The base S trim now comes with VW’s IQ. The DRIVE driving assistance system has features like adaptive cruise control and lane-centering. When it comes out in 2024, it will also have automatic high beams, rain-sensing wipers, a faux leather steering wheel, better navigation, and wireless charging. Small changes have been made to the SE R-Line and SEL R-Line Black trims to make them look better.

Pros

• Two-row cars with good cargo room.
• Standard driver aid has been updated.
• A cover that looks expensive.

Cons

• The choice of a third row of seats could be more useful.
• Touch-sensitive buttons are not fun to use.
• Just the right amount of driving fun.

The Volkswagen 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine that powers the 2024 Tiguan makes 184 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque. This engine is common. The power is sent to the front wheels through an automated transmission that has eight gear ratios. Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive technology can be added as an extra. With either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, the Tiguan does a good job but could be better. This is partly because its torque peak is low at 1900 rpm, and the gearbox shifts smoothly. In fact, many employees think this car has a sporty feel similar to Volkswagen’s highly regarded GTI hot hatchback. Not surprisingly, the brake pedal is the least reliable part of the start-stop-turn system. This is because it doesn’t move smoothly like other Volkswagen models’ pedals do. Instead, it looks fuzzy and uncertain. The Tiguan, like many of our other favorite cars, goes beyond statistics, like our test drivers’ pretty slow time of 8.2 seconds to go from 0 to 60 mph. It has a consistent personality in real life and drives well in general. Again, the Tiguan is much easier to drive around town when the full torque is available right away after step-off. The only time you wish it had a little more power is when you’re merging onto the highway.

Volkswagen’s understanding has grown. By 2024, all cars will have to have adaptive cruise control. It has features like lane-keeping assistance and lane-centering that were only available on better trim levels before. As before, all Tiguans come with a blind-spot recognition system and a forward collision alert system that automatically applies the brakes. Visit the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) webpages to learn more about the Tiguan’s crash test scores. Some important safety factors are:

• Automatic emergency braking comes with a warning for a frontal crash.
• Normal lane exit alarm that helps you stay in your lane.
• Normal adaptive speed control that can center the car in its lane.

There is a great example of compromise in the Tiguan’s inner chamber. Compared to other models, the space in the first and second rows gets smaller over time. It is also one of the few on the market that lets you choose to add a third row. But when you use it, the inside feels big, and none of our drivers said they didn’t have enough room. Tiguans with the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system don’t have a third row, but the second row gets about two inches more headroom. Besides that, the inner design is simple and useful but could be more elegant. The base Tiguan has heated front seats that can be adjusted in six different ways and are upholstered in cloth. The SE has a power-adjustable driver’s seat and faux-leather upholstery, among other things. More expensive models have leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, and full-power passenger seats. The trunk area behind the third seat is only 12 cubic feet, which is about half the size of a Corvette C8’s trunk. The third row of seats folds down easily, making the trunk room bigger to 33 cubes, which is about average for the class. We could only fit 19 of our carry-on bags in the Tiguan with all the seats folded down. This was less than we could fit in some of its main competitors.

The EPA says that the 2024 Tiguan is fuel-efficient for its class, getting up to 24 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. The 4Motion all-wheel drive system doesn’t cost much, and it gets 22 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. For all numbers, take away one mpg for the SEL R-Line model with the most features. In our highway fuel-economy test at 75 mph, the 2024 Tiguan SEL R-Line with 4Motion all-wheel drive got better gas mileage than the EPA predicted, at 31 mpg.

We need to fix a few of Volkswagen’s newest entertainment features. The Tiguan’s system has touch-sensitive controls built into a big glass panel. These were hard to use, even though they still had small volume and tuning buttons instead of capacitive sliders like the Golf GTI and other VWs. On the plus side, drivers who like the way their phone’s interface works will find it easy to switch to Volkswagen’s system since it comes with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Even better, the base S model will get an update in the middle of the year that will add wireless charging and new software for the 6.5-inch touchscreen. (Models SE and up have screens that are 8 inches.) There will be a WiFi hotspot. Fans of good sound can get a nine-speaker system from Fender that has 480 watts of power, but it’s only available at higher price levels. The digital gauge panel that comes with all models is either 8.0 inches or 10.3 inches, and it can be set up to show different kinds of information.

Like last year, we suggest the SE model, which is in the middle of the price range and has 18-inch wheels, a power rear liftgate, and a remote start. It’s important to know that starting in 2024, the Base S trim will get the IQ. Before the SE and up, there was only the drive semi-autonomous lane-keeping assist mode. The SE has a panoramic sunroof that costs $1,200 extra, but the S doesn’t have one. It also still has a smaller 6.5-inch touchscreen screen.