2020 Volkswagen Tiguan vs 2021 Chevrolet Traverse

Volkswagen completely overhauled the Tiguan for the 2018 model year, introducing an all-new second generation of its compact crossover SUV. The redesign addressed the original Tiguan’s biggest shortcoming—its diminutive size—and aimed to make it more competitively priced against the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. The result was a vehicle that maintained a stylish and conservatively German exterior, though some cost-cutting measures were evident upon closer inspection.

The Tiguan’s exterior featured clean and simple lines, with Volkswagen’s new flat logo adorning a horizontal grille that connected the headlights. The design was straightforward and lacked any adventurous or cartoonish elements. Inside, however, the Tiguan’s interior was plain, with dull surfaces and hard black plastic. The cockpit was simple, bordering on boring, though the optional digital dashboard and glass-covered touchscreen infotainment system were highlights.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse, in contrast, relied heavily on styling details to give individual trim levels their own identities. The exterior was a generic SUV design with a tall roof, chunky wheel arches, and a big grille, which appealed to many buyers. While the Ford Explorer and Kia Telluride had more personality, and the Mazda CX-9 had a more streamlined appearance, the Traverse’s restrained styling emphasized the cosmetic elements of different trims.

The Traverse’s interior mirrored its exterior’s restrained styling, with the standout feature being an optional Dual SkyScape two-panel sunroof. Materials in the higher-level RS model were fairly good but not quite worthy of the car’s roughly $50,000 MSRP. The Traverse shared a basic platform with the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Cadillac XT6, but aimed for a more blue-collar feel. It also featured car-like unibody construction, unlike the body-on-frame Chevy Tahoe.

The 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan was powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, producing 184 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque. This engine drove either the front or all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Tiguan’s powertrain offered a snappy throttle response with minimal turbo lag, but it was only moderately fleet of foot. The Tiguan’s curb weight ranged from 3,757 pounds for the front-driver to 3,847 pounds for the AWD model, making it heavier than competitors like the Honda CR-V.

The Tiguan’s handling was impacted by its larger size and longer wheelbase, making it less nimble than some competitors. The suspension was soft, ensuring a comfortable driving experience even on rough roads. The Tiguan’s steering firmed up in sport mode but remained too light in normal mode. While not the most fun to drive, the Tiguan’s size advantage made it a practical choice.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse was equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 engine, producing 310 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. The only transmission choice was a nine-speed automatic. The Traverse’s V6 powertrain didn’t feel particularly strong off the line, but it provided plenty of grunt for highway merging or overtaking. The nine-speed automatic performed well overall, though it occasionally had rough shifts.

The Traverse impressed with its highway road manners, combining a quiet cabin, bump-absorbing suspension, good body control, and precise steering. However, it lacked agility on twistier roads, partly due to its AWD system, which required manual activation. The Traverse had a 5,000-pound maximum towing capacity with the tow/haul mode engaged, which was average for the segment.

The 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan offered practicality with its second row of seats, which could slide up to seven inches fore and aft, making the third row useful. The third row had enough legroom for shorter adults and was cozy for kids. Front-drive Tiguans had the third row as standard, while AWD models were standard five-seaters with the third row available as a $595 option.

The Tiguan’s split second-row seats folded flat, providing a cargo capacity of 65.7 cubic feet with the third row collapsed. Two-row Tiguans offered 73.5 cubic feet of cargo space, more than the Ford Escape or Toyota RAV4 but slightly less than the Honda CR-V. The Tiguan’s wide beam provided plenty of hip and shoulder room in the front seats, making it feel as roomy as many midsize SUVs.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse offered seating for seven or eight, depending on whether you opted for a second-row bench seat or captain’s chairs. Headroom and legroom in all three rows were above average. Heated front seats were standard on the Traverse RS, with ventilated front seats and heated outboard rear seats available on higher trims.

The Traverse had a significant advantage in cargo space, with 23.0 cubic feet with all three rows in place, 57.8 cubic feet with the third row stowed, and 98.2 cubic feet with all rear seats folded. A power liftgate was optional on the LT Cloth trim and standard on higher trims, with a gesture-activated liftgate available on the Premier and High Country models. The Traverse’s interior storage options were limited, typical of midsize three-row crossovers.

The 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan featured the MIB II infotainment system, which was set to be replaced by MIB3 the following year. The base S trim had a 6.5-inch touchscreen display, while SE and higher trims had an 8-inch capacitive touchscreen. The Tiguan S had a single USB-C port in the front, while higher trims had two USB-A ports in front and one in the second row. A wireless charging pad was available on trims above S.

VW’s Digital Cockpit, a fully digital instrument panel, was available on top SEL trims. It could be customized and reconfigured, including a setting to display a panoramic map. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, and a WiFi hotspot were standard on all trims.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse came with a standard 7-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and Bluetooth. Higher trims offered an 8-inch touchscreen, navigation, a 4G-LTE WiFi hotspot, and a Bose 10-speaker audio system. The Traverse retained analog controls for audio volume and climate control, which were easy to use.

The Traverse also featured a rearview camera mirror, allowing the driver to toggle between the standard mirror view and a camera feed. An optional HD surround-view camera system made maneuvering out of parking spaces easier. The Traverse had two USB ports for each row as standard equipment, with wireless phone charging standard on the Premier and High Country models.

For the 2020 model year, Volkswagen improved the Tiguan’s standard safety package, adding forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert to all models. Adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assistance and LED headlights with automatic high beams were reserved for the top SEL trim. VW equipped all 2020 Tiguan models with Car-Net, a telematics package that connected the vehicle to an owner’s smartphone or watch through an app.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had not crash-tested the Tiguan, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rated it a Top Safety Pick for top-of-the-line SEL Premium models with LED headlights. Most Tiguans, however, were equipped with halogen headlights, which the IIHS rated poor.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2021 Chevy Traverse top “Good” scores in all crash tests and a “Superior” rating for front-crash prevention tech. However, the Traverse received “Acceptable” and “Poor” headlight ratings, depending on trim level, and an “Acceptable” rating for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use.

The National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) gave the 2021 Traverse a five-star overall safety rating, with four stars in frontal and rollover crash tests, and five stars in side-impact crash tests. Chevy offered less standard driver-assist tech than competitors, with adaptive cruise control only available on the top High Country trim. Other safety features, such as automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert, were optional extras.