Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace v Nissan Pathfinder Head to Head Review
Straight off the bat, this isn’t the most obvious comparison. An all-wheel-drive, performance-flavoured, five-plus-two seat upper-medium SUV (the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace 162TSI) versus a large, front-wheel drive seven-seater (the special edition
Firstly, they’re both manufactured in North America – the Volkswagen in Mexico; the Nissan in Tennessee – which speaks volumes about the market each SUV is fundamentally aiming to satisfy. The extended-wheelbase Tiguan Allspace is the only variant sold in the US (they don’t get the shorter five-seat Tiguan like we do), while the Pathfinder is pure middle-American fodder, a staple among the hordes of seven-seat SUVs vying to win the family-wagon popularity contest.
While they’re different in philosophy, just $3400 separates them in entry price (advantage VW), and there’s a shared element of sportiness. With both occupying the Drive garage this week, a face-off was inevitable. Can a five-plus-two seater hope to match the usefulness of a full-size seven-seat wagon? And does a big V6 engine and some black-out paint treatment gift the Pathfinder enough sizzle to slaughter the leaner Tiguan?
- Polished dynamics
- Versatile interior
- Slick technology
- Cramped ‘plus two' rear seats
- Not as pretty as the five-seat version
- Drivetrain calibration needs finessing
VALUE
Subjectively, the value of each SUV really does depend on just how much weight you place on that third row. But if you simply accept that both can cart seven people around, with varying degrees of success, then value strikes a different chord.
In a tit-for-tat equipment stoush, the Tiguan’s most obvious win is its standard electric tailgate, against the Pathfinder’s large and slightly cumbersome non-powered alternative – arguably its most dubious omission. But the Nissan does pack an equipment punch. Standard 20-inch gloss-black wheels, a sunroof, heated door mirrors, rear parking sensors and camera, tri-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control, AEB with collision alert, rear cross-traffic alert, electric steering-column adjustment, leather-faced trim, electric front seats (8-way for the driver) with heaters, sat-nav, keyless entry and start, and a solid 13-speaker Bose stereo, all for $56,425 RRP, isn’t skimping.
Our test Tiguan tipped the dollar scales at $59,590 RRP, though apart from lacking a sunroof, an electric steering column, and a few stereo speakers, the Volkswagen delivers a more premium experience. Dynamic LED headlights, LED tail-lights, a bunch of assistance features (lane assist, park assist, traffic-jam assist, front parking sensors, multi-collision brake and emergency assist), driver’s seat memory settings, heated outboard centre seats, ambient cabin lighting, and adaptive suspension dampers are all part of its basic $53K ask.
Sift through what the $3000 Sound and Vision package (Active Info Display, surround-view parking camera, Dynaudio stereo) and $2900 R-Line package add (a 16-strong list that includes 20-inch wheels and faster-geared steering, among many upmarket inclusions) and it’s no wonder the Tiguan seems to offer more for the money.
Winner: Volkswagen Tiguan
INSIDE
There are two very clear schools of interior design thought here – the slightly austere, but incredibly functional minimalism of the VW versus the superficially busy, and needlessly fussy approach, of the Nissan. What the Volkswagen foregoes in warmth and plushness, it more than claws back in ergonomic excellence.
The sparkle and clarity of its (optional) ‘Active Info Display’ instruments blends seamlessly with its state-of-the-art multimedia touchscreen for a true sense of what 2018 can offer. The Tiguan’s centre stack is both beautiful to look at and intuitive to operate on the move, with a depth to its sound production courtesy of an (also optional) Dynaudio stereo system that befits its $60K price tag. And there’s surprise-and-delight too. Huge carpeted door bins, another pair of drop-down bins from the roof (if you don’t option a panoramic sunroof), and rear tray tables are just a few examples.
The Pathfinder persists with Nissan’s frustratingly fiddly, decade-old control interface, which undermines the clarity of its dials and the generally robust feel of its cabin. You do get used to the idiosyncracies of how stuff works, but this (sub-standard) level of user experience is older than the jokes in Rob Schneider’s Filofax.
You only have to look up to see proof of the Pathfinder’s dated thinking. Where almost all its contemporaries offer all-glass, single-unit sunroofs, the Pathfinder N-Sport gets a bulky two-piece affair – a tiny one above the front occupants, and an intrusive central bar between that and the larger sunroof above the centre-row.
Winner: Volkswagen Tiguan
ENGINE
A huge divergence in thinking here, but a not-too-dissimilar outcome for both engines, at least in terms of performance.
The Tiguan’s 162kW/350Nm 2.0-litre direct-injection turbo-petrol four, tied to a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox, is the spritelier of the two, with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 6.8 seconds. The Pathfinder relies on old-school cubic capacity to extract 202kW/340Nm from its 3.5-litre naturally aspirated V6, delivering a more traditional big-six induction note. Somewhat less traditional is its CVT automatic transmission, which is good for rolling acceleration and surprisingly effective in shifting the front-drive Nissan from 0-100km/h in the mid-to-high seven-second bracket. But the VW ultimately out-muscles it.
The VW wins again for economy. A 200kg-lighter body, teamed with a far more modern and efficient drivetrain, sees the Tiguan Allspace 162TSI surge well ahead of the thirstier Pathfinder. The Tiguan’s official ADR81/02 combined fuel number is an impressive 8.3L/100km, against the Pathfinder’s not-so-shabby 9.9L/00km, but the difference is greater in the real world. The Nissan’s preference for 91RON regular unleaded sways the argument back into its favour slightly (against the Volkswagen’s tolerance for 95RON premium but preference for 98), yet despite the VW’s greater fuel efficiency, if you believe the government fuel numbers, their tank range is almost identical (737km for the Pathfinder; 723km for the Tiguan).
Winner: Volkswagen Tiguan
HOW IT DRIVES
The Tiguan Allspace 162TSI feels very much like a warm-to-hot hatch on stilts, which is essentially what it is. Thanks to standard adaptive dampers on our test R-Line model, the Tiguan Allspace is relatively comfortable riding on big 20-inch wheels (with 255/40R20 Pirelli Scorpion Verde tyres), yet really knows how to bury itself into a corner. It’s this eagerness to change direction means the Allspace really shrinks around you, instilling its driver with confidence.
The Pathfinder received some comprehensive suspension re-tuning with its 2017 facelift, yet that hasn’t altered its core character. In press-on conditions where the Tiguan thrives, the Pathfinder struggles. It has more consistent steering response that it used to, yet it still possesses little affinity for anything other than straight roads. It’s a committed understeerer in corners, and when there’s weight transfer onto its back end, the transition is anything but fluid. The N-Sport’s 235/55R20 Bridgestone Dueler tyres howl in protest, and if the ESC stability-control system thinks it should curb your enthusiasm, it intrudes with the subtlety of a clenched fist, and the intelligence of an amoeba.
Where the Nissan claws back some ground is its improvement in ride quality – it’s nowhere near as nauseating as it used to be. And a lot can be said about the unobtrusiveness of its smooth drivetrain operation and engine response. In comparison, the Volkswagen transmits more of the road surface beneath (though with a superior level of control and composure) and isn’t as seamless in low-speed driving situations. Its DSG transmission can either be a bit slow to react (in regular Drive mode) or overly keen (in Sport mode), and it takes longer to engage drive from a standing start than it should.
Winner: Volkswagen Tiguan
PRACTICALITY
For sheer volume, and the practicality that goes with it, the Pathfinder walks it. Vast amounts of space and a genuinely useable third row make this a family truckster no-brainer. The Pathfinder’s third row, in particular, admonishes the Tiguan’s meagre effort, with big air vents and a pair of seats that even adults could sit in (for moderate periods).
There’s utility in the Nissan too. When the middle row folds for rear access, its cushion flips up as its backrest tips forward, then the seat slides in one piece, well out of the way. But the, er, flipside for all this ease of access is a centre-row seat that’s dead flat and completely lacking in under-thigh and lateral support. At least you sit up really high.
Like the Pathfinder, the Tiguan’s centre-row seat-fold mechanism favours left-hand-drive markets, meaning when you flip the smaller one-third side forward in this country, passengers enter and exit on the roadside, not the footpath. You’ll need to be young and/or limber to squeeze back there in the VW too. Entry is cramped and difficult to achieve, while the ‘plus two’ seats themselves are small and claustrophobic. But at least the option is there.
If you’re mainly seating four or five people, the Tiguan’s quality of support, and its cabin’s airier glasshouse, puts it in favour – as does the manoeuvrability of its 341mm-shorter body and greater agility. But if your $60K SUV needs to be McMansion sized, then the Allspace doesn’t have the acreage to out-measure the Pathfinder.
Winner: Nissan Pathfinder
VERDICT
From its black-out colour treatment to its 20-inch wheels and N-Sport badge, you’d be forgiven for thinking the Pathfinder is Nissan’s semi-sporting half-way house to a full-blooded Nismo model. Sadly, you’d be wrong. Alongside the trim, taut and terrific Tiguan Allspace 162TSI, the Pathfinder N-Sport feels big, sloppy and underdone.
That’s a pity because there’s a decent SUV buried in there somewhere. The Nissan’s handsome face, strong engine, cushy front seats and obvious room all work tirelessly in its favour. But there’s no escaping the lack of thoroughness in its detail design and the way it drives.
The Tiguan Allspace, on the other hand, may well be the best Tiguan yet. It rides with more authority than its smaller sibling, it’s well-packaged and efficient, and is brimming with up-to-date tech. It’s also better-equipped than the Pathfinder, not to mention vastly better to drive.
About the only area where the Volkswagen can’t beat the Nissan is in the third-row. If that’s what you’re really chasing, then you’d be massively better off in a Mazda CX-9. In this week’s 60-something head-to-head, however, it’s the Tiguan Allspace 162TSI 4motion that is both a more intelligent SUV, and superior value for money.
Winner: Volkswagen Tiguan