2016 Volkswagen Tiguan Overview, Reviews, Ratings & Specs

Have 2016 Tiguan SE with navigation and CarPlay head unit, it starred with CarPlay connectivity issues, and now the screen remains blank completely. Which means the lcd screen never turns on Despite the 10/15 sec reset. Many people on forums are complaining about this issue, dealers want to charge $125 for diagnostics then they don’t know what’s going on and want charge over$1k for new unit! Some cars had a recall for software updates 91N9 but not all the models like my Tiguan. Europe are lucky enough to allow self updates to include navigation maps, but US and Canada they want to nickel and dime you. Never a VW car ... If you want German go for the real deal MBZ other than that it is junk!

Engine broke at 92,000 miles . Feels like riding in a fishbowl. Does not have access to satellite radio. Makes a clunking noise when on a bumpy road . Expensive for repairs and maintenance . Takes forever to get into a licensed maintenance support. Gas cap has broken three times.

Adequate for what it is. Very expensive maintenance repairs from Xenon headlight bulbs (day and night compared to yellow halogen bulbs in my other cars), an intake manifold, shocks, coolant flush, rear differential flush, decarbonizing the engine, and more. I do give it props for a rear hit-and-run accident that happened at a supermarket, the plastic lower bumper cover was only $150 making for a very affordable fix. The 18” tires are good, but the ride gets very bumpy over bad pavement. In snow, it’s okay, feels really rear wheel drive biased if you’re going up an icy hill, the rear end fishtails with the traction control off. It has a very easy to use navigation system and very good radio, but the speaker quality is a little dull. The sunroof shade is big, but doesn’t block enough sunlight, it reminds me of 200 doilies sewn together. The bulb out warning is useful, but note a dipped beam is a low beam, a rear side light is a trunk tail light, and the rear L/R turn signal is the outer brake/tail/directional bulb. The sun visor fell off at 55k, damaging the wiring harness that triggers the light to turn on and off when you open the vanity mirror, and it’s an expensive I don’t want to fix (you would have to peel down the airbag cover and the headliner, etc). I fixed it in the meantime with a new bolt. This car gets AWFUL gas mileage at stop and go traffic, like it has 4 extra cylinders, but does okay on the highway. It prefers premium and gets better mileage with premium fuel on the highway, but stop and go is still abysmal. I had a big issue with the horns failing every time it rained (there are 3, one on each side by the fog lights and one dead center under the windshield cowl that sounds like Roadrunner).The ones by the fog lights were the ones that failed. This vehicle is okay enough for 3-4 adults, but is very cramped. The trunk is ridiculously small until you remove the PITA tray that hooks onto the hatchback door. The vehicle nearly has 80,000 miles and I’m sadly looking to get rid of it. It’s a great driving car, but between gas and repairs, I’m put in the poor house. Oh and one more thing, don’t try and upgrade your A/C system to the dual zone, the car didn’t start and when it did, I had over 10 warning lights on. The fan knob fell off the old one and a few buttons like the rear defrost and recirculating were inoperative, so I sent the old one back and got a newer one that was the same type. Windshield needs to be replaced after a hub cap flew into it and made a big chip that looks like bird c**p on the passenger’s side. Power is strong off the line, but it is poor when passing a tractor trailer kicking up rocks (you really have to floor it to see an increase in speed). The TSI engines are known for timing issues at the end of their lives, and once that snaps, bye-bye car.

Good on gas would like more room. It does not require a lot of repairs. Comfortable to drive.

I do like it a lot it's a comfortable SUV and a smooth ride. What I don't like is that it is a lot smaller than I realized. With 2 kids it can be a snug fit. My trunk doesn't have room for groceries with my stroller in it.

There is not much trunk space, and the car is a little sensitive when stepping on the gas and rough to handle the steering wheel. The rear view mirror is kind of rough to adjust as well. I like the look of the car and how quiet it is and a lot of the technology features are cool. I wish I would have come with apple carplay and also as a diesel.

I like the selling price is fair for an european car. I dislike the fuel usage was high

Overall, the VW Tiguan is a very efficient car. As far as crossovers go, it has the room and strength needed to be practical for a family while still having the power you want to go places. One big drawback this car does have, however, is that you can feel it switching gears. This means that sometimes, it takes quite a while to reach the desired speed or match others. It is a very comfortable car with all the needed amenities, and has many modern features.