Used 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Consumer Reviews
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2012 Tiguan - Early Signs All Very Positive
gobuffs2, 09/15/2011
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4dr SUV w/Sunroof, Navigation (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
105 of 109 people found this review helpful
Purchased this SE model with FWD after about 5 months on the car hunt. AWD not necessary IMO & saved $2K. Looked at Hyundai, Nissan, Ford, Toyota even Audi & Merc. Benz. The car has good zip, the turbo kicks in when asked, and it rides smooth - suspension can feel a bit stiff though, so you feel some road bumps. Fit and finish are outstanding as are the ergonomics. It is very fun to drive, the navigation and audio package is very nice - IMO, no need to bump up to the next level of audio or trim. The leather-ette interior is very nice; most people think it to be real leather and I like the idea that it will clean up easier since I haul kids. Overall, very very pleased so far.
Tiguan has Transmission Problems
bmod14, 02/03/2012
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
45 of 46 people found this review helpful
When they redid the Tiguan transmission for 2012 they ruined it. The trans tries to get to 6th gear as soon as possible to save gas. It now "labors" in 5th or 6th gear at 30 to 45 mph. You can't drive it at a slow constant speed from 30 to 45 mph with out it "laboring" and vibrating the car. Check out these links of people with the same problem. - [HTML removed] Otherwise, nice car!
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan for sale near you
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2012 Tiguan Transmission Defect
autogal1, 09/19/2012
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4Motion 4dr SUV AWD (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
59 of 61 people found this review helpful
I bought a new 2012 VW Tiguan SE 4 Motion Automatic and in Drive (D) traveling about 25-34 mph the transmission stays in a high gear (5th) and makes a vibrating hum and shake.The transmission will not drop back to 2nd, 3rd or 4th at this speed and is overloaded in 5th.When I give it some gas it hums, lags and shakes more. After applying extra gas it abruptly downshifts lunging the car forward in a jerky fashion.I notified the dealer twice about this issue. The service rep told me the car is in its Adaptive Learning phase and will work this problem out after I drive it for awhile. After 3000 miles the Tiguan transmission has not adjusted as the dealer indicated.
2012 Tiguan exceeds my expectations
bill95gl, 02/15/2013
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4dr SUV w/Sunroof, Navigation (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
25 of 25 people found this review helpful
I've owned VWs for over forty years and never really liked the Tiguan. I saw it as a too-small overweight, overpriced, gas-wasting SUV. However, my wife has always wanted a Tiguan and when a used 2012 white Tiguan SE with nav, pano roof and 6K miles showed up at a nearby Mazda Hyundai dealer, we traded her 2007 Passat 2.0T in on it. I'll have to admit that I'm really impressed with the Tiguan. It's much quieter and has a much smoother ride than the Passat. It handles well, has plenty of power and is a pleasure to drive. The automatic transmission has no problems...however, I think the transmission programming was fixed before we bought the Tiguan.
Transmission problems fixed
tom365, 05/18/2012
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL 4Motion 4dr SUV AWD w/Premium Navigation, Dynaudio (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
99 of 106 people found this review helpful
Earlier I wrote a review for the 2012 Tuguan and severely criticized the transmission shift pattern. At the time it deserved the criticism but I am happy to report that VW has issued a software update to the Transmission Control Module. The update has fixed the problem. Hats off to VW for listening to its customers, acknowledging a problem and actually fixing it.
Great performance with a few trade-offs...
Rich G, 11/22/2015
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan LE 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
22 of 23 people found this review helpful
I LOVE this car's performance, when it's in Sport mode. However, regular drive mode shift way too early and the car feels slow and at times a little jerky. The brakes are responsive, but feel like they are grinding. Twice technicians confirmed there was nothing wrong, though. It beats the heck out of the Nissan Rogue I was driving, but this car is in the shop EVERY 3,000 miles on the dot because something is always breaking. Thank goodness it's covered under warranty, but that leads me to believe my out-of-pocket costs will be sky-high once the vehicle exits the warranty period. Just bought it in April (7 months ago)with only 25,000 miles on it, and it has had every window motor replaced, a couple of them twice, and the latest issue was the cooling fan died. The 40,000 mile service costs $650 just to have the car examined and the oil changed, so I will be scoping out other options.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
awesome 2012 tiguan
happytig1, 03/29/2012
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4dr SUV w/Sunroof, Navigation (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
the 2012 tiguan (mine an se with sunroof and nav) puts a smile on my face each time i drive it. with over 1,000 miles put on, it has already achieved the 27 mpg rating on the sticker. yes, it is recommended to use 91 premium unleaded. between wanting an audi A3 and the european passat wagon, somehow, the tiguan offered me a blend of the best of both worlds. refinement and creature comforts of both, newly freshened look which is quite handsome, and 3 yr/36K miles carefree maintenance. for some reason, my tiguan does not shake, rattle, or lug. the adaptive transmission quickly learns how to drive the way you want to drive. definitely quieter than the 2012 and 2011 honda crv. love this car.
Great, except for the transmission
jxenon, 02/21/2012
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE 4dr SUV w/Sunroof, Navigation (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
16 of 17 people found this review helpful
This is a great car, however, the programming of the automatic transmission is horrible! To achieve high MPG, the transmission shifts to 6th gear around 35 or 40 mph! The result is very low RPM and engine noise. This happens in D mode. Going to S mode is not a solution since then, the shifting point is around 3000 RPM which is then too high. So hopefully VW of North America addresses this and does a reprogramming of the transmission.
Great fun to drive small SUV!
chemgeek, 11/11/2012
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL 4Motion 4dr SUV AWD w/Premium Navigation, Dynaudio (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6A)
15 of 16 people found this review helpful
I wanted to write an honest review and not just a whining about negatives. You get what you expect for buying a Volkswagon. You get a very European trim inside and out, a sporty firm ride, and an engine that hands down kicks the crap out of most cars on the road yet getting a reasonably good mpg. The techie features are awesome and as a total package, it is well worth the money. There are a lot of small SUVs out there but you get the features that compete with those of the Audis and BMWs at a lower cost. 10 times the car that a CRV could dream to be. Now yes, like any car, there are quirks. They either are deal breakers or they aren't. The tranny is quirky, but still impressive.
Great Opportunity with 2012 VW Tiguan @ manual
bostonguy3961, 04/21/2012
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan S 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 6M)
20 of 22 people found this review helpful
After 14 years with Ford Explorer Sport (2 dr) manual transmission was time to more on (California smog regs). Looked options for smaller suvs with manual- Ford Escape, Subaru Forester, and VW Tiguan plus Kia and Hyundai brothers. The Korean cars, nicely priced but the drive-train are junk - recent reports are that their clutch has very limited life. Escape is old and has no zip. Forester is ok, but driver space is limited. Found basic Tiguan with manual -only one is Southern Cal... and dealer was ready to move it for under $21,500 (plus taxes). Has few fancy accessories, no roof rack or sunroof but drive-train is solid, better mileage than EPA sticker - compares to $30,000++ versions!