Compare the2024 Mitsubishi Eclipse CrossVS 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross 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.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the Eclipse Cross. But it costs extra on the Tiguan.

The Eclipse Cross’ 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 Eclipse Cross and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available 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 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross is safer than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

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

The Eclipse Cross 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 Eclipse Cross 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.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Eclipse Cross has a standard 520-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 Eclipse Cross’ reliability 23 points higher than the Tiguan.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 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 56 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 Eclipse Cross is faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

On the EPA test cycle the Eclipse Cross gets better mileage than the Tiguan:

The Eclipse Cross 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.

The Eclipse Cross stops shorter than the Tiguan:

For better maneuverability, the Eclipse Cross AWD’s turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the Tiguan’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Eclipse Cross has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (8.5 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Eclipse Cross to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 pounds less than the Volkswagen Tiguan.

The Eclipse Cross is 7.1 inches shorter than the Tiguan, making the Eclipse Cross easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Eclipse Cross has .7 inches more front legroom and .5 inches more rear legroom than the Tiguan.

The Eclipse Cross has a much larger cargo volume than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (23.4 vs. 12 cubic feet).

The Eclipse Cross SEL offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, warning 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.

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