do give you some feedback when you hit it. It's kind of like some phones do that when you have a back button or something, they'll give you a little buzz to tell you that you've actually triggered something. This is more of like a button switch so it feels better. But it does still require more attention paid to the wheel than actual physical buttons would. Again, more times needed to make sure this is a complaint worthy of lodging. Now on the other hand Volkswagen says it's asked its customers what they feel, and they like the look, feel, and modern sense that these touch sensitive systems provide. I'm not quite convinced from a functionality perspective just yet. It's not all doom and gloom though, because the system looks really nice and clean, especially this digital instrument cluster, and the center display. And you also get wireless Android auto and Apple Carplay on everything SE and above. Nice setup. Let's look at the back seat now. The thing to keep in mind with the second row and the Tiguan is that it changes the amount of available space depending on whether you get a third row or not. So this is super family size dependent. If you absolutely need the seven seating capacity, know that the space that you have in the second row is going to be compromised a little bit. This two row Tiguan that we're sitting in now has pretty decent space all around. I'm about 5' 10 and I have a lot of legroom in front of me, and I've configured this front seat to be in a position I would fit in. So I'm sitting behind myself. Again, really strong space right here, especially with headroom too, even considering this has the sunroof. This row actually slides forward and back too. I can do the same on that side to buy you a little more cargo space, and overall this seems like a pretty decent place to be. I've got pretty generously sized door pockets, and I've got a USB Charger and a 12 volt cigarette lighter style power adapter, and place them at rest my arm too, and some cupholders. Because hey, where else are you going to put your drinks? So now we've got a base Model Tiguan that has the third row, so I can show you how that affects the second row space, and what kind of space you can expect from the third row. So follow me as I go on an adventure and try to hop inside. So let's flip the seat down, slide it forward. All right, now hop in. So once inside, if I want to get comfortable. Now as you can see, space is fairly tight back here. That's because third rows in compact SUVs like this one are made for kids exclusively. Don't expect a fit adults back here. That's not a criticism of this car, that's just the nature of third rows in small SUVs. That's what you can expect. Now if you do try to fit someone my size back here, they're not going to be very happy, because they have no legroom. And also the people in the second row aren't going to have a lot of space either. You can see the difference in the four aft placement of the left side seat versus the right side seat, and that's just what to expect when you get a third row like this. If I were to try to max out the space up there-- good thing I stretched this morning, because I don't have a lot of space. But again, that's just the nature of a compact SUV with three rows. Super family size dependent. While we have the three row Tiguan here, take a look at the cargo space. Initially it looks somewhat similar to the second row version only, or the two row only Tiguan, but you are actually working with less space. It's especially noticeable when I raise the third row. The space shrinks dramatically because, guess what? The seats are there. Now you do get, interestingly, still a spare with the three row Tiguan. That's a nice setup. But again, what you're really losing-- I'm a professional-- what you're losing though is the space that this third row occupies when it's set up. Yeah, it's just physics. Two row Tiguans have a ton of space back here. We're talking like near top of the class with regard to raw cargo space. And as you can see, it looks very spacious back here. Pulling the rear seats down to give you more space is done at the second row with little straps. Or right here with these levers. Partially so I guess with the passenger side. And that gives you an almost equal load floor if you push that seat down. Now I mentioned that the seats can slide forward and back for additional cargo space. What that does is it kind of creates like a little channel between the seats and the cargo area for, I don't know, like contraband? Whatever. Anyway, underneath this floor here, you don't get additional storage space, but you do get a spare tire. That's worth calling on its own right, because too many vehicles these days don't have a spare tire. Nice to see that. And you do have little cubbies on each side of the Tiguan. The Tiguan drives down the road decently with pleasant ride, pleasant steering, and good power. At least it feels that way. The engine is a turbocharged two liter four cylinder, and it's connected to an eight speed automatic transmission. It makes 184 horsepower, which is OK among compact SUVs, and that power feels good, like I mentioned. But the trade off for whatever reason is fuel economy. Depending on whether you get all wheel drive, and depending on the trim level, the Tiguan has around a 25 MPG combined from the EPA, and that's just not very good. For comparison's sake, the Kia Sorento is available with a turbocharged engine as well, and it has the same fuel economy, but that engine has 100 more horsepower, which is a lot. So it really makes you question what's going on with the Tiguan. So that sums up our first experience with this updated 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan. We'll, of course, have to do a comparison with its two row and three row compact SUV rivals to see where it lands in our rankings. If you can't wait, though, for the time being here are my top pros and cons for the Tiguan. Pro. It's a sharp looking car inside and out. Pro too, there's a lot of cargo space in the two row versions. Pro three, the availability of a third row lets shoppers decide if they want a two row Tiguan or a three row Tiguan, and that's something that you can't do with any other compact SUV to my knowledge. I'm may be missing one. Tell me in the comments below if I am. Cons. Well, the fuel economy isn't that great versus any rival. And con number two is that touch sensitive capacitive technology interface stuff inside may be frustrating during daily use. But hey, if you're OK with all that, know that the Tiguan goes on sale Q3, Q4ish ish of this year. And if you like this video tell me in the comments. If you didn't like this video, tell me in the comments as well. I want to know. Like and subscribe and check out edmunds.com/sellmycar to get that instant cash offer on your car so you can get one of these, or another compact SUV that you like. See you next time.