Compare the2025 Toyota Crown SigniaVS 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Crown Signia have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Tiguan doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Crown Signia are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Toyota Crown Signia has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Tiguan doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Crown Signia has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Crown Signia. But it costs extra on the Tiguan.

The Crown Signia’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Crown Signia and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Crown Signia 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Tiguan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Tiguan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Crown Signia’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Tiguan’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Crown Signia’s warranty.

The battery on the Crown Signia is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Crown Signia’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Tiguan’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 49 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota second in reliability, above the industry average. With 120 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 27th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 27th.

The Crown Signia’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 56 more horsepower (240 vs. 184) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Toyota Crown Signia is faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

On the EPA test cycle the Crown Signia gets better mileage than the Tiguan:

Regenerative brakes improve the Crown Signia’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Crown Signia has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Crown Signia’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Tiguan are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Crown Signia has larger standard tires than the Tiguan (235/45R21 vs. 215/65R17).

The Crown Signia XLE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tiguan S’ standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Crown Signia XLE has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Tiguan S. The Crown Signia Limited’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the Tiguan SEL R-Line.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Crown Signia’s wheelbase is 2.3 inches longer than on the Tiguan (112.2 inches vs. 109.9 inches).

The Crown Signia has 1.9 inches more front legroom and .2 inches more front hip room than the Tiguan.

The Crown Signia has a much larger cargo volume than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (25.8 vs. 12 cubic feet).

The Crown Signia’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (2700 vs. 1500 pounds).

The Crown Signia’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

If the windows are left open on the Crown Signia the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Tiguan can’t use the remote to operate the windows.

The Crown Signia’s standard Smart Key System allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Access standard on the Tiguan doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

Both the Crown Signia and the Tiguan have standard heated front seats. The Crown Signia also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the Tiguan.

The Crown Signia has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Tiguan SEL R-Line.

The Crown Signia has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Tiguan SE/SEL.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Crown Signia has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Tiguan SE/SEL offers wireless charging.