Volkswagen has a new, third-generation Tiguan. All new it’s not, but improved it is, as we found out over two days behind the wheel in Bozeman, Montana, at the automaker’s invitation. With more horsepower, fresh lines, and classier trim, the Tiguan should mark welcome news for Volkswagen, as the model has become its worldwide best-seller, racking up almost twice as many sales last year as the company’s long-time volume king, the Golf. And that includes all those places where you can still buy the original-concept, low-fat Golfs, the ones without the decidedly upper-middle-class price tags of the GTI and Golf R, which today comprise the entirety of the Golf model lineup for America.
As has been clear for some while, all the world likes an SUV, particularly the “compact” (by American standards) ones. Nothing we say is going to change that. But at the risk of repeating ourselves, it’s worth remembering that part of the reason for the overwhelming growth and longevity of the SUV genus is the new-car pricing paradigm pioneered by the auto industry in the last century, re-engineered for our time. Once upon a time, the more money you spent, the bigger the car you got. “Lower, longer, wider” was the marketers’ longtime refrain. Today, substitute “taller, longer, and wider.” The beat goes on.
When carmakers still sold plain old passenger cars, you could buy what were effectively the same machines, content-wise, (but minus the rugged cladding and lift-kits) for less. Now, if you really want the practicality of a wagon or the luxury of a good sedan, chances are strong you’ll be buying an SUV. These are jacked-up cars (in most cases) that without fail cost more—often a lot more—than the cars upon which they are based.
For instance, the Jetta sedan, using a variation of VW’s same MQB platform, starts at $23,720 and runs to $30,225. Meanwhile, the cheapest Tiguan S starts at $29,495 and runs all the way in SEL R-Line AWD spec to $39,755, excluding destination charges. Executive summary for Hagerty readers: a little additional equipment for you, substantially more profit for Volkswagen.
Lest we forget, profit is what carmakers are here for, so this is what we get. However, there’s undoubtedly a lot to like about the Tiguan, as far as basic transportation goes. Though not a styling tour de force, its lines are nonetheless crisp in a pleasant, refreshingly spare, and subdued kind of way. Ginormous grille opening aside, its tasteful appearance stands out in a category infrequently associated with good looks. Importantly, despite a minor increase in wheelbase, it occupies no greater a footprint than its predecessors, due to shorter front and rear overhangs. And with a cramped third row of seating deleted from its option sheet, the new Tiguan’s weight drops 170 pounds. (Aluminum subframes front and rear help, too.) VW’s cash cow is a rare counter to the industry’s inexorable guarantee of weight gain with every refresh.
Output of the Tiguan’s turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine climbs to 201 horsepower from 184, so performance is more than adequate if still not neck-snapping. Meanwhile, design elements from inside the VW ID. Buzz electric van, such as matte-finish wood veneers, provide the new Tiguan’s interior with a more upscale feel. Its new infotainment screen, also cribbed from the Buzz, though not fully assessed by us yet, seemed a step up from previous VW fare. Ride is decent and handling sure-footed, with a welcome modicum of fun. That said, it didn’t seem quite as sporty as a European Tiguan I drove in December as a member of the World Car of the Year jury. A shorter car with a supplementary electric motor and plug-in capability, the Euro version doesn’t come to America and won’t, Volkswagen holding steadfast to its unshakeable belief that the majority of Americans can’t relate to fare from across the Atlantic, or that they won’t pay extra for it.
Although there’s plenty of other things to discuss and consider and even disagree with Volkswagen product planners about, it’s difficult to assess the new Tiguan (or any new Volkswagen) without noting that the company has endured a wild, often incredible but not always winning ride these last 30 years or so. While many have condemned the overarching role of its one-time chairman, the late Ferdinand Piëch, it is the case that the Porsche heir’s curt, dictatorial, and boldly free-spending ways elevated the Volkswagen brand. For a time it held the number-one global sales crown, while regaining the company’s long-lost reputation for exceptional quality, marked by a laser-like focus on engineering and execution. Upscale materials brought tactile delight back to the modern era, thus standing in glaring opposition to the cost-slashing competition. Indeed, as this century began, the average person could sit in a lowly Golf and perceive that its interior outclassed that of Mercedes’ C-Class.
Piëch’s dedication to world domination also included the acquisition of many brands—Porsche and Bentley, among them—that allowed for more sophisticated engineering across the larger company’s portfolio. The strategy proved a durable formula of profitability for Volkswagen. Piëch left it all behind when he resigned ten years ago, after losing an ugly boardroom fight with his Porsche relatives.
All this happened right around the time VW suffered greatly on account of the so-called Dieselgate scandal, a fiasco that cost the company $34 billion in penalties, fines, and associated buyback costs. Just a few weeks ago, a German court convicted four erstwhile VW managers of fraud, with two receiving prison sentences. Piëch got out of Dodge, er, Wolfsburg, scot-free, before the hammer came down; his one-time chosen successor, Martin Winterkorn, was left holding the bag. (Resigning his post in 2015, Winterkorn technically remains a fugitive in the U.S., and his German trial has yet to begin owing to purported health issues.)
The company has since been described as rudderless, though the Tiguan and the new ID. Buzz both show signs of renewed focus. It’s not hard to imagine that trying to right a $34 billion hole in your finances, while also electrifying your model line in a politically volatile regulatory and tax-credit climate, has further curbed VW’s aspirations. And so, while VW proudly points to the Tiguan’s Audi-like interior, only the rude and insensitive would point out that these improvements are tempered by the truth that Audi’s interiors have been on the decline for some time. Designing, building and selling automobiles is a rough-and-tumble business, with a cast of thousands, an audience of disparate millions, and bills always coming due. You win some and you lose some. And no matter what happened today, with luck, there’s always tomorrow.
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A man of many pursuits (rock band manager, automotive journalist, concours judge, purveyor of picture cars for film and TV), Jamie Kitman lives and breathes vintage machines. His curious taste for interesting, oddball, and under-appreciated classics—which traffic through his Nyack, New York warehouse—promises us an unending stream of delightful cars to discuss. For more Picture Car Confidential columns, click here. Follow Jamie Kitman on Instagram at @commodorehornblow; follow Octane Film Cars @octanefilmcars and at www.octanefilmcars.com.