Compare the2023 Volkswagen TiguanVS 2023 Subaru Crosstrek

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability

Safety

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The Tiguan has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line has a standard Area View to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Crosstrek only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Tiguan has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Crosstrek’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Tiguan has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Crosstrek and isn't available on the not available.

Compared to metal, the Tiguan’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Crosstrek has a metal gas tank.

Both the Tiguan and the Crosstrek 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, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and lane departure warning systems.

The Volkswagen Tiguan weighs 439 to 704 pounds more than the Subaru Crosstrek. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Volkswagen Tiguan is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek:

	Tiguan	Crosstrek
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	49	138
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	82 lbs.	196 lbs.
Hip Force	337 lbs.	346 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	156	303
Spine Acceleration	44 G’s	58 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tiguan its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 92 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Crosstrek is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Warranty

The Tiguan comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Crosstrek’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Tiguan’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Crosstrek’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tiguan for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Crosstrek.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Tiguan’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Crosstrek’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Subaru With 9 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Subaru.

Engine

The Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 32 more horsepower (184 vs. 152) and 76 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 145) than the Crosstrek’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 2 more horsepower (184 vs. 182) and 45 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 176) than the Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Volkswagen Tiguan is faster than the Subaru Crosstrek 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder (automatics tested):

	Tiguan	Crosstrek
Zero to 60 MPH	8.6 sec	9 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	16.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	81.5 MPH	80.8 MPH

Transmission

The Volkswagen Tiguan comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Crosstrek.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Tiguan	Crosstrek
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	11.6 inches
Rear Rotors	11.8 inches	10.8 inches

The Tiguan stops shorter than the Crosstrek:

	Tiguan	Crosstrek
60 to 0 MPH	124 feet	131 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	136 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Crosstrek (255/45R19 vs. 225/60R17).

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Crosstrek Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Tiguan SEL R-Line has standard 20-inch wheels. The Crosstrek’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The Tiguan has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tiguan’s wheelbase is 5 inches longer than on the Crosstrek (109.9 inches vs. 104.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Tiguan is 1.2 inches wider in the front and .7 inches wider in the rear than on the Crosstrek.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line 4Motion® handles at .83 G’s, while the Crosstrek Limited pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Passenger Space

The Tiguan offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Crosstrek can only carry 5.

The Tiguan has 23 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Crosstrek (123.9 vs. 100.9).

The Tiguan has .3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, .1 inches more rear legroom and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Crosstrek.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Tiguan’s middle row seats recline. The Crosstrek’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Tiguan’s cargo area provides more volume than the Crosstrek.

	Tiguan	Crosstrek
Third Seat Folded	33 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	37.6 cubic feet	20.8 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	65.3 cubic feet	55.3 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	73.4 cubic feet	55.3 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Tiguan easier. The Tiguan’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.4 inches, while the Crosstrek’s liftover is 30.9 inches.

The Tiguan’s cargo area is larger than the Crosstrek’s in almost every dimension:

	Tiguan	Crosstrek
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	17.2”/39.7”/74.5”	n.a./32.3”/64.2”
Max Width	55”	53”
Min Width	39.8”	43”
Height	33.5”	30”

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Tiguan’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Tiguan SE/SEL has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or on the Tiguan SEL R-Line, by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Servicing Ease

The Tiguan uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Crosstrek uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Tiguan has a maintenance free battery for long life without checking the battery’s water level. The Crosstrek doesn’t have a maintenance free battery, so the water level in the battery’s cells must be checked often to prevent damage.

Ergonomics

When three different drivers share the Tiguan SEL R-Line, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for all three. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Tiguan’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Crosstrek has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Tiguan’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Crosstrek’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Tiguan SE/SEL/SEL Premium the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows with the driver’s door power window switch. The driver of the Crosstrek can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Tiguan’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Crosstrek’s power window (except driver window) switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

The Tiguan’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Crosstrek’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Tiguan SE/SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Consumer Reports rated the Tiguan’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Crosstrek’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Tiguan has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The Crosstrek has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Premium/Sport/Limited.

The Tiguan’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Crosstrek Premium/Sport/Limited.

When the Tiguan SEL Premium is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Crosstrek’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Tiguan SEL R-Line keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Tiguan SEL R-Line’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Tiguan SE/SEL’s 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. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Tiguan and the Crosstrek offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Tiguan has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Tiguan SE/SEL has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Tiguan is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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