Can the 2026 Tiguan Save VW? // In-depth Review

34 thoughts on “Can the 2026 Tiguan Save VW? // In-depth Review”

1. I bought a 2026 Tiguan about two months ago and I’ve been loving it overall, but I still can’t get over how soft and slow the shifts feel. I had a 2019 Atlas with the same transmission and it shifted way better. I’ve also driven Minis with the Aisin 8-speed and those felt better too. The new tuning on the Aisin 8-speed in the Tiguan is honestly kind of disappointing. Europe gets the DSG instead of the aisen 8 speed but not the U.S. market

2. Why I will never own a VW – I once had people over at my house and everyone parked in my driveway. Heavily modified C5 vette, decade old Lincoln, F150 with 175k miles, and a BRAND NEW Tiguan. Guess which one leaked oil all over my freshly redone driveway?

3. 2025 SE owner here. October 2025. 5k miles and zero issues. A joy to drive every day. The major issues being reported are w/the top 2026 SEL. Something folks never mention. Also, ALL the Tigs are turbo, it's just that SEL 2026 turbo that's the big problem. The drive and interior are quiet and comfortable. It's a great fit. For those that deplore the CVTs, Toyota and Honda boringness (drive and interior) this is a great fit. I walked out with my SE FWD (in FL, AWD is a waste) at $33k and in that blue and white interior. As for the climiate controls – I keep it on auto and adjust temp with one tap, works great. Only thing I need to dig into is the recirc button, which defaults (as do most cars) to non-recirc on shutdown. I'm 6ft 1in and I easily fit and find it comfy to drive and ride. First VW I've owned, and I've owned every make at the nonlux level, and this is by far a perfect blend of fun, tech, comfort. Throw a hyrbrid in this – and it would fly off the lots.

4. Have ‘26 R line turbo. Purchased for cash Nov 1. Junk and in process of returning to corporate VW buyback program. Absolute garbage. Lasted 134 miles. No replacement, no fix, no loaner, mechanics say they’re sorry have no clue and laugh. This review misses everything.

5. I’m reluctantly and sadly about to auction my 2019 Golf Alltrack SE with lighting and sport packages and all the accessories. 6-speed. It’s an amazing car. Recent back issues made me require, not want, an automatic. First one in 25-years of driving. I was going for a 2024 CPO X3, but then VW surprised us with the Tiguan Turbo.
   It made the X3 seem ancient. Plus, I work for VW so I get employee pricing.
   The interior is incredible at the price point, even at $47k sticker of mine. The 8-speed auto is NOT equal to the ZF8 in a BMW. It sometimes stumbles or does a rough shift, but rarely. I’ve only used the sport mode of the transmission once or twice in 4k miles.
   My girlfriend’s 2024 Mazda CX-5 Premium Turbo is wayyy faster than my Tiguan. It’s Porsche Macan fast using 93-octane. So fast I do irresponsible things when I drive it. But the interior and tech do not hold a candle to the Tiguan, especially trim, lighting, and rear seat room.
   I don’t care much about VW Connected Services of Car-Net or whatever they call it, today. That said, it’s failed five times since I bought it in December and required a visit to my service department each time. If it wasn’t under warranty I wouldn’t have bothered to fix it.
   The seats are so far beyond anything VW has built in my 22-years with them. Great genuine leather on my top trim, long bottoms for my long legs, the cooling actually cools, and the massage is not a gimmick at all!
   The tech is clunky at first and I was adverse to it. Living with it now for months and thousands of miles, it’s super-fast, easy to control whilst moving, and visually pretty. Hidden stuff like syncing the passenger seat to the driver’s is next-level that I haven’t seen in cars twice as much. The engine is fast and frugal. My girlfriend and I switched cars for a week and she drove it from Bentonville, AR, to Dallas, TX with a heavy foot. Got 30mpg on 91-octane!
   It has great power, efficient, super-smooth, and party tricks for days. And the wood being real wood is spectacular. Not to mention the electrically heated windshield! Until I sell my Alltrack, the Tiguan stays in the driveway. The way to melts off the morning dew is sooo cool!
   Automatic cruise with lane-change works smoothly. Being able to swap it for regular cruise control is something VW took too long to get, but glad they finally did.
   Sound system is great. Deep customization of features is awesome. Memory for the passenger’s seat is epic for a VW.
   I’m a reluctant, but happy adapter to the CUV lifestyle.
   That said, the AWD is nothing like my Alltrack. In the Alltrack, there is no slip-then-grip. It just grips and point and shoot the car on any surface, even with a high-rpm clutch-drip. In the Tiguan l, the front wheels slip like hell before the back end responds. Very Toyota/Honda. It’s not Haldex. It’s also embarrassing to have tire squeal on wet pavement. Very not-premium.
   9/10 recommend, especially the top-line. Main wish would be for AWD to go back to proper Haldex mechanical set up. Oh, and they removed the handle from the ceiling above the driver’s seat. Not needed, but a lux touch that is gone.

6. Not at the price very are asking!! Compared to the Chinese vehicle 😂

7. VW will be doing well when they abandon their EV heavy waste.

8. Not if they can't get reliability in check and all the engine issues

9. We have 8 of the 2026 hybrid R line models on the fleet, they’re becoming a nightmare for many electrical gremlins after only 4 months. Uncomfortable for long distance, and tyre noise in the cabin is ridiculously loud.

10. Never buy a brand new design from any car maker in its first year of production. Even Toyotas have had their problems recently.

11. Regarding powertrain, what he says is true, but only for the type of roads he’s test driving on. In everyday city driving, this transmission is VERY jerky and slow to shift between 1st and 3rd gear. Among other things, this week the engine died while I was driving and parking brake engaged automatically right away! I found on Google this is a common issue on 2025-26 Tiguan!

12. @9:58 I do agree. I wish the larger screen were a no-cost option. I suspect most buyer would select the smaller screen. Which is still huge as far as I'm concerned.

    What most Americans don't realize is our version is greatly watered down from the European versions. Those cars have acoustic glass all around (rear windows included). They also retain the valuable sliding/reclining rear seats, optional dynamic dampers (DDC), and 7-speed dual-clutch in lieu of the torque converter style 8-speed.

    I suppose VW left those off to keep prices competitive with their rivals. Although the reclining seats are a significant step backwards on a family oriented SUV. Those feature are exactly what points me to VW over their Japanese counterparts.

    Just take an all-day road trip and you'll understand why even a few degrees of recline makes a world of difference in reducing the ubiquitous "are we there yet" syndrome.

    As for reliability, nobody that buys a German car does so because of their reliability. They buy them for solid build quality, advanced engineering, drivability and dynamic/sporty handling. No German brand is known for its reliability. Well, maybe Porsche.

13. There is a reason why the new ID Polo and Outback have physical buttons. All other models from VW and Subie (save for BRZ) have been gutted of physical HVAC controls and I will be waiting for them to actually return to the rest of their lineups before I can consider or recommend those brands

14. Favorable review, and the car looks great. Too bad it's a VW. I wouldn't take a gamble on it. Maybe a lease and dump.

15. Poor Man’s Porsche Macan.
    I like it. ❤

16. Mine had a faulty transmission right off the lot, it took 5 weeks for VW to change the transmission……frustrating…..

17. What are your thoughts on the 2025 Jetta?

18. This looks excellent. Great car for regular people. Glad they brought back the short Tiguan back because it works well for the city. I do wish VW brought back the regular Golf though too. I love my GTI, but it's too much for most people who just want to chill with good gas mileage. The Golf is so popular in Toronto and Montreal and you see people still holding onto their old ones, they're not the type to get a performance car, or an SUV. Not everyone has the space for a Jetta in their small city garage.

19. No physical buttons..big screen 😢..no more sales for any brand….don't want big tv inside car

20. Your review is great!

21. I am combining up to 36 mpg here in CO in this near perfect compact SUV!

22. They should have called this a Tiguan GTI since its closer to being an AWD lifted GTI than it is a Golf R.

23. Thanks for the shoutout! Right now it's looking like a software update will be the fix and there should be a recall coming by April. It's a fantastic vehicle overall and truthfully an SE R Line Black is all you really need. Also less headaches lol.

24. Nice review. Keep up the good work and don't ever allow your integrity to be compromised

25. Looks like a crossover GTI, and that’s not a bad thing. Shame they’re locking the turbo at such a price tag.

26. Used to love VW, and I like this new Tiguan, but the brand is effectively dead to me after killing the manual in the GTI.

27. I drove for a long term an Audi Q5 2021…. then I jump into a VW Tiguan, previous generation… and to be honest….. there'r thing different, but not a huge gap….. and the prices soars high on Audi ones…..

28. Besides Consumer Reports, this is the only car review channel that dares to mention reliability, including specific issues and the trim level at which they might happen. This is appreciated.

29. friend of mine enjoyed her top of the line Tiguan for a period of 3 months or so and now the car is sitting in the dealership waiting for the new turbo. should be ready in 3 weeks, so they say

30. US is only 7% of VW group global sales. VW is fine.

31. Nice review! We bought a 2025 Tiguan SE for my wife that replaced her 2019 Tiguan SEL R-Line. I have only driven it once but it seems fine. She really likes it after a few months of ownership. The 26 models were already out when we bought our 25 for less than 30K. We have owned numerous VWs and have had few issues but we did get an extended warranty with this one just for peace of mind.

32. The only thing that can save VW is not having a reputation for falling apart after the warranty expires, and adding real physical controls for climate.

33. Why did you grow your hair out? 😅😅

34. People really need to do some research before buying a 26 Tiguan.
    Many people are reporting major issues with them.

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