Volkswagen Tiguan

The 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan slots below the Touareg midsize SUV.

The VW Tiguan may also be a victim of bad timing. This little SUV is built in Germany, so the lousy exchange rate between the dollar and the euro has helped make Tiguan more expensive than class sales leaders like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. The pricing would be challenging in a strong market, but in a down one it must be devastating. Through May 2009, Honda sold about 12.5 CR-Vs for every Tiguan moved by a Volkswagen store.

Consumer Guide was impressed enough with Tiguan to name it a 2009 Best Buy. While smaller than many SUVs in its class, and potentially pricey (as already noted) Tiguan feels more upscale than most of its competitors. We like the classy, well-finished interior, good road manners, and sweet 2.0T engine. Shoppers on a budget who don’t mind shifting for themselves should seek out the base S model with the 6-speed manual gearbox. For about $24K you give up some equipment, but enthusiasts will be rewarded with a fun-to-drive truckster that is one of the better values in the class.