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Tiguan vs. Forester vs. CR-V

47 messages,  Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 10:01 AM

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What is this discussion about? Volkswagen Tiguan, Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V, Car Comparisons, SUV

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#25 of 47 My New 2010 Tiguan SEL by vbbuilt Nov 05, 2009 (5:21 am)
Good Morning!     I'm going to tell you my story. Some of you may remember me when I had the 2007 Mazda CX-7 and was a regular contributor to that forum on Edmunds. Sadly, I was involved in a nasty accident about 3 weeks ago. The CX-7 was totalled and I only had a very minor neck injury (strained muscle, pull). Up until then, I still very much enjoyed that ride, loved it, in fact and now wistfully remember what it was. When compared to other cars in it's day, it had strengths and weaknesses, but I still loved it!     Anyway, had to go shopping. I've always relied on Consumer Reports to guide me. CR is usually quite accurate in their assessments. But I also read Road & Track, Car & Driver and Motortrend, for their views. I'm 6'4", so fit is crucial. Form, fit, value and good looks guide me, just as it does for many of you. Initially, I concentrated on Honda, Toyota, Nissan. I've never cared for Subaru - just didn't like it's looks. I've had Subaru before, but the last time I had one, it was a disaster on 4 wheels - left a permanent bad taste in my mouth.     Up until recently, I never considered VW. VW reputation in terms of reliability, as reported by CR, has been dismal, until recently...The Tiguan is apparently starting to garner notice at CR and for the first time, elevated it to the "recommended" status. "The Tiguan straddles the line between the less-expensive Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 and upscale models like the Acura RDX among small SUVs. Based on the Golf and Passat, the Tiguan did well in our tests. It is quiet, offers a roomy rear seat, and has excellent fit and finish. Handling is agile and secure, and the ride is comfortable" The only downs that CR noted was "premium fuel, price". But the SEL, fully loaded was still quite competitive in terms of cost. I got a really good deal from the dealer and the 3 years of no-cost maintenance, is icing on the cake.     Well, Tiguan started looking pretty good to me. Went to the VW website, since I knew nothing about it. Starting to look better. Finally went to test drive it. I got hooked. Now, keep in mind I test drove the Rav-4, CRV, Santa Fe and oh yeah, Outback and Forrester. Yawn! The Tiguan is luxurious on the inside, to me, it smart-looking and offered features that are found in higher priced models, that none of the others offered.     It's got plenty of punch for me (hell, if any of you drove the CX-7, you know all about that!). In fact, when I tromped on the accelerator, I had to hold on for dear life! Caught me off-guard! Very nimble. I absolutely love the panoramic moon roof! Sweet!      CR says the RAV4 accelerates faster. Ok, good for it! I don't race cars, so who cares? Toyota, Honda, Subaru, Nissan, Hyundai all make quality products. I've owned all at one time or another! I can't agree more, but as of today, IMHO, the Tiguan goes one better.   Vince. Replies to this message: cs2i (Nov 05, 2009 10:18 am) vbbuilt (Nov 05, 2009 11:40 am)
#26 of 47 Re: My New 2010 Tiguan SEL [vbbuilt] by cs2i Nov 05, 2009 (10:18 am)
Replying to: vbbuilt (Nov 05, 2009 5:21 am) hey thanks for your timely post. sorry to hear about your CX7 though.   we are coming out of a 2007 CX7 lease, and want to go for something different. i did stop by the Mazda dealer and check out the new CX7, but the navigation (which we feel is now a crutch rather than a luxury as it was 3 yrs ago) now is a small 3" screen way up in the dash. i like the engine, plenty of acceleration for us non-racers, but why not play the field. it is a deal though.   right now i am between the Tiguan and want to still test drive the Outback (its looks don't bother me at all). what i can't justify is the Tiguan SEL price tag. i like the sunroof (we had a Mini and loved its sunroof, we never opened the CX7 sunroof), and wish we could do the leather- although the cloth looks/feels nicer than most. with the new sign then drive program i wonder what the leases will be like? the Tuguan cargo room does seem smaller, but passenger compartment seems decent.as for acceleration and handling, i did not get a good impression, since the dealer i went with took me out only on side roads   the CRV never interested me, as the engine was pretty dismal. i've also driven the Murano, and with the CVT the dealer compared it to the RX rather than the FX35, which is a monster of a SUV (one can dream....). Rogue- forget about it.   any other opinions on car options or Trim packages for the TIguan?   thanks, cs Replies to this message: vbbuilt (Nov 05, 2009 11:40 am)
#27 of 47 Re: My New 2010 Tiguan SEL [cs2i] by vbbuilt Nov 05, 2009 (11:40 am)
Replying to: cs2i (Nov 05, 2009 10:18 am) First thing I noticed is that the Tiguan has a lot more acceleration than the CX-7 and turbo lag is almost none existant. Tiguan is smaller than the 7 and has less cargo space. BUT...I was amazed at the interior passenger room between the 2. I'm tall, so a lot more headroom and legroom, front and rear.   As for the trim, I like my creature comforts, so opted for the SEL and the panoramic moon roof. Shop through the web and get quotes. I probably saved $2k just doing that and then I started haggling. Make the dealer fight for your wallet. Timing is good right now, since everyone knows the auto industry is struggling. It's a buyer's market right now. As far as choosing between the Tiguan and the Outback, go with your gut instinct. Price, features, availability, reliability. For me, if something catches my eye and it's one of those "I've got to have that!" then my wallet comes out. That's why I chose the CX-7 when it was first introduced 3 years ago. It's styling and features screamed "Buy me!"   Vince.
#28 of 47 Quality by motoguy128 Nov 06, 2009 (8:10 am)
The Tiguan cost $5000 more than a comparable CR-V. You do get a more powerful engine and more sophisticated transmission, but you give up fuel economy and reliablity and maintenance costs.   As for interior quality. I sat in a couple of Tiguans with cloth interior and was suprised that the poor quality of meterials in a $30k+ vehicle.   The CR-V is also mush roomier, has fewer blind spots and a much larger cargo area.   The CR-V doesn't pretend to be a perfomance SUV. It's a practicle, economical compact SUV with adequate power, lots of room a good ride and good fuel economy.   Just like all VW's the Tiguan is more of a niche vehcile. Don't get me wrong, I almost bought a Jetta TDI sportwagen but the nearest VW dealer is 100 miles away and VW's don;t have the best reputation or statistical data in terms of reliability.
#29 of 47 I went with Old Reliable by kr5 Nov 11, 2009 (1:40 pm)
Thanks to everyone who responded to my original post back in February asking for advice on choosing a Forester, CV-R or Tiguan. For some reason, Edmunds started to send me responses to my post only in the past few weeks.   Anyway, I'm most impressed with the technological saavy, not to mention the feisty attitude, of those of you who offered an opinion on the relative merits of these vehicles. I finally made a decision and bit the bullet in May and bought --- drum roll, please --- the Subaru Forester.   My take on this car was pretty much expressed by gdoc in his/her post, so I won't get into a lot of gushy detail here. Suffice it to say that the Forester's looks, performance and quality impressed me more than the CV-R's, and offered a bit more exclusivity than the CV-R, which seems to be the car of choice for young Moms everywhere (I'm a middle-aged guy) and looks a bit dated to me.   I owned a Honda Prelude years ago, and found this brand to be very trustworthy, so it was a pretty close call between the CV-R and the Forester. In fact, I nearly bought a CV-R in 2003, when I bought my first Forester. The new Forester just looks better to me. The CV-R looks like a rolling egg, and the Tiguan looks like a gym-going Rabbit. Purely subjective, I know.   The Tiguan's superb handling nearly turned my head, but I've been burned too much by VW (see my February post) to trust this brand any time in the near future. In any case, I'm not sure whether handling and performance trumps reliability and functionality in this type of vehicle. I mean, if sport car-like handling and high-tech performance are important, why not just buy a CC or Jetta or a Jetta wagon if you need the cargo space? The cost of the Tiguan exceeded the Forester (I bought a loaded 2.5X Limited with VDC) by over $5000, and the Tiguan requires premium fuel. For a CUV? Really? Case closed!
#30 of 47 Old Reliable by kr5 Nov 11, 2009 (1:45 pm)
Just noticed I wrote "CV-R" instead of "CR-V" throughout my post. I must have auto-dyslexia synsdrome. Have mercy, motorheads!
#31 of 47 Re: Tiguan vs. Forester vs. CV-R [blueiedgod] by carlitos7 Nov 12, 2009 (11:08 am)
Replying to: blueiedgod (Nov 02, 2009 10:28 am) Yes you would, and yes they are cheap cars with cheap components made to be sold as a bargain last resort cars for people who's only concern is getting from A to B with 0 enjoyment or luxury factor.   VW market share is smaller than Honda's, thats true, and same goes for BMWs market share and same for Acura's market share and same for all luxury cars market shares, that doesn't prove nor disapprove anything. your market share logic is flawed by definition. in simpler words : market share is NOT directly proportional to quality.   Nop ! besides the fact of being racist, i don't see how your comment is related to quality, VWs are not made in Mexico (new beetle and Jetta are the only 2 models made at a Mexico Plant), you have either been misinformed or are actively lying as a last resort to support your theory.   If you have been misinformed, then as i advised you before, you should watch TV commercial with a better critical eye and obviously shouldn't believe everything they tell you on TV, and in case you are actively making up stories and stating half facts, aka lying, then there is no point in keeping arguing with you because it is clear that you have no more material to bring to the table, and that is why you are getting creative on the subject. and for your own information, there is (again) no proven study that relates a car birth place and its quality, claiming that car made in Ohio is better than a car made in southern California is ridiculous.   i don't think there is a need to discuss the "dog poop" theory of yours because it is... well.. stinky.   the last thing is the feature by feature comparison of the CR-V vs Tiguan, you somehow jumped all the features that are on Tiguan and nowhere to be found on any CR-V model (like auto folding mirrors and panoramic roof), that is actually kind of pathetic, but i believe it makes you feel more comfortable. furthermore, that doesn't show the cheap make of the CR-V, you have to get into one to experience the plastic-ish and fake like leather design, the stupidly weak engine and the noisy ride...   as for myself, i never claimed, said or communicated that i was or i am an expert of any kind, but i believe that you let your imagination loose again and assumed that, the same way as you assumed many wrong things related to this subject.   i suggest you assume less, post less and read more. make your opinion based on real facts not based on half facts and banal commercials. Replies to this message: blueiedgod (Nov 16, 2009 10:11 am) godeacs (Nov 16, 2009 8:53 pm)
#32 of 47 Last word by motoguy128 Nov 13, 2009 (1:10 pm)
Better mileage, more room, better interior materials in hte most popular mid trim levels and $5000 less.   These aren't opinons, they are facts.   I'm not saying that the Tiguan is a bad vehcile. I'm sure it's great on the road, but it's not nearly as good of a value for most buyers. For many, it's just too small.
#33 of 47 Performance by motoguy128 Nov 13, 2009 (1:16 pm)
You cant fairly compare performance when one vehcile gets 18/24mpg and the other gets 21/27 (comparing 2010 AWD models). The 2 just don't compare directly because one is designed as an practicle compact CUV. The other is designed more for performance.   The difference in cargo room and rear seat room is a pretty wide gap. It's like comparing a Civic Si to an Accord 4cyl and complaining that the Accord is too slow. They simply have different design goals.
#34 of 47 Re: Tiguan vs. Forester vs. CV-R [carlitos7] by blueiedgod Nov 16, 2009 (10:11 am)
Replying to: carlitos7 (Nov 12, 2009 11:08 am) the last thing is the feature by feature comparison of the CR-V vs Tiguan, you somehow jumped all the features that are on Tiguan and nowhere to be found on any CR-V model (like auto folding mirrors and panoramic roof), that is actually kind of pathetic, but i believe it makes you feel more comfortable. furthermore, that doesn't show the cheap make of the CR-V, you have to get into one to experience the plastic-ish and fake like leather design, the stupidly weak engine and the noisy ride...   Actually, I listed all the OPTIONAL features, but Edmunds limits the length of posts. But, if you add the OPTIONAL features that you boast about, it adds another $5000 to the already inflated price of Jetta with high clearance. Now, we have a $10,000 gap between the vehicles in comparison.   Is $10,000 worth the 20 HP boost in power? NO!!!! Is $10,000 worth the electric folding mirrors? NO!!!! Is $10,000 worth the panoramic sunroof? NOOO!!!! I barely use mine, why would I want two sunroovs? And how often do you lay on your back in the car to enjoy the sunroof, let alone 2 of them (one is fixed anyway)? Is $10,000 worth the PERCIEVED luxury factor? Not in my book!!!!   What the $10,000 more will buy you is more often visits to the dealership during the warranty, and more frequent out of pocket repairs.   Besides, if I wanted to, I can add eletric folding mirrors to my CR-V for about $100 in parts. That is the beauty of standardized global platform. I wanted heated mirrors, which were not available on the EX, so, I just bought replacement glass from the SE, and plugged them in. Took me less than an hour to add a feature I wanted, without having to pay for the features I did not care about.   You may call me racist, or liar, but the fact remains, country of assembly AFFECTS the quality of the product.   The work ethics vary from culture to culture, and that is a FACT! Work ethic in Japan is different than US, which is different than in Mexico, which is different from Germany. No matter how much you candy coat the subject to be politically correct, the fact still remains.   Given the choices, I will buy a product made in the USA or Japan, over same product made in Mexico, China. Call me racist, but it is my money, and I want a product that will not fail on me. Replies to this message: godeacs (Nov 16, 2009 8:53 pm)

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