VW Tiguan crossover is nice, but pricey for what it is

— -- Not wanting to miss the feeding frenzy for small and sporty crossover utility vehicles, Volkswagen has put an SUV body on a small sedan chassis.

Tiguan is a strong reminder of why people like these vehicles, among them Honda CR-V (best-selling SUV in the U.S.), Mazda CX-7 (a sporty direct rival to Tiguan), Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Saturn Vue. They can haul and tow more than same-size cars. They offer all-wheel drive, have high seating positions many drivers favor and can zip and whip and tuck smartly into tight parking spots not available to larger SUVs.

What Tiguan does not illustrate is why you should buy it instead of a rival.

Its small size doesn't come with a diminutive price: $25,000 to about $38,000. And a $33,000-plus test vehicle still lacked leather upholstery and power seats, among other expected features.

You no doubt are ready to argue, Tiguan drives like a demon, eh? It's what VWs do. More or less, but if that's your cuppa, consider a similar-size, cheaper Mazda CX-7. It has more power, loves a heavy foot, corners well and has a classy interior.

Tiguan lacked the smoothness of other VWs, and of rival crossovers. Its 2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine sounded coarse. The six-speed automatic was smooth and crisp one time, balky and indecisive the next. VW provided a second Tiguan as a reality check. Transmission was better and more consistent. Engine still sounded rough.

Though the size and power specs are unchanged, the engine's not the same engine that's been in VWs for years. A chief change, which could explain the coarse noise, is a switch to timing chains instead of quieter, but less-durable, timing belts. Maybe the racket is the price of reduced maintenance.

VW says it also uses a bigger turbocharger. A bigger turbo can take longer to spool up and deliver a power boost and could be behind the new engine's more abrupt power delivery instead of the smoother feel of the previous version.

VW disputes those observations. It says most folks have called the new engine quieter than the old one. And VW says it has tuned the bigger turbo to be as responsive as the previous one.