Volkswagen’s lineup of SUVs are a bit unique among the competitors in the non-luxury SUV segment, as they bring a bit of European flair to battle the long list of Asian and U.S. entries in the segment.

I recently spent some time with one of these VW SUVs, the all-new 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan, which gets a full redesign for the new model year.

The Tiguan is VW’s most popular vehicle in the U.S., edging out the larger Atlas, so maintaining interest in this vehicle is critical for the brand in this country. 

Both the exterior and interior have been updated, and they added new technology setups and a more powerful engine. The Tiguan now comes standard with two rows across the board and no three-row option available, as it was in 2024 and prior years.

Read on to learn more about how the Tiguan holds up against other leading compact SUVs including the Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, Ford Escape, and Toyota RAV4.