{"id":34514,"date":"2025-05-22T16:14:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T20:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=34514"},"modified":"2025-05-22T16:14:00","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T20:14:00","slug":"payne-stylish-techy-vw-tiguan-packs-it-all-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/payne-stylish-techy-vw-tiguan-packs-it-all-in","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Stylish, techy VW Tiguan packs it all in"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clyde Park, Montana<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 In this small cattle town east of Bozeman between the Bridger and Crazy Mountains, I pulled up in my Cactus Green, 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan SUV tester in front of Glenn\u2019s grocery. A grizzled dude in a cowboy hat and jeans strolled by and I nodded hello.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowdy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you like my Volkswagen?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice,\u201d he said before turning into Glenn\u2019s.<\/p>\n

In this rural \u2018burg in America\u2019s Big Sky west, the VW Tiguan fits right in. Big screens, big back seats, big wheels, big hatchback, big mirrors, big panoramic roof, big massaging seats. It\u2019s been a long time comin\u2019.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The 2025 VW Tiguan R-Line comes with all the goodies – big wheels, leather seats, panoramic roof, AWD. <\/em>Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

Volkswagen came to America to build cars in Pennsylvania in 1978 but the plant closed less than a decade later. In the 2000s, as Japanese Toyota and Honda SUVs soared, VW lagged. In 2008 Dieselgate buried the brand\u2019s signature, diesel-powered fuel economy calling card. In 2020, VW\u2019s first ID.4 electric vehicle landed with a thud.<\/p>\n

But behind these headlines, a rose has been blooming.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Volkswagen\u2019s SUV sales hit 77% of the automaker’s product portfolio as the entry-level Taos and yuuuuge Atlas three-row made friends with a new generation of American consumers. Like my sister, who (along with her two dogs) adores her Atlas Sport.<\/p>\n

Now comes the third-generation Tiguan in America\u2019s biggest-volume, midize SUV segment and Tiggy is Terrific. Three is the charm.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
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The 2025 VW Tiguan SE is plenty of car with 12.9-inch touchscreen, FWD and an optional pano roof for $35k.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

I cruised State Route 819\u2019s two lane with its 70 mph speed limit (love these western states) with adaptive cruise set to 75 mph. Coming up on a truck burdened with cargo, I punched the 214-horsepower turbo-4 and the eight-speed automatic transmission smoothly selected a lower gear and I sped by my prey. Once past, I looked for a red blind-spot warning in the left mirror and \u2014 seeing none \u2014 merged back into the right lane.<\/p>\n

Impressive. And all standard on this $30,920 SUV.<\/p>\n

Compare that to the Honda CR-V, which at $31,495 offers 190 horsepower, no standard blind spot-assist and a continuously variable transmission. With its solid build, the Honda deserves its reliable reputation. But the V-dub seizes on its sporty reputation to offer a more stylish experience.<\/p>\n