2019 Volkswagen Tiguan earns IIHS Top Safety Pick+

Volkswagen’s 2019 Tiguan midsize crossover has been named a Top Safety Pick+ by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when equipped with LED headlights and optional front crash prevention system. The institute’s highest rating applies to models built after June and equipped with curve-adapted LED headlights with high-beam assist.

It’s the second IIHS award for VW in 2019, following the naming of the 2019 GTI as a Top Safety Pick in May.

IIHS gave the Tiguan, which was completely redesigned and got bigger for 2018, good ratings in all six crashworthiness tests, including driver- and passenger-side front small overlap tests and moderate overlap front. Its available forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking system earned a superior rating, having avoided a collision in the 12-mph test and slowed to an impact speed of 1 mph in the 25-mph test. The system is part of the driver assistance package on the S models and standard on all higher-level trims.

Meanwhile, IIHS gave an overall good rating to the available LED headlights with adaptive front lighting and high-beam assist, which comes on the SEL Premium and SEL Premium R-Line trims. In the lower S, SE and SEL models the Tiguan features halogen reflector headlights, which earned a poor rating.

LED projector headlights on models built before July were rated marginal, meaning those models don’t qualify for an award.

The 2019 Tiguan is equipped with a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine making 184 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque, mated to an eight-speed automatic. It comes in a choice of front- or all-wheel drive.