Compare the2022 Toyota VenzaVS 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Venza are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Toyota Venza has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Venza. But it costs extra on the Tiguan.

The Venza’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 Venza’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 Venza and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 and available around view monitors.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Venza is 1.3% less likely to roll over than the Tiguan.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Venza 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Tiguan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Tiguan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Venza’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Tiguan’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Venza’s warranty.

The battery on the Venza is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Venza’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Tiguan’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

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 Venza’s reliability 38 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 Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 56 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 65 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 24th.

The Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 35 more horsepower (219 vs. 184) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Toyota Venza is faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

On the EPA test cycle the Venza gets better mileage than the Tiguan:

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

The Venza has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Venza stops much shorter than the Tiguan:

For better traction, the Venza has larger tires than the Tiguan (225/60R18 vs. 215/65R17).

The Venza LE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tiguan S’ standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Venza LE has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Tiguan S.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Venza is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than on the Tiguan.

The Venza Limited handles at .80 G’s, while the Tiguan 4Motion® pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Venza Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Tiguan 4Motion® (27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Venza LE’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Tiguan’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.7 feet). The Venza XLE/Limited’s turning circle is .3 feet tighter than the Tiguan’s (37.4 feet vs. 37.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Venza has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (7.68 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Venza to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Venza 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 Venza has .7 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear legroom and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the Tiguan.

The Venza has a much larger cargo volume than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (28.8 vs. 12 cubic feet).

An available locking center console keeps your small valuables safer in the Venza. The Tiguan doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Venza’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Venza Limited offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, 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 Venza the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Tiguan can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Venza has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Tiguan only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Venza 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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mazda CX-5 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Tiguan SE/SE R-Line Black/SEL R-Line offers wireless charging.

The Venza will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Venza will retain 56.16% to 56.27% of its original price after five years, while the Tiguan only retains 48.07% to 49.68%.

Consumer Reports® chose the Toyota Venza as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Volkswagen Tiguan isn't recommended.