Comments by "Stephen Hendricks" (@stephenhendricks103) on "" video.

@alexcoyg3281 Depends on what "people" you're talking about. Believe it or not, the market for compact crossovers isn't composed of internet fanboys many of whom aren't old enough for a driver's license and/or couldn't afford any new car. The Tiguan's 184HP puts it right in the middle of the category of compact crossovers and at 221 ft lbs of torque it leads every other compact crossover by a significant margin. Some brands offer optional higher performance engines but such models constitute a minority of the vehicles actually and typically add several thousand dollars to the MSRP. Tiguan 184 HP/221 Ft lbs Torque CR-V 190 HP/179 Ft lbs Torque Rav4/ 203 HP/ 184 Ft lbs Forester 182 HP/ 176 Ft lbs CX-5 162 HP/155 Ft lbs Sportage 181 HP/175 Ft lbs Rogue 170 HP/175 Ft lbs Escape 180 HP/ 177 Ft lbs
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Seriously considered the Tiguan last year when my wife and I were considering a new crossover as her daily driver and the family's trip vehicle. My impressions... () As a GTI owner I found the performance sluggish. However, putting the Tiguan in "sport" mode made a significant difference. Still not a GTI but no longer sluggish. If I owned one I'd add a Stage I APR tune to the engine for about $800 and increase the HP and torque by about 40%. (Unless a warranty issue can be shown to result directly from the tune, it doesn't invalidate the warranty by the way.) Remember this IS the same engine as the GTI; the difference lies in the tuning. () The third row is a cruel joke. Suitable only for the S&M crowd for holding a small bound and gagged hostage. Fortunately, it's a low cost option rather than a standard feature. Save the $500 and put it toward a Stage I tune. () Handling and drive-ability. Best in class. No contest. Unfortunately, though, the American version of the Tiguan uses a conventional automatic rather than the DSG available in Europe (where it is known as the Allspace rather than the Tiguan and the smaller previous version of the Tiguan is still sold.) Nevertheless, if you're partial to the handling of European vehicles, the Tiguan is far and away the best in its class. () Utility. Although the Tiguan (along with the Nissan Rogue) is typically considered a "compact" crossover, at 185" in length it's up to six inches longer than the competition (e.g. Mazda CX-5) in the class and has extremely generous cargo space. It has up to 73.5 cubic ft of cargo space behind the front row (versus 59.6 in the Mazda CX-5) Furthermore, the cargo space is especially well designed as a box with relatively wide space, low liftover, and minimal intrusion into the space. () Bottom line. Ultimately we purchased a KIA Sorento, slightly larger than the Tiguan (189" in length), a close cousin of the Hyundai Santa Fe but with a V6 engine and an occasional third row that's actually usable. Had the priorities been solely mine I might have opted for the Tiguan and invested in a Stage I tune. But since the family truckster is my wife's daily driver and the vehicle we use for f trips, the Sorento better met our overall needs.
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Want more power. Take it to your local APR tuning shop. Thirty minutes later and and less than $800 and you'll have it. And contrary to common opinion, it won't void your warranty.
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@Cgee3 Right....VW intentionally fails to offer a more powerful engine so they can lose money.As either the largest or second largest automotive manufacturer in the world (depending on the model year) VW knows a thing or two about consumer demand. They offer the GTI version of the EA88 engine in the Jetta because they believe the market for a compact sport sedan exists in the US. They don't offer the same engine in the Tiguan because they correctly believe that scalding performance in a compact crossover is not a profitable business decision. Especially compared to devoting production to versions of the Tiguan (sold outside the US as the AllSpace) to other configurations. Again, VW offers vehicles meant to appeal to "auto enthusiasts" in several market categories in the US. They obviously believe that the compact crossover segment isn't one that merits such treatment. And making a contrary judgement on the basis of internet comments isn't going to change that.
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@JuanHernandez-sv4ip Juan, I'm not an attorney. I just play one on the internet. :) Having said that here's what I know. () There have been a number of court cases about this issue and as far as I know each and every one has had the same result. A manufacturer can refuse a warranty claim only if a modification can be shown to have been related to the particular problem for which a warranty claim is filed. For example, if you have a Stage I APR tune that only involves an ECU setting change and you subsequently have a wheel bearing fail, your windows de-laminate, or your infotainment system fails a dealer cannot refuse a warranty claim. On the other hand, of course, if you fry your clutch as a result of using the additional power you have, it's likely that a dealer can refuse to replace the clutch under warranty. In fact, of course, even without a "tune" a dealer may refuse to cover a clutch plate simply because it's considered a "wear and tear" item. But if the clutch mechanism, itself, fails it should be covered regardless of the tuning. It's worth noting in this particular context that if you have a manual transmission it's a very good idea to upgrade your clutch when you have a tune or be prepared to replace the clutch plates periodically. (If you have a dual clutch VW, you won't have that problem because the dual clutch transmission can handle the additional power. I can't speak to the situation with the conventional automatic in the Tiguan.) () Of course, it's little comfort to know that you can win a case in court if you have to. So there are some more practical alternatives. (1) Find a "tuner friendly" dealer from whom to purchase your car. My VW dealer, for example, offers APR tuning services and I've never heard of that particular dealer refusing a legitimate warranty claim. (2) APR offers a "back up" warranty at a reasonable price that duplicates the VW warranty when you have an APR tune. (It's called APR+ tuning and the coverage is identical to the VW warranty and enables you to use virtually any APR service center for warranty work. In my experience (for a GTI) a Stage I APR tune on a vehicle is VERY unlikely to result in a failure that would otherwise be covered by warranty but if you're concerned about it, check with APR or your local authorized APR tuner and inquire about APR's backup warranty.
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@thekaysers3301 Good points all. I'd note that the Tiguan All Space (the US Tiguuan) apparently comes standard with a third row overseas while it's a $500 option in the US. This reflects the national differences in terms of what consumers consider an adequate vehicle size. VW has been burned repeatedly with their Euro-spec vehicles in the US. The Euro Passat, for example, was replaced by the larger (and cheaper) US Passat and sales increased significantly. The Tourareg has been replaced with the larger, cheaper VW Atlas in the US. And the last generation Tiguan has been discontinued in the US despite the fact that a short wheelbase version of the Tiguan continues in Europe. VW has announced the Golf won't be exported to the US for the next model year. In effect, it's being replaced by the larger Jetta that's not offered in Europe. Finally, VW has discontinued both the Golf Sportwagen and the AllTrack in the US. That probably reflects as much the dismal sales of wagons ("Estates" in Europe) in the US as much as a rejection of the specific models by American consumers but I think it's a shame. As I said in my original comment the family crossover is my wife's daily driver so she got one and a half votes to my one vote on what to buy. She already loved our 2012 Sorento and replacing it with the current generation was an easy choice for her. Like many drivers of short "stature" (also known as females) she preferred the somewhat higher ("command") seating position of the Sorento compared to the Tiguan. Like you, we seldom use the third row of seats but it is more accommodating than the Tiguan and it's VERY convenient for chauffeuring a gaggle of teenagers or allowing us to take a single vehicle when we have six or seven passengers. It doesn't handle as well as the Tiguan but I have my GTI for canyon carving and I treasure it. All in all, kudos for your choice. If you're after more performance with a small sacrifice in fuel economy I'd recommend you look into a Stage 1 tune from APR. You'll be amazed at the improved performance. You won't have to worry about clutch replacement with the automatic transmission, and contrary to conventional wisdom a Stage 1 doesn't invalidate your warranty unless a issue can be shown to result directly from the tune, itself.
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@2004cyrus If the third row meets your needs, that's all that matters, Joshua. As noted in my original post we opted for the slightly larger Sorento (189" vs 185" length). For us the size of both the Tiguan and the Sorento was especially appealing compared to both smaller compact crossovers and larger three row midsize choices. And the third row, though seldom deployed, is especially convenient when chauffeuring a gaggle of teenage girls or transporting six or seven passengers on a short trip when the alternative is taking two vehicles.
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@thekaysers3301 As I implied in my original post I think my experience with my GTI may have unfairly influenced my evaluation of the Tiguan. It reminded me of the GTI in so many ways in terms of driving dynamics but the performance wasn't there. Not surprisingly, I'll admit. And though we (and especially my wife) loves the Sorento and the naturally aspirated V6 in the KIA is great for long freeway slogs, I'd also grant that the much better fuel economy in the Tiguan is a strong selling point. All in all they're both excellent vehicles (imo). Different strokes for different folks. :)
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