2025 Volkswagen Tiguan First Look

This compact SUV gets bigger screens and more available luxuries with its latest redesign.

Andrew Ganz | 

Dec 10, 2024 | 3 min read

Volkswagen

Despite its improvements, however, this compact SUV still has to compete with popular rivals such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V. Here's a look at what the 2025 Tiguan offers — and what it doesn't.

Volkswagen

Restyled Tiguan Showcases High-End Interior Touches

The redesigned Tiguan's shape is much like the outgoing model's, and yet it differs considerably in its details. Up front, an illuminated VW badge bisects a full-width light bar. The black air intakes blend in with the black grille, giving the Tiguan something of an open-mouth look.

Wheel arches with shiny black trim sit over 17-, 19-, or 20-inch alloy wheels, depending on the trim level. The body curves out around the rear fenders from the back doors to the taillights, giving the crossover a more muscular appearance. A light bar also spans the rear, though this one is uninterrupted, with the VW badge located just underneath the line.

Volkswagen

The Tiguan's cabin looks much sleeker than that of its predecessor. A large central touchscreen sticks up out of the dash, which can be dressed up with walnut wood on some trims. Buyers can also elevate the interior with quilted leather upholstery.

While the 2024 Tiguan offered a third-row bench, the 2025 model is exclusively a two-row model.

Volkswagen

Tiguan Gets Big Screens but Few Buttons

You won't find many buttons or knobs below either the standard 12.9-inch or available 15.0-inch touchscreen. Most controls are accessed via the infotainment display, the touch-sensitive sliders directly below it, or the dial on the center console.

A three-spoke steering wheel fronts a configurable 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The 2025 model also gets conventional buttons on the steering wheel, rather than the touch-sensitive ones found in the previous-generation Tiguan. And just behind the steering wheel, you'll find the gearshifter stalk, which has been moved to free up the center console.

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The Tiguan's infotainment system, which Volkswagen calls MIB4, features Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility via the company's App-Connect software. A wireless charging pad is also standard.

All trim levels include VW IQ.Drive driver-assistance features, including lane-keeping assist, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, forward automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, and more.

Shoppers can also option many amenities, such as a head-up display; as many as 30 ambient lighting hues; a 12-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system; a heated steering wheel; and front seats with heating, ventilation, and massage functions.

Volkswagen

The Tiguan Gets More Power and Better Fuel Economy

A revised version of VW's EA888 turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine sits under the new Tiguan's hood, where it makes 201 horsepower — up 17 ponies from last year.

Using aluminum in the suspension and high-strength steel in the body structure have helped cut the Tiguan's curb weight by some 170 pounds, which Volkswagen says should contribute to better fuel economy than that of the outgoing model — though the carmaker hasn't confirmed specific estimates yet.

To be fair, the bar is relatively low, considering the 2024 Tiguan has EPA estimates of just 22/29/25 mpg in city/highway/combined driving with all-wheel drive (AWD).

As of publication, Volkswagen has not indicated whether the Tiguan will continue to be available with a choice between front-wheel drive and AWD.

The 2025 Tiguan is slated to hit dealers in early 2025.

Volkswagen

Andrew Ganz

Andrew Ganz has had cars in his blood ever since he gnawed the paint off of a diecast model as a toddler. After growing up in Dallas, Texas, he earned a journalism degree, worked in public relations for two manufacturers, and served as an editor for a luxury-lifestyle print publication and several well-known automotive websites. In his free time, Andrew loves exploring the Rocky Mountains' best back roads—when he’s not browsing ads for his next car purchase.