2013 VW Tiguan offers basic tech in small SUV (pictures)

The Tiguan is Volkswagen's entrant in the compact SUV space, going up against cars such as the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and Ford Escape. It is a popular and crowded segment, and the Tiguan doesn't have a lot of game. Under the hood sits Volkswagen's direct-injection, turbocharged 2-liter engine, making 200 horsepower.

As a compact SUV, the Tiguan is only 14.5 feet long, shorter than many midsize sedans. Despite its length, the high roofline makes for good headroom and a comfortably spacious cabin.

The suspension engineering is reasonably sophisticated, with no cheap shortcuts, but the ride is tuned a little too firmly. Over rough pavement, the ride quality was harsh.

For cargo area, the Tiguan offers almost 24 cubic feet.

Put the rear seats down, the cargo area increases to 56.1 cubic feet. Volkswagen does a good job of eliminating intrusions into the cargo area, making it easy to pack.

In SEL trim, the Tiguan gets leather seats, a navigation system, and keyless entry and start.

The rear seats in the SEL trim benefit from a large, panoramic sunroof that lets light into the back of the car.

Volkswagen makes the cabin electronics part of the trim level, so there is no need to option up the Tiguan SEL.

Electric power steering gives the steering a direct feel with boost uninterrupted by engine power fluctuation.

One thing Volkswagen does very well is the instrument cluster LCD, which shows trip, navigation, phone, and stereo information.

The route guidance graphics on the small navigation screen are not the most helpful, and the system lacks real-time traffic.

This semicircular menu is a theme throughout the Volkswagen head unit, and can be used with either the center dial or touch screen.

The destination entry interface takes advantage of the touch screen, but there is no voice command for destination entry.

The Bluetooth phone system lets you access your phone's contact list and dial out to voice mail.

The music library interface for iOS devices plugged into the car lets you select by artist, album, or track. For SD cards and USB drives, the interface only shows a file and folder format.

The stereo also has Bluetooth streaming audio, with an interface that shows full track data.