2022 Tiguan vs. 2021 Tiguan

The Volkswagen Tiguan is an athletic-looking SUV that handles better than most others in its class. It has an upscale cabin with lots of tech features, and it has a refined turbo engine under its hood. For the 2022 model year, the Tiguan received a significant refresh to give it a look and feel that’s more like the restyled Atlas and the Atlas Cross Sport. Take a look at some of the updates the 2022 Tiguan received and compare them to what you can get with the 2021 model.

The Exterior Look

The 2022 Tiguan has an updated exterior design with new LED headlights and daytime running lights that sit on either side of the updated grille. The latest Tiguan’s grille has a new design, making it appear more aggressive, and there are new wheel designs to choose from. If you want to add to the look, you can get the optional illuminated light line around the VW logo, making it stand out in any crowd.

The 2022 Tiguan R-Line has some additional updates to make it even sportier than ever. It also has a redesigned grille, and the bumpers and side sills have a sporty new look. The R-Line also comes with its own unique badging. 

The Trim Levels

The trim lineup carries over from 2021. It still starts with the S, which has 17-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, and heated windshield washer jet nozzles. The SE is up next with 18-inch alloy wheels, a power liftgate, and the option for a panoramic sunroof. Choosing the SE R-Line Black gets you the panoramic sunroof as a standard feature, and it also has black-finished 19-inch alloy wheels and black exterior trim elements. 

A step up to the SEL R-Line adds 20-inch alloy wheels, chrome exterior trim elements, a light bar integrated right into the grille, and power-folding side exterior mirrors. This trim also comes with a hands-free power liftgate. 

The Engine

You’ll get the same powertrain in the 2022 Tiguan as the 2021 model. All models and trims have a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine that puts out 184 horsepower and generates 221 pound-feet of torque. It uses an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a front-wheel drive system comes standard with every trim except the SEL R-Line. All-wheel drive is an available option for the front-wheel drive versions and comes standard with the SEL R-Line. 

It’s a sporty ride in the Tiguan. Like other Volkswagen’s, it has a responsive steering system and athletic handling. Volkswagen made a few tuning adjustments in the 2022 to slightly increase fuel economy. The front-wheel-drive models are the most fuel-efficient, with an EPA rating of up to 30 mpg when driving on the highway and a rating of 23 mpg for city driving.

The Interior

The Tiguan has a spacious cabin with comfortable seats in the front and back. The driver and front passenger will appreciate the high seating position, and the second and third rows have a good amount of legroom. Updates in the cabin for 2022 include a new touch-sensitive panel for the climate control system, and the optional digital gauge display in front of the driver in the 2021 model now comes standard. 

For 2022, the steering wheel now has touch-sensitive controls, and these feature haptic feedback to help the driver become acclimated with how the controls work. 

Standard cabin features include heated front seats and cloth upholstery, with simulated leather upholstery in the SE and an 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat. The SE R-Line Black adds a 15-color ambient lighting system in the cabin, and the SEL R-Line removes the third row and adds heated and ventilated front seats, leather upholstery, memory settings for the driver’s seat and a power-adjustment feature for the passenger seat. 

The cargo space in the Tiguan depends on the seating configuration. The three-row models get 12 cubic feet of cargo space behind all the seats and 33 cubic feet if you fold down the third row. Folding down both back rows opens the cargo area to 65.3 cubic feet. The two-row SEL R-Line or all-wheel drive version of the rest of the trims have a 37.6-cubic-foot cargo area behind both rows. Folding down the second row in these models opens it up to 73.4 cubic feet. 

The Technology 

Most of the technology features carry over to 2022 without changes. A 6.5-inch touch screen comes in the S, which also has Bluetooth, two USB ports, an 8-inch digital instrument display in front of the driver, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The SE updates the infotainment system, giving it an 8-inch touch screen and adding a wireless version of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, voice controls, and an upgraded Bluetooth system that connects to multiple devices. A 10.25-inch digital instrument panel comes in the SEL R-Line, and this trim adds a navigation system and an upgraded nine-speaker Fender stereo system. 

The Safety Equipment

Every Tiguan comes standard with a long list of driver aids. Even the base S has forward collision warning, automatic braking, a blind-spot monitor, and rear cross-traffic alert. The S offers the IQ. Drive & S Convenience Package for added safety features. It gets you adaptive cruise control, rain-sensing windshield wipers, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot intervention, and an emergency assist system that can sense an unresponsive driver and bring the vehicle to a stop.

The SE trim and up make the contents of the IQ. Drive and the S Convenience Package standard, and if you bump up to the SE R-Line Black, it comes with front and rear parking sensors. The SEL R-Line has even more safety equipment. It comes with all the features from the lower trims and adds adaptive headlights, a 360-degree surround-view parking camera, and an automatic parking system that can steer the Tiguan into a parallel or perpendicular spot with little to no help from the driver.

Most of the changes to the 2022 Tiguan are on the outside. It has a new, bolder look that brings it in line with the updates made to the Atlas and the new Atlas Cross Sport. Stop by Capistrano Volkswagen to take a look at the latest model and take it out for a test drive.