Compare the2023 Toyota HighlanderVS 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Payload and Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Highlander have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Tiguan doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

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 Highlander 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 Highlander 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.

The Highlander’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 Highlander’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 Highlander and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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 Toyota Highlander is safer than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

	Highlander	Tiguan
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.3 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	79 lbs.	82 lbs.
Hip Force	300 lbs.	337 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	114	156
Spine Acceleration	37 G’s	44 G’s
Hip Force	152 lbs.	510 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	664 lbs.	855 lbs.

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

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Highlander its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Tiguan was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2022 but no longer qualifies.

Warranty

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Highlander 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 Highlander’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 Highlander’s warranty.

Reliability

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 Highlander’s reliability 44 points higher than the Tiguan.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 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 above average in initial quality. With 58 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 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 above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 23rd.

Engine

The Highlander’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 81 more horsepower (265 vs. 184) and 89 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Highlander has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan FWD’s standard fuel tank (17.9 vs. 15.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Highlander has 2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan AWD’s standard fuel tank (17.9 vs. 15.9 gallons).

Tires and Wheels

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

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

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Highlander’s wheelbase is 2.3 inches longer than on the Tiguan (112.2 inches vs. 109.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Highlander is 3.1 inches wider in the front and 3.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Tiguan.

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

Passenger Space

The Highlander has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Tiguan can only carry up to 7.

The Highlander has 17.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Tiguan (141.8 vs. 123.9).

The Highlander has 1.6 inches more front headroom, 1.8 inches more front legroom, 2.7 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 2.1 inches more rear legroom, 3.5 inches more rear hip room, 2.3 inches more third row headroom, .1 inches more third row legroom and 6.1 inches more third row hip room than the Tiguan.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Highlander’s middle and third row seats recline. The Tiguan’s third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Highlander	Tiguan
Behind Third Seat	16 cubic feet	12 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	48.4 cubic feet	33 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.3 cubic feet	65.3 cubic feet

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

Payload and Towing

The Highlander’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (5000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control (TSC) on the Highlander uses the Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Tiguan doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Highlander has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Tiguan (1330 vs. 937 lbs.).

The Highlander has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Tiguan (1390 vs. 1157 lbs.).

Ergonomics

The Highlander Platinum has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer 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 Highlander 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 Highlander 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 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 Highlander’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Tiguan’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

Both the Highlander and the Tiguan offer available heated front seats. The Highlander Platinum also has standard heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the Tiguan.

The Highlander 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.

The Highlander Limited/Platinum has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Recommendations

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

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Volkswagen Tiguan by almost three to one during 2022.

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