VW's much hyped new crossover, the Tiguan, hit dealerships nationwide recently. (Just in case you haven't seen the commercials airing every seven minutes on TV.) I got a chance to drive one for a week, and I was anxious to see if it lived up to the buzz - from both the marketing campaign and the legions of rabid VW fanatics who talk about the cars with a reverence usually reserved for cult leaders and Apple products.

After driving the Tiguan for a few days, I can understand why people become fans of the brand. It has a balance of driveability and function you usually see on cars with much higher price points. And like Apple, everything VW put in the car was intuitive, well-designed and worked flawlessly. Especially the optional navigation system, which had some of the best graphics and features I've seen on an OEM in-dash system. (Like its rocket feature that, with a single button push, takes you from a close-up view of the roads and "flies" you a few miles up so you can see the surrounding cities to get your bearings, then drops you back down.)

Here's how the rest of the car rated:

Overcompensation Quotient: Zero.
VW calls it a "Micro SUV", and even with it's aggressive front jawline, the Tiguan isn't going to scare anyone off the road. It's got enough room to haul you and four friends to the lake for a weekend of fishing - along with your gear - but in a compact body that won't make women smirk and question your intention for buying it, like say, a Hummer would.

Ballsy-ness: Driving, not dragging.
The 200hp, 2.0L 4 cylinder tied to the 6-speed auto tranny is built and tuned for driving, not jack-rabbiting off the line. It'll take a leisurely 7.8 seconds to get you 0-60, but once you get there, you'll enjoy the ride. It's every inch a German-engineered car, with electromechanical power steering, Euro-tuned 4-corner independent suspension and vented front 4-wheel disc brakes. And you'll appreciate the experience. Just don't eyeball the guys revving the engine in the tricked-out tuner next to you.

Features and Gadgetry: Q would be proud.
My top-of-the-line Tiguan SEL was loaded with stuff that would have been at home in a car $10-$20k more. Besides convenience items like a push-button e-brake and Auto Hold (a feature that keeps the car from rolling when you take your foot off the brake), there's a laundry list of stuff that's available including: steerable headlamps that turn up to 15 degrees to light your way around corners, rain sensing windshield wipers, heated washer nozzles, 12-way power drivers' seat with memory, a tire pressure monitor, 18" alloy wheels dressed in Pirelli all-season tires, and an oversized panoramic sunroof that lets the rear seat passengers enjoy some sun.

The sound and navigation system was the main attraction for me. Besides the map graphics mentioned above, the Tiguan's nav also has a back-up camera that makes parking ridiculously easy. Choose from regular side-by-side or parallel parking, and the screen gives you a green box representing the car, a yellow box that turns when the car is turning to show where you'll end up, and a red line that represents the part of the car that'll smash into whatever's behind you if you don't stop.

The sound system in the SEL comes with Sirius satellite radio, and not only plays CDs and DVDs from the six-CD changer stored in the armrest, but also has a hard drive that'll store your favorite tunes, and an SD slot that can play music stored on compact media. A hidden AUX port and power outlet let you plug in your iPod as well. One thoughtful feature on the system: an on-start volume limiter you can set to keep you from blasting yourself out of the seat Monday morning after you've been jamming tunes at ear bleeding volumes all weekend.

There's also those they've-thought-of-everything features like card slots in the dash to hold your parking pass and credit cards, adjustable rear seats that slide and lower for more leg and/or head room, and clips and holders in the glove compartment that keep pens and other stuff ready when you need them.

Cargo Room: If you've got it, bring it.
Leave the rear seats up and the Tiguan delivers almost 24 cubic-feet of cargo space. Fold them down and you'll more than double the space to 56 cubic-feet. That should be plenty for your luggage, golf clubs, skis, or a load of 2x4s.

Manhood Security Factor: Low.
It's a Volkswagen. Not a Corvette. Sure they make the GTI and GLI, but VW is known for cars like the cutesy Beetle and the chick-classic Cabrio. You're buying this one for function, not for balls.

Babe Magnetism Index: See above.
There's something about a VW that women just love, (cuteness factor?), and they wanted to ride in this one. Badly.

Eco-Friendliness: Greenish.
The S trim line gets a respectable 19/26 mpg, with the SE and SEL getting 18/24. Not far off most other small SUVs in it's class. And it won't drain your wallet like a full size SUV will, either.

Overall Bang For the Buck: More than you'd expect.
All three trim lines come with the same engine, so the money you spend goes not to performance, but to the gadgets and extras. The base S starts at about $23k, but lacks a lot of the stuff that makes the Tiguan really appealing. Step up to the SE for about $3500 more and you'll get fog lights, chrome around the windows, a roof rack, a better sound system with Sirius, and a host of other goodies. Going to the SEL for $31k lands you all the bells and whistles you can handle.

Perfect for: The guy who needs to haul friends and gear around on weekends but wants a sporty feel the rest of the week, without going broke on gas.

www.vw.com for more info and pics.