The Tiguan is a very important car for Volkswagen. On a global basis, it is now the marque’s best-selling car, having usurped the Golf from that status a few years ago, as the market moves ever more to a crossover world, and it is also the best-selling crossover of all in Europe. By the end of 2020, more than 6 million cars badged Tiguan had been built and in 2019 over 910,000 were built. So it is no surprise that when the time came to launch a second generation model, VW played it safe. The car did get bigger, partly to create space under it in the range for the T-ROC, though it also became slightly lighter, thanks to the use of more advanced materials. The styling took on an edgier look in common with the rest of the range bearing a strong resemblance to the larger Atlas model which is well known in the US but not sold in Europe. Underneath, the Tiguan moved from the PQ46 platform (also used by the then contemporary VW Passat and Skoda Superb) to the MQB A2 platform that is used across a wide variety of models not just from VW but also the rest of the Group. The latest range of engines and mechanical components were used, of course and there was a significant addition of technology and safety features. The second generation Tiguan was first seen at the 2015 Frankfurt International Auto Show, going on sale in early 2016. In March 2017, VW introduced a long wheelbase version of the car, with a third row of seats. In Europe this is called the Tiguan AllSpace. It took time for the second generation Tiguan to appear in America, finally making its debut at the 2017 North American International Auto Show early that year and going on sale later in 2017 as a 2018 model year car. Americans are only offered the long wheelbase model and it is simply know as the Tiguan. Four trims were offered initially, and unlike Europe where there is an array of petrol and diesel engines available and a choice of transmission, the US market cars only come with one engine and a standard auto box. They can choose the 4Motion all-wheel drive system though, and if they do, then the third row of seats is optional rather than standard. Compared to Europe or indeed much of the rest of the world, VW models of any type do not sell that strongly in the US,  and there are also not that many of them in the rental fleets, but they are there, so I had hoped that I would get the chance to try one of these second generation Tiguans to see how it fares in a highly competitive class. My chance came on my last in Phoenix on the Spring 2022 trip when I found one parked up in an area of the Hertz facility from which I could simply choose a car and drive away. I took it, of course. It turned out to be a 2018 model year car, and it had covered just over 30,000 miles. It was on Florida plates and I suspect it may actually be one of the many pre-owned cars that Hertz bought when they needed a much bigger fleet as demand returned post-covid and the chip supply crisis meant that they could not get new cars. It was still in decent shape, and would be representative of the model, of course.

All US market Tiguan models are powered by the familiar 2.0 TFSi petrol engine, which puts out 184 bhp and 221 lb/ft of torque. There is a standard eight speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive is an option, though this did not feature on my test car. There is keyless starting, as has become the norm for almost all cars these days. This is a decent engine, with ample power for most situations. The Tiguan performs well in traffic and when the occasion calls for it, can accelerate quite strongly. Work the engine hard, though and there is quite a snarl to it, which is not that pleasant sounding. Once up to speed, such as on the freeway, the car is quite and refined with all noise sources well suppressed. Generally things are pretty smooth, you I found I could certainly detect the gearchanges. I covered 273 miles in my day with the Tiguan and it needed 6.47 gallons to fill it, which works out at 42.19mpg US or 50.41 mpg Imperial, an impressive result and among the best I have seen in cars of this class in the US.

There’s nothing really wrong with the driving dynamics of this VW, but it was quite a contrast to the Mazda CX-5 I had been testing a couple of days earlier, which was genuinely quite fun to pilot. This one is not. The steering is typical for the class, being light and not having much in the way of feel, though it does weight up a bit as you turn the wheel and put on speed. It does make the car easy to manoeuvre, though, which apparently is what most people want. The Tiguan handles tidily, in that typical front wheel drive crossover way, with ample grip, and not too much in the way of body roll, but this is not really a car which encourages you to find the twisty roads. The ride is generally smooth and well-tuned for the mix of roads where this car is likely to be driven. The test car came on 215/45 R17 wheels, though higher spec Tiguan models do have larger ones and stiffer suspension which may prove too much for many. I was somewhat disappointed to experience some terrible rattles from both doors on some surfaces, and was unable to figure out what was causing this. The brakes gave no cause for concern, operating as you would expect. Of course, there is a electronic handbrake. Visibility is generally OK, though the door mirrors are small meaning that the standard Blind Spot Warning system is invaluable. The rear-view camera did make it easy to judge the back of the car when parking up.

Open the door and look inside and this very obviously a VW product. Thankfully the temptation to adopt the sort of nasty plastics that try to be trendy that you experience in the smaller T-ROC have been avoided here and the over-riding impression is one of quality materials, with lots of soft touch surfaces that look good, if a little sombre, as everything is black. There is a leather-wrapped steering wheel which is pleasant to old. There is a simple instrument cluster, featuring two large crisply marked dials, for speed and a rev counter with smaller ones for fuel level and water temperature inset in the lower portions.  Between them is a trip computer display area and you can cycle between the various options using a button on the right hand steering wheel spoke. Also on the wheel are cruise control and audio repeater functions. Twin column stalks feature and these will be familiar from any other current VAG product. Lights operate form a rotary dial on the dash to the left of the wheel and feature an Auto function. The upper centre of the dash contains the integrated 8” colour touch screen for infotainment functions. Again, this will be a familiar entity from other VAG Group products. The graphics are clear and the system proved easy to use, with plenty of buttons to either side of the unit. It did feature XM Satellite radio but this was not active on the test car. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink come standard. Lower in the centre of the dash are the controls for the dual zone automated climate control. The whole ensemble is easy to use and does not look unduly busy – just as you would want it.

SE trim includes simulated leather trim for the upholstery, which proved more or less indistinguishable from the real thing. There is electric adjustment for the driver’s seat and a good range of movement in every direction, so it should be easy to get comfortable. The steering column telescopes in/out as well as up/down. Headroom is particularly generous, as you might expect in a crossover-style vehicle, so there is quite a feeling of space here.  The front passenger seat is manual adjusted but there is a height adjuster included.

The test car had the third row of seats fitted. The middle row of seats are on sliders, so you ca n hopefully find the right compromise to give occupants here sufficient legroom. With the front seats set well forward, as they are for my driving position, there is ample space. The backrest angle can be caried, too. Occupants here benefit from a central armrest which has cupholders in the upper surface and there are pockets on the back of the front seats and bins on the doors for odds and ends. The backrests tip forward to give access to the third row. Getting in as far from easy and once there, there is really is not much space with both legroom and headroom in short supply. These are definitely not seats for adult use, but for small children on an occasional basis, would probably be fine.

Not surprisingly, the boot is tiny with the third row erect, but once these seats are folded down, there is a decent amount of space. There are wells to either side of the boot area and the whole lot is protected by a cargo cover. There is a space saver under the boot floor, thought this is well packed in and there is no space for odds and ends around it. Both rows of rear seats fold down, and the resulting load bay is long, but it is not flat.  Roof rails are standard on all models. Inside the cabin there is a generously sized glove box, pockets on the doors, an armrest cubby, a very small lidded cubby over the driver’s left knee and a recess in front of the gearlever, which when combined should be more than enough for the bits and that inevitably accumulate in a family car.

For the 2018 model year, VW continued to offer the first generation Tiguan, which they called the Limited, which made some sense given the significant increase in size of the second generation model. That one comes in four trim levels: S, SE, SEL and SEL Premium. The first step up is the Tiguan S, and it’s the base trim for the redesigned Tiguan. The new generation Tiguan features a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine (184 bhp and 221 lb/ft of torque) that’s connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is optional. The Tiguan S features include 17-inch wheels, roof rails, heated side mirrors, automatic headlights, adaptive foglights, a 40/20/40-split folding rear seat, a rearview camera, Bluetooth, a 6.5-inch touchscreen display, a USB port, a six-speaker sound system and VW’s Car-Net App Connect, which controls select smartphone apps from the touchscreen and includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. The optional Driver Assistance package adds forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. The SE includes those Driver Assistance features, plus heated washer nozzles, keyless entry and ignition, dual-zone climate control, simulated leather upholstery, heated front seats, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, an 8-inch touchscreen, satellite and HD radio, voice commands, two extra USB ports and the Car-Net Security & Service (remote access to the vehicle through a smartphone app, automatic crash notification, and monitoring services for young drivers). A panoramic sunroof is optional on the SE. The SEL comes standard with the sunroof and adds 18-inch wheels, a power liftgate, remote start, adaptive cruise control, navigation and Car-Net Guide & Inform (displays real-time traffic, weather and nearby fuel prices). Finally, the SEL Premium adds adaptive LED headlights, automatic wipers, a hands-free liftgate, a digital gauge cluster, leather upholstery, a heated steering wheel, a nine-speaker premium Fender sound system, and extra driver assistance features including a top-down parking camera system, lane departure warning and intervention, front and rear parking sensors, and automatic high-beam control. The R-Line package offered on SEL and SEL Premium trims includes larger wheels (19-inch for SEL, 20-inch for SEL Premium), sportier exterior styling elements and, for the SEL, front and rear parking sensors.

It’s not hard to see why the Tiguan sells so strongly. This is a very competent car with no significant weaknesses. For sure, it is not that exciting, but then family transport – which is what the majority of Tiguan purchases will be – is rarely about that. For sure the third row of seats is hot much use, but you can simply fold them out of the way most of the time, and on the odd occasion that you need to fit in more small people, then the facility is there. The Tiguan competes in a heavily contested sector of the market, where standards are pretty high, so it wouldn’t be right to say that this is the clear class-leader despite those European sales figures. But it is certainly up there worthy of serious consideration. A Mazda CX-5 or Ford Escape (in US terms) will be more fun to drive, but they don’t have 7 seats and the interior quality of the Ford, whilst improved, still feels a bit sub-par. The Korean options have longer warranties and the Japanese models have proven reliability on their side, whereas there are persistent reports in the US about the TFSi engines which won’t go away, so the VW is certainly one to consider but not the default winner. It would be interesting to try one on European soil and see what I think of it there, but in the US, this is definitely one to try if the rental car company has one on offer.