2024 Volkswagen Tiguan vs 2025 Subaru Forester

Volkswagen’s best-selling model boosts its value with upgrades for the 2024 model year.

Verdict: We weren’t enamored of the driving experience in the Tiguan, and we wish Volkswagen would offer a hybrid or plug-in hybrid option. But the automaker backs the vehicle’s premium looks with value in areas we think more likely to matter to most shoppers.

The Forester is one of Subaru's top sellers and one of the more popular compact crossovers in its segment as well, so it's hard to blame the automaker for not wanting to mess with a working formula. They seem to have focused more on refining an already popular car than creating a new car. In fact, the most obvious updates are to the vehicle's looks, which many would argue are inconsequential—but that's not a criticism.

Verdict: The 2025 Subaru Forester improves on the outgoing version with a better-equipped base model, more advanced tech and safety offerings, and a blessedly quieter cabin. If it's not the most beautiful crossover we've ever seen, well, at least that's authentic to the Forester brand.