Compare the2023 Volkswagen TiguanVS 2023 Land Rover Discovery Sport

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Tiguan are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Discovery Sport doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Discovery Sport 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL R-Line has standard Maneuver Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

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 Discovery Sport 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.

Both the Tiguan and the Discovery Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, plastic fuel tanks, 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 lane departure warning systems.

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 128 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Discovery Sport has not been tested, yet.

The Tiguan’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Discovery Sport’s (7 vs. 6 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. Land Rover doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Discovery Sport.

There are over 3 times as many Volkswagen dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Tiguan’s warranty.

The Volkswagen Tiguan’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Discovery Sport’s engine uses 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 Land Rover With 67 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Land Rover.

On the EPA test cycle the Tiguan gets better mileage than the Discovery Sport:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Tiguan uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Discovery Sport requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

For better traction, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Discovery Sport (255/45R19 vs. 245/45R21).

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 Discovery Sport’s optional 45 series tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tiguan’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the Discovery Sport (109.9 inches vs. 107.9 inches).

For better maneuverability, the Tiguan’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Discovery Sport’s (37.7 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

The Volkswagen Tiguan may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 450 pounds less than the Land Rover Discovery Sport.

The Tiguan has .1 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more rear headroom, 2.3 inches more third row legroom and .7 inches more third row shoulder room than the Discovery Sport.

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

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

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Tiguan SEL R-Line’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

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 Discovery Sport can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Tiguan SE R-Line Black/SEL/SEL Premium R-Line has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Tiguan SEL Premium R-Line also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

To shield the driver’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side window, the Tiguan has a standard extendable sun visor. The Discovery Sport doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 Discovery Sport doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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

The Volkswagen Tiguan outsold the Land Rover Discovery Sport by almost 14 to one during 2022.