Our Opinion - 2024 Volkswagen Taos Review VW’s Taos mini-SUV takes the best parts of the Golf and Tiguan and puts them together in a nice package that can do a lot of different things. It made our Editors’ Choice list for 2024. The 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine in all Taos cars makes 158 horsepower. As expected, it doesn’t have great speed, but it’s easy to drive and uses very little gas. People who buy SUVs will like the useful, business-like interior with two rows of roomy seats and an upright seating position. The outside also looks nice. It’s tempting to buy a small crossover like the Taos because of its low starting price, but it will cost you more than $35,000. Other small crossovers, like the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Kia Seltos, cost just over $30,000. The higher trim versions of the Taos come with a lot of extras, but they also compete with SUVs like the Tiguan, which is a lot bigger than the Taos. What's New? There is now a new trim level called SE Black. It has a darker exterior with black details on the wheels, roof, and trim. The SE Black, on the other hand, has blue stitching on the seats. Small changes are made to the rest of the group. The base S trim now comes with VW’s IQ. The SE now has automatic climate control for two zones, a lane-centering adaptive cruise control system, and some minor changes to how it looks compared to the SEL. Pros and Cons Pros Exceptionally large cabin. The FWD model is easy to use and durable. Features of Common Safety. Cons The gearbox of the AWD model could be more comfortable. Prices can go up and up. More safety scores. Engine, Transmission, and Performance The Volkswagen Taos has a new 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque are both possessed by it. All-wheel-drive cars have seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmissions, while front-wheel-drive cars have eight-speed automatic transmissions. Both the front-drive and all-wheel-drive Taos have different back suspensions. The front-drive Taos has a torsion-beam system, while the all-wheel-drive Taos has a more modern multilink system. In our tests, the front-wheel-drive Taos got to 60 mph faster than the 4Motion by a tenth of a second. This shows that the two drivetrains have a small difference in how fast they can go. You can get wheels that are 18 or 19 inches, but most sets are 17 inches. We loved how smooth the eight-speed automatic transmission was, how strong the engine was at low speeds, and how stable the suspension was on rough land when we drove one. Safety The smallest VW crossover also has a number of features that help the driver, like automatic emergency brakes and warnings for front-end collisions. Visit the webpages of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to learn more about the results of the Taos crash tests. Some important safety factors are: Standard features include blind-spot detection and back cross-traffic alert. As standard, the car has automatic emergency brakes and a forward collision warning. Normal adaptive speed control with lane centering. Internal and External Cargo Capacity The Taos doesn’t have any unique features on the inside. They use modern materials and have a style that is similar to other VW cars. Every dashboard has a fully digital cluster of gauges, and the usual two-tone cloth-covered chairs are a nice touch. There is, however, leatherette and leather seating as well. There are also plenty of well-known choices. Inside the Taos, you can get a heated steering wheel, heated and cushioned front seats, an eight-way power driver’s seat, dual-zone climate control, and a panoramic sunroof as extras. The back seat of the Taos has 37.9 inches of space, which is 0.8 inches less than the back seat of the Tiguan. The Taos has an extra 28 cubic feet of room for cargo when the back seats are folded flat. Fuel Economy and Actual MPG The front-wheel-drive Taos gets 28 mpg in the city and 36 mpg on the highway. The all-wheel-drive Taos gets 25 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway. The front-wheel-drive Taos got an impressive 40 mpg on our highway fuel-economy route, going 75 mph, while the all-wheel-drive 4Motion Taos got 33 mpg. Infotainment and Connectivity Every Taos comes with a cool leisure system and Wi-Fi that you can use whenever you want. A 6.5-inch touchscreen is normal, but you can ask for an 8.0-inch model. The system may also include wireless charging for smartphones, an eight-speaker BeatsAudio system, SiriusXM satellite radio, and built-in navigation. Price and How to Choose We suggest the SE model, which is in the middle because it’s the best deal. Standard features include 18-inch wheels, wireless charging, remote start, heated front seats, and blind spot monitoring. We would choose all-wheel drive over front-drive, which costs an extra $1,450, mostly because it has a more current independent rear suspension.
