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.

Noise level isn't a deal-breaker, and the engine still has sufficient low-speed oomph for tedious driving, so the turbo change isn't fatal, either.

If you like to drive with the windows down, Tiguan will disappoint. The buffeting inside the cabin was hard to take, and no blend of windows up and down seemed to eliminate it.

On the other hand:

• Steering, brakes and cornering ability were above average — par for VW, and why owners of modern VWs often hate to switch. Those details have helped distinguish VWs from rivals and gave Tiguan a generally appealing personality.

Stiff, jiggly ride was the tradeoff for that agility.

• Designers cleverly scooped out the front door panels to offer your outboard knee luxurious room.

• Rear seats had adult-size knee- and legroom. They slide fore-aft as well as recline, so should provide comfortable settings for a wide array of people.

A plus not guaranteed in this size class: Safety belt buckles were positioned so it was easy to fasten kids properly in their booster seats.

• Nooks and bins were right: Double shelf in the center control stack was perfect for cellphone, sunglasses, etc., freeing the console cup holder to actually hold cups. Bins on the outside edges of the rear seats confined miscellany.

• Gauges were easy to read and are night-lighted by VW's sexy indigo glow.

• Styling is upright enough to seem unpretentious, rounded enough to seem sensual.

Despite faults, Tiguan remained alluring during the test period. But you could say the same about a handful of other small SUVs, many of them cheaper.

2009 Volkswagen Tiguan

• What? Small crossover utility vehicle. Four-door, five-passenger, front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD), which VW calls 4Motion.

• When? On sale since May.

• Where? Made at Wolfsburg, Germany.

• Why? Hey, this is what people are buying.

• How? Put an SUV body on a small sedan chassis.

• How much? S with FWD, manual transmission starts at $24,580 including $690 shipping. S with automatic, $24,990. High-end SEL with 4Motion starts at $33,630.

• How punchy? 200 horsepower at 5,100 rpm, 207 pounds-feet of torque at 1,700 rpm. Power is routed through a six-speed manual, a rarity among SUVs, or an optional six-speed automatic with manual-shift mode.

Haldex-brand AWD usually is in FWD mode, begins switching power to the rear when the front wheels spin slightly. It can funnel up to 100% of power to rears.

• How lavish? Standard features include: front, side, head-curtain air bags (rear side-impact bags are optional), anti-lock brakes, anti-skid control.

Also, air conditioning; power steering, brakes, mirrors, locks; one-touch auto up/down windows; AM/FM/CD/satellite radio with complimentary subscription to Sirius service; cruise control; side-mirror defrosters; remote-control locks; rear defroster and wiper; free maintenance for three years or 36,000 miles.

• How big? About 3 inches shorter than popular Honda CR-V, otherwise similar. Tiguan is 174.3 inches long, 71.2 inches wide, 66.4 inches tall on a 102.5-inch wheelbase.

Weight is listed as 3,397 to 3,631 pounds, depending on model. Rated to carry 1,330 to 1,352 pounds of people and cargo. Tows 2,200 pounds.

Cargo space in cubic feet, behind back seat, 23.8; with back seat folded, 56.1. Passenger space is listed as 95.3 cubic feet.

Turning circle: 39.4 feet.

• How thirsty? Depending on model, rated at 18 or 19 miles per gallon in town, 24 or 26 on the highway, 20 or 21 in combined driving. Trip computer in test vehicle, an SE 4Motion, showed 20.1 mpg in mix of suburban and highway driving.

Tank holds 16.8 gallons.

Premium fuel is required to get advertised power and gas mileage. VW says using regular won't harm the engine.

• Overall: A choice, but not the choice, among small SUVs.