Compare the2023 Mitsubishi OutlanderVS 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Mitsubishi Outlander 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 Outlander 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 Mitsubishi Outlander has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help 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 Outlander has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Tiguan doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Outlander’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 Outlander’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 Outlander 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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 front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outlander its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 134 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Tiguan is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

The Outlander comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Tiguan’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Mitsubishi’s powertrain warranty covers the Outlander 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Tiguan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Tiguan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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 Outlander’s reliability 43 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 Mitsubishi vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mitsubishi 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 Mitsubishi vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mitsubishi above average in long-term dependability. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

As tested in Car and Driver the Mitsubishi Outlander is faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

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

The Outlander 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.

The Outlander 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.

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

The Outlander’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 Outlander stops much shorter than the Tiguan:

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

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

The Outlander has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Tiguan doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Outlander has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Tiguan’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Outlander is .5 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Tiguan.

The Outlander SEL AWC handles at .85 G’s, while the Tiguan 4Motion® pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Outlander SEL AWC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Tiguan 4Motion® (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Outlander’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the Tiguan’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outlander ES has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (8.3 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Outlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outlander SE/SEL’s minimum ground clearance is .8 inch higher than on the Tiguan (8.4 vs. 7.6 inches).

The front grille of the Outlander 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 Outlander has 1 inch more front headroom, 1.5 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front shoulder room, 3.3 inches more rear legroom, .7 inches more third row headroom, 2.6 inches more third row hip room and 3.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the Tiguan.

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

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

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

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Outlander uses the Active 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 Outlander SEL’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back 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 Outlander SEL offers an optional 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.

The Outlander ES’ standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Tiguan’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Outlander 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 Outlander’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 Outlander S-AWC has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Tiguan doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Both the Outlander and the Tiguan offer available heated front seats. The Outlander SEL 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 Outlander 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.

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