Compare the2025 Toyota Land CruiserVS 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan

The Land Cruiser’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Tiguan doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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 Land Cruiser 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 Toyota Land Cruiser has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the Land Cruiser. But it costs extra on the Tiguan.

The Land Cruiser’s 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 Land Cruiser and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The Toyota Land Cruiser weighs 1559 to 1882 pounds more than the Volkswagen Tiguan. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Tiguan’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Land Cruiser’s warranty.

The battery on the Land Cruiser is in the trunk, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures that can degrade battery life. By keeping the Land Cruiser’s battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The Tiguan’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 49 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota second in reliability, above the industry average. With 120 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 27th.

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

The Land Cruiser’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 125 more horsepower (326 vs. 201) and 258 lbs.-ft. more torque (465 vs. 207) than the Tiguan’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Land Cruiser’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 125 more horsepower (326 vs. 201) and 244 lbs.-ft. more torque (465 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

The Land Cruiser has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan FWD’s standard fuel tank (17.9 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Land Cruiser has 2.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tiguan AWD’s standard fuel tank (17.9 vs. 15.6 gallons).

The Land Cruiser 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 Land Cruiser’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 Land Cruiser has larger standard tires than the Tiguan (245/70R18 vs. 215/65R17). The Land Cruiser’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Tiguan (265/60R20 vs. 255/40R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Land Cruiser has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Tiguan.

The Toyota Land Cruiser’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Volkswagen Tiguan only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Land Cruiser 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.

The Land Cruiser (except 1958) has an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Tiguan doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Land Cruiser’s wheelbase is 2.3 inches longer than on the Tiguan (112.2 inches vs. 109.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Land Cruiser is 3.3 inches wider in the front and 3.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Tiguan.

For greater off-road capability the Land Cruiser has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Tiguan (8 vs. 7 inches), allowing the Land Cruiser to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Land Cruiser’s minimum ground clearance is 1.7 inches higher than on the Tiguan (8.7 vs. 7 inches).

The Land Cruiser has .6 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front hip room, 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, 3.7 inches more rear hip room and 3.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tiguan.

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

The Land Cruiser has a much larger cargo volume than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 26.5 cubic feet).

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

The Land Cruiser’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Tiguan’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Land Cruiser’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (6000 vs. 1500 pounds).

The engine in the Land Cruiser 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.

The Land Cruiser’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Tiguan does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Land Cruiser 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.

The Toyota Land Cruiser has power folding mirrors that offer unparalleled convenience while maneuvering in tight places or parked. With the mirrors folded it’s easier to walk past and help prevent parking damage. The mirrors can be quickly unfolded when the driver is ready to leave. Power folding mirrors are only offered on the Tiguan SEL.

The Land Cruiser has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Tiguan SEL.

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

The Land Cruiser has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.