Consumer Reports has its finger on the pulse of the automotive industry. Their experts can identify the good, bad, and ugly of any vehicle put in front of them. They recently took a look at the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan and, after giving it the once over, came back with some concerning results as far as reliability goes.

The 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan

With a starting price of $24,945, the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan is a solid choice for a compact SUV. US News ranks this year’s model at seventh place in a class that contains front-runners like the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5.

The Tiguan sets itself apart with its third-row seating option, which provides enough room for seven passengers. Standard safety features include “Side Assist” and “Rear Traffic Alert” systems to assist drivers with blind spots and pedestrian detection.

Car and Driver ranked the 2020 Volkswagen second place in the crossover SUV class, noting the car is a bit slower than its competitors. A noticeable change for 2020 is that Volkswagen is pushing back the 6-year warranty to now be for 4 years / 50,000 miles, including two years of covered maintenance. Plans are underway for a newly remodeled 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan. 

What Consumer Reports thinks about the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan

Despite the positive reviews the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan is receiving, Consumers Reports felt differently. The trusted review site gave the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan a 61 out of 100 overall score.

A noisy engine and lackluster acceleration were a few of the low points noted with this vehicle. The biggest issue was with reliability. Consumer Reports assigned a 1 out of 5 predicted reliability score to the new Tiguan.

The rating reflects the unreliable history of the popular crossover SUV. Substantial issues with engine performance were reported in the 2012 through 2014 model years. Consumers started reporting consistent problems with the transmission in the 2016 model, and subsequent years showed signs of defective power equipment. All of these concerns get factored into the predicted reliability score for the current model year.

Predicted reliability scores

The Consumer Reports reliability score is a prediction of how well a vehicle will perform in the coming year. The engine, braking system, transmission, safety features, and electrical components are taken into consideration when assigning a reliability score.

Information from current owners is taken into account. The amount of reported problems is measured against the average of all other models for that particular year. Consumer Reports is able to collect this data through an Annual Reliability Survey, which is considered to be the largest scientific survey in the country regarding automobiles.

Potential buyers can use this score to determine how well a vehicle will hold up in the coming years, assisting them with their purchasing decision.

Understanding the review process of a new vehicle

The experts at Consumer Reports are able to predict the reliability based on data received from surveys, test drives, and technical knowledge they gather from the automobile manufacturer. The Consumer Reports Annual Reliability Survey is sent to their members to gain valuable information about problems drivers are experiencing with their vehicles over the past year.

The last survey they sent out received data on 420,000 automobiles currently on the market, focusing on car model years from 2000 to 2020. The annual survey analyzes 17 possible problem areas.

Consumer Reports combines the data for the most recent three years to predict how reliable the current model year will be. A car that is new to the market, such as the redesigned 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan, is a little harder to grade because there is less data to base their decision on.