Compare the2025 Subaru OutbackVS 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Outback are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Outback has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Outback. But it costs extra on the Tiguan.

The Outback’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Outback and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Outback 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Tiguan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Tiguan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Outback’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Tiguan’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Outback has a standard 620-amp battery. The Tiguan’s 360-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 38 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 73 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru first in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 18th.

The Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 59 more horsepower (260 vs. 201) and 56 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Tiguan doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Outback gets better mileage than the Tiguan:

The Outback has 4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan FWD’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Outback has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan AWD’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 15.6 gallons).

The Outback has a tether attaching its gas cap to prevent its loss. The Tiguan’s gas cap isn’t tethered, so it can be left at a gas station if the driver forgets to screw the cap back in.

The Outback has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Outback’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Tiguan are solid, not vented.

For better traction, the Outback has larger tires than the Tiguan (225/65R17 vs. 215/65R17).

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Tiguan; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Outback is 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Tiguan.

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Tiguan’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (8.7 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 2.5 inches higher than on the Tiguan (9.5 vs. 7 inches).

The front grille of the Outback 2.5i uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Tiguan doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Outback has 5.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Tiguan (109 vs. 103.8).

The Outback has .6 inches more front headroom, 2.6 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear hip room and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tiguan.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Outback’s rear seats recline. The Tiguan’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (32.6 vs. 26.5 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Tiguan with its rear seat folded (75.6 vs. 58.9 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Outback. The Tiguan doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Outback’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (2700 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Volkswagen Tiguan 4Motion® is only 1800 pounds. The Outback offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

The engine in the Outback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Tiguan. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Subaru service is better than Volkswagen. J.D. Power ranks Subaru third in service department satisfaction. With a 67% lower rating, Volkswagen is ranked 31st.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The Tiguan doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Outback has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Tiguan only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Outback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Tiguan doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Outback’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Tiguan offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Compared to the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Subaru Outback eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its optional integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the rear view mirror.

According to iSeeCars.com the 2025 Subaru Outback retains 56.65% of its original value after 5 years, more than the 52.24% resale value of the 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan after five years, which can save the Subaru’s owner up to $1085.91605 in depreciation.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Outback, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Outback outsold the Volkswagen Tiguan by 76% during 2024.