Safety is a non-negotiable. Luckily, the VW Tiguan and Subaru Forester have comprehensive safety suites to protect you and your loved ones. IQ.DRIVE® (Volkswagen) and EyeSight™ (Subaru) enhance your defensive driving skills to boost behind-the-wheel confidence. These SUVs offer advanced monitoring technology with features like:

• Forward collision alerts with automatic braking
• Lane centering system
• Blind spot detection
• Rear cross-traffic alert

Only the VW Tiguan offers the revolutionary Travel Assist, which works with Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Keeping Assist to provide mild-autonomous hands-on driving at speeds up to 95 MPH. Travel Assist keeps you centered in your lane and adjusts vehicle speed to maintain a safe distance from others. While the Subaru Forester has similar safety features, they are not as advanced as Travel Assist.

Whether traversing rain-slick streets, dirt paths in a state park, or quick maneuvers on paved roads, enhanced traction can boost your confidence. The VW Tiguan and Subaru Forester offer standard or available all-wheel drive (AWD) capabilities, which improve the connection between tires and the road by sending power to both the front and rear axles.

In addition to AWD, both SUVs come with performance-enhancing features for light off-roading. The Forester includes SI-DRIVE and optional X-MODE® to enhance its AWD capabilities.

Meanwhile, the VW Tiguan features available Active Control with four selectable modes—Snow Mode, On-Road Mode, Off-Road Mode, and Off-Road Custom Mode—giving you the freedom to choose the best mode for your environment.

Investing in a vehicle means finding one spacious enough to grow with your family and accommodate supplies for activities like weekend camping trips or travel soccer tournaments.

Exteriorly, the VW Tiguan has a distinct advantage: its larger wheelbase. Measuring 109.9 inches—compared to 105.1 inches of the Forester—the VW Tiguan offers a smoother ride by minimizing the impact of bumps.

Inside, the VW Tiguan also excels with a total passenger volume of 124 cubic feet, surpassing the Forester's 111.6 cubic feet. This extra space provides more room for passengers and allows the VW Tiguan to offer three rows of seats, unlike the Forester's five-passenger capacity.

With so much time spent behind the wheel, you deserve an SUV that makes you feel at home. The VW Tiguan and Subaru Forester offer shared features like a 6-way manual or optional 8-way power-adjustable front seats and an optional dual-zone automatic climate control system, making either choice impressive.

However, only one SUV can claim the championship for comfort. Which will it be?

Despite some similarities, the Forester falls short, allowing the VW Tiguan to head into the winner’s circle for this category.

Everyone could use daily excitement, and the VW Tiguan and the Subaru Forester are here to deliver. With a press of the accelerator, you'll feel the thrill of at least 184 horsepower propelling you forward.

However, for Subaru Forester drivers, this is where the similarities to the VW Tiguan end. The VW Tiguan offers more power and capabilities, proving its superiority in this category in every way.

For those seeking a more potent SUV with fuel-saving technology, the Volkswagen Tiguan is the clear choice.

The VW Tiguan and the Subaru Forester make it easy to stay connected and entertained while you explore. Each SUV features an intuitive central touchscreen display as its multimedia hub, providing quick access to vehicle settings and entertainment features.

Both SUVs offer smartphone integration via Apple CarPlay® or Android Auto™. This allows you to mirror your phone's screen onto this touchscreen so you can easily access your playlists, audiobooks, and other compatible features.

A wireless phone charger is essential for long road trips, keeping your phone charged without cluttering the cabin with cords. While this feature isn’t available in the Subaru Forester, VW Tiguan drivers will appreciate its availability on select trim levels.