2012 Volkswagen Tiguan

Volkswagen Sharpens its CUV Game The Volkswagen Tiguan hasn't exactly enjoyed booming success on the U.S. market. In a land populated by a people distrustful of anything with less than a league of ground clearance under the belly pan, the high-riding CUV should have been right at home. But a preponderance of well-oiled competitors like the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Ford Escape meant elbowing onto the scene was a bit more difficult than Volkswagen anticipated. That trend has been hard to buck in the three years since the machine first touched our shores. While the model has seen a steady climb from the 13,903 units it sold in 2009 to the 25,990 that went home last year, those figures pale in comparison to the heavyweight Honda. Buyers bought nearly eight times the number of CR-V models in 2011. So, the engineers and designers at Volkswagen freshened up the Tiguan for 2012. Small tricks like a new front fascia and reworked light elements help give the vehicle a more upscale appearance outside, while the interior retains all of the simplicity and well-executed materials that we've come to appreciate from the German automaker. Slightly improved fuel economy is also part of the recipe, but these changes aren't quite enough to help the Tiguan hold its own against all-new generations of both the CR-V and the Escape. Volkswagen chose to run the refresh playbook word-for-word on the 2012 Tiguan. Volkswagen chose to run the refresh playbook word-for-word on the 2012 Tiguan, starting with a new front fascia. The CUV's nose now wears the same corporate grille found elsewhere in the stable, and the change is for the better. The split bar looks handsome enough and helps draw some much-needed parallels to the larger Touareg. LED daytime running lights now grace the headlights up front, and a simplified bumper cover takes much of the business from the crossover's face. Of course, the change also more closely links the machine to the Golf. That's fitting given both machines share a chassis. From the side, there's little to distinguish the 2012 Tiguan from the 2011 model, though the rear now shows off a set of two-part tail lights just like the ones found on the big-brother SUV. Buyers can opt for a 19-inch wheel design seen here, which looks sharp against the Pepper Gray paint. Well enough was left alone inside ... a good thing for those of us who feared a Jettafication of the wee Tiguan. Step indoors and the scene looks refreshingly familiar. Volkswagen has left well enough alone inside, and the Tiguan maintains its handsome cabin. The soft-touch dash, solid-feeling climate controls and attractive, if not simple, leatherette-wrapped steering wheel all stay on for another year. That's a good thing for those of us who feared a Jettafication of the wee Tiguan. The driver and front passenger enjoy nicely-bolstered perforated faux-leather seats, while rear passengers get to take advantage of a very flexible rear bench. The back seats slide fore and aft …
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