Compare the2024 Toyota Rav4VS 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Rav4 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 Toyota Rav4 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 Rav4’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 Rav4 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, 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 Rav4 is safer than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

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, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Rav4 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 71 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Tiguan last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2022.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Rav4 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 Rav4’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 Rav4’s warranty.

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 Rav4’s reliability 36 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 Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 55 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Toyota 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 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.

The Rav4’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 19 more horsepower (203 vs. 184) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Toyota Rav4 is faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

On the EPA test cycle the Rav4 gets better mileage than the Tiguan:

The Rav4 stops much shorter than the Tiguan:

For better traction, the Rav4 has larger standard tires than the Tiguan (225/65R17 vs. 215/65R17).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Rav4 is .5 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Tiguan.

The Rav4 Adventure handles at .84 G’s, while the Tiguan 4Motion® pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Rav4 TRD Off-Road executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Tiguan 4Motion® (27.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Rav4 LE/XLE’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Tiguan’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.1 feet). The Rav4 XLE Premium/Adventure/Limited/TRD Off-Road’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Tiguan’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rav4 LE/XLE has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (8.4 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Rav4 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Rav4 XLE Premium/Limited/Adventure/TRD Off-Road’s minimum ground clearance is 1 inch higher than on the Tiguan (8.6 vs. 7.6 inches).

The Toyota Rav4 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 350 pounds less than the Volkswagen Tiguan.

The Rav4 is 5.2 inches shorter than the Tiguan, making the Rav4 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Rav4 Adventure/Limited/TRD Off-Road 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.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Rav4 Limited 4WD is quieter than the Tiguan 4Motion® (38 vs. 42 dB).

The Rav4 has .8 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom and .6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tiguan.

The Rav4 has a much larger cargo volume than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (37.6 vs. 12 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Rav4 easier. The Rav4’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.8 inches, while the Tiguan’s liftover is 29.4 inches.

The Rav4’s cargo area is larger than the Tiguan’s in almost every dimension:

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Rav4. The Tiguan doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Maximum trailer towing in the Volkswagen Tiguan is limited to 1500 pounds. The Rav4 4WD offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Rav4 uses the 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 Rav4 has a higher standard payload capacity than the Tiguan (1120 vs. 1014 lbs.).

If the windows are left open on the Rav4 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 Rav4 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 Rav4’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Tiguan’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

Both the Rav4 and the Tiguan offer available heated front seats. The Rav4 Limited 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.

The Rav4 Adventure/TRD Off-Road has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, 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.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Rav4 is less expensive to operate than the Tiguan because it costs $91 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Rav4 than the Tiguan, including $373 less for a water pump, $464 less for a muffler, $171 less for a starter, $128 less for fuel injection, $298 less for front struts and $133 less for a power steering pump.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Toyota Rav4, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Volkswagen Tiguan isn't recommended.

The Toyota Rav4 outsold the Volkswagen Tiguan by almost five to one during 2022.