VW Tiguan?

[puma1552]

A month ago I traded in my faithful ol' Mustang GT for the wife's brand new 2012 VW Beetle w/Sunroof (they redesigned 'em finally, they are pretty cool now). The car now has just shy of 2,000 miles on it and so far no issues at all and no complaints whatsoever. In fact I personally shamelessly like it so much I'd actually go out and copy my wife if I could (but she said I couldn't ). Basically, I/we are pretty smitten with the car so far; it seems very well built and very solid and quiet; pretty refined.

So, since I traded off my car to get her a new car since she's starting a new job this week, this means I also have an opportunity to get into something else in the coming months. I work downtown and have easy bus access so I can probably get by until springtime, so I'd be probably be looking at '13s by then. I've never been an SUV guy, but I am 90% set on doing something different this time around, and I've really fallen in love with the looks of the 2012+ Tiguans. Perfect size (small but still looks like an actual small SUV and not an oddly proportioned crossover), perfect proportions, and really nice lines. Interior I can expect to be of the same quality as the wife's Beetle.

I'd be looking at probably a new SE with no sunroof or navigation, or I could possibly wheel a nice deal on a slightly used (sub-10k miles) loaded top end SEL (I see quite a few in dealer inventories that are ex VW corporate vehicles, all with 6-8k miles), assuming everything checks out as far as it having zero evidence of any accidents/paint/bodywork having been done.

Compared to the SE I'd buy new, the used SEL would give me adaptive bi-Xenons with LED running lights (really want), real leather instead of leatherette (I don't really care though, the leatherette is really, really nice), the panoramic sunroof that's about five feet long (really want), navi (don't care, don't really want tbh), and better wheels (hey I'll take 'em).

1) Anyone have/had one of these or know anyone that does, and what was/is the experience like and do you like/love/hate the vehicle?

2) Would you get a new FWD SE with no roof or navi (the Beetle is our first new car, ain't nothin' like a brand new car I have to say), or get a slightly used SEL with roof/navi and *possibly* 4WD? The FWD SE goes new for around $29,400, whereas the used corporate fleet FWD SEL with everything would go for around $31k, or $33k for a 4WD model. Figure whatever model I get I could probably get around $3k off, so regardless the used SEL is still a few grand more than the new SE, though the SEL has some great features as it's the top o' the line.

What do you think about the Tig?

 

[dmr727]

::cue neiltc13's predictable diatribe about why anyone would want a car bigger than a Ford Fiesta::

Don't know anything about the Tiguan, but I like the idea of buying slightly used to take some of the sting out of the initial depreciation hit. Especially since you recently scratched the 'new' itch with your wife's Bug.

 

[quagmire]

I would avoid buying a used corporate fleet vehicle. I wouldn't trust the maintenance and upkeep of a vehicle they weren't keeping long term anyway.

Where are you located? If interested in AWD, I imagine it is in an area where it snows. How often/much does it snow.

 

[puma1552]

::cue neiltc13's predictable diatribe about why anyone would want a car bigger than a Ford Fiesta::

Don't know anything about the Tiguan, but I like the idea of buying slightly used to take some of the sting out of the initial depreciation hit. Especially since you recently scratched the 'new' itch with your wife's Bug.

Heh heh, funny you say that since the other car I've been looking at the most is a new Fiesta Titanium hatch; there's a local dealer that's horrible about locking their cars and I've gone back after hours so many times to sit in one (albeit an SE) and I just can't like the inside so it's slowly getting scratched off my list. If money were no object I'd get a new SEL Tig but I've got to set reasonable price caps, so I'd have to go used to get into an SEL.

I would avoid buying a used corporate fleet vehicle. I wouldn't trust the maintenance and upkeep of a vehicle they weren't keeping long term anyway.

That's one thing I thought of too with a fleet vehicle--nobody ever waxed it or really cared about it, but then again the car is only a few months old with a few thousand miles, so if it hasn't been in an accident how bad could it be? Assuming of course it was flawless cosmetically. One of the ones I'm looking at was new in April and just used for three months before being offered for sale now. The appeal of the fleet for me is I know they all get sold off after a few months, so I feel more confident that they haven't been in an accident, rather than someone who shelled out $35k-$38k 3, 6, 9 months ago and was willing to take probably $30k or less to get rid of it after just a few thousand miles, always makes me wonder what would compel someone to take that massive of a loss...must be dying to get rid of it for some reason.

Where are you located? If interested in AWD, I imagine it is in an area where it snows. How often/much does it snow.

We are in MN, so winters can be brutal. But at the end of the day, even in the brutalest of winters, how many days are the roads ACTUALLY bad, maybe 30 at worst? And most of the time the roads will be cleared by 9 AM, and if not I have the flexibility to work from home and tell the office I don't feel like driving in the snow. FWIW I have always only had RWD vehicles and I've gotten through every MN winter just fine without even using sandbags, so FWD to me is like a walk in the park for snow, hence why 4WD isn't really necessary, though it would be nice just because the Tig is an SUV and SUVs kinda should be 4WD. If the Tig were otherwise RWD, then I'd probably make 4WD a requirement because there's just something odd about a 2WD SUV/truck in the north, not a common sight. But since the Tig is FWD, it's hard to justify $2k for 4WD.

 

[quagmire]

The only reason why SUV's must be 4WD is so you can take them off road. A Tiguan isn't exactly an off road machine especially since it has an AWD system vs a 4WD system.

 

[puma1552]

Yeah I'm a yuppie, the most offroading it'll see is a grass parking lot at a county fair...but I'm still going to avoid the gravel road since I don't want a rock chip

 

[neiltc13]

Heh heh, funny you say that since the other car I've been looking at the most is a new Fiesta Titanium hatch; there's a local dealer that's horrible about locking their cars and I've gone back after hours so many times to sit in one (albeit an SE) and I just can't like the inside so it's slowly getting scratched off my list. If money were no object I'd get a new SEL Tig but I've got to set reasonable price caps, so I'd have to go used to get into an SEL.

I have a 2010 Ford Fiesta with a 1.25L engine. I really like it (as dmr727 alluded to) for a few reasons:
- The interior is very good quality for a car in this class
- The car looks great inside and out
- The handling is the best in this class. I can throw it at corners and it always sticks - really great fun to drive.

That said I've never really had a chance to try it on snow. As it's FWD I'm sure it would cope okay with a little snow, but if it's deep then you really want something with AWD I guess.

My "diatribe" for this post is going to be questioning whether you need a big SUV. Are there no other cars you can buy that have AWD without being huge gas guzzling boats? If you were considering a Ford Fiesta then you clearly don't need a Tiguan for the space, plus as it's a VW you're paying extra for the fancy badge.

http://ask.cars.com/2012/03/which-2012-cars-not-suvs-have-all-wheel-drive.html might help

 

[puma1552]

I have a 2010 Ford Fiesta with a 1.25L engine. I really like it (as dmr727 alluded to) for a few reasons:
- The interior is very good quality for a car in this class
- The car looks great inside and out
- The handling is the best in this class. I can throw it at corners and it always sticks - really great fun to drive.

That said I've never really had a chance to try it on snow. As it's FWD I'm sure it would cope okay with a little snow, but if it's deep then you really want something with AWD I guess.

My "diatribe" for this post is going to be questioning whether you need a big SUV. Are there no other cars you can buy that have AWD without being huge gas guzzling boats? If you were considering a Ford Fiesta then you clearly don't need a Tiguan for the space, plus as it's a VW you're paying extra for the fancy badge.

http://ask.cars.com/2012/03/which-2012-cars-not-suvs-have-all-wheel-drive.html might help

The other issue with the Fiesta, while it looks great on the outside for being a little subcompact and has cool color choices, is that it has a paltry 120 hp. Coming from RWD V8s, that's just plain painfully slow for me so I don't know that I would be happy with it for five or so years. I don't doubt that the interior is good quality given the soft touch materials and good fit and finish, but when I sit in it it's still obvious that I am definitely in a cheap car; I've tried to like it so hard, but I just can't once I sit in it. The headrests protruding forward are also annoying. The huge dash is a turn off, and what turned me completely off the 2012 Focus, which otherwise is a great car with loads of features.

FYI the Tiguan is a very small SUV and has a 4 cylinder engine that gets close to 30 mpg. Perhaps you haven't seen one, or are thinking of a Touareg, but a Tiguan is not large whatsoever. Not even close mate.

I've also never considered VW to be a premium brand or a fancy badge, to me they've always just been the German equivalent to a Ford or whatever, just a regular non luxury car that happens to come out of Germany.

And thanks for the link, but like I said, while it would be nice, 4WD/AWD isn't really necessary at all...FWD is plenty capable for even the nastiest of winters.

Finally, I just want a Tig. I'm a car guy, always have been, and it doesn't always have to be about the minimum needs, especially when I sacrifice in other areas of my life (450 sq. foot apartment, no netflix, no cable TV, 2nd cheapest internet, nice clothes but not many, all Ikea furniture, don't upgrade Apple stuff until it breaks usually, etc.). Sometimes you just have to get what you want, not just what you need. For me that area of life is cars--I've worked hard to get to where I am, and I want to enjoy it a bit.

 

[quagmire]

Have you considered other crossovers like the Equinox/Terrain or 2013 Ford Escape? Or do you like the Tiguan because it is more premium than the rest of the compact SUV class and willing to sacrifice fuel economy for it?

I personally like the GMC Terrain. It's more of a mid-size CUV competing against the compacts( most compacts are around 176" to 182" long where the Terrain and Equinox are 188" long), but it gets 22/32 MPG out of the 4 banger. The interior is pretty nice too. What I love about the Terrain and Equinox( my mom has the 1st gen Equinox) is the second row legroom is unbelievable. It has more legroom than our Suburban or a GMC Acadia/Chevy Traverse. Plus, it slides forward and back to increase either cargo space for when the second row isn't in use or for maximum legroom. Only downside to that is that it requires a long wheelbase which hampers its turning radius.

 

[wordoflife]

VW Tiguan looks like a decent car. If you didn't necessarily need the crossover form factor, I'd probably get a VW Jetta (or even Passat) Diesel. Not sure how much they cost in comparison, but I'm just throwing it out there.

 

[puma1552]

Have you considered other crossovers like the Equinox/Terrain or 2013 Ford Escape? Or do you like the Tiguan because it is more premium than the rest of the compact SUV class and willing to sacrifice fuel economy for it?

I personally like the GMC Terrain. It's more of a mid-size CUV competing against the compacts( most compacts are around 176" to 182" long where the Terrain and Equinox are 188" long), but it gets 22/32 MPG out of the 4 banger. The interior is pretty nice too. What I love about the Terrain and Equinox( my mom has the 1st gen Equinox) is the second row legroom is unbelievable. It has more legroom than our Suburban or a GMC Acadia/Chevy Traverse. Plus, it slides forward and back to increase either cargo space for when the second row isn't in use or for maximum legroom. Only downside to that is that it requires a long wheelbase which hampers its turning radius.

I'm not too big of a fan of anything GM is currently building; nothing against GM, my first car was a Camaro which I still have 13 years later. Just not building anything that appeals to me right now, just too plain vanilla for me. Doesn't get me excited.

I was looking at the '13 Escape as I thought it was gorgeous when it came out and I like the interior, but the more I look at it the more it looks less like an SUV and more like a crossover. I ultimately decided that what I didn't like about it was how much the rear half of the roof slopes back down which makes it look less like an SUV, and I don't like how the rear quarter window slopes up and back at a 45 degree angle (which furthere makes it look less like an SUV) and the odd look it creates in a triangle of body for the D pillar:

That roof coupled with the back corner kills what otherwise is a gorgeous vehicle; when I look at that then go and look at this, I know the Tig is what I want as it looks the way an SUV should, even a small one:

I do like the Tiguan probably because of my initial impressions of the wife's beetle. I love the bright white gauges and the red needles with the red dash lights, and I love the fit and finish of the wife's car inside and out, so I'm drawn to the Tiguan. I suppose it is a bit more upscale, but I've never been a badge snob. If I were, I'd be looking at used X3s I suppose.

----------

The Jettas and Passats are nice cars, but I think the Passat is super bland, and Jettas are everywhere...also not really interested in a four door sedan, but if I was I may look at a '13 VW CC...kind of growing on me now that they refreshed them, but probably too expensive all said and done and kind of a big car. A lot of people have complained that the Jetta/Passat have been too Americanized (bloated) whereas the Tig gets praise for being one of few vehicles to not be a big bloated pig.

 

[senseless]

Looks nice, decent handler for a crossover, average repair record. The typical VW option packages puts the price tag all over the map. If you're in a snow area, AWD absolutely, especially for resale.

New/Used is a tossup. It depends on your annual mileage and financing needs. What is a VW corporate vehicle? Is that one of the free loaner cars or rentals? If so, I would avoid that.

 

[neiltc13]

The other issue with the Fiesta, while it looks great on the outside for being a little subcompact and has cool color choices, is that it has a paltry 120 hp. Coming from RWD V8s, that's just plain painfully slow for me so I don't know that I would be happy with it for five or so years. I don't doubt that the interior is good quality given the soft touch materials and good fit and finish, but when I sit in it it's still obvious that I am definitely in a cheap car; I've tried to like it so hard, but I just can't once I sit in it. The headrests protruding forward are also annoying. The huge dash is a turn off, and what turned me completely off the 2012 Focus, which otherwise is a great car with loads of features.

My Fiesta (European model) has 80hp! 120 is more than needed in a car of this size.

I think the large dash is a common feature on lots of new cars now, it might be for safety?

 

[puma1552]

My Fiesta (European model) has 80hp! 120 is more than needed in a car of this size.

I think the large dash is a common feature on lots of new cars now, it might be for safety?

It's an unfortunate common feature, but not all cars have it. The wife's beetle and the Tig have about a 12"-14" wide dash, which is how it should be.

Some cars have it because of a steeply raked windshield, but I don't really buy that either since my Camaro has a 68 degree rake and it too has a 12 inch dashboard. Problem is a lot of the new cars have virtually a half circle shape at the base of the windshield when viewed from above.

Either way, I'm hoping to get more feedback on the Tiguan, since I've pretty much dcided that's what I would like.

 

[quagmire]

I'm not too big of a fan of anything GM is currently building; nothing against GM, my first car was a Camaro which I still have 13 years later. Just not building anything that appeals to me right now, just too plain vanilla for me. Doesn't get me excited.

Ha, I have the opposite opinion. I like GM's current designs better than Ford's. The only vehicles that I like from Ford is Mustang( though would still choose the Camaro especially the ZL1 or 1LE), Focus, 2013 Escape, and the 2013 Fusion. The rest are blah. I don't like the Edge or Explorer's design. The US Fiesta ruined the Euro Fiesta's looks. Lincoln's bore me to death. The GMC Sierra is currently the best looking truck IMHO. I like the 2014 Impala over the Taurus.

I was looking at the '13 Escape as I thought it was gorgeous when it came out and I like the interior, but the more I look at it the more it looks less like an SUV and more like a crossover. I ultimately decided that what I didn't like about it was how much the rear half of the roof slopes back down which makes it look less like an SUV, and I don't like how the rear quarter window slopes up and back at a 45 degree angle (which furthere makes it look less like an SUV) and the odd look it creates in a triangle of body for the D pillar

You really are a yuppie. They are all crossovers. But, hey that is why I like the Terrain. Boxy, looks like a truck, etc. It's a mans crossover lol.

 

[wordoflife]

another car I like from the similar category is this:

not sure how it converts, but I think you might be able to find a slightly used one for a price in your budget

 

[Melrose]

I have a Mazda 6 Sportwagon and it has lot of space, loads of zip, handles better than any SUV on the market, gas mileage is reasonable, and it's a very reliable vehicle..

So, you know, that's what I recommend.

But it sounds to me like you've already got your mind made up and want qualification on buying a vehicle that's more than you might really need.

 

[puma1552]

But it sounds to me like you've already got your mind made up and want qualification on buying a vehicle that's more than you might really need.

Not really, it's not like I'm buying an Excursion, a Tig is one of the smallest SUVs out there if you can even call it an SUV...I'm more looking for input on buying a new SE vs. a used SEL and hoping someone here has some experiences they can relate to the Tig. Unfortunately while I appreciate the input, this thread hasn't panned out with much related to what I was looking for information on.

EDIT: The Tiguan is built on the same platform as the Golf/GTI. It's just a Golf with a different body.

 

[Melrose]

Not really, it's not like I'm buying an Excursion, a Tig is one of the smallest SUVs out there if you can even call it an SUV...I'm more looking for input on buying a new SE vs. a used SEL and hoping someone here has some experiences they can relate to the Tig. Unfortunately while I appreciate the input, this thread hasn't panned out with much related to what I was looking for information on.

EDIT: The Tiguan is built on the same platform as the Golf/GTI. It's just a Golf with a different body.

Gotcha. See? I'm not that familiar w VWs. Should check before I open my mouth eh.