Compare the2022 BMW X3VS 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan

The X3’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Tiguan doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The BMW X3 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Tiguan doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The X3 has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The X3’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Tiguan.

The X3’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the X3 and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the BMW X3 is safer than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The X3’s corrosion warranty is 5 years and unlimited miles longer than the Tiguan’s (12/unlimited vs. 7/100,000).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the X3 for 1 year and 16000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the Tiguan (3/36,000 vs. 2/20,000).

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the X3’s reliability 30 points higher than the Tiguan.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW 20th in initial quality. With 47 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW 10th in reliability, above the industry average. With 55 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW 12 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The X3 s/xDrive30i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 64 more horsepower (248 vs. 184) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The X3 M40i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 198 more horsepower (382 vs. 184) and 148 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the X3 s/xDrive30i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

Regenerative brakes improve the X3’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The X3’s standard fuel tank has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan FWD’s standard fuel tank (17.2 vs. 15.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The X3 M40i’s standard fuel tank has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan AWD’s standard fuel tank (17.7 vs. 15.9 gallons).

The X3 M40i’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Tiguan doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the X3 M40i’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Tiguan:

The X3’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Tiguan are solid, not vented.

The X3 stops much shorter than the Tiguan:

For better traction, the X3 has larger standard tires than the Tiguan (245/50R19 vs. 215/65R17).

The X3’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tiguan S’ standard 65 series tires. The X3’s optional 275/35R21 rear tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Tiguan SEL R-Line’s 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the X3 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Tiguan S. The X3’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the Tiguan SEL R-Line.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the X3 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Tiguan doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The X3 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Tiguan’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The X3 offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Tiguan’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the X3’s wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the Tiguan (112.8 inches vs. 109.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the X3 is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Tiguan.

The X3’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (49% to 51%) than the Tiguan’s (55.9% to 44.1%). This gives the X3 more stable handling and braking.

The X3 M40i xDrive handles at .85 G’s, while the Tiguan 4Motion® pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The X3 M40i xDrive executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.4 seconds quicker than the Tiguan 4Motion® (25.9 seconds @ .72 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the X3 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (8 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the X3 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the X3 uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Tiguan doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The X3 has 1.5 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front shoulder room and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tiguan.

The X3 has a much larger cargo volume than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (28.7 vs. 12 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the X3. The Tiguan doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The X3’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (4400 vs. 1500 pounds).

The engine in the X3 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Tiguan. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that BMW service is better than Volkswagen. J.D. Power ranks BMW 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 43% lower rating, Volkswagen is ranked 27th.

The X3 offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

If the windows are left open on the X3 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote or with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the Tiguan can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

The X3’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Tiguan’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The X3’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Tiguan offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the X3 and the Tiguan offer available heated front seats. The X3 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the Tiguan.

The X3 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Tiguan SE/SE R-Line Black/SEL R-Line.

The X3’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Insurance will cost less for the X3 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the X3 with a number “5” insurance rate while the Tiguan is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

Consumer Reports® recommends the BMW X3, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Volkswagen Tiguan isn't recommended.