2026 VW Tiguan | POV Test Drive

2026 Volkswagen Tiguan POV test drive, spirited drive, highway drive, launch control, 0-60 acceleration, exhaust sound, review. UPDATE REGARDING TURBO ISSUES: On April 16th 2026, VW issued a recall for all Tiguan SEL R-Line Turbo. Under this recall, VW will install updated software with improvements to the ECM calibration for the turbocharger variable turbine geometry (VTG) actuator endpoints. It is not an over the air updated, so you have to bring your can in to the dealership. I think Volkswagen finally got some courage and decided to give their stylists a little bit of freedom. The new Tiguan no longer looks like an NPC vehicle inside and out, and definitely has more of that “premium German” than before. VW also added more technology and better standard equipment without significantly raising the price - the new model starts at around $30,000 and goes up to around $45,000 for the tested SEL Premium R Line. Which is what we typically see in this segment. But the new design and technology aren’t everything, so let’s talk about technical changes VW made to the new, 3rd generation Tiguan. First of all, it sits on the MQB Evo platform, which underpins a vast majority of modern VW products. It’s a strut front, multilink in the back, combined with passive, non-adaptive dampers. The new Tiguan also lost some weight, which is surprising for a new car as usually we see a weight gain. It weights 170 lbs less, so that should slightly improve driving dynamics and fuel economy. While the new model is slightly longer than the predecessor, and by slightly, I mean an inch, we no longer have a third row of seats available. But, to be honest, it makes sense, you don’t really need a third row of seats in a compact SUV. Some of you, VW enthusiasts may know that the Tiguan that we get here is not exactly the same what Europe gets - our North American version is a little bit bigger, closer to the Tayron, which actually has a third row of seats and is longer, but, back to our Tiguan. We have 2 powertrain options, basically a 2 different versions of a 2-liter turbo 4-cylinder engine. Base 201 hp variant, or a more powerful 268 hp version in the Turbo model, that we have today. It’s a EA888 unit, just like in the GTI or Golf R, but unlike those two, we have a 8-speed conventional automatic, instead of a 7-speed DSG, which makes sense because it’s smoother and cheaper to maintain. By default, the car is FWD, with the exception of the Turbo model, which is AWD is an if you want to opt for AWD in non-Turbo trims, it’s a $1,500 option. Other markets also get diesels and a plugin-hybrid, but that’s not the case in North America, although I have a feeling that a plugin-hybrid will come here in the near future. Other SUVs to consider are a Toyota RAV4, Honda CR V, Mazda CX 5, Mazda CX 50, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Audi Q3, Audi Q5, Subaru Forester, VW Taos, VW Atlas, BMW X1. 00:00 - Sneak Peak 00:13 - Exterior 00:40 - Interior (Front Seats) 04:05 - Interior (Backseat) 04:45 - Trunk 05:07 - Exterior 05:59 - Engine 06:30 - Drive 09:27 - Highway 13:48 - Backroad 15:50 - Acceleration 16:00 - Backroad Specs: Engine: 2.0L turbocharged inline-4 | 268 hp | 258 lb-ft of torque Transmission: 8-speed automatic | AWD Color: Monterey Blue Pearl Price as tested: $45,015 #vw #volkswagen #tiguan #vwtiguan #volkswagentiguan #pov #review #cars Follow me on Instagram and TikTok @tom.swiatek