2023 Volkswagen Tiguan vs 2023 Dodge Durango

The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan maintained its design from the previous year, offering a range of trims in Canada, including Trendline, Comfortline, Comfortline R-Line Black, and Highline R-Line. The R-Line trims featured sportier styling, with prices ranging from $36,675 to $47,175, plus a $2,050 destination charge. Despite the variety of exterior and interior colours, alloy wheel designs, and upholstery options, choices were limited by trim level, making it challenging to find the perfect combination. The test vehicle, equivalent to the Canadian Highline R-Line trim, showcased Atlantic Blue paint and Storm Grey leather seats, a combination not available in Canada unless opting for the Highline R-Line. The Tiguan's design was conservative yet gracefully aging, with features like adaptive front lighting and a light bar across the grille enhancing its appeal.

Inside, the Tiguan offered an upscale cabin with quality leather upholstery, artificial wood trim, and soft-touch materials. The test vehicle included digital instrumentation, a panoramic sunroof, and robust construction, providing a solid feel. Standard features like keyless entry, remote start, and an 8-way power driver's seat added to the convenience. However, some materials reminded occupants of the Tiguan's mid-$30,000 starting price. Overall, the Tiguan's interior was well-appointed, with a sporty appearance and sizable 20-inch wheels contributing to its allure.

The 2023 Dodge Durango, entering its 12th model year without a redesign, retained its familiar yet attractive appearance. Dodge opted for clean, car-like styling, avoiding oversized grilles and faux ruggedness. The Durango's slim styling, forward-leaning headlights, and large lower air intake gave it a distinctive presence. At the rear, Dodge's signature "racetrack" taillights added to its unique look. The SRT 392 and SRT Hellcat models featured subtle styling enhancements, including a Viper-like hood with functional air inlets and unique wheels. The Blacktop Package and Hemi Orange appearance package offered additional customization options.

Inside, the Durango's interior was pleasant, with materials suited to their price points. The R/T Plus Package added a wrapped instrument panel, while the Citadel trim offered Nappa leather upholstery and heated seats. The SRT Hellcat test car featured bold red leather upholstery. Despite its age, the Durango's interior remained competitive, with a focus on comfort and functionality. The Durango's design emphasized a balance between style and practicality, making it a compelling choice for those seeking a distinctive SUV.

The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan was equipped with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, producing 184 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. In Canada, the Tiguan came standard with VW's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system, offering various driving modes, including Eco, Normal, Sport, and Individual. The AWD system featured Onroad, Snow, Offroad, and Custom Offroad settings, allowing for power distribution adjustments. The Tiguan's fuel economy was rated at 9.8 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving, though testing showed 10.4 L/100 km.

The Tiguan's powertrain provided adequate power, though it struggled with passing and higher engine revs. Turbo lag was noticeable from a stop, and the automatic transmission occasionally stumbled with delayed downshifts. Despite these quirks, the Tiguan's dynamic qualities were rewarding, with excellent tire grip, stable handling, and light, lively steering. The ride was compliant, offering a good balance between road feel and comfort. Road noise was present, but visibility was excellent, aided by thin windshield pillars and a surround-view camera.

The 2023 Dodge Durango offered a range of powertrains, starting with the 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 engine, producing 293 horsepower (295 hp with dual exhaust) and 260 pound-feet of torque. The Durango's eight-speed automatic transmission and standard AWD in Canada provided a solid foundation. The 5.7-litre Hemi V8, standard on the R/T and optional on the Citadel, delivered 360 hp and 390 lb-ft of torque, offering a classic V8 rumble.

The Durango SRT 392 featured a 6.4-litre Hemi V8, producing 475 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque, achieving 0-100 km/h in approximately 4.5 seconds. The SRT Hellcat took performance to another level with a 6.2-litre supercharged V8, generating 710 hp and 645 lb-ft of torque, reaching 0-100 km/h in about 3.5 seconds. The Hellcat's acceleration was exhilarating, though its size made it less agile on twisty roads. The Durango's adaptive-damping suspension, Pirelli P Zero tires, and Brembo brakes ensured power was manageable, providing a thrilling driving experience.

The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan offered a spacious and affordable SUV option, with certain configurations featuring a standard third-row seat. However, the third row reduced cargo space, so opting for a two-row model provided one of the largest cargo areas in the compact SUV class. The test vehicle's front seats were exceptionally comfortable, with eight-way power adjustment, heating, and ventilation. Storage space was generous, though the centre armrest bin was small.

The Tiguan's dashboard had questionable ergonomics, with touch-sensing controls in reflective gloss black plastic hindering usability. The Climatronic Touch climate control panel was poorly positioned, requiring drivers to look away from the road. Touch-sensing steering-wheel controls and stereo sliders were also problematic, making them less effective than traditional controls. Despite these issues, the Tiguan excelled in passenger and cargo space, with large rear door openings and a spacious back seat. The hands-free power liftgate revealed a cavernous cargo area, accommodating full-size suitcases and offering adjustable load floor height and storage wells.

The 2023 Dodge Durango was available in seven-seat or six-seat configurations, with front bucket seats, a second-row bench, and a third-row bench standard on SXT, GT, and R/T models. The Citadel, SRT 392, and SRT Hellcat models featured second-row captain's chairs, enhancing comfort. The Durango's interior space was competitive with other three-row midsize SUVs, offering ample headroom and legroom across all rows. However, the Chevy Traverse offered more cargo space, with the Durango providing 487 litres with all rows in place, 1,226 litres with the third row folded, and 2,409 litres behind the first row.

Small-item storage was generous, with a large wireless charging pad and well-placed USB ports. Models with second-row captain's chairs included a centre console for added convenience. While a power liftgate was available, the lack of a power-folding third row was a drawback for higher trims. The Durango excelled in towing capacity, with V6 models capable of towing up to 2,812 kilograms and V8 models up to 3,946 kilograms. The Durango's design prioritized practicality and versatility, making it a strong contender in the midsize SUV segment.

The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan featured digital instrumentation, with most trims using an 8-inch display and R-Line trims boasting a larger 10.25-inch display. The larger display offered a sophisticated appearance and a wider array of data, including a full-panel navigation map. The Tiguan's infotainment system, accessed via a touchscreen display, varied in size from 6.5 inches to 8 inches, depending on the trim. The top-of-line test vehicle included Bluetooth, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless smartphone charging, Car-Net connected services, SiriusXM 360L satellite radio, and a nine-speaker Fender premium sound system.

While the 8-inch system appeared simple to use, sub-menus created multi-layer processes for basic tasks, such as changing radio stations or adjusting safety settings. The navigation map could not be displayed on both the digital instrumentation and the centre touchscreen simultaneously, requiring additional steps to switch views. The voice-recognition system underperformed, likely due to inactive Car-Net Hotspot and Plus Speech add-ons. Despite these quirks, the Tiguan's technology offered a range of features, though the user interface introduced unnecessary complexity.

The 2023 Dodge Durango's lower trims featured an 8.4-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and Bluetooth connectivity. Starting with the GT grade, a 10.1-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto was added. Both versions used Stellantis's Uconnect infotainment system, with the larger screen utilizing the current Uconnect 5 system. The Durango's infotainment experience remained competitive, with the larger touchscreen and Uconnect 5 providing a responsive and user-friendly interface.

The SRT and SRT Hellcat models included the Performance Pages app, offering performance information such as timers, a g-force meter, and additional gauges. A 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system was available on higher trims. The Durango's infotainment system, despite the vehicle's age, offered a modern and engaging experience, with added personality for SRT models.

The 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan excelled in safety features and driver assistance technologies, offering tech often found in luxury models. Standard features included Front Assist with forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, and automatic emergency braking, as well as Side Assist with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert. The Automatic Post Collision Braking System helped avoid secondary impacts after airbag deflation.

Volkswagen's IQ.Drive package, optional on base models and standard on others, added adaptive cruise control, active blind-spot monitoring, Lane Assist, Travel Assist, and Emergency Assist. These features provided semi-autonomous driving assist and enhanced safety. Additional options included Light Assist, Park Assist, parking sensors, and an Area View surround-view camera system. The Tiguan's safety technology was effective and unobtrusive, though crash-test ratings were incomplete, with concerns about the driver's door unlatching during a side-impact test.

The 2023 Dodge Durango received mixed results in IIHS crash tests, with top "Good" marks in moderate front overlap, side, and roof strength tests, but a "Marginal" score in the driver-side small overlap front test. The NHTSA awarded the Durango a four-star overall safety rating, with five stars in the side crash test and four stars in the frontal crash test. AWD versions received a three-star rollover resistance rating.

Dodge offered limited standard driver-assist tech, with blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert standard on all trims. Forward collision warning, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and automatic emergency braking were not standard, though some were available on higher trims. The Durango's safety features were less comprehensive than the Tiguan's, with room for improvement in standard offerings.