Millions of dollars are spent every year by auto marketing departments to determine the best name for a vehicle.

Not all of this money is spent wisely.

Ford Motor Co. revived its MK naming system for Lincoln. Is it "MK" or is it "Mark"? Perhaps Ford's MK Fields could clarify?

Hyundai Motor Co. confirms that spaghetti Westerns dominate late night television in South Korea with its Santa Fe and Tucson. No doubt the OK Corral, Wyatt Earp edition is on its way.

This brings us to the Volkswagen Tiguan, pronounced Teeg-. This compact SUV joins VW's other big vehicle, the Touareg 2 -- another VW SUV no one can pronounce.

I have no idea what Tiguan means other than that it sounds like counterfeit Chinese currency. I do know that it's one of the best small SUVs on the road. Taking on the likes of the Ford Escape, Toyota Rav4 and Honda CR-V, the Tiguan is a gutsy little runabout with more style in its front bumper than most of the competition has through its rear tail lights.

The all-new Tiguan rolling into dealerships now is built off of the same Golf platform -- oops, in America, it's called the Rabbit (again). VW likes to call the Tiguan the GTI of compact SUVs, and there is some truth to that: Both vehicles share two out of three letters.

The nuts and bolts of the Tiguan start with its 2-liter turbocharged engine.

With this potent little powerplant, the Tiguan gives us a glimpse of the future today. As carmakers turn to four-cylinder engines to provide better gas mileage, more of them will consider turbos to bulk up the power at the touch of the accelerator (but remaining stingy the rest of the time).

This four-cylinder engine bangs out 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque, plenty of boost to give the lightweight Tiguan (3,631 pounds) a decent takeoff. The all-wheel-drive system on my test vehicle, known as 4Motion, is excellent. It's surefooted, and even in the rain I never worried about traction or handling.

The newest kid in the compact crossover segment with the smallest displacement engine, the Tiguan still outmuscles Toyota, Ford and Honda. That power, however, does cause it to lag slightly behind the others in overall mileage. Its EPA mileage for a front-wheel-drive model hits 18 miles per gallon in the city and 25 mpg on the highway, compared to 21 mpg city and 27 mpg highway for the Rav4.

The turbocharged engine, combined with a taut suspension, makes the Tiguan quick and nimble. Along Fort Street in Detroit, I found it easy to weave through the menacing truck traffic near the Ambassador Bridge. The electro-mechanical power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering feels firm but easy to maneuver. The independent suspension helps the Tiguan bite into corners but remain quiet and comfortable on the highway.

Like any well-built German machine, the Tiguan makes you want to be a better driver so you can zip and zig and zag. None of the other compact crossovers and SUVs inspire better performance -- and that's the difference between functional and fun.

But fun doesn't mean the Tiguan isn't practical. There's 28.3 cubic feet of space behind the second row. Fold the 60-40 split rear seats, and there's 56 cubic feet. Bigger compact SUVs, of course, will offer more storage capabilities. The Rav4, which is 7 inches longer and includes an optional third row, offers 73 cubic feet of cargo space with the second row folded.

However, the Rav4 has the exterior excitement of brick and the CR-V looks like brick you can melt. The Tiguan has flash and sex appeal, something none of the competition possess. While technically a crossover, the Tiguan caters to the rugged urban dweller, the person who wears a suit and tie during the week and then kayaks to a rock wall on the weekend. At least, that's the image the driver might want to project.

Compact and stylish is all the rage with the Tiguan. It can fit easily into a tight parking space and look mean while waiting for you to return. The front end appears modern and precise, with chrome trim around the big grille, and the headlamps canted up and away, wrapping around the corners. There are lots of sharp edges that are polished out with touches of elegance.

Inside, the Tiguan feels true to its European roots. There are graceful lines along the dash, and when combined with the upgraded navigation system, the center stack is nearly spartan. There are only three simple knobs for the climate and heated seat controls. The optional sunroof covers nearly the entire roof (13 square feet of glass) and opens to the second row.

The 6.5-inch high-resolution screen is easy on the eyes, even in bright sunlight. The touch-screen system includes a 30 gigabyte hard drive that stores data and audio files. The system can play an iPod, a USB thumb drive, an SD card and even those regular compact discs (in CD, DVD and DVD audio formats). There's no reason you can't get your music to play. And if you can't bring along your music, you can find it on Sirius Satellite Radio, which includes a real-time traffic service connected to the navigation system.

The second row is very comfortable and includes seats that recline up to 6 inches. There's 40.1 inches of legroom in the front and 35.8 inches in the second row. There are lots of little storage nooks and crannies. Along the center stack, there's a spot for loose change and your cell phone.

VW touts the 45 safety features included with the Tiguan as part of its Prevent and Preserve Safety System. The vehicle includes six airbags, including front and rear side curtain airbags. A rear side thorax airbag is optional. Electronic stability control, tire pressure monitoring and a host of other features are also standard.

All of these features do come with a price, however.

The one model I wouldn't recommend is the one I tested: The fully loaded SEL 2.0T A/T 4Motion model. Unlike the name, the nomenclature at least has a meaning: SEL is the top trim level; 2.0 is the four-cylinder engine's displacement; the T is for the turbo attached to the engine; A/T is six-speed automatic transmission; and 4Motion is a marketing name for VW's all-wheel-drive system.

Every piece is excellent, but the sum of all of those parts can put the price of the vehicle well past $33,000 -- which is a bit much. And even the starting price of the base model with a six-speed manual transmission kicks past $23,000 -- $3,000 more than a Ford Escape. Add an automatic transmission to the Tiguan, and it's $2,000 more than a CR-V or Rav4.

However, if you're looking for a small, stylish SUV that can out perform the competition and deliver you and up to four passenger in European style, the Tiguan fits the bill.

And by any other name, it would just be easier to pronounce.