Compare the2023 Jeep RenegadeVS 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan

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

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

The Renegade’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.

Both the Renegade 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, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights and rear parking sensors.

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 Jeep Renegade is safer than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

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

Jeep’s powertrain warranty covers the Renegade 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 Renegade’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Tiguan’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance (up to 3 oil changes) on the Renegade for 1 year and -20,000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the Tiguan (3/unlimited vs. 2/20,000).

There are almost 4 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Renegade’s warranty.

The engine in the Renegade has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engine in the Tiguan has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Renegade has a standard 500-amp battery. The Tiguan’s 360-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 31 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Jeep higher than Volkswagen.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 16 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Jeep higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Jeep 5 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

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

The Renegade has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Jeep Renegade, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Tiguan.

The Renegade stops much shorter than the Tiguan:

The Renegade Trailhawk offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Tiguan; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Renegade’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Tiguan doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Renegade Latitude handles at .78 G’s, while the Tiguan 4Motion® pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Renegade Trailhawk’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the Tiguan’s (35.3 feet vs. 37.7 feet). The Renegade’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Tiguan’s (36.3 feet vs. 37.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Renegade has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (8 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Renegade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Renegade Trailhawk’s minimum ground clearance is 1.1 inches higher than on the Tiguan (8.7 vs. 7.6 inches).

The Jeep Renegade may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 400 pounds less than the Volkswagen Tiguan.

The Renegade is 1 foot, 7.5 inches shorter than the Tiguan, making the Renegade easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Renegade (except Trailhawk) 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 Renegade has 1.5 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front legroom and 1.4 inches more rear headroom than the Tiguan.

The Renegade has a much larger cargo volume than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (18.5 vs. 12 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Renegade. The Tiguan doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Renegade’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Renegade uses the Electronic 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.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Renegade 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 Renegade 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 Renegade offers an optional 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.

Insurance will cost less for the Renegade owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Renegade 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 Renegade is less expensive to operate than the Tiguan because it costs $110 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Renegade than the Tiguan, including $315 less for a water pump, $209 less for a muffler, $288 less for fuel injection, $166 less for a fuel pump, $65 less for a timing belt/chain and $280 less for a power steering pump.