2012 Volkswagen Tiguan Overview, Reviews, Ratings & Specs

Andy on March 28, 2024

Bought it almost new (2600miles) in 2013. Longest car I ever kept. It’s fun to drive, comfortable, solid, nibble in and out of traffic, good in snow and rain. Excellent on hills because of the turbo engine and regularly beat the high end BMW, Audi MB and Lexus. costs a little more cause it needs premium gas. One tune up every year and every time the mechanic told me transmission, brake, muffler, tailpipe, timing belt all good. So far one major repair of gaskets because of water leak at $2000 and regular tires battery . Will keep until we are forced to go EV

Arianna on January 13, 2024

This car is very sporty. It loves the mud, dirt, snow, and windy roads. When I got mine it was in great condition, I mean it had 5 previous owners and has been in 1 accident and had only a little bit of rust under the rear windshield wiper (that I fixed) and some scratches but besides those it looked almost new. The interior is very clean and comfortable for passengers but for the driver the steering wheel is set at a very awkward angle, no matter how far you actually position the steering wheel it will still feel too high. Also There’s very minimal room in the trunk which makes it a little difficult for road-trips. Moving on to the performance of this car, it drives very nice. It’s very peppy and fun to drive and almost feels like a go cart. But around 30-40 MPH it does do this weird shake which I guess is normal for this car. I found that driving my car in sports mode also isn’t the greatest. It revs really high and doesn’t shift as I would like it to. Driving in manual mode is pretty fun as it shifts nicely. If this car sounds like the best fit for you I want you to make sure you keep 5 quarts of 5W-30 (synthetic) oil in your trunk AT ALL TIMES. This car burns so much oil it’s almost concerning. I have no oil leaks it just burns it and once again this is a regular thing with german cars. So be ready to check your oil everyday even if it’s pouring rain out or snowing like crazy. You will need to add a quart EVERY TIME YOU GET GAS. speaking of gas… this car takes 93 which is quite expensive and goes through it also very fast. It makes it really hard to have extra spending money as I drive this car close to 100 miles each day. Also, you will most likely be left on the side of the road with a check engine light about 2-3 times a month. But besides all of that this car can be fun when it’s not cleaning your wallet out, so i’d recommend it to someone who wants a smaller SUV for the winter, (it seems to perform better in colder environments) has another car, and has some spending money.

Margaux on November 2, 2023

I owned my Tiguan for 9 years! never broke down once, the interior held up great, I always felt safe in the car. It was peppy but also felt sturdy and well made.

Kim Peters on July 15, 2023

My daughter's 2012 VW TIGUAN stays tore up. It's not just regular maintenance, it's the fan motor, the turbo, oil leaks, moon roof cover doesn't work, water leaks all in floor board due to moon roof, windows ice over in winter due to moisture from moon roof. This is by far the worst car I have ever encountered and I am 62 years old. My daughter was ripped off big time, she paid $7500 and 1 month later we had to pay $3800 to repair turbo. I'm just sick and she has no more $$$ for another vehicle.

Jane Gibbs on December 3, 2022

In seeing the great reviews, I believe I must have gotten a lemon. Bought from Carvana and knew I had made a mistake when trade in value was half what I paid. I had to do the oil leak issue ($2000) within 3 months-repl timing chain ($1400) at 6 months-just this week the sunroof drain tubes were blocked and water came into the drivers side floor shorting out the sensor under the gas pedal ($484) this all above the new tires I just put on. I am trading this car-losing $$$-because I don't know what is coming next. If I had traded a month ago, I would be $684 richer ($484 for gas pedal and $200 for rental car I had to get while it was being repaired. I had always heard VW was a reliable, strong car but I will NEVER even consider one again! Not feeling too good about Carvana either, BTW. It also hurts that I bought this car to replace a 2003 Explorer that finally gave up the ghost at over 325,000 miles!

Vino on November 22, 2020

Exterior is good no issues as of now. Performance is good and it having sports mode to boost on terrain. Bluetooth connectivity is good and speakers are loud an dfood

Hailey on September 25, 2020

This car is perfect for road trips without being to large to fit into small parking spaces. I drive many times from AZ-CA and had very few problems. The car did require a lot of oil refills however overall it was a great car.

BCox on April 21, 2020

Very dependable car. Lots of room, great mileage and power when you need it. Fun to drive. I just wish I had opted for a manual.

Oleg on April 8, 2020

German's car it's a great cars! very reliable, simple in steer, economy and hight quality. I enjoyed to use that car, perfect light, perfect stereo system, comfortable to sitting for passenger and for driver

Photocop on March 29, 2020

Bought a used 2012 Tiguan SE used 4 years ago when my daughter was a senior in high school and she has driven it back and forth to school in Colorado to Indiana for those years. It now has 100k miles on it and we have not done a thing to it except new front brake pads, new tires and oil changes. She only washes the car 3 or 4 times a year and doesn't really pay much attention to it. When the brakes started squeaking she called me about it. That's the extent of her auto knowledge. She loves the car and has no intention of getting rid of it at the moment even though it has high miles. It has served her well in the mountains and snow of Colorado with the all wheel drive. It's been a fantastic car!