Tested: 2022 Volkswagen Taos Plays Big amongst Subcompact SUVs

UPDATE 11/18/22: This overview has been up to date so as to add check outcomes for an all-wheel-drive mannequin.

UPDATE 8/23/21: This overview has been up to date with check outcomes for a front-wheel-drive mannequin.

The all-new 2022 Volkswagen Taos is the product of a well-recognized sample within the automobile enterprise. As a selected car section (on this case, crossovers) grows in reputation, producers are likely to enlarge and differentiate their entries to make room for brand new fashions that fill the newly created gaps of their lineup. With VW’s vary of SUVs within the United States swelling to incorporate the compact Tiguan, the mid-size Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport, and the electrical ID.4 (kind of an SUV, we guess), a emptiness has opened up within the more and more common subcompact area, among the many likes of the Jeep Compass, Kia Seltos, and Subaru Crosstrek. It additionally helps that VW will not offer Americans a daily, non-GTI model of its newest Golf hatchback, which we’re nonetheless sore about. At least the Taos is a compelling little crossover on most fronts.

“Little” is kind of deceptive, although, because the Taos is without doubt one of the bigger gamers in its class. Its MQB-based structure rests atop a wheelbase of both 105.6 inches for the all-wheel-drive variant or 105.9 inches for the front-driver. It has an enormous again seat for a subcompact SUV, and its capacious and simply accessible cargo maintain can swallow 25 cubic ft of stuff behind the rear seats (28 cubes if you happen to forgo all-wheel drive). On the highway, if you do not know to search for its distinguishing design cues—a broad LED mild bar that connects the usual LED headlights plus chrome TAOS lettering on the rear liftgate—you possibly can simply mistake it for a (barely) bigger Tiguan. VW says the identify Taos refers back to the rugged, picturesque city in New Mexico. We did not go there for our drive, however we did traverse our native Michigan haunts in front-drive and all-wheel-drive variants, each high SEL trim ranges.

Powering the Taos is a brand new 1.5-liter model of the EA211 turbocharged inline-four—a 1.4-liter EA211 is discovered within the Jetta sedan. Aided by the enhance of a variable-geometry turbocharger, the engine purrs willingly to its 6000-rpm redline and produces a good, if not fairly spirited, 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, the latter from simply 1750 rpm. That’s much less grunt than you may get from a top-spec 175-hp Seltos 1.6T or a 250-hp Mazda CX-30 Turbo, nevertheless it’s completely satisfactory for casually merging onto highways. Standard front-wheel-drive fashions pair the turbo-four with a traditional eight-speed automated transmission. All-wheel-drive variations get a seven-speed dual-clutch automated, which VW calls a direct-shift gearbox (DSG). The firm says this break up allowed it to focus each on better gasoline effectivity with the eight-speed and a sportier driving character with the dual-clutch.

The front-wheel-drive SEL mannequin we examined ambled to 60 mph in 7.4 seconds and coated the quarter-mile in 15.8 seconds at 87 mph, making it barely faster than the newest Subaru Crosstrek with a 2.5-liter flat-four and considerably fleeter than a Jeep Compass. An all-wheel-drive SEL 4Motion instance—which at 3557 kilos was 313 kilos heavier than the front-driver—was solely a hair slower to 60 mph, hitting that mark in 7.5 seconds. It additionally posted an similar 15.8-second quarter-mile time. The more-powerful turbocharged Kia Seltos, nevertheless, is roughly a half-second faster than the VWs each to 60 and thru the quarter-mile.

That mentioned, the front-drive Taos is the gasoline miser’s selection, incomes an EPA mixed estimate of 31 mpg, versus 28 mpg for all-wheel-drive fashions. Our front-drive instance fared effectively in the true world with a 30-mpg common, and it posted a powerful 40 mpg on our 75-mph freeway check, beating its federal score by 4 mpg. The aforementioned Subaru and Kia (each AWD) managed solely 30 mpg on our freeway run—considerably behind the 33 mpg that the all-wheel-drive Taos achieved in that check. Overall, the AWD model averaged 29 mpg whereas in our care.

But the 4Motion mannequin’s DSG is not as convincing in its function as a sporty transmission. While its shifts are typically fast and effectively coordinated at velocity, it lacks the eight-speed’s unobtrusive smoothness, being comparatively clumsy round city and below fast on-off-on throttle purposes. Only all-wheel-drive variants get a drive-mode selector with Normal, Eco, Sport, and Individual settings, however even in its most aggressive mode the dual-clutch hesitates between upshifts when accelerating briskly. There are not any steering-wheel paddle shifters, so we principally let the DSG choose its personal gears slightly than use the shifter’s sluggish guide gate.

The different vital distinction between the 2 drivelines is the rear suspension. The front-wheel-drive Taos encompasses a torsion beam on the rear, whereas the all-wheel-drive mannequin employs a multilink setup. This is why there are two wheelbase lengths. The multilink’s better composure and extra substantial really feel make the all-wheel-drive Taos our clear selection. Though the all-wheel-drive Taos is the heavier of the 2 variants, its extra subtle suspension fosters better driver confidence by bringing higher physique management. Rolling on barely wider 19-inch all-season tires, our 4Motion mannequin posted 0.85 g of skidpad grip in comparison with 0.83 g for the front-driver on its narrower 18s.

Braking potential is satisfactory and is managed by way of an easy-to-modulate pedal, regardless of some mushiness within the first inch or so of journey. Unsurprisingly, the all-wheel-drive model’s better mass was a hindrance right here, as its 185-foot stopping distance from 70 mph was 9 ft longer than what the front-drive SEL wanted. Yet with respectable experience consolation and fairly low ranges of inside noise—68 decibels at a 70-mph cruise within the front-driver; 71 within the 4Motion mannequin—highway isolation is nice for a car that begins at $24,790. Just do not anticipate Golf ranges of agility from the Taos’s additional girth and better middle of gravity.

From the low liftover peak of its cargo ground to its rear climate-control vents to its potential to simply accommodate six-plus-footers entrance and rear, the Taos’s inside is highlighted by its performance. This subcompact feels solidly constructed, and materials high quality is usually commensurate with its value, though the arduous, shiny plastic dashtop panel seems chintzy, particularly within the top-spec SEL fashions that go for greater than $30,000. While not boldly impressed, the Taos’s cabin does profit from contoured trim items and contrasting colours that lend it some character. Soft-touch supplies are tender sufficient and effectively positioned, and there is VW’s acquainted and properly thick-rimmed steering wheel. Seating selections embody material upholstery for base fashions, leather-based on the prime quality, and a leatherette/material combo with grippy inserts for midlevel SE trims. All provide good consolation and wonderful visibility.

At 72.5 inches, the Taos is definitely a hair wider than the one-size-up Tiguan and feels equally spacious when it comes to elbow area. Unlike within the Tiguan, there is no out there third row of seats. Base fashions get an 8.0-inch digital instrument cluster and a 6.5-inch middle touchscreen, with the shows in greater trims growing to 10.3 and eight.0 inches, respectively. We like that the Taos sticks with VW’s extra acquainted infotainment system slightly than adopting the newer, much less intuitive model within the ID.4 that we’re nonetheless warming as much as. Ambient lighting, automated headlights, and VW’s App Connect smartphone integration system all are customary.

Additional microprocessors management the IQ.Drive bundle of active-safety options: stop-and-go adaptive cruise management with semi-automated help, lively blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping help, automated forward-collision warning, and emergency braking. IQ.Drive is a $895 to $995 choice on lesser S and SE trims and customary on the highest SEL. Notable extras embody a heated steering wheel, a panoramic sunroof, and a yet-to-be-released Basecamp look bundle that may add a contact of off-road aptitude.

Coincidentally, the starter S mannequin’s aggressive $24,790 base value is just about the identical as that of the outgoing Golf hatchback that the Taos roughly replaces. Budget $29,190 for the SE trim and a considerably substantial $33,385 for an SEL mannequin, plus one other $1450 to $2045 if you would like all-wheel drive. Depending on the configuration, these costs place the Taos awfully near sure variations of the grander Tiguan, which begins at $27,785. Yet, contemplating the Taos’s beneficiant packaging and powerful roster of kit, potential Tiguan patrons will not should sacrifice a lot in the event that they step right down to this new decrease rung within the model’s mannequin vary. The Taos is not the fun-to-drive substitute for the Golf that we might favor, nevertheless it does make a strong anchor for VW’s SUV lineup.