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The 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan, which received a light facelift, will start at $27,190 for the front-wheel drive base S trim, $750 more than last year.The SEL and SEL Premium R-Line are replaced by one model, the SEL R-Line, that splits their starting prices at $37,790 and comes standard with all-wheel drive.The cheapest Tiguan is pricier than the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Ford Escape, and Hyundai Tucson but comes in below the Toyota RAV4.For 2022, the VW Tiguan compact crossover gets a facelift with sharper styling and upgraded tech, and now the German company has released pricing for the updated model. The base Tiguan S with front-wheel drive will start at $27,190, a $750 increase from 2021, with VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drive available for an extra $1500. All-wheel drive is an option on first three trim levels, but comes standard on the top SEL R-Line model, which starts at $37,790. The 2022 SEL R-Line is more expensive than the 2021 SEL but cheaper than last year’s top trim, the SEL Premium R-Line.

Volkswagen

In between the S and SEL R-Line are the SE—$30,690 for front-wheel drive and $32,190 for all-wheel drive—and SE R-Line Black, which starts at $33,490. Every 2022 Tiguan features a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four producing 184 hp and 221 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic is the only available transmission. Front-wheel-drive versions include three rows of seats, uncommon for the segment, while all-wheel-drive variants are limited to two rows.

The Tiguan is priced a little higher than some of its rivals in the compact-crossover market. The base Tiguan S is pricer than the Honda CR-V LX ($26,575), Mazda CX-5 Sport ($26,545), Ford Escape S ($26,800), and Hyundai Tucson SE ($26,135). Still, the Tiguan undercuts the Toyota RAV4 LE ($27,565) and the SEL R-Line is cheaper than some of the high-end trims on its competitors. The Tiguan is due to reach dealerships in the United States during the third quarter of this year.
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An elderly woman is crying profusely over the phone, and all anyone can do is listen and try to console her. Through no fault of her own, she’s now beside herself with a $7000 repair estimate for a car that has become a 3500-pound paperweight. The only thing she knows about cars is how to drive one. Guess who was responsible for this tragic scene? The guy writing this article.

That’s right. I was guilty—not by intent, but by association and anecdotal experience. Guess who recommended to her that she buy that car? Yep, that was me. I bought a reliable version of the same model—a car that’s still on the road with 350,000-plus miles on the odometer—more than 20 years ago. In fact, my evangelizing about the reliability of that daily driver, a 1994 Toyota Camry coupe, eventually led my family to buy four more Camrys. Between 1994 and 2012, those were the only cars bought by my parents and brothers. I drank the industry Kool-Aid that makes many of us believe that, out of that ocean of millions of cars, only a few chosen models can offer you true long-term reliability.That’s no longer true. Soon after that woman on the phone (my mom) was given that jaw-dropping estimate, I decided to do two things. First, I replaced a sensor and told the dealer where he could stick that estimate. And second, I became involved with a project called the Long-Term Quality Index (LTQI), a collaborative effort that studies the reliability of used cars. The study now includes data on more than 1.4 million vehicles that have been independently inspected by certified mechanics. When it comes to used-car shopping, this is a smidgen of what has been found so far:

Sports Cars Often Are the Most Reliable CarsLet us give you an example that hit us right between the eyes. The Toyota Camry has long been hailed as reliability incarnate, along with the Honda Accord, the Toyota Corolla, and the Honda Civic. We at the Long-Term Quality Index expected those models to be right at the top.But guess which older, used vehicles outperform all of them according to LTQI data? A Ford Explorer? A Chevrolet Silverado? Nope, not even close. Try sports cars and roadsters such as the Mazda MX-5 Miata, the Chevrolet Corvette, the Mercedes SL-class, and the BMW Z3 and Z4 convertibles. As time passes, two big ingredients help these models offer one tasty recipe for long-term reliability: care-conscious owners and strong powertrains make a real difference.After years and sometimes even decades, these four sports cars provide outstanding reliability because they offer the perfect combination that makes longevity a reality: attentive owners who usually install quality replacement parts, and powertrains designed to withstand demands that go beyond daily driving. (More on this point can be found here.)Cars with Reliable Reputations Can Also Be Rolling Money TrapsA 10-year-old Camry sounds like a great idea until you find out about frequent engine issues and melting dashboards. LTQI data shows that a Camrys of that vintage are just middle-of-the-pack, not leaders. And another similarly well-regarded vehicle, the Honda Accord, has good years and bad years thanks to chronic transmission issues that apparently took several years to resolve.Unpopular Cars Can Be Reliable . . . and Dirt CheapYou don’t have to buy an old person’s car like a Buick Park Avenue or Lincoln Town Car to buy a car that lasts. Fun can be had along with long-term quality if you spread your search to the unpopular cars. Volkswagen is a damaged brand at the moment, and many of its powertrains aren’t a good deal. But if you stick with a manual transmission, and an engine that doesn’t have a turbocharger or direct injection, you may be able to get a quality vehicle at a discount thanks to all the bad publicity these days.

And Unloved Badge-Engineered Siblings Are Even BetterHave you ever heard of a Suzuki Equator? It’s a version of the mid-size Nissan Frontier truck with different badging that nobody ever shops for because Suzuki hasn’t sold new cars in the United States since 2012. This lack of advertising makes the Equator thousands of dollars cheaper than the Frontier while offering the same level of quality. The Equator also came with a seven-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, unlike the Frontier. That same lack of new-car advertising made the Pontiac Vibe compact cheaper than its genetically identical clone, the Toyota Corolla Matrix. The Toyota Camry was the right decision for my family, until it wasn’t. Quality can change over time. So choose a smart path. Invest time in questioning the owner. Make condition your priority, and don’t talk yourself out of buying a car that’s fast and fun. Sometimes the best deals are exactly where you wouldn’t expect to find them.Steve Lang has been an auto auctioneer, car dealer, and part owner of an auto auction for nearly two decades.

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After releasing the Outback Wilderness earlier this year, Subaru is expanding the all-terrain trim to a new model, showing two teaser images.The images don’t show which model it will be, but we expect it to be the Ascent three-row SUV.Expect a minor suspension lift, all-terrain tires, and lots of Wilderness-specific trim when Subaru reveals the new model in the near future.Earlier this year, Subaru showed off the Outback Wilderness, a new trim level that took the already rugged wagon-turned-crossover and prepped it for more serious off-road duties. Now Subaru is applying the Wilderness badge to a new member of their lineup, with two teasers hinting that it might be the Ascent three-row crossover.

Subaru

Though the tightly cropped teaser images don’t reveal much, the first photo shows the Wilderness badge adorning the door next to chunky plastic wheel arch cladding while the second image features most of the front door and fender. We think it is the Ascent judging by the shape of the front end and the fact that, as Subaru’s largest crossover, it is already well-suited vehicle for camping and other excursions. The Forester or the Crosstrek are likely candidates for the Wilderness treatment, too, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see Subaru’s entire crossover lineup gain this trim at some point.

Regardless of the model, Subaru’s next Wilderness model will likely have similar modifications as the Outback. We can already see that it sports the same Geyser Blue paint, and we expect a suspension lift—the Outback gains 0.8 inches for 9.5 inches of total ground clearance. Redesigned bumpers should create better approach and departure angles and model-specific wheels will come wrapped in all-terrain rubber. Other visual changes could include a front skid plate, roof rack, and a unique grille, and while the engine should remain unchanged, there might be some retuning of the transmission. Like the Outback Wilderness, the interior will probably feature StarTex, a water-repelling fabric.We expect to hear more about this mysterious Wilderness model soon, although Subaru didn’t say when more information would be released.
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2022 will be the last model year for the Toyota Avalon large sedan.Toyota has confirmed that production will end in August 2022.First introduced in 1994, the Avalon has offered five generations in the U.S.Toyota will drop the Avalon large sedan from its lineup after the 2022 model year, as first reported by Automotive News and confirmed to C/D by a Toyota spokesperson. Production will end in August 2022 at Toyota’s plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, where the company also builds the Camry and Lexus ES sedans.

The Avalon is currently in its fifth generation and has been on sale in the U.S. since 1994. Positioned above the Camry mid-size sedan, it competes in the dwindling large sedan segment that has seen numerous competitors die off in recent years. Apart from the Toyota, the Nissan Maxima, Dodge Charger, and Chrysler 300 are the only vehicles in this segment still on sale after the cancelations of the Chevy Impala, Hyundai Azera, Kia Cadenza, and Ford Taurus.The fifth-generation Avalon was introduced for the 2019 model year and offers either a 3.5-liter V-6 engine, a 2.5-liter inline-four with all-wheel drive, or a hybrid drivetrain with a 2.5-liter inline-four. It sold 10,328 units through the first half of 2021 and a total of 18,421 units in 2020, similar numbers as the Maxima but far behind the Charger, which sold 42,103 units in the first half of 2021.Toyota says that there will be no changes for the 2022 Avalon. After production ends in the fall, the company will continue to sell leftover inventory through the end of next year.
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