Both the GV80 and Tiguan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The GV80 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Tiguan’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.
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 GV80 are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The Genesis GV80 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 GV80 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.
With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection, the Genesis GV80 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volkswagen Tiguan, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
|
GV80 |
Tiguan |
Overall Evaluation |
ACCEPTABLE |
MARGINAL |
|
Crossing Child - DAY |
|
12 MPH |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH |
-22 MPH |
-12 MPH |
|
Crossing Adult - NIGHT |
|
12 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
12 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-20 MPH |
25 MPH Low beams |
-23 MPH |
-20 MPH |
|
Parallel Adult - NIGHT |
|
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
37 MPH Brights |
-24 MPH |
No Slowing |
Warning Issued-Brights |
1.4 sec |
No Warning |
37 MPH Low beams |
-19 MPH |
No Slowing |
Warning Issued-Low beams |
1.1 sec |
No Warning |
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the GV80. But it costs extra on the Tiguan.
The GV80’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 GV80 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.
The Genesis GV80 weighs 566 to 1372 pounds more than the Volkswagen Tiguan. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Genesis GV80 is safer than the Volkswagen Tiguan:
|
GV80 |
Tiguan |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
24.1% |
37% |
Neck Stress |
157 lbs. |
417 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
25 lbs. |
80 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
254/334 lbs. |
408/641 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.6 inches |
.7 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
34% |
37% |
Neck Stress |
228 lbs. |
261 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
388/497 lbs. |
428/471 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
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 Genesis GV80 is safer than the Volkswagen Tiguan:
|
GV80 |
Tiguan |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
29 |
49 |
Chest Movement |
.5 inches |
.7 inches |
Hip Force |
293 lbs. |
337 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
70 |
156 |
Spine Acceleration |
26 G’s |
44 G’s |
Hip Force |
458 lbs. |
510 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
290 |
330 |
Spine Acceleration |
41 G’s |
49 G’s |
Hip Force |
640 lbs. |
855 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The Genesis GV80 (built after August 2023) has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Tiguan is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.