Which fun-to-drive small SUV - Tiguan or Forester XT?

[Turbio!]

How big of a bummer is the Subaru's 4 speed AT in this day of 6+ speeds?

It's terrible and sucks what very little joy the vehicle delivers right out of it. I made the mistake of buying a nonturbo Forester, and thankfully I was able to sell it and make a bit of money on the sale, because there was a competent, willing chassis buried under a thousand layers of studied Japanese blandness and frustratingly soggy tuning. It'd be brilliant if it were allowed to be, but its crappy transmissions, mediocre fuel economy, boring interior, and drab exterior Harrison Bergeron its ass right into the ground.

The Tiguan is cramped, desperately overpriced, not as efficient as its newer competition, and I think the interior is drab and ugly. Its liftover height is ridiculous, and it's got less room than a Fit inside. It does ride well and it has excellent power, and the sound system is great, but it's not a class leader in any category I can think of. Between the two you listed, if you will not consider anything else, it'd be the one to buy....but:

The two most fun to drive small SUVs on the market today are the CX-5 and the Escape. They both better the Forester and Tiguan by 5-10mpg on the highway, they're both a better value, and they're both dynamically quite accomplished. The CX-5 is let down a bit by its modest power output and performance. The Escape is more powerful, not much less fuel efficient, but a little more expensive. Both are excellent drivers without the compromises of the other two.

[spongebob_squarepants]

The two most fun to drive small SUVs on the market today are the CX-5 and the Escape. They both better the Forester and Tiguan by 5-10mpg on the highway, they're both a better value, and they're both dynamically quite accomplished. The CX-5 is let down a bit by its modest power output and performance. The Escape is more powerful, not much less fuel efficient, but a little more expensive. Both are excellent drivers without the compromises of the other two.

I think the CX-5's lack of power would bother me often enough that it is out of the running.

I need to look at the Escape. Even with the Ecoboost 1.6L, it looks like a decent package without getting too pricey.

I'm also looking at the smaller, better handling Nissan Juke. I can't find much negative about the Juke except its lack of cargo space, small-ish back seat, and no armrest.

[2.0_Mazda]

PS
You won't be pleased with the fit n' finish of the CX5 compared to the Tig; a real letdown, even compared to previous Mazdas.

Sat in both and found them to be pretty equal. Tiguan was superior, but not by much.

[Remedy]

In order to get Bi-Xenon's on the Tiguan, you have to have SEL trim?

[feels_road]

Most things have been said, already, but I would like to add:

• while the cargo space of the Tiguan is small, the rear seats can be not only folded but moved independently 40/20/40 front-back to compensate and to create more flexibility
  
• the Tiguan - especially the higher-end models - can be had at significant discount under MSRP
  
• in pretty much all comparison tests, the Tiguan did better than EPA advertized, and better than most if not all CUVs (safe some recent models that were not out during those comparos)
  
• I don't agree that the Forester handles better, or even anything close to the Tiguan. The old one was comparable - but not the new boat.

Finally, to those stating it's only as big as a Golf - that's just plain wrong (Tiguan vs. Golf):

Passenger Volume .. 95.3 cu. ft. _|_ 92.9 cu. ft.
Cargo Volume ........ 23.8 cu. ft. _|_ 15.2 cu. ft.

[leitmotif]

Thoroughly satisfied with our 2012 Tiguan. We planned on looking at several other vehicles and in the end we only drove the Sportage. We rented it for a weekend road trip and hated it. We kind of just wanted a Tiguan anyway and pulled the trigger on it. The only things with the Tiguan I'm not fond of is having to use premium gas and it could do a little better on mpg, but it's not bad.

[daveg243]

Have a 2010 Tiguan S FWD. Awesome CUV. If you want economy leave it in Drive. When you want to punch it use Sport mode. Really does make a difference. I'm in Texas so snow is not a problem All other CUVs I tried were underpowered or overpriced. The jump between S and SE is substantial and not worth it to me. I hate pleather and didn't want a sunroof or dubs. The rear hatch is plenty for me.

[Inspector Detector]

The CX5 is a really nice ride. But it's seriously down on power. 155hp. Especially when you put people or luggage in it.

Well it's not its fault that it's trying to please fat ass Yankees with its 3300 pound fat ass

[spongebob_squarepants]

The Tiguan is a great vehicle. Just be sure you like the new shift points of the 2012s. There has been quite a bit of discussion about this in the Tiguan forums.

I did read some owner complaints that the tiptronic mapping in 2012 models causes shifts to happen too soon. There was a factory reflash for this. I wonder if the '13's have this taken care of...

I guess you could drive around in Sport mode, but then you'd probably get 21 mpg.

[juice]

If you don't need the turbo, get a Forester manual.

New Forester arrives next Spring, if you can wait.

We're on our 3rd Subaru and they've been great. You see the dealer once every 9 years - to buy another one.

4EAT is dated but the 2.5l turbo has good low end torque so it hardly even matters. It outruns the Tig easily.

Drove a CX5, and agree with those who found it underpowered, even compred to the non-turbo Forester. Needs a 2.5l SkyActiv, now available in the Mazda6. It's also significantly smaller than the Forester, especially the back seat. Fold the seats down and they hit the front seats.

Funny observation - I test drove an Impreza immediately after the CX5 and guess which had the roomier back seat? The little Subie.

Also tested a manual Sportage - rare, but fun. Clutch/shifter are better than the manual Optima. Visibility is horrific so consider a backup cam mandatory. Problem is loaded ones only come in automatic.

My sister is still shopping for a sport/cute, and we didn't get the Escape yet, plus she's waiting to try the next Forester.

[pdoel]

I'd also consider the MINI Countryman. I sold my A3 and ordered mine, have had it 3 months now, couldn't be happier.

I went with the S All4, nice power, great handling, interior is great. Not a ton of storage in the back with the seat up, but a lot with the seat down. So far, no complaints.

[Mike!]

Poor OP is all over the map, apparently cross shopping Tiguans, Foresters, Passats, JSWs, and Chrysler 300s

http://forums.vwvortex.com/search.php?searchid=25205703

Note, this is an older thread.

[too_slow]

The downsides to the Tiguan compared to the others mentioned is found in the rear hatch as I find that it is barely bigger than my Golf. With that being said it fits our family of four pretty well and in a pinch four normal sized adults and a full-size car seat for short trips. The rear seat is adjustable fore and aft for a little more legroom and/or more storage space.

Good points. Also to note, the Tiguan is happiest with premium, and you WILL notice a power difference when going up hills (i.e. heading up the slopes) if you try to throw regular gas in. It's also a thirsty little bugger around town, but the hwy mileage is awesome when you cruise at the speed limit + 10-15%. The sport suspension isn't too comfortable around town either, and I am thinking of swapping them out for the 'comfort' suspension.

[too_slow]

PS
You won't be pleased with the fit n' finish of the CX5 compared to the Tig; a real letdown, even compared to previous Mazdas.

I have both in the top trim, and this is false.
The Tiguan shares the interior parts bin with the Golf Plus. It was less squishy parts than a regular Golf (though I guess that's a blessing in disguise). I like the guages more on the CX5, and the NAV on the CX5 (though smaller display) is vast superior to the RNS510.

[too_slow]

The VW is more plush with a nicer interior and audio system. No DSG on the Tiguan though, just the Tiptronic 6spd AT.

I have the Dynaudio system on my Tig. It has very crisp mid+highs, but the bass is pretty lacking. In my experience with Subarus, it is extremely easy to upgrade the stock HU (they still use a standard double din, none of that unique-fit sillyness and 6.5" circular speakers all around). For $1000, you can get a really nice SQ system over anything offered in the cute-ute market.

The tiptronic on the Tiguan shifts pretty fast, knows how to engine brake when going down hill (without down shifting), etc.. I am pretty impressed with it. Also, the tippy will have much lower running costs than a DSG. You're not going to win drag races with this thing, even with a DSG (though you might get the DSG-fart noises)

[feels_road]

Good points.

Well - not the one about cargo space, as I already pointed out above - unless you find 60% more space and the flexibility of independently moveable rear seats negligible.

[Nuieve]

It's a VW forum, so guess what will most people vote for?

Ask the same question on subaruforester.org and see what you get there

[CO Boy]

New Escape is out now. Go drive it - a 2.0-liter SEL would probably fit the bill well. Forester XT rides better than either the Escape or Tiguan but it's starting to feel old, especially for tech.

Tom

While these vehicles look awesome, probably drive awesome and have great features the last report I read was the gas mileage was poor compared to some of the others. Granted this was the AWD version, but it shouldn't have to big of a penalty.

When the time comes to replace the wifes car we will be looking at the boring, under powered CRV. When it comes to 70 mile commutes gas mileage is way more important to driving dynamics.

[technivoro.us]

My wife has a 2010 Forester XT. Honestly, the 4-speed isn't great, but because the 2.5T motor has such a flat torque curve and the car is relatively light (~3600 lbs) compared to similarly sized vehicles, it doesn't feel sluggish by any means.

However, "fun to drive" it is not. The suspension is soft and wobbly. Twisty roads aren't fun, as the car leans and bounces. Driving through the hills in eastern Ohio in crosswinds with snowtires and a Thule box on the roof puckered my ass so tight I haven't seen those pants since.

Someone makes a coilover kit, but it's expensive ... WRX parts may fit, but I've heard can mess up the geometry, given the increased travel the stock Forester has.

Lease is up, so we're letting it go and replacing with a friends Dinan X5 4.4i.

[2.0_Mazda]

PS
You won't be pleased with the fit n' finish of the CX5 compared to the Tig; a real letdown, even compared to previous Mazdas.

Funny how I feel like its the complete opposite of what you said. I was surprised with fit and finish and overall quality and feel. Even my die-hard VW fan brother agreed with me.

[RzinDubs]

I'd go Countryman All4 S. Most fun to drive, great fuel economy, longer warranty, better dealer experience and excellent safety results.

[feels_road]

It's a VW forum, so guess what will most people vote for?

Ask the same question on subaruforester.org and see what you get there

No it's not:

http://forums.subdriven.com/forumdis...The-Car-Lounge

[feels_road]

I'd go Countryman All4 S. Most fun to drive, great fuel economy, longer warranty, better dealer experience and excellent safety results.

The countyman is cute, I like it - although it is rather expensive. It's a different class vehicle, though.