Compare the2025 Volkswagen TiguanVS 2025 Audi Q5

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Tiguan have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Audi Q5 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Volkswagen Tiguan has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q5 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Tiguan has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Q5 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

To deliver safety and visibility under dusty conditions the Volkswagen Tiguan’s backup monitor has a standard rear washer to keep the view clear. A camera washer system is only offered on some models of the Audi Q5.

Both the Tiguan and the Q5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tiguan for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q5.

There are over 2 times as many Volkswagen dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Tiguan’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. With 1 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Audi.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Audi.

On the EPA test cycle the Tiguan gets better mileage than the Q5 running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Tiguan uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q5 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Volkswagen Tiguan, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Q5.

For better maneuverability, the Tiguan’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Q5 40/45 TFSI’s (38.1 feet vs. 38.7 feet). The Tiguan’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Q5 55 TFSI e’s (38.1 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

The Volkswagen Tiguan may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 850 pounds less than the Audi Q5.

The design of the Volkswagen Tiguan amounts to more than styling. The Tiguan has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .3 Cd. That is lower than the Q5 (.33 to .34) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Tiguan get better fuel mileage.

The Tiguan has .4 inches more rear headroom and 2.2 inches more rear legroom than the Q5.

The Tiguan has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q5 with its rear seat up (26.5 vs. 25.9 cubic feet). The Tiguan has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q5 with its rear seat folded (58.9 vs. 54.1 cubic feet).

Standard trailer stability control on the Tiguan uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q5 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Q5’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Tiguan’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The Tiguan SEL has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Q5.

Compared to traditional radio, the Volkswagen Tiguan’s standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks. Satellite radio costs extra on the Q5.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Tiguan has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q5.

The Tiguan SEL R-Line’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Q5 Prestige’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

The Tiguan is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q5 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Volkswagen Tiguan outsold the Audi Q5/SQ5 by 67% during 2024.