Compare the2026 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2026 Volkswagen Tiguan

Both the Discovery and Tiguan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Discovery 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Discovery. But it costs extra on the Tiguan.

The Discovery’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 Discovery and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and rear cross-path warning.

The Land Rover Discovery weighs 835 to 1582 pounds more than the Volkswagen Tiguan. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The Discovery’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Tiguan’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Land Rover vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 17 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Land Rover higher than Volkswagen.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Land Rover vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 15 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Land Rover higher than Volkswagen.

The Discovery has more powerful engines than the Tiguan:

As tested in Motor Trend the Discovery Gemini/Tempest 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Tiguan SEL R-Line Turbo 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid:

The Discovery has 9.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan FWD’s standard fuel tank (23.8 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Discovery has 8.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan AWD’s standard fuel tank (23.8 vs. 15.6 gallons).

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

The Discovery’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the Tiguan 4Motion® are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Discovery has larger standard tires than the Tiguan (255/55R20 vs. 215/65R17). The Discovery’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Tiguan (285/40R22 vs. 255/40R20).

The Discovery’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 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 Discovery has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Tiguan. The Discovery’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Tiguan.

The Discovery offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Tiguan; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The front and rear suspension of the Discovery uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Tiguan, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Discovery has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Tiguan’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Discovery has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Discovery’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Discovery’s wheelbase is 5.2 inches longer than on the Tiguan (115.1 inches vs. 109.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Discovery is 4.3 inches wider in the front and 4.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Tiguan.

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 4.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (11.2 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Discovery 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 Discovery has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Tiguan can only carry 5.

The Discovery has 3.4 inches more front hip room, 3.4 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear hip room and 3.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tiguan.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Discovery’s middle row seats recline. The Tiguan’s rear seats don’t recline.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Discovery when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the liftgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The Tiguan doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

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

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Discovery. The Tiguan doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Discovery’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (5952 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Volkswagen Tiguan 4Motion® is only 1800 pounds. The Discovery offers up to a 8200 lbs. towing capacity.

The engine in the Discovery is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Tiguan. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The Discovery’s standard Keyless Entry allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. KESSY Keyless Access standard on the Tiguan doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Discovery 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.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Discovery offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Tiguan doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Discovery’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Tiguan offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Land Rover Discovery has power folding mirrors that offer unparalleled convenience while maneuvering in tight places or parked. With the mirrors folded it’s easier to walk past and help prevent parking damage. The mirrors can be quickly unfolded when the driver is ready to leave. Power folding mirrors are only offered on the Tiguan SEL.

Optional air conditioned front and second row seats keep the Discovery’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Tiguan doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The Discovery has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Tiguan SEL.

Compared to the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Land Rover Discovery eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its standard integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.