2023 Volkswagen Tiguan Performance

The Tiguan's 2.0-liter turbocharged engine is no ball of fire, but it also isn't completely devoid of power. It produces 184 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque, and that is directed to either the front wheels alone or all four via a part-time AWD system. The engine has a good spread of torque and feels responsive enough lower down, but you'll still need around nine seconds for the 0 to 60 mph sprint based on independent testing. That's slower than the base Toyota RAV4 and a lot slower than the turbocharged Mazda CX-5. But if sprint and top speed specs aren't your main priorities - as is often the case in the compact crossover arena - then the Tiguan is unlikely to disappoint. However, the towing capacity of 1,500 lbs is also lower than several competitors and well below the Toyota RAV4's 3,500-lb maximum.

VW's familiar EA888 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine finds use in the Tiguan but is detuned for efficiency over power compared to other applications. Here, it has 184 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque. It does what it needs to do; progress is smooth and the low-down torque is useful, but it will never set your pants on fire. That's perfectly acceptable in a vehicle of this kind. A smooth eight-speed automatic transmission is the only transmission choice, and together with just one engine choice, VW believes that this setup will suit the needs of its core target market. Considering that the Tiguan is VW's biggest seller in the US, it seems to be a smart move.

Tootling around town or cruising at the legal limit is no problem for the Tiguan, as any quick test drive will reveal. It's only when joining the highway and needing to get up to speed quickly that the vehicle starts to feel labored. In these cases, competition from Mazda and some others will make the Tiguan feel underpowered.

The base Tiguan S with FWD returns 24/31/27 mpg city/highway/combined, dropping to 23/30/26 mpg for other FWD variants. With AWD equipped, the Tiguan's specs work out to 22/29/25 mpg, but the larger wheels of the R-Line AWD results in 21/28/24 mpg.

The FWD models have a 15.3-gallon gas tank so can cover up to 413 miles on a tank. With its bigger 15.9-gallon gas tank, expect 382 miles in R-Line AWD specification.