Used 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Consumer Reviews
Used Tiguan for sale
Poor option for long term ownership and use
Jimmy, 09/17/2018
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL 4dr SUV w/Premium Navigation (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
19 of 21 people found this review helpful
Like the styling and it's peppy enough. The sunroof is very nice and the car with two passengers is fun to drive. The issue I have is the reliability and maintenance. Due to the design of the engine carbon builds up and must be cleaned (regardless of octane you use) and the only people who can clean it "walnut" it, are dealers. They recommend doing so yearly (I've been told this by two dealers - one in NJ and one in MN) and it's about a 1,200 job. The coils have gone on the engine - twice. Multiple engine electrical problems. The suspension isn't fully adjustable (cannot remember if it's toe / camber or not) and so if you hit a pothole and bend something, the only fix is to rotate the tires every oil change to even out wear. Finally, on the vehicle in question, I was told that after 6 years and 160,000 miles the valve on cylinder three is loose and the recommended fix is a new engine - anywhere from 9k-11k as quoted. For a vehicle that's been very well maintained to need a new engine (and for the dealer not to be able to tell what the reason for the loose valve is) is unacceptable. If you're considering getting one I would do it on a 2 year lease and then unload it. Owning this vehicle when it's outside of warranty is way more trouble than it's worth.
Very satisfied!
scootyroo, 12/27/2012
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan S 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
I haven't owned a VW for some time, but after getting a fantastic deal on a new 2012 Tiguan (including 0% financing) and being blown away by its performance and quality, I turned around and bought a new GTI. As I had reviewed before purchasing the Tiguan, the statement "It's a GTI on steroids," is accurate. Get the base model, with the manual transmission, and you'll smile every time you think about it. We live in the mountains and still get on the throttle for fun, but we're getting 24 mpg in mixed driving. While I love the new GTI, I have to say that for an all-around family vehicle, you can't beat the Tiguan if it's the right size for you.
Love the car, hate the MPG!
glassdish, 08/26/2013
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4Motion 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
Purchased the Tiguan because my elderly dad was finding the Jetta too low, so we decided to get a compact SUV. We love the VW's European styling and handling. My 2010 Jetta got about 20 MPG combined. Based on sticker I expected that I would get at least 20 maybe 21 MPG combined with the Tiguan, the dealer kept telling me after 'break in' period I would get better mileage, well it has been about 6000 miles, so is it broken in??? I like the car but if knew i was only going to get 18 MPG I would have purchased the CRV, Mazda, or any of the others. They are all fine.
Great car
wc, 07/14/2015
updated 07/15/2019
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan S 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
17 of 19 people found this review helpful
I have not had any problems as I have seen others report . Makes me think they bought a used one that has been in a wreck. The Tiquan Handles very well. I have the 6 speed manual transmission and it makes it more fun for me. I think they have quit making the Tiguan with a manual transmiision in newer models now. 4 years and still running great. Wife has the passat and she is always wanting to drive the Tiquan.
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One year and 20k mile Tiguan SE Review
miless, 01/13/2014
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4Motion 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
12 of 13 people found this review helpful
Bought my 2012 Tiguan SE late in 2012 as a leftover with 0% financing. I now have driven it for one year and just over 20,000 miles and still love it. I traded in a Jetta TDI because I wanted to go back to AWD. I am averaging about 25 mpg on the Tiguan, with the majority on highways. Better than I expected. Can get 30 mpg on highway if you work at it. Very comfortable seats and smooth ride. Handles well for a small SUV but don't expect golf-like handling. Has decent power, once the turbo gets going. The transmission does shift a lot as others have said. Brakes are great. Love the sound system including Sirius and iPod. Very few issues and free VW service for 36k
Poor Transmission
vwmaine, 04/19/2012
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4dr SUV w/Sunroof, Navigation (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
9 of 10 people found this review helpful
Love the Tiguans concept and design. Its beautifully styled, very comfortable with nice positions of the steering column and instrumentation. Seats are exceptionally comfortable. What I am deeply disappointed in is the drive and its transmission. At lower speeds, it seems as if the engine is going to stall. It makes a terrible noise, and sort of kicks back a little. I have had it in for service now twice. Initially to have the transmission reset. Second service was to replace both fuel pumps. None of the VW fixes have resolved the problem. Very disappointed in VW, wish they would get it fixed quickly otherwise I may leave the VW brand. Anyone else having similar concerns?
I want to love this car, but I can't
Rich, 10/22/2016
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan LE 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
5 of 5 people found this review helpful
I have had several thousands of dollars of work done on this car, mostly covered by warranty. Now that I'm 2500 miles outside the warranty, the car is in the shop about every three weeks for something wrong. The last time, I was driving down the highway and the engine shut down and gave me a code. I was able to safely pull off and get it to the dealership, but that scared me and was incredibly dangerous! Every dealership I've been to keeps telling me it's not worth much because VW comes in "soft" for trade in value. I've had it. It was a great ride while it lasted, but I'll never buy VW again.
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Over all Great vehicle
Freedom, 11/27/2016
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
8 of 9 people found this review helpful
Pro's: comfortable and fun small SUV but feels more like a you are driving a car. I love the lack of delay in going from gears, the comfort, the sound quality, and the safety of this car. Love Love Love that. Con's: too small to really be considered a compact SUV. Too low to the ground. Its MPG is not that impressive for its size. The trunk is too small to be considered a "compact SUV". Change the size of the trunk, and raise the car and I think it would be much more effective. My Bluetooth does not function correctly and there are issues with some models regarding the fuel injection (or something) but a good dealership will fix it for free, per VW site. Last complaint is that others have also had issues with the trunk latch malfunctioning ( i have had this too). No idea what caused this. Total cost to fix is from $125.00-177.00. Overall, this car has a great company behind it, they own up and fix things. The car is safe, comfortable, effective, fun, awesome look, and great for family or the single adventurer. If you know how to drive an SUV you will get more mileage out of the car than what it list.
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Impressed With My First SUV
twelvecrows, 02/04/2012
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4dr SUV w/Sunroof, Navigation (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
I was a Volvo C30 owner and decided that I wanted to see what was going on around me while driving: It was just too low. I decided to replace it with a SUV. The XC60 was too expensive, and the CRV was too dull. I decided on the Tiguan, even though Edmunds lists the Total Cost of Ownership quite high. As to the car's quality feel, the other reviewers are spot-on. I am liking the car more and more each day. But... The transmission races to get the car into sixth gear as quickie as possible in order to save fuel at the expense of smooth, linear acceleration. This is somewhat remedied by using sport mode but at the cost of greater fuel consumption. I wish VW had sought the middle road.
Unreliable at 100 miles
nytig29, 07/24/2012
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan S 4Motion 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
11 of 13 people found this review helpful
Brand new 2012 VW Tiguan S 4Motion from Open Road VW of Staten Island. I DO NOT recommend this dealer for sales or service. Buying experience was ok without any surprises so far but the AC stopped working 5 days later at 100 miles on vehicle. Brought in for service and these are their excuses: #1: machine to diagnose doesn't work, #2: need to order part and cannot tell you when it will come in, likely 3-4 weeks. #3: now got part but something else is wrong and cannot release car, cannot tell what's wrong yet, etc. They haven't even given me an estimated time of completion, neglect to call back when they say would call back, they just don't care. I do not trust them with my car.