Twenty-some years ago, when sub-compact crossovers were starting to go mainstream, Volkswagen offered a cute little ute to the American market that carried a European flair, drove like a Golf GTI, and boasted Audi-like premium interiors. They called it the Tiguan, and it mostly appealed to the early-20s female demographic. Over the years, however, the Tiguan began to lose its way as the German design mojo waned, VW’s quality slipped, and yet the premium price tag remained unchanged.

Marching into 2025, a new generation Tiguan is born, and thankfully, it seems to have rekindled its European spark… To say the Tiguan has grown up is an understatement. It’s taller, longer, and, like anything with age, a touch broader at the hips. Despite the growth, that Euro flair remains, that looks sleek and contemporary without appearing as if it was slapped together in a single afternoon like previous generations.

LIKES: Lots of premium features for the price, attractive interior and exterior styling

Volkswagen trimmed the Tiguan lineup to four variants: S, SE, SE R-Line Black, and SEL R-Line. Think of the R-Line as the GTI to the Golf or the GLI to the Jetta; it’s the sportier option. The SEL R-Line happens to be the one we tested, featuring larger sporty 20-inch wheels, a more aggressive front and rear design, and a distinctive LED lighting treatment with a single strip spanning the width of the car front and rear, with the front incorporating an illuminated VW logo. A touch fussy, perhaps, but it doesn’t ruin the design.

Power remains a 2.0-liter turbo four, but output climbs from 184 to 201 horsepower, with 221 lb-ft of torque and the same 8-speed automatic. That added push helps fill the performance gap that existed, delivering easy acceleration and smooth shifts. It isn’t GTI-quick, but it moves with confidence and composed delivery.

The Tiguan rides on a redesigned MQB Evo platform, shedding weight versus the previous generation. The chassis benefits from strengthened steel and a revised front and rear suspension, making the ride feel more spirited in the corners and composed on rough pavement. All trims offer 4Motion all-wheel drive as an option, with SEL R-Line standard-fit AWD and a broader set of off-road drive modes for those that feel ambitious to void their manufacturer warranty.

Inside, the Tiguan takes a markedly more premium direction. Compared with the prior generation, the new model flips to a more upscale sensory overload with two-tone leather seats, leather wrapping on the dash and door panels, and a tasteful wood strip across the dash. Elevating the ambience features LED backlit piano-black accents and an intricate design that adds a subtle touch of elegance. This premium ambiance comes only in the top trim, SEL R-Line, which starts at $41,635.

Even in the base S, the two-tone seating is retained, though with cloth upholstery and corresponding door and dash panels. All trims feature a customizable digital instrument display, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a 12.9-inch touchscreen infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

In recent years, Volkswagen drew scrutiny for moving toward buttonless, touch-sensitive controls. We saw similar shifts in the Golf GTI steering wheel; sparking community pushback. The Tiguan, by contrast, retains a tactile, buttoned steering wheel, but other controls lean toward touch sensitivity. This becomes especially problematic in the SEL R-Line, which includes an obnoxiously oversized 15-inch touchscreen. With all buttons removed, climate control becomes awkward to operate, and the infotainment system can be frustratingly complex, making it hard to access Apple CarPlay or customize widgets while driving. There’s a lone center-console volume knob but pressing it thinking you’re muting the audio instead toggles the drive-mode selector, which is infuriating.

DISLIKES: Infotainment screen too big and too complicated, no physical buttons, confusing drive mode and volume control knob, horrible 360-degree camera display graphics

These past few Tiguan generations have felt like Volkswagen was coasting; design was lazy, performance was lackluster, and an interior that was even mourn by rental agencies, but yet, they remained a more premium option over many rivals. The new iteration is a different story. Even with pricing cresting into the $40,000 range, the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL R-Line offers premium features like massaging and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and the usual suite of advanced safety tech, which helps justify the cost. Unfortunately, the chip that remains is the overly complicated infotainment system. Here’s hoping you have a teenager handy to help navigate it.

Upon reviewing this 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan, I’ve learned for 2026, Volkswagen beefed up the performance in the SEL R-Line trim that could potentially put it at a GTI performance level.