Volkswagen Tiguan Rear Passenger Protection Becomes the Spotlight after a Crash Test

JAKARTA - Volkswagen's safety reputation is once again being tested with the latest Volkswagen Tiguan model. Despite its new design and a series of modern technologies, Tiguan has actually disappointed in the latest collision test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

As reported by Autoevolution, Saturday, December 27, the spotlight was given to rear passenger protection. In a moderate overlap front crash test at a speed of about 64 km/h, the IIHS highlighted how the rear seat belts work.

From the official video released, it can be seen that the shoulder safety belt of the test dummy in the back seat shifted too high to the neck. This means that this condition directly increases the risk of serious injury.

The problem does not stop there, the lower seat belt is also seen moving from the pelvis position to the abdominal area. This movement is considered dangerous because it can trigger internal organ injuries during a collision.

More worrying, the crash test dummy used represents a small-bodied female figure or a 12-year-old child. Where, the group of passengers who are statistically most vulnerable to chest and abdominal injuries.

IIHS deliberately uses a smaller-sized dummy in the back seat. The goal is to test whether safety systems such as pretensioners and seat belt load limiters have been calibrated properly, not only for large adult men, but also for passengers with smaller postures.

In the case of the Tiguan, the results were judged to be unsatisfactory. Technically, the difference in body dimensions plays an important role, the rear test dummy has a hip width when sitting about 2.4 inches (6.1 cm) narrower than the front dummy.

This slimmer body frame makes the seat belt easier to slide up because of the lack of friction and friction. However, IIHS believes that manufacturers should be able to anticipate this scenario through better safety system adjustments.

Ironically, outside of the red record, the 2025 Tiguan model actually looks solid. This SUV based on the MQB platform scored perfect scores in two other crash resistance tests, as well as four additional "good" ratings, including for the front collision prevention system against other vehicles and pedestrians.

For the United States market, the 2025 Tiguan comes with two types of lights, namely premium LED projectors on the SEL R-Line variant, as well as a combination of simpler LED projectors and reflectors on the SE and S variants. As a result, only one variant received a satisfactory rating, although both recorded low glare rates on low beam lights.

In the American market, the Tiguan remains the backbone of Volkswagen's sales, although it is still less popular than the three-row Atlas. From January to September 2025, the Tiguan sold 48,951 units, while Atlas recorded 54,181 units.

Regarding the engine, the Tiguan remains consistent. All variants are equipped with a 2.0 liter TSI turbo engine. The most powerful version of the SEL R-Line Turbo produces 268 horsepower and 370 Nm of torque, while the other variants offer 201 horsepower output with 300 Nm of torque.