Suitability Parameters:
Speed Merchants: No
Fashion Victims: No
Treehuggers: No
Mack Daddies: No
Tuner Crowd: No
Hairdressers: Yes
Penny Pinchers: No
Euro Snobs: Yes
Working Stiffs: No
Technogeeks: No
Poseurs: No
Soccer Moms: Yes
Nascar Dads: No
Golfing Grandparents: Yes

Also Consider:
• Ford Escape
• Ford Edge
• Nissan Rogue
• Saturn Vue
• Acura RDX
• Infiniti EX35
• Four-Door Volkswagen GTI
• Toyota RAV4
• Dude, just get a SportWagen

Vitals:
• Manufacturer: Volkswagen
• Model year: 2009
• Base Price: $23,200
• Price as Tested: N/A
• Engine type: 2.0-liter Turbo I4
• Horsepower: 200 @ 5,100 - 6,000 RPM
• Torque: 206 @ 1,700 - 5,000 RPM
• Transmission: 6-speed Tiptronic Automatic
• Curb Weight: 3,433 lbs
• LxWxH: 174.3" x 71.2" x 66.3"
• Wheelbase: 102.5"
• Tires: 215/65 R16
• 0 - 60 mph: 7.8 Seconds
• EPA Fuel economy city/highway: 19/26 MPG
• NHTSA crash test rating: N/A

Also see:

• 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S, Part One
• 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S, Part Two

Acceleration: ***
The turbo four, the standard engine for every version of the Tiguan, propels the Tiguan to 60 mph in just under eight seconds. It's enough power to quickly accelerate past traffic at highway speeds when the six-speed tiptronic transmission is in "sport" mode. In "regular" mode the transmission takes its time, almost as if it needs to call VW headquarters to make sure it's cleared to speed up before acceleration commences.

Braking: ****
As competent as the Tiguan's brakes are, and they're perfect for a vehicle this size, the parking brake is perhaps the neatest feature. Unlike the typical lever-activated handbrake or the modern push-button job, the VW has a paddle-actuated electronic parking brake with Auto Hold, which allows the driver to set the car to automatically engage the brake if on a hill. This serves almost no purpose on this tiptronic-equipped car but would have been awesome if we'd had been given a manual model to test.

Ride: ***
Even with the same three-spoke steering wheel as the Rabbit, you'll not be easily confused about what VW you're cruising in. The Tiguan offers an enjoyably soft ride ideal for the kind of customer it's going to attract. Crossing long stretches of highway there's little excess vibration and not a hint of harshness.

Handling: **
Though the steering response is quick and the crossover has a tight steering angle, the Tiguan's height and excess weight conspire against it when it comes to piloting around turns. Perhaps it's because they've played up the sportiness of the Tiguan so much, but I felt it didn't meet expectations. Too much lean. Too much chirp in the corners. Nothing about the handling helps the Tiguan differentiate itself from the competition.

Gearbox: ***
Not surprisingly, we'd recommend the six-speed manual over the tiptronic six-speed automanual. In normal driving, the transmission suffers from a high-school-Senior-early-accepted-to-Notre-Dame level of torpor. Choosing to select your own gears doesn't help much, either. The "sport" mode, however, selects slightly more aggressive shift points and speeds up the process.

Audio: **
Though the sound coming out of the 8-speaker system isn't bad, the basic in-dash CD system is too simple. The buttons are too large and the display too small, as if it were a Fisher Price My First Car Radio. Even more annoying, all models come with an auxiliary iPod port but this radio is unable to interface with it. It just sits there and basically mocks you. Booooo.

Toys: *
In S trim, the basest of base levels, the Tiguan doesn't offer much more than the auto hold feature as an added extra. If you want to expand the definition of toy, the rear seat features a fold-flat section with built-in cupholders. Yeah! Cupholders.

Value: ***
The Tiguan is well positioned as a vehicle slightly nicer than the cheaper-feeling and lower-priced Escape, with a better look than the Vue and performance not that far off from the significantly more expensive Acura RDX. Assuming good reliability, and this is a large assumption, the added cost may be worth it to someone who is not moved by the domestic or Japanese offerings but can't swing a Lexus.

Overall: ***
Based on the rest of the segment, Volkswagen has accomplished no small feat with the Tiguan. They've built a CUV with sporty looks and the quickness necessary to appeal to buyers who think it's what they want, but cushy and comfortable enough to meet their actual needs. If I needed the space and wanted a VW I'd be more inclined towards the more nimble SportWagen. But, the Tiguan's a vehicle something I'd let my girlfriend get without much protest.

Also see:

• 2009 Volkswagen Tiguan S, Part One

The book in question, Nixonland by Rick Perlstein, was rather appropriate for the trip I was making. It discusses how Richard Nixon managed to take us from a country that overwhelmingly elected Lyndon Johnson and his Great Society to one that overwhelmingly elected Nixon and his secretive society.

I say appropriate because Austin, my destination, is full of the kind of liberal McGovernites that Nixon used to divide the country to his advantage. Volkswagen has always been the brand of liberals [well, post Hitler – Ed.]. From the Volkswagen Beetles of the free love generation to the Passat station wagons of the yuppie crowd, if you see that VeeDub logo on the front you're more likely to see a "visualize world peace" sticker than a "Newt in 2012" one.

But the genius of Nixon wasn't that he divided the world into liberals and conservatives or Republicans and Democrats, it was that he split society into the elites and everyone else. Perlstein focuses on an undergraduate election at the Whittier College, where Nixon won the election for president of the student body by taking on the campus elite, represented by an organization called The Franklins. Nixon formed his own group, The Orthogonian Society, made up of everyone else. He won by a large margin.

Driving from Houston to Austin I had plenty of time to consider whether the Tiguan, in a compact crossover segment that's becoming increasingly crowded, is an Orthigonian everyman like the Ford Escape or in the more elite company of the Infiniti EX35. Who would drive the Tiguan? Richard Nixon or John Lindsey?

On the open road the torquey turbo four, shared with just about every other VW product, has a distinctly European feel to it. The quick response and ample torque across the rev range suggests good breeding and a life spent at boarding schools. Think Phillips Exeter Academy or Georgetown Prep. I hoped, while passing through Bastrop County, a notoriously Orthogonian area, that no one would notice the Franklinesque nature of the powertrain.

Pulling into Austin I predictably hit traffic and decide to carve my way through some hilly backstreets on the way to my friend's house. Here's where the Tiguan finds a more common attitude. It's a familiar ride to anyone who has driven a car in this segment. Not overly soft or abrasive. Not exciting but not disappointing. Though it shares a platform with the Golf/Rabbit/GTI family you'd be forgiven for not realizing it around turns as this crossover is a victim of its size and (car) class. It's height adding lean and vagueness, but its size retaining enough of the Golf's nimbleness to ensure it never feels totally out of its element around bends. Orthogonions would approve.

When I finally caught up with Dan he inspected the book and was satisfied to see that it was in almost perfect condition. It was time to repair to dinner so, along with his girlfriend, we hopped into the Tiguan. Dan, like many Austinites, drives a Volkswagen Golf when not using public transportation and is therefore familiar with the automaker's appointments. He liked it. Even in the basest of trims the Volkswagen stands above its non-luxury competitors — the Ford Escape and Saturn Vue — in terms of design, material and feel. The Tiguan's interior is light, airy, uncluttered and made from high quality materials; no cheap plastics or undamped switchgear in here. It's big too, the body's added height adding a roominess the Golf it's based on is totally lacking. A point for the Franklins.

I point out the folding seats and rather simple radio as a way of racking up more points for the common set, hoping to get the kind of even balance that makes these kinds of comparisons more relevant, but it doesn’t quite work. Driving around in a German CUV, even one that isn't particularly luxurious, is still driving around in a European car. An impoverished Duke is still a Duke.

In the end, the Tiguan ends up being not common enough to be an Orthogonian though not quite luxurious and well bred enough to be a true Franklin. We'll call it a Franklin anyways. As Nixon became more paranoid just about everyone who wasn't completely in support of his presidency became lumped in with the Franklins and, were he to know that we were on our way to a place that served gourmet cafeteria food, he'd probably consider us Franklins too.

Tiguan Performance Concept
Stylish, powerful and rockin' are three words that describe the Tiguan Performance. An upgraded exterior body kit, a three-stage turbo kit ringing out 312 hp and 319 lbs. ft of torque and a custom designed and built sound system from Rockford Fosgate leave this Tiguan looking great, driving great and sounding great.

[World Car Fans]

This isn't completely ludicrous as the GTI shares the same platform and drivetrain as the Tiguan, though exterior styling is dramatically different. We see this is as a positive for Tiguan drivers that want to feel better about buying an SUV, though we wonder if GTI owners might not appreciate the sentiment. Time will tell if this move allows VW to move the targeted 20-25K vehicles.

[AutoNews via Motive Forums]

We'll know more when the Essen Motor Show kicks off at the end of this week, but in the meantime feel free to enjoy the uber-white VW. [VW via WorldCarFans]