Comparison - Toyota Highlander LE 2017 - vs - Volkswagen Tiguan SEL 2017

We test the high-spec VW Tiguan with four-wheel drive in the UK

Although the VW Tiguan offers an attractive blend of practicality, sharp styling and a classy interior, this particular model doesn’t look like good value. The 188bhp diesel engine is powerful, but it’s not the best fit for the car and economy takes a hit. It’s not as good to drive nor as comfortable as the rival SEAT Ateca either, which puts the high price tag into even sharper focus.

The Volkswagen Tiguan sits in a crowded class of talented cars, with the SEAT Ateca, Peugeot 3008 and Nissan Qashqai all going up against it. Indeed, the Tiguan is such a significant a competitor that many manufacturers position it as the main benchmark in the class that their new models have to beat - be that publicly or privately.

Unfortunately for Volkswagen, the latest model hasn’t quite impressed us as much as we had expected, with rivals overtaking it in many areas. Here we’re giving the Tiguan a chance to fight back by testing this SEL model with the 188bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine to see how it stacks up against the competition.

The Tiguan is pretty good to drive, with plenty of grip and composure in corners, but it does feel heavy and the steering doesn’t have enough feedback. The Ateca is more fun to drive, but the crucial thing is that the SEAT is also more comfortable. The Tiguan we tested had 19-inch alloy wheels fitted, and it crashed over lumps in the road. It’s particularly bad over speed bumps, too - while not back-breaking, it’s disappointing in an SUV from this price bracket.

And there lies this Tiguan’s biggest problem, the price tag. The SEL model costs £33,260, which is significantly more than rivals from Nissan, Renault and SEAT with similar specifications. The quality interior and decent kit list goes some way to mitigate that but we still think the price is just too high.

The size-S Tiguan whets our appetite for our size-L version.

Volkswagen was late to the crossover-SUV game with the first-generation Tiguan, and while 2.8 million examples have been sold worldwide since the model’s launch in 2007, the Tiguan hasn’t been a great success in the United States. American customers have complained about a high price and a lack of space compared with vehicles like the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4—which is why, when the new version of the Tiguan launches here next summer as a 2018 model, we’ll get only the long-wheelbase variant.

Yet, when invited to drive the smaller, standard-wheelbase version of the new Tiguan on its German home turf, we jumped at the chance. That's because its features, powertrain, and road manners will be almost identical to the U.S. car. And distinguishing the long-wheelbase model from its shorter sibling will be almost impossible unless they’re parked next to each other

As much as we like the new Tiguan, we lament the fact that it is actually less powerful than its predecessor. In this European specification, it has all the ingredients to move to the top of the class, with tasteful design, rich materials, and upmarket features. If the Tiguan is to make a lasting impression here, VW needs to offer high levels of technology and convenience features