2009 Volkswagen Tiguan in Bronx

Trieste, Italy, Sunday evening.

What a place to relish a panoramic sunset: with the old harbor acting as a sublime sandstone stage for two time travelers and their raven black chariot, this easternmost Italian seaport blends the perfectly preserved Austro-Hungarian grandezza with a slight layer of decadence that lingers wherever new capitalist and old communist Europe meet.

Behind us, lit brightly by the rapidly descending sun, the picture-postcard city center unfolds. It boasts such famous sights as the majestic former headquarters of Austrian Lloyd Trieste and old-money palaces that flank the opulent town hall on Piazza Grande. Over the time-honored skyline hover pockets of perfumed air that have escaped from the nearby Illy coffee and Stock Spirits factories, but down by the water, the cool air carries only the salty scent of the sea. We dive into a quayside pizza joint to fortify our bodies with pasta and Pellegrino for the 2250 miles that lie ahead of us.

The Volkswagen Tiguan seems like the perfect four-wheeled horse for our trek to the not-so-wild East. It offers a commanding view, a chassis tough enough to laugh at the few remaining Cold War potholes, a comfy leather-clad cabin, four-wheel drive (just in case), and a turbocharged, 200-hp engine that would surely be more than adequate to beat the pan-continental 130-km (81-mph) speed limit.

By and large, the Rabbit-based crossover does a competent job. But there is still room for improvement. The 235/55HR-17 all-season tires, for instance, deliver grip, traction, and roadholding, but not a plush ride. The 2.0-liter four, in combination with the six-speed automatic and 4Motion four-wheel drive, is neither very refined nor particularly economical.... Read full article