It can be hard to explain America and Americans to Europeans. ?What is a Big Gulp"? they?ll ask. Or, ?You know American cheese isn?t cheese, right"? And always, inexplicably: ?Have you ever been to Texas"? But the brass at Volkswagen?s Virginia offices seem to have finally succeeded in communicating at least one of our national beliefs to their German overlords: Bigger is better. And so, as the Volkswagen Tiguan enters its second generation, it has been stretched by nearly a foot so that it can accommodate either a lot more cargo or a third row, depending on your needs. It also has been redesigned to match the brawny, squarish look of Volkswagen?s new halo SUV, the monstrous Atlas, which was designed to match the brawny, squarish look of red-blooded American SUVs. All that?s missing is a powertrain to match; despite inflating the Tiguan?s body, VW has implanted a new, less powerful heart in its engine bay, which can?t match the refinement or acceleration we enjoyed in the last generation. Ah, well. Even in America, you can?t have it all. READ MORE ??
...