2018 Volkswagen Tiguan
Volkswagen has certainly had their ups and downs in recent years. But their current approach of making larger, more comfortable vehicles; and then selling them to Americans at attractive prices, is a real crowd pleaser. So, let’s see how that tactic works for their all-new compact utility, the Tiguan.
The first thing you notice about the all-new, second generation, 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan is how mega roomy it is inside. It may still be considered a compact crossover, but the feel is far more midsize, being clearly aimed at American buyers. In fact, it is even built just south of our border in Mexico.
Now, the first gen Tiguan was imported from Europe. And, while on sale here for ten years, it was never very popular.
The new Tiguan still looks a little like the original, but VW’s modern, angular theme is much more in play now. The very long rear doors not only speak to all the space inside, but indicate the Tiguan now rides on a stretched wheelbase version of VW’s flexible MQB platform. It’s more than 10-inches longer overall than before.
Inside, the front seats may appear flat and painful; but actually, it’s the opposite that is true. They are firm, but comfort is excellent; plus, there are plenty of adjustments, and getting in and out is very easy.
Our SE tester is just one step up from base trim, yet features an 8-inch touchscreen, push button start, dual automatic climate control, a host of safety features, and leatherette seat covers.
It’s in the 2nd row that you experience all that extra space the most. Legroom is equal to many midsize entries, and seats back here are very cozy as well.
Need more seats? A 3rd row is standard in front-wheel-drive Tiguans, optional with all-wheel-drive. But alas, this may be one roomy compact, but it is still a compact. The 3rd row’s two seats are only usable for small children. But, at least they do offer it.
With those seats folded, the cargo bay is also spacious of course; but there’s an unevenness to the space due to the folding 3rd row, that keeps it from being as efficiently packaged as it could be. Still, 33.0 cubic-ft. is quite good, maxing out at 65.7 with the standard 40/20/40 2nd row seats folded.
No power lift-gate on our SE trim, SEL and above only; but the very light hatch virtually lifts on its own anyway.
The Tiguan is not exactly stimulating or high-tech looking inside, but is highly functional and intuitive. The larger touch screen found in all but base S trim is much easier to use, the radio sounds very good, and gauges are clear and simplistic as always with VW.
Power comes from a revised 2.0-liter turbo I4 with standard auto stop/start. Horsepower is down from 200 to 184, but torque is up from 207 to 221 lb-ft. It has adequate guts to move the Tiguan’s, 3,800-lbs., but some may wish for more.
We surely did at our test track, where the Tiguan jogged to 60 in 8.8-seconds.It certainly didn’t help that it immediately cuts power at even a hint of wheel spin. Power builds slowly down the track, and the engine sounds pretty decent; but otherwise it’s an unremarkable 16.8-second ¼-mile trip that finishes at 84 miles-per-hour.
Tiguan redeems itself through the cones, however; with quick steering and a nimble chassis, like a slightly heavier Golf wagon, which essentially it is.
No surprise, brakes performed well. 118 feet from 60 to 0 with a short travel, firm, confidence inspiring pedal.
2-wheel-drive Government Fuel Economy Ratings are 22-City, 27-Highway, and 24-Combined. For an average Energy Impact Score of 13.7-barrels of yearly oil use with CO2 emissions of 6.1-tons.
Pricing starts at a reasonable $25,495; add $1,300 for all-wheel-drive.
With the new Tiguan, and the larger Atlas, Volkswagen is clearly pulling out all the stops to gain U.S. market share. Launching two 3-row SUVs in short order is very bold. And, backing them with a 6 year/72,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty is very smart.
The cosmetics may be unremarkable; but the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan is a comfy, highly useful, competent handling, well thought out, and yes…American-style crossover. To us it sure looks like VW is fast becoming the Honda of German cars.
Specifications
- Engine: 2.0 liter
- Horsepower: 184
- Torque: 221 lb-ft.
- 0-60 mph: 8.8 seconds
- 1/4 mile: 16.8 seconds @ 84 mph
- EPA: 22 mpg city / 27 mpg highway
- Energy Impact: 13.7 barrels of oil/yr
- CO2 Emissions: 6.1 tons/yr
2025 Subaru Forester
Funky Forester Continues Its March Towards Mainstream
More than any other brand, Subaru is responsible for making all-wheel drive a must-have feature in just about every automotive segment. They have also applied that go-anywhere adventure mentality succesfful to all of their own mainstream models. That includes the always popular Forester crossover of course, which is now kicking off its 6th generation.
The Subaru Forester arrived in the late 1990s when Subaru rightly realized that if they put a more SUV-like body on their capable Impreza platform, they’d be in prime position to cash in on the then new compact crossover craze. That segment has really exploded since then, and still continues to grow; and this all-new 2025 Subaru Forester is ready to make the most of it.
What used to be an outlier with its boxy wagon shape, now looks akin to about every other compact crossover on the road. Subaru considers its updated design for ’25 sleek and contemporary. Granted, but also less unique. The grille is much larger, expanding horizontally to now integrate the headlights into more of a shield shape, and fenders are a little more exaggerated than before.
Our mid-level Forester Sport wears sculpted 19-inch Bronze-finished alloy wheels, low profile roof rails, and black trim. Dimensions remain about the same as last gen, although it looks larger.
The interior is, on the whole, more familiar than different. Screen domination is up of course, with a portrait-style Starlink touchscreen now measuring 11.6-inches. It’s an option to replace the standard setup that uses 2 smaller screens, but both give enough information to eliminate the previous separate display that used to reside on top of the dash.
It’s good to see Subaru hallmarks like the chunky shifter, and durable materials with carefully applied textured finishes, designed to hide wear and tear are here.
Visibility is excellent as always, and the front seats have gotten noticeably more comfortable, despite a new slimmed-down appearance. Rear seat experience is mostly the same as before, which is good as they recline and fold easily, and there’s adult-size space, which is not something every compact utility can boast.
It’s good to see Subaru hallmarks like the chunky shifter and durable materials.
Cargo space is also closer to many midsize utilities at 29.6 cubic-ft., expanding to 74.4 with the seatbacks folded; all accessed through an available power liftgate that now has sensors to open with the swipe of a foot near the bumper.
Subaru keeps EyeSight driver assistance standard; Sport adds Lane Departure Warning and Automatic Emergency Steering to it.
Subaru claims the Forester’s revised chassis is 10% stiffer than before; our “seat of the pants” meter couldn’t verify that exact number but could detect a movement in that direction.
Both on the street where ride quality itself is quite substantial feeling, and at the test track…
…where it felt well-planted, despite some body roll and higher than typical ground clearance. All-wheel-drive is of course standard, and grip was as sure-footed as always through the cones, aided by the more performance-oriented tires on the Sport’s 19-inch wheels. Steering is accurate, but also typically, without much feel or feedback.
Powering the Forester is the same 2.5-liter naturally aspirated flat-4, but it has been updated. In the process, it actually loses 2-horsepower, down to 180, but torque is up slightly to 178 lb-ft., and revised tuning delivers max torque at a much lower RPM. That certainly didn’t manifest itself by being in a particular hurry to get off the line, but Subaru’s Lineartronic CVT remains a bit of a damper not necessarily a performance enhancer.
Still, our 8.2-second trip to 60 was almost half a second quicker than last gen. Here in the Sport, you can work through the CVT’s 8-simulated gears, but we found it best to just let it do its thing, while we relaxed for the 16.3-seconds that it took to complete the ¼-mile at 90 miles-per-hour.
Strong braking feel with consistently short results. Panic stops averaged 105-ft from 60 miles per hour.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings for Sport trim are 25-City, 32-Highway, and 28-Combined. We tallied 27.2 miles-per-gallon of Regular.
That’s a better than average Energy Impact Score of 10.6-barrels of annual oil use, with 5.2-tons of CO2 emissions.
The Forester follows the same basic trim path of most Subarus: Base, Premium, Sport, Limited, and Touring; ranging from the Base’s starting price of $31,115 to Touring’s $41,415.
You might say the original Forester was the right design at the right time, as it quickly became one of Subaru’s best-selling vehicles, and has remained so over the last 25 years. The 2025 Subaru Forester is a new effort that really doesn’t feel all that new, just better. After our test, a lot of things tell us that’s exactly the way Subaru buyers want it to be.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 2.5-liter flat-4
- Transmission: Lineartronic CVT
- Horsepower: 180
- Torque: 178 lb-ft.
- EPA: 25 City | 32 Highway | 28 Combined
- 0-60 mph: 8.2 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: 16.3 seconds at 90 mph
- Braking, 60-0 (avg): 105 feet
- MW Fuel Economy: 27.2 mpg (Regular)
2024 Honda Passport TrailSport
Honda’s Most Rugged Passport Gets A Little More Rugged
Owning a passport opens up a literal world of possibilities for the would-be traveler. Owning a Honda Passport may not open quite as many doors, or should we say roads? But, it can certainly be the gateway to many unforgettable adventures of a lifetime, especially if it’s this new TrailSport.
This 2024 Honda Passport TrailSport is the most off-road capable Passport ever, but that’s been the case since the TrailSport joined the Passport lineup two years ago. So, what has changed? Well, in the two years since the Passport TrailSport debuted, Honda has been putting even more effort into their off-road inspired rides and has circled back to the Passport to bring it up to speed.
That primarily means an upgraded suspension with revised spring rates, retuned dampers and optimized stabilizer bars. But perhaps our favorite update are some proper all-terrain tires, as the ’22 was still sporting all-seasons that just looked a little more rugged. Now in place are some real-deal 245/60/18 General Grabber A/T Sports on unique wheels. Those A/Ts do add some road noise, and with the suspension changes, the TrailSport now rides more like a genuine truck. While all of that is very un-Honda-like, it’s exactly what they were aiming for, as despite only being an option for two years, TrailSports have quickly become a third of all Passport sales.
Other things that make the TrailSport unique are a more rugged take for the rear bumper, wider track, different grille, lots of logos of course, and a special Diffused Sky-Blue Pearl paint option, though our tester was sporting a Sonic Gray Pearl livery available on any Passport.
All-wheel-drive is not exclusive to TrailSport. All ’24 Passports come with Honda’s i-VTM4 torque-vectoring AWD setup, as well as the same 8.1 inches of ground clearance. Nothing new to report from under the hood where Honda’s long-running naturally aspirated 3.5-liter V6 engine resides, still cranking out 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. It works with a nine-speed automatic transmission; the combo rated for 5,000-lbs towing capacity.
[The all-terrain tires] do add some road noise, and with the suspension changes, the TrailSport now rides more like a genuine truck.
Inside, the latest TrailSport gets an all-weather treatment, some stitched logos, orange ambient lighting, plus unique steering wheel with orange stitching and textured leather. All Passports upgrade to a new center console for ’24 with more storage space, an integrated armrest, and better access for wireless phone charging, plus plenty of places for making physical connections.
Second row passengers have ample legroom, with the 60/40 split seatbacks one-touch folding quickly expanding the 41.2 cubic-feet of cargo space to 77.7; no third row available. For that see the Pilot. And of course, up front in the Passport, there’s great comfort, thoughtful storage, and easy to use tech.
Our Mason Dixon test track was getting a little maintenance work, so we couldn’t run full quarter miles, but there was enough track space and enough power here in the TrailSport to get us to 60 in 6.6 seconds, a couple of tenths quicker than our last track outing, despite the knobbier tires. It doesn’t have the low-end torquey feel that off-roaders may prefer, but it likes to rev and builds power quickly. Gear changing in the automatic happens very smoothly with minimal interruptions in power delivery.
The all-terrain tires were a non-issue in our handling course too, as the Passport still turns in nice and easily, and there wasn’t any noticeable lack of grip or additional tire rollover. The only thing that held us back was a significant amount of body roll, but steering was quick and precise, and there was good feedback all around making runs very predictable.
Government Fuel Economy Ratings are unaffected by the A/Ts, coming in at the same 19 City, 24 Highway, and 21 Combined. We averaged a good 23.8 mpg of Regular. That’s a slightly worse than average Energy Impact Score consuming 14.2 barrels of oil annually while emitting 6.9 tons of CO2.
And to wrap up Passport news for ’24, the top trim is no longer considered Elite. They are now known as Black Editions starting at $49,365. Just below is TrailSport at $45,895, with base EX-L at $43,295.
We already know a new fourth-gen Passport is right around the corner, and judging by all the off-road testing pictures that Honda is putting out there, it looks like it will take the Passport to a whole new level of off-pavement performance. But, in the meantime, making continuous improvements along the way is how Honda continues to deliver for their customers. Capitalizing on the off-road appearance trend is a good idea. Backing it up better than before, as in the 2024 Honda Passport TrailSport, an even better idea.
Specifications
As Tested
- Engine: 3.5-liter V6
- Transmission: 9-speed automatic
- Horsepower: 280
- Torque: 262 lb-ft.
- EPA: 19 City | 24 Highway | 21 Combined
- 0-60 mph: 6.6 seconds
- 1/4 Mile: N/A due to track maintenance
- Braking, 60-0: N/A due to track maintenance
- MW Fuel Economy: 23.8 MPG (Regular)