# Buyer's remorse? Worth waiting for?



## tykles (Sep 16, 2017)

Hi all, thanks in advance for any feedback folks are willing to share. I am stuck trying to decide between waiting for a 4mo SEL Premium vs going with a Mazda CX-5 GT AWD now. I realize the real answer is "Get what you want", but I'm just trying to get a feel for people's general satisfaction/emotional attachment with their 2018 Tiguans. 

I am coming from a 2013 Ford Focus ST. With a toddler now and (hopefully) another on the way, a few speeding tickets, and changing priorities, this car no longer makes sense and lacks any practicality. It has been fine in the snow (I live in SE Wisconsin), but I care more about getting stuck now that I've got a family to get home to and AWD has a lot of appeal to me. I could have pulled the trigger on an SEL-P about 2 months ago and I hesitated. Now they are apparently impossible to get in my area. They ordered/allocated one for me, and were told February at the soonest.

For the Tig, I love the tech, like/love the exterior, the space is great, adjustability of driving settings is great, and the potential for an ECU tune down the line is encouraging. For the CX-5, I would save a chunk of cash, I like the driving dynamics a lot, the seats are more comfortable, I love the HUD, and I really like the fact that the passenger seat is power-adjustable (conversely, I'm shocked that a loaded Tig has a manual passenger seat).

I'm aware of the B-pillar issue some are having. In general, are most of you owners thrilled with your purchase? Would you do it all over again? Did anyone cross shop a 2017 CX-5 that has any insight?

Of course, I don't *need* a new car, but now that I've more or less made up my mind, the delays are killing me. My local dealer has been doing everything in his power to get me a dealer trade with no luck.

Thanks!


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## socialD (Sep 19, 2011)

Maybe a little remorse that I didn’t get the Subaru Forester XT with significantly more power and tuning opportunities. But I disliked how the CVT drove in that and interior was no comparison. The Tig just oozes class among its competitors. 
I would be wary of the Premium trim though as the LED headlights perform even worse than the halogens. And the halogens were so bad I swapped them out for an HID kit already.


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## refueler (May 24, 2008)

I got tired of waiting for the three dealerships I was dealing with to find me a Tiguan with 3rd row seating and 4 motion. So I went on an internet search to find one on my own. One dealership told me that it would be February be for one would be available. Then I happened to visit one of the other dealerships and I found out that the northeast VW sales manager was there. I got to talk to him about the poor availability of the model that I was interested in and that I had a 2014 Jetta TDI that I had delayed selling back to VWOA 3 times. I told him that I was about ready to give up and buy Honda Accord. I continued my internet search on my own and found one about 35 miles away but was not exactly what I was looking for so I continued my search and the first week of October I found what I was looking for unfortunately it was 100 miles away I test drove it on Friday and bought it on Tuesday. What I think that I discovered is that the dealerships really have know idea what cars they will have for sale until it shows up on the truck on their lot. I have no regrets buying the Tiguan my first three tanks of fuel I averaged 30mpg(calculated), it is very quiet and has a lot room. I have driven it on a snow covered roads using the snow driving mode and was very happy with the traction.


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## gtguard (Mar 15, 2005)

The only regret I have with mine is not getting an SEL-P. But an orange one with gray seat has been impossible to find.


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## blackgliguy (May 4, 2004)

I’ve had mine about a month now. Coming from a heavily modified B7 v6 Passat I feel the sentiment. Also in SE Wisconsin. I wanted a SEL premium as well but after having our third kid I need the 3rd row. They told me the same February time frame.

I’m personal friends with 2 of the local dealer owners so I believe when they both said unicorns. I opened my requirements to include the SEL trim and they actually found one 2 days later. 

A month later I miss the performance like crazy but the added space and riding higher is growing on me. I am hopefully optimistic a tune becomes an option!


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## smg64ct203 (Jan 26, 2003)

I bought my sel in August and at 4K with no problems. Rides nice and is quiet except when you hit the gas. After living with it for a few months I find myself very bored. Sometimes I think I'm driving a Buick and I really miss having a six cylinder. I've been driving suv's for a while now and I really want to go back a sedan.

I've had VW's since high school and had a few lemons over the years. I had 2015,GTI that I wasn't impressed with. I've had a few little glitches with this one and I think the long warranty was a leading factor in my purchase. I think I'm done with VW after this one. I'm not sure I'll even make it to a year with this. I wouldn't do it again.


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## JSWTDI09 (Feb 22, 2009)

tykles said:


> Hi all, thanks in advance for any feedback folks are willing to share. I am stuck trying to decide between waiting for a 4mo SEL Premium vs going with a Mazda CX-5 GT AWD now. I realize the real answer is "Get what you want", but I'm just trying to get a feel for people's general satisfaction/emotional attachment with their 2018 Tiguans.


Whether or not I am satisfied with my car should be mostly unimportant to you. My reasons for choosing this car are very different from yours, so my expectations are different. As for emotional attachment, I am an old fart. I have not been emotionally attached to a car in many years. YMMV.
To address some of your other points:
The B-Pillar rattle issue seems to have been corrected in later production. Mine is 2 months old and no rattles
The Mazda will definitely be a "sportier" drive, but it is also smaller. Whether this is good or bad is a matter of opinion.

I did cross shop. My intent was not to buy another VW. I knew I wanted a compact SUV and I checked out just about all of them. I really wanted to like the Mazda because it is supposed to get a diesel engine next year. However, I can not comfortably drive it. I have very long legs and my hands could not pass between the steering wheel and my knees. I chose the Tiggy primarily because I fit in it. My other deciding factors were no CVT and no panoramic sunroof (I live in a desert). These last 2 specifications limited my choices to a surprising degree.

Have Fun!

Don


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## refueler (May 24, 2008)

I agree with TDI no sun roof that was a deal breaker for me luckily I found a 4 motion SE without a sun roof and had 3rd row seating.


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## tykles (Sep 16, 2017)

Thanks everyone for your feedback. Believe it or not, Don, a lot of these responses are very helpful. You can look at stats on paper all day and not capture all of the subjective aspects of owning a vehicle. And even going on multiple test drives doesn't always give you the same feel for a vehicle compared to owning one for a while. Sometimes they grow on you, sometimes you feel like the honeymoon's over. And considering how much time most of spend in our vehicles, I'd like to like my vehicle.
What I think I really want is a "sport wagon" with the size based on the current Passat with Golf R running gear - I guess if I'm daydreaming I'd want it as a boosted hybrid. Or a Subaru Outback with 2.0XT Forester engine and WRX DNA. Or the extra cash to get a new Volvo V90....... 
I am also trying to decide whether or not to wait to see what's up with Mazda's hybrid. It's tempting.

Again - thanks for everyone's experiences and opinions. Hopefully this is also helpful for anyone else out there!


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## buzzindsm (Sep 2, 2017)

It's my wife's car so she is the ultimate judge but here are my thoughts.

#1 I love the tech, I like the styling, and I'm very happy with the interior room. Also, in every other car we've always just closed the sunroof shade. The huge sunroof makes it feel even bigger.

#2 Even with the long warranty, I have a feeling we're going to be disappointed with the reliability. This forum seems to be filled with a lot of first year issues along with some dumb things missing out of a $38k vehicle.

#3 I think it has a nice quiet ride once you get going.

#4 I think it's seriously underpowered and we're not seeing the MPG improvement from this lack of power. She is coming from a 270hp V6 RDX which is getting about 2mpg less but has so much more power. We test drove a CX-9 and could have gotten one for about $2k more but she didn't love it. If it was my choice, I would have bought the CX-9.


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## rameymb (Nov 27, 2017)

*New Forum Member*

The wife and I just got our Tiguan S 4Motion with the 3rd row seats this past Saturday. Traded in our HRV which was a good car but the roominess, interior quality, and more power (relative to HRV) is nice. Though I eventually got used to the CVT in the HRV, I would declare that Im not a fan of them yet.


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## JenSnyder1083 (Nov 20, 2017)

I started the search for a new car a couple of months ago. As much as I love 2002 Explorer, it was aging and repairs were taking up my weekends too frequently.
Checked out nearly every smaller SUV option out there, well over 10 manufacturers. Once I heard of the new body style for 2018, Tiguan was on my radar. First trip to VW, sat in an SEL Premium and that was it. I decided on SEL Premium 4motion, pure white exterior, black interior, NO 3rd row (I wanted the extra 8cu ft cargo and my Explorer 3rd row hadn't been used in 10 years). That combo was like searching for a needle in a haystack here in Florida. I ended up flying to PA and driving it 900 miles home. Full test of ACC and all the comfort features, I am in love. We drove home in Ecomode and averaged 31mpg (calculated - the car computer was pretty close).
There are a few items which are bothersome, but in the week of having mine, and the 1000 miles now on it, I wouldn't change the purchase.
I too have rattle on the passenger pillar by the seatbelt (and I have pano roof). 
The LED lights seem positioned too low in regular mode, but in hi-beams they seem to light up the world! 
The foot activated liftgate, I still haven't gotten the hang of it consistently. 
The nav, wish we could turn off POI (yes, we've tried the several menu locations but they still show up).
The infotainment screen is a magnet for fingerprints - I microfiber it every day. Hopefully they come out with a screen protector which could help.


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## cooltiguan11 (Jul 29, 2011)

JenSnyder1083 said:


> I started the search for a new car a couple of months ago. As much as I love 2002 Explorer, it was aging and repairs were taking up my weekends too frequently.
> Checked out nearly every smaller SUV option out there, well over 10 manufacturers. Once I heard of the new body style for 2018, Tiguan was on my radar. First trip to VW, sat in an SEL Premium and that was it. I decided on SEL Premium 4motion, pure white exterior, black interior, NO 3rd row (I wanted the extra 8cu ft cargo and my Explorer 3rd row hadn't been used in 10 years). That combo was like searching for a needle in a haystack here in Florida. I ended up flying to PA and driving it 900 miles home. Full test of ACC and all the comfort features, I am in love. We drove home in Ecomode and averaged 31mpg (calculated - the car computer was pretty close).
> There are a few items which are bothersome, but in the week of having mine, and the 1000 miles now on it, I wouldn't change the purchase.
> I too have rattle on the passenger pillar by the seatbelt (and I have pano roof).
> ...


Thank you for the information. May I ask what the build date is on your Tiguan?


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## socialD (Sep 19, 2011)

JenSnyder1083 said:


> LED lights seem positioned too low in regular mode, but in hi-beams they seem to light up the world!


Yeah those LEDs look fancy but it takes the high beams to reach out to where the low beams should be, especially for curves/turns. Hope that's something they address in future builds as it's the only poor mark for the vehicle.
www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/volkswagen/tiguan-4-door-suv/2018#Headlight15888



> The infotainment screen is a magnet for fingerprints - I microfiber it every day. Hopefully they come out with a screen protector which could help.


Here's a screen protector for it.
https://www.amazon.com/PcProfession...8&qid=1511888311&sr=8-15&keywords=2018+tiguan


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## JenSnyder1083 (Nov 20, 2017)

cooltiguan11 said:


> Thank you for the information. May I ask what the build date is on your Tiguan?


06/2017


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## JenSnyder1083 (Nov 20, 2017)

socialD said:


> Here's a screen protector for it.
> https://www.amazon.com/PcProfession...8&qid=1511888311&sr=8-15&keywords=2018+tiguan


Great, thanks!


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## i_am_sam_i_am (Nov 2, 2017)

buzzindsm said:


> It's my wife's car so she is the ultimate judge but here are my thoughts.
> 
> #1 I love the tech, I like the styling, and I'm very happy with the interior room. Also, in every other car we've always just closed the sunroof shade. The huge sunroof makes it feel even bigger.
> 
> ...


I think your points hit on my feelings as well. This is my first "family car" purchase and the 3rd row and the technology is what sold me even though I was not too keen on the lack of power and poor MPG. It hasn't been a good start for me though, with the Auto Headlight issue and having to replace the rear window to correct a radio problem. This vehicle has seen the dealer's garage more in 30 days than my Jetta did in four years.

Ultimately time will tell. But right now the a bit of the bloom is off the rose.


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## Coderedpl (Jul 9, 2006)

JenSnyder1083 said:


> Great, thanks!


If you want tempered glass instead get this one:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076D2QYDQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I posted a pic and review of it on amazon


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## socialD (Sep 19, 2011)

Yeah I don't really get the screen on top of a screen that still gets smudges you have to clean anyway thing myself. Especially as those notches around the knobs make it look worse.


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## daisoman (Apr 20, 2009)

socialD said:


> Yeah I don't really get the screen on top of a screen that still gets smudges you have to clean anyway thing myself. Especially as those notches around the knobs make it look worse.


I got the screen on top of the screen lol. I can tell you it is wayyy easier to clean finger prints then the stock screen. 

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk


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## Coderedpl (Jul 9, 2006)

socialD said:


> Yeah I don't really get the screen on top of a screen that still gets smudges you have to clean anyway thing myself. Especially as those notches around the knobs make it look worse.





daisoman said:


> I got the screen on top of the screen lol. I can tell you it is wayyy easier to clean finger prints then the stock screen.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk


x2 I feel like its a bit easier to clean the finger prints, and keeps the whole "screen" more protected. I accidentally damaged the navi screen in one of my previous cars, had a nice scratch on it, so with this being all glass, i figured, why the hell not. Is it a perfect fitment, no, but its pretty close.


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## Denverguy (Nov 19, 2017)

Bought mine 12 days ago, already took a trip skiing and between that and daily commute to work I've loved it. I was also very interested in the CX-5 and honestly tipped the scale to the Tiguan because I like the look and a 6 year/72,000 mile warranty adds a lot of comfort.


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## tykles (Sep 16, 2017)

OP here. Thought I'd provide an update since I'm sure you're all dying to know  I ended up getting a White Silver SEL-P 4MO on Tuesday on short notice. It was a bit of a yo-yo as the salesman I've been working with was working up a deal on a CX-5 when all of a sudden they scored a dealer trade on the Tig, so I ended up having mixed feelings about committing to the Tiguan. Since taking possession, I am so far very happy with my purchase with little to no regrets so far.
I haven't really had much chance to play with things and personalize the car, but one issue I need to call them about is that the blind spot monitoring and rear traffic alert don't work - has anyone else had this issue? There are some posts about it in the GTI forum.
Anyway, thanks for humoring me and chiming in - hopefully all of these comments will help others as well. I haven't done any calculated mileage, but according to the computer I am getting way better than EPA estimates in mixed driving conditions, so that's nice too. Just waiting on that tune now ......


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## VWTattoo (Apr 25, 2001)

You need to check your settings for the Assistance features to ensure that you have the blind spot monitoring and other doo dads enabled. You can turn each one on or off as you prefer. Congrats on your purchase, enjoy!


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## tykles (Sep 16, 2017)

VWTattoo said:


> You need to check your settings for the Assistance features to ensure that you have the blind spot monitoring and other doo dads enabled. You can turn each one on or off as you prefer. Congrats on your purchase, enjoy!


Thanks, but that's how I figured out there was an issue. I noticed it wasn't alerting me during normal freeway driving, so when I tried to activate via menus it consistently reports an error. I've already talked to the dealership and they're going to look at it this week. I'm assuming it's just a bad electronics module or a connection that needs to be better seated or something. Both of those features rely on the same sensors so it makes sense that they're both out.


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## Philip J. Fry (Jan 1, 2005)

socialD said:


> Yeah those LEDs look fancy but it takes the high beams to reach out to where the low beams should be, especially for curves/turns. Hope that's something they address in future builds as it's the only poor mark for the vehicle.
> www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/volkswagen/tiguan-4-door-suv/2018#Headlight15888


We were also concerned about the IIHS ratings for the SEL-P full LED headlights. After driving both SEL and SEL-P at night, their test results seem a bit suspect. Best advice I can give is drive an SEL-P at night on highway and back roads for yourself. The SEL-P full LEDs have no issues IMHO other than needing a slight manual height adjustment for the beams (up).

To the OP cross shopping Tig SEL-P 4mo and CX-5 GT AWD: here's a side by side American model comparison Reviewer/Vlogger is a bit of a simpleton, but it does the trick.

Edit: OP, didn’t realize you already took possession of a Tiguan. Congrats!


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