A Little Less For A Lot Less: The 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SEL with 4MOTION

The 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SEL with 4MOTION.

If it seems like not that long ago you were reading a review of the Volkswagen Tiguan here, it wasn't.

Just six months ago, we reviewed the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SEL Premium with 4MOTION. Not much has changed about the Tiguan.  2020 models now have a standard wi-fi hotspot, forward collision warning and a blind spot warning system.  There's also a shortened warranty, dropping from 6 years or 72,000 miles to 4 years or 50,000 miles---a blow VW softens by adding two years of free scheduled maintenance.

But while the Tiguan is largely the same, the world has changed unimaginably in the six months since our evaluation of the '19 Tiguan.  And this 2020 model may be better suited to the times.

Atlas Shrunk: The 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 2.0T SEL

The 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

Regular readers know we have a lot of respect for the Volkswagen Atlas and for its smaller sibling, the Volkswagen Tiguan.  Now there's an in-between option---the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

The One To Have If You're Only Having One: The 2020 Volkswagen Golf TSI

The 2020 Volkswagen Golf TSI.

If you could only buy one new car to do everything you do in your life, what would it be?

A lot of people---Americans, especially, would default to the biggest, most capable all-weather machine they could afford and figure if it can handle that, it can handle the rest.  Something like that, in my mid-30s, possessed me to buy a Suburban with four-wheel drive.  I owned it seven years.  It never left two-wheel drive mode.  I never had eight people in it at once and never filled the cargo area.

The truth is, the one car for most Americans is a German car that has simply been evolving over 45 years.

Arteon for Arteon's Sake: The 2019 Volkswagen Arteon 2.0T SEL Premium R-Line w/4MOTION

The 2019 Volkswagen Arteon 2.0T SEL Premium R-Line w/4MOTION.

At a time when sedans are fading from the marketplace, does the world need a new one?  That's the existential question about the Volkswagen Arteon.

Apace In The Crowd: The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SEL Premium w/4MOTION

The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SEL Premium w/4MOTION.

They told us this was coming and we're here. We live in a crossover SUV world. They are the biggest selling single type of vehicle after pickup trucks, and pretty much every manufacturer makes one or more of them---in varying sizes.

As you can imagine, in that crowded a field, it's tough to stand out. And that brings us to the 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan.

A GTI For The Family: The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI

2019 Volkswagen Jetta GLI.

The Volkswagen Jetta is all-new for 2019, bigger on the inside and outside, with sleeker styling. It's a more aggressive look that pairs well with the GLI, the most sporting of the Jetta lineup.

Off Into The Sunset: The 2019 Volkswagen Beetle Final Edition Cabrio

The 2019 Volkswagen Beetle Final Edition Cabrio.

You probably saw the articles and videos earlier this year---“Volkswagen Beetle ends production after 70 years!”  I hate to be a buzzkill, but I hate hype and inaccuracy more, so indulge me a moment, please. 

The Volkswagen Beetle that started production 70 years ago ended production 40 years ago. There was a whole big farewell for that one, too---in 1979.  And the triple-white Final Edition convertibles are still on the street in a whole lot of American towns.

Once that one went away, there wasn’t a Beetle for sale in America for 19 years---until the arrival of the 1998 New Beetle, which had zero in common with the original apart from a rounded body.  The engine was in the front, not the back, it was water-cooled, not air-cooled---it was a rounded Beetle-inspired body on the chassis of a Jetta.  But we’re not mourning the retirement of that car after a 21-year run, either.  Its last year was 2011.

No, the model that we’re saying goodbye to is the current Volkswagen Beetle---which has been in production since 2012.  But “Volkswagen Beetle ends production after 7 years” isn’t much of a headline, is it?

Small Sedan Comparison: The 2019 Mazda 3 vs The 2019 Volkswagen Jetta

The 2019 Mazda 3 (left) and the 2019 Volkswagen Jetta (right).

Let’s say you’re in the market for a compact sedan but want to go beyond the predictable, safe choices of Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic.  Have I got a review for you.  There are two other strong candidates, both brand-new for 2019 and both ended up in my driveway at the same time---a situation just begging a comparison test.

The Platinum Gray four-door you see is the 2019 Jetta 1.4T SEL.  And positively glittering in Soul Red Crystal Metallic is the 2019 Mazda 3 Sedan with Premium Package AWD (that’s the name on the window sticker).

30 Minutes With: The 2019 Volkswagen Arteon 2.0T SEL Premium R-Line w/4MOTION

The 2019 Volkswagen Arteon 2.0T SEL Premium R-Line w/4MOTION.

Publisher's note: Normally, the cars you read about here at TireKicker are loaned to us by the press fleets of the various manufacturers for several days. Seven is typical.  Occasionally, we'll get a longer period of time, and sometimes it'll only be three or four days.  Our "30 Minutes With" series features cars we spent half an hour driving during the just-concluded Western Automotive Journalists Media Day in Monterey, California.

Needless to say, these are quick drives and brief impressions that we hope to be able to flesh out with a full review of the vehicle at some point in the near future.

Media Days is a driving program, with journalists taking cars from the staging area at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley over Laureles Grade and back or off-road on the acclaimed Land Rover Experience on the grounds of Quail Lodge.

My tenth and final drive for the day was the new 2019 Volkswagen Arteon.

The Rabbit Lives: The 2019 Volkswagen Golf GTI 2.0T Rabbit Edition

The 2019 Volkswagen GTI 2.0 T Rabbit Edition.

We've sung the praises of the Volkswagen GTI here at TireKicker before---in fact, just last year, when we drove the fully loaded 2018 Volkswagen GTI Autobahn and were not the least bit deterred from our admiration by the sticker price which read $37,020 as tested.

So imagine how we feel about the same usefulness, a shade more performance and very nearly the same fuel economy for about six grand less.

Last Chance? The 2019 Volkswagen Golf 1.4T SE

The 2019 Volkswagen Golf.

There's a rumor going around that when the next Volkswagen Golf arrives in the United States,  it might be minus the base Golf itself.  Word is that VW would import the new Golf R and GTI performance models, but not the economy sedan those cars are based on.

Andrew Krok at CNET's Roadshow got a VW spokesperson to confirm---on the record---that the next-gen Golf R and GTI are confirmed for North America, but that "other Golf models are under consideration".

Yes, "under consideration" means there could still be a green light, but it's not quite as reassuring as having the entire Golf line approved at the same time as the Golf R and the GTI (also in limbo---the Golf Alltrack and the Golf Sportwagen).

The reason?  Less than stellar sales.

Restraint Has Its Rewards: The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SE

The 2019 Volkswagen Tiguan.

Last summer, we drove, and very much liked, the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SEL Premium.  That's the top-of-the-line of VW's smaller crossover, and we felt it justified its $36,250 price with its "usefulness, comfort, quiet and driving dynamics."

So what's it like to take nearly a $10,000 step down in Tiguans?

Wagens Ho: The 2019 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen SE

The 2019 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen SE.

The station wagon lives!  Left for dead 30-some years ago as minivans, then SUVs and now crossovers gobbled up the share of the market devoted to family haulers, a handful of wagons survive.  And, as Darwin would have it, they are the fittest members of the breed.

Among those, the 2019 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen, which may stand the best chance of any of them of convincing Millennials in their child-bearing years that crossovers aren't necessarily the best choice.

The Upside of Upsizing: The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas V6 SEL with 4Motion

The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas SEL.

Volkswagen, once a purveyor of a line of cars that were very different from each other (Beetle, Squareback, Hatchback, Bus, Thing and Karmann Ghia) is now doing what most manufacturers do---offering the same sausage in different lengths.  That's certainly the case in its SUVs, where the shape and styling of the Tiguan can be found in a larger size known as the Atlas.

Redefining Mid-Price Luxury: The 2018 Volkswagen Passat V6 SEL Premium

The 2018 Volkswagen Passat V6 SEL Premium.

Around 1980, Los Angeles Magazine did a comparison chart of old money versus new money, where people would live, what kind of watch they would own, what car they would drive, etc.  "New Money" was a red Mercedes-Benz 450 SL.  "Old Money" was a midnight blue four-door Honda Accord.

I was reminded of that chart during my week in the 2018 Volkswagen Passat V6 SEL Premium, because, to me, it's the perfect  blend of the virtues of a 1980 Benz (though not the SL) and the early Honda Accords.

Pictures Don't Do It Justice: The 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SEL Premium

The 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0T SEL Premium.

We all know those people who are good-looking but can't seem to take a good picture. 

That's the story of the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan.  In photos, it looks somewhat featureless, almost generic.  In person, though, the lines flow, the proportions are just right.  There are details, some of them downright elegant. And, the really good news is that it's just as interesting once you're at the wheel.

For A Few Dollars More: The 2018 Volkswagen Golf R

The 2018 Volkswagen Golf R.

Two months ago, I wrote in glowing terms about the 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI Autobahn.  I stand by every word.  But what if you want more?   Say...72 more horsepower?

The Original Hot Hatch: The 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI Autobahn

The 2018 Volkswagen Golf GTI.

Thirty-five years ago, a co-worker of mine was dating a very rich man who also knew, liked and had good taste in cars.  Dude could have bought anything on four wheels.  He bought one of the first Volkswagen Rabbit GTIs. 

At a time when BMW 3-series were managing 11-second 0-60 runs and the SAAB 900 Turbo was considered blistering fast at 10 seconds flat, the GTI did it in 10.6, for a fraction of the price (roughly $8,500 at the time).  And it handled like it was on rails.  The GTI was a revelation in 1983.

How Do You Say "Subaru" in German? The 2018 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack SEL

The 2018 Volkswagen Golf Alltrack.

Since The Great Unpleasantness, Volkswagen has been trying to identify its way forward.  Given that it's a rough road, why not a raised wagon with four-wheel drive?

What's In A Name? The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas V6 SE

The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas.

The Volkswagen model name list is filled with exotic sounds---Scirocco, Touraeg, Tiguan.  And now there's Atlas.  Sounds big and familiar, doesn't it?  That's fitting, because for the first time, VW has built a full-size SUV that requires no adjustment in thinking for buyers of American SUVs.