Cars.com Finds the Tiguan SEL R-Line Powerful and Pleasant 

The Tiguan compact crossover was completely redesigned for the 2025 model year. In addition to the new exterior, interior, and tech upgrades, a new top trim level was added. It includes the usual added features and upgraded materials, along with a significantly more powerful engine. Cars.com took the top-trim Tiguan for a spin, and Sisbarro Volkswagen summarizes what they found. 

Like other Tiguan models, the SEL R-Line has a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 under the hood. In this case, it is a very turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-4 producing 268 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. That is 67 more horsepower and 37 more lb-ft of torque than the rest of the Tiguan line. The engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission, which sends power to all four wheels, as all SEL R-Line turbos have all-wheel drive.  

Volkswagen thinks of the Tiguan SEL R-Line as a logical next step for GTI owners who need more space. Cars.com is skeptical of that, but they do like the model. They may miss the GTI’s 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, as they felt the Tiguan’s gear changer lacked the snappy shifts found in the GTI. The power is definitely there, though. “ It moves the Tiguan smartly off the line, helps the SUV merge smoothly into traffic, and never feels like it’s hunting for the right gear to deliver the performance you want.” They just didn’t think the 8-speed downshifted quickly enough to give you the GTI feel, though using the Sport model did improve things.  

It should be noted that, almost to a person, car reviewers love the GTI and thus have high expectations for anything considered the next step up. However, if the GTI owners or anyone else wants a nicer interior, the Tiguan SEL R-Line definitely delivers. They will find themselves surrounded by authentic walnut wood, quilted leather seats, and tri-zone climate control (rare for this class). There is a large 15-inch center touchscreen through which they can engage the 12-speaker, 700-watt Harman Kardon audio system. They will also find 30-color ambient lighting and the vehicle’s ability to park itself. Sure, this raises the cost by just under $6K over the SE R-Line, but in the words of Cars.com, “…given everything that comes in the SEL R-Line Turbo, it isn’t much of an increase at all.” 

It helps that all this is on the redesigned Tiguan, which provides more space, a nicer dash layout, top-quality materials, and the return of physical buttons on the steering wheel instead of capacitive ones.  

Overall, Cars.com states, “The new Tiguan is an outstanding choice if you’re shopping for a compact SUV. It has a fully competitive feature set and an improved multimedia system that Volkswagen has continually made better.” If the higher-powered model falls short of being a Tiguan GTI, that’s OK, as they didn’t call it that. But as they conclude, “As it sits, it’s more satisfying than lesser Tiguans for a reasonable price, and that’s pretty much what it needs to be.” 

Visit Sisbarro Volkswagen in Las Cruces to test drive the Tiguan SEL R-Line to get your own opinion of its fun factor.  

Tags: Cars.com, Compact Crossover, Crossover, CUV, SUV, Tiguan
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