Compare the2023 Audi Q5VS 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan

The Q5’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.

Both the Q5 and Tiguan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q5 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Tiguan’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q5. But it costs extra on the Tiguan.

The Q5’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Tiguan.

Both the Q5 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.

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 Audi Q5 is safer than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

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

The Q5’s corrosion warranty is 5 years and unlimited miles longer than the Tiguan’s (12/unlimited vs. 7/100,000).

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Q5 has a standard 420-amp battery. The Tiguan’s 360-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Q5’s reliability 47 points higher than the Tiguan.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 10 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Q5 40 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 17 more horsepower (201 vs. 184) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (236 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Q5 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 77 more horsepower (261 vs. 184) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Q5 55 TFSI e’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 178 more horsepower (362 vs. 184) and 148 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Q5 55 TFSI e is faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

On the EPA test cycle the Q5 running on electricity gets better mileage than the Tiguan:

On the EPA test cycle the Q5 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Tiguan:

The Q5 55 TFSI e can travel with zero emissions for 22 miles. The Tiguan can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Q5’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Q5’s standard fuel tank has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan AWD’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 15.9 gallons).

The Q5 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Tiguan doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Q5’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 Q5 55 TFSI e’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Tiguan:

The Q5’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 Q5 stops much shorter than the Tiguan:

For better traction, the Q5 has larger standard tires than the Tiguan (235/60R18 vs. 215/65R17).

The Q5’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 Q5 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Tiguan S.

The Q5 offers an available 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.

The Q5 55 TFSI e has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Q5’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q5’s wheelbase is 1.1 inches longer than on the Tiguan (111 inches vs. 109.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Q5 is 1.4 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than on the Tiguan.

The Q5 55 TFSI e Premium Plus handles at .83 G’s, while the Tiguan 4Motion® pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Q5 45 TFSI Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Tiguan 4Motion® (27.2 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Q5 55 TFSI e has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (8 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Q5 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Q5 45 TFSI’s minimum ground clearance is .6 inch higher than on the Tiguan (8.2 vs. 7.6 inches).

The Q5 has .7 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 1.4 inches more rear legroom and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tiguan.

The Q5 has a much larger cargo volume than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (25.8 vs. 12 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Q5. The Tiguan doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Q5’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (4400 vs. 1500 pounds).

The engine in the Q5 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 Audi service is better than Volkswagen. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 32% lower rating, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

The Q5’s optional easy entry system raises the steering wheel when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Q5 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed 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 Q5 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. The driver of the Tiguan can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

The Q5’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 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Q5’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Tiguan’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q5 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Tiguan doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Q5’s standard rear view mirror and optional 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 Q5 and the Tiguan have standard heated front seats. The Q5 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 Q5 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/SEL.

Insurance will cost less for the Q5 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Q5 with a number “5” insurance rate while the Tiguan is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q5 is less expensive to operate than the Tiguan because it costs $82 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Q5 than the Tiguan, including $74 less for a power steering pump.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi Q5, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Volkswagen Tiguan isn't recommended.