Volkswagen Tiguan (facelift) v/s Citroen C5 Aircross: Which is better?
What's the story
Volkswagen has just launched the facelifted version of its Tiguan SUV in India with an attractive design, a feature-rich cabin, and a 2.0-liter petrol engine. With the upgrades, it is worth comparing it with its rival, the Citroen C5 Aircross, which went official in India in April this year and has a sporty design, a comfortable cabin, and a smooth diesel engine. Here's more.
Context
Why does it matter?
The new Volkswagen Tiguan offers a few cosmetic changes over the previous model and loses the diesel engine. Meanwhile, the Citroen C5 Aircross is also a premium SUV and comes in Feel and Shine variants. Both the cars sport a similar price-figure. Therefore, this comparison will help you in deciding which one of the two should you opt for.
Exteriors
Citroen C5 Aircross has a longer wheelbase
The Volkswagen Tiguan (facelift) features a minimalist design with a chrome slat grille, neat creases, roof rails, and 18-inch alloy wheels with sleek black cladding. The C5 Aircross, on the other hand, offers a sportier look with a muscular bonnet, a dual-tone paint scheme, two-part grille, chunky cladding on the sides, and split lighting arrangement. They have a wheelbase of 2,679mm and 2,730mm, respectively.
Interiors
Volkswagen Tiguan has a bigger boot section
Both the Volkswagen Tiguan (facelift) and Citroen C5 Aircross offer a 5-seater cabin with a multifunctional steering wheel, leather seats, multi-zone climate control, a sunroof, a hands-free tailgate, and soft-touch materials. The former gets ambient lighting while the latter sports three adjustable independent rear seats. They have a boot space of 615-liter and 580-liter, respectively.
Features
Both the SUVs have an 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen
The Volkswagen Tiguan and Citroen C5 Aircross house a 10.0-inch and a 12.3-inch digital TFT instrument console, respectively, along with an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment panel with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The digital displays on C5 Aircross get three personalization modes: Personal, Dual, and Minimum. For safety, the cars provide six airbags, hill descent control, a rear-view camera, and electronic stability control.
Engine
Tiguan produces more power
Volkswagen Tiguan (facelift) draws power from a 2.0-liter TSI petrol motor that makes 187.4hp of power and 320Nm of peak torque. The unit comes mated to a 7-speed DSG gearbox. Citroen C5 Aircross is fueled by a 2.0-liter diesel mill that churns out a maximum power of 174.5hp and 400Nm of torque. Transmission duties are handled by an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
Our verdict
Which one is better?
The facelifted Volkswagen Tiguan has been launched with a price-tag of Rs. 31.99 lakh whereas the Citroen C5 Aircross starts at Rs. 31.3 lakh and goes up to Rs. 32.8 lakh (all prices, ex-showroom). With similar price-figures and features, the Tiguan is our preferred choice for its more powerful engine, modern styling, long equipment list, and larger boot space.