LIKES
- Spacious small crossover
- Roomy back seats
- Standard digital cockpit
- Good safety options
- Good cargo volume
DISLIKES
- Automatic emergency braking is not standard
- Cooled seats only available with AWD
- No selectable drive modes for FWD
- Lackluster acceleration
BUYING TIP
The Taos offers a winning combination of value, technology, and spaciousness that other small SUVs can’t match.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Volkswagen Taos? What does it compare to?
The Taos is a five-seat crossover making its debut for the 2022 model year. It slots in below the plus-sized Tiguan but the two could be mistaken with VW’s conservative styling approach. The Taos offers a much more spacious interior than competitors such as the Ford Bronco Sport, Jeep Compass, Kia Seltos, and Mazda CX-30, among others.
Is the 2022 Volkswagen Taos a good vehicle?
With a spacious and well-packaged interior, the all-new 2022 Taos earns a TCC Rating of 6.2 out of 10, before safety is factored in. That puts it above several of its smaller competitors, but behind our best scoring compact SUVs such as the Ford Bronco Sport and Hyundai Tucson.
What's new for the 2022 Volkswagen Taos?
Since the Taos is new, everything. VW sells it in S, SE, and SEL trim levels with front-wheel drive standard and all-wheel drive optional on all grades.
The Taos is priced in between subcompact and compact SUVs, but with passenger/cargo room that leans more towards compact. That gives it an advantage over competitors. Though it’s 9.3 inches shorter than the Tiguan, it still offers a surprising amount of room for backseat passengers with 37.9 inches of rear leg room. The same is true of cargo room, with up to 27.9 cubic feet of cargo volume behind the rear seat.
The Taos features a new 1.5-liter turbo-4 that will eventually replace the 1.4-liter turbo-4 currently found in the Jetta. It puts out 158-hp and 184 lb-ft of torque and is paired with an 8-speed automatic for FWD models, or a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with AWD. The engine feels a bit sluggish, but the Taos has good ride quality and accurate steering that needs more weight. AWD models come with a multi-link rear suspension, which helps them to feel more agile and fun-to-drive. Fuel economy estimates are 31 combined mpg for the FWD Taos, and 28 combined mpg with AWD.
A 6.5-inch multimedia screen is standard on the S, while the SE and SEL jump up to an 8.0-inch touchscreen that also includes wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. To match this, a wireless charging pad is also standard along with the larger screen. That’s not the only screen found in the Taos: an 8.0-inch digital cockpit display is standard, and the SEL gets an even larger 10.3-inch display with far more customization options.
Standard safety features are sparse compared to other vehicles in this class. There are no active driver-assist features to be found on the S grade, though they can be added with a package. The SE has standard automatic emergency braking and adds blindspot monitors as well. Also available across three grades (with all features standard on the SEL) are adaptive cruise control that works down to a stop, active lane control, and emergency assist.
How much does the 2022 Volkswagen Taos cost?
The Taos S starts at $24,190 but the $28,440 SE trim would be our choice, with synthetic leather seats, a larger 8.0-inch touchscreen, wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, and a wireless phone charger. Topping off the Taos lineup is the SEL, which starts at $32,685. Adding all-wheel drive costs between $2,045 and $1,450 depending on trim level.
Where is the 2022 Volkswagen Taos made?
Styling
The Taos won’t turn heads, but it has some appeal in that minimalist, Volksagen way.
Is the 2022 Volkswagen Taos a good-looking car?
The Taos doesn’t take many styling risks inside or out, keeping the minimalist style that Volkswagen is known for. We give it a 5 out of 10, as its interior is of middling quality.
Styling borrows heavily from other vehicles in Volkswagen’s lineup. Its overall shape is very reminiscent of the Tiguan and it keeps that vehicle’s flat aesthetic mostly intact. The easiest way to tell the Taos apart is the light bar that has been added to the “X” shaped grille (borrowed from the Atlas Sport Cross), but from the sides and rear there isn’t much going on.
Performance
Even with a new engine, acceleration feels muted.
The Taos debuts a new turbocharged engine for Volkswagen, but it falls a little flat on acceleration. Ride quality is a highlight, especially for all-wheel-drive models that come with a more advanced suspension. It’s a 5 here.
Is the Volkswagen Taos 4WD?
Front-wheel drive comes standard, but all-wheel drive is available across the board.
Under the hood of every Taos is a 158-hp 1.5-liter turbo-4 that makes 184 lb-ft of torque. This is the first application of this engine, which will eventually proliferate around the rest of the smaller vehicles in Volkswagen’s lineup. FWD models feature an 8-speed automatic transmission, while the AWD comes with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic.
The Taos prototype had impressive off-the-line acceleration, but that has been toned down in the crossover’s final form. It now feels more muted, without the same punchiness that gave such a positive impression. FWD models have a bit more pep from a stop, though the AWD has more kick to it in second and third gears. Neither transmission shines on passing maneuvers and the engine seems to run out of breath at highway speeds. Both models do feature an “S” transmission mode that holds gears longer, but only the AWD models come with selectable drive modes.
AWD models carry one more advantage: a multi-link rear suspension replaces the rear torsion beam found in FWD models. There’s a decent amount of body roll in both vehicles as the Taos is definitely sprung with comfort in mind. But the AWD versions feel more composed on the road and more stable in turns. With FWD, the Taos seems to drag its rear wheels around somewhat limply, which hurts the vehicle’s dynamics. Steering, in true Volkswagen fashion, feels too light and overboosted by default but only AWD models offer the ability to add steering weight based on drive mode.
Comfort & Quality
For a small SUV, the spacious Taos has good room for passengers and cargo.
The Taos offers compact SUV dimensions for a less than compact price, and its spacious back seat and cargo area each earn it a point on our scale, giving it a 7 out of 10.
The Taos’ wheelbase of 105.9-inches (FWD) or 105.6-inches (AWD) is only about 4 inches shorter than that of the Tiguan, though it’s 9.3 inches shorter overall. This keeps the interior size of the Taos closer to the jumbo-sized Tiguan and gives the Taos one of the segment’s few backseats that can fit a pair of adults comfortably. The 37.9 inches of backseat leg room feels expansive, but shoulder and hip room hold the Taos back from fitting three passengers. Rear leg room exceeds the subcompact Ford Bronco Sport (36.9) and even the compact Toyota RAV4 (37.8).
Behind the second row is 27.9 cubic feet (FWD) or 24.9 cubic feet (AWD). That’s nearly 3.0 cubic feet more than the Chevy Trailblazer and about a cubic foot more than the Jeep Compass with AWD. Yet, these figures don’t quite compare as favorably to compact crossovers such as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Fold down the rear seats and it expands to 65.9 cubic feet (FWD) or 60.2 cubic feet (AWD).
Safety
Crash tests are pending for the Taos.
The all-new Taos has not yet been crash tested by the IIHS or NHTSA, and we will leave it scoreless until the crash-test data arrives.
The base model is missing many safety features. Automatic emergency braking (AEB) is offered as part of the IQ.Drive S package that also adds active lane control, blind-spot monitors, automatic high beams, and, bizarrely, a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel and leather-trimmed shifter. That’s a lot of equipment for only $995, but it remains disconcerting that some of these features aren’t standard when many competitors offer them as such.
SE models add the AEB and blind-spot monitors standard, though it also offers a safety package of its own to add the other safety features mentioned above. It’s all standard on the SEL, along with rear parking sensors and an auto dimming rearview mirror.
Features
The Taos is well-equipped apart from safety features on all three trim levels, giving it solid value.
The 2022 Taos earns an 8 in our features category, thanks to good value, good infotainment, and a solid options list. Its warranty is only middle of the pack, however.
The S starts at $24,190 (including destination charges) and is well equipped, with an 8.0-inch digital cockpit display, LED headlights and taillights, a 6.5-inch touchscreen with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, two USB-C charging ports, keyless start, and 17-inch alloy wheels. Adding AWD on the S is costly at $2,045, in part because it adds a cold weather package that includes heated front seats, heated side mirrors, and heated windshield washer nozzles.
Which Volkswagen Taos should I buy?
How much is a fully loaded Volkswagen Taos?
The SEL tops off the range at $32,685 for FWD or $34,240 with AWD. AWD SEL models also get larger 19-inch alloy wheels and cooled front seats, which are weirdly only available on AWD models. Also standard on the SEL is a BeatsAudio system, 10.3-inch instrument display with much more customizability, leather upholstery, navigation, rear parking sensors, and an auto-dimming rearview mirror. A panoramic moonroof is optional for $1,200.
Fuel Economy
There is a wide gap in fuel economy between front- and all-wheel-drive models.
Is the 2022 Volkswagen Taos good on gas?
The Taos offers decent fuel economy for this class, though there’s a sizable gap between FWD and AWD models. We give the Taos a 6 for fuel economy on the strength of the FWD’s EPA ratings of 28 mpg city, 36 highway, 31 combined.
AWD models drop down to 25/32/28 mpg, due to differences in the transmission and the fact that it weighs 255 pounds more.
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