The 2022 Volkswagen Taos is the new entry-level sub-compact SUV slotted below the Tiguan, which has not done so well in America. The new Volkswagen Taos will hit dealerships in June 2021. Volkswagen announced that the car will come in three trims: S, SE, and SEL, which we are pretty familiar with and are based on other Volkswagen models currently out in the market.
SUVs make up 70% of sales in the U.S market and the new Taos might find it hard to compete against other entry-level subcompact SUVs like the Kia Seltos, Nissan Rogue Sport, Subaru Crosstrek, and the Honda HR-V. However, the Taos is aiming to be one of the best.
What does the little Volkswagen bring to the table and how will the consumers react to it? Let’s find out.
Taos Design: Box, Muscular and Bold
The Volkswagen Taos is a smaller version of the Tiguan and Touareg, but the car still wears the same traditional Volkswagen family resemblance, looking much similar to its bigger siblings.
Many of the exterior design features are brought from the facelifted Atlas (Or Touareg for European models), the smart headlights bond with the elegant grill and the side profile of the Taos is much of a boxier shape and it looks bold, which is something Americans love to see on their cars. The car also features roof rails to give it the crossover look. The rear end of the car brings some similar design elements from the Audi Q3, which has been a successful mini-SUV in the US market.
The CEO of Volkswagen Group of America mentioned that the Taos is their fifth new addition to the Volkswagen SUV family in just four years, and they have been thrilled to keep finding new ways to meet the needs of American families. What's appealing though, is that The Taos will offer buyers all the style, technology, and drivability that Volkswagen is known for at an even more affordable price.
Taos Interior: Roomy And Luxurious
The new Volkswagen is 175.8 inches long, 2.5 inches wide, and 64.4 inches tall. That allows Volkswagen to create more passenger space, which will be a roomy 99.5 cubic feet. This is one of the main key considerations buyers of compact SUVs consider with heir purchasing decision.
On the other hand, the Volkswagen Taos is not very tall, with only 64.4 inches in height. However, the legroom on the new Taos is 40.1 inches in the front and 37.9 in the rear, which is plenty for adults to sit comfortably.
The new Taos is also packed with a lot of interior features many of the same size crossovers do not offer. Volkswagen will make it possible to have heated and ventilated seats in higher trim levels and much more. Inside the car, the dashboard is pretty similar to the bigger sibling, the Atlas, but has shrunk in size to fit the interior space. The parts used on the Taos are hard-plastics but Volkswagen did find some places to fit real upholstery leather. The infotainment system and the gauge instrument cluster on the Taos blend well together and the new VW logo up-front gives it the final shot. To be mentioned is the Volkswagen Car-Net with in-car WiFi capability, available once you subscribe to a data plan. The center console also packs wireless charging, and wireless App-Connect for compatible devices is available from mid-level trims. It is paired with an 8-inch touchscreen with voice control, SiriusXM satellite radio, and available navigation. Top trim levels offer up to 10 different ambient lighting colors.
Getting back to why Americans would love the Taos, based on the interior, the very good design, and lots of features that the Taos packs at such an affordable price make it stand out from the crowd.
Under The Hood: Small But Efficient
Volkswagen has proven to make a lot of horses in small cubic inches. The new Taos is powered by a 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that is currently being used by Volkswagen Jetta. It produces 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque and Volkswagen claims that their engineering makes the car one of the most fuel-efficient yet powerful and responsive.
This engine will be paired with 8-speed automatic transmission for the FWD versions, while the 4Motion models will carry a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. There are no official numbers in terms of speed as Taos is still in production but we already know that the 1.5-liter hits 0-60 MPH in 7.7seconds.
The engine code for this engine is EA211, which is also loved much by the community of tuners, able to achieve quicker and higher speeds with Stage 1 tunes. The overall fuel economy of the new Volkswagen is 25/32/28 MPG city/highway/combined based on MotorTrend. Overall, the great look, good gas mileage, and powerful engine make the new Taos fit for all of the American household demands, and possibly one of the best contenders in the compact SUV space.