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All-New 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan Gets Compared to the Old SUV

Automakers will keep telling us that their products dramatically improve with every generation, just like the people selling phones. Of course, that's not the case, so let's take a look at this comparison between a 2012 Tiguan and the all-new generation that was launched this year.
All-New 2016 Volkswagen Tiguan Gets Compared to the Old SUV 21 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)2016 Volkswagen Tiguan (2017 Volkswagen Tiguan for US market)
Marek is from Poland, and he is wearing a t-shirt with a space corgi on it. But we won't hold any of those things against him, although we might do that about the fact that it's his mother's old Tiguan in the video.

In theory, the most important thing about an SUV is its capacity to go off-road. But let's be serious here, one of them could have been front-wheel drive, and you wouldn't care.

Instead, the focus needs to be placed on the interior space, comfort, design, and features. The all-new Tiguan isn't dramatically better at dealing with the rough stuff, but its Haldex 5 AWD system should be a little faster to engage.


The overall length of the car has grown by 2.4 inches (6.1 cm) while the wheelbase has been expanded by 3 inches (7.6 cm). Sure, the trunk is larger on the newer model, but that's because they got rid of the spare wheels.

In both cases, the rear seats slide forwards and backward, and there are picnic tables in the back, like on an airplane. Unfortunately, the 2012 Tiguan is not up to par when it comes to the dashboard design. It looks like the Golf 6 in there, which as we all know is well below the Golf 7.

To say that the 2016 Tiguan is much better is a massive understatement. For example, you can order it with a digital dashboard, like all the cool kids have these days. And if you suck at parking, it's got cameras everywhere. If you’ve been inside the new B8 Passat, you’ll feel familiar with the cabin of the 2016 Tiguan.

Finally, we have to mention the engines, which offer slight economy and power increases. The big one is the bi-turbo 2.0-liter diesel with 240 horsepower. But almost every Tiguan buyer we talked to ordered the 150 horsepower 2.0 TDI, which only has 7 hp and 30 Nm more than its predecessor.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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