VW's Right-Sized & Right-Priced CUV | 2022 VW Taos 

This is honestly a perfect sized/powered vehicle for 95% of people out there.

Owner of a 2015 Tiguan SE here-the shorter and older Tiguan model. In my eyes this is the exact replacement to my vehicle, which I think is great. Very similar dimensions, same character. The major difference is the engine and the digital cockpit.

My wife has the first gen Tiguan and feels the second gen was too big for her. She’s really interested in seeing this one in person.

@5:12 Alex's head popping up (unexpectedly!) in the pass-thru made me do a double-take.

I bought the SE 4 motion Taos in January, my wife took it to Maryland(from Ohio) she was averaging 36.3mpg. She also drove through D.C. while there. So, highway it shines in gas mileage, driving through town where I live it drops to 24-26mpg

Not only is the VW Taos smart packaging, the design language has hints of ID.4 - excellent family resemblance VW!

Before you said “faux tailpipes” I truly thought they were indentations to provide a place to place your foot so you can reach the roof easier, like a step

The Taos may be an alternative to the Jetta for many VW shoppers. That interior looks much better than the Jetta’s cost cutting look. Hopefully VW updates the Jetta interior for 2022

My SE Tiguan was 24k in 2019, prices really went up

Amber rear turn signals 😍😍😍😍 I hope they don’t change them to red like the Jetta

It’s a Seat Ateca for USA. Or a Skoda Karoq for here in Australia ;) Same same but different. Great vehicle all the same!

It looks to be about the same size as the old Tiguan. A strange trend how manufacturers make cars bigger and bigger, then introduce new models that are made at the same size that the old model used to be. Cheap Volkswagens scare me, given how cheaply made the moderate and expensive VWs are.

Purchased one 4 weeks ago and I have to say Alex I followed your advised and you were wrong, sort of. This Taos is not built for people who likes cars, let alone someone who likes driving them. I test drove it, seemed a little odd but my wife liked it an we jumped on the lease. The following is the list of things driving me crazy: 1) Start Stop system cuts the A/C when stationary while blowing hot air to passengers. It is unacceptable in Miami weather, I can turn it off but how did VW think it was ok? 2) Digital Cluster will NOT display speedometer AND tachometer simultaneously, you get one or the other. Between the really smooth engine and start stop system I can't tell if its running, and I often think the car is off when it wasn't, and sometimes I turn it off by mistake. If I had a tachometer I could just glance at the RPM's to confirm. BTW, I am not a fan of digital speedos, I bought a car not a clock. 3.1) Seats. They are highly uncomfortable, we opted for the SE model as the S had horrible fabric thinking the suede will make a difference. The Suede makes you get stuck on the seat before you can slide your butt into comfort, you will have to pick yourself up from the armrest and steering wheel to accomplish that. Every time. 3.2) Seats. Have yet to find a proper driving position to facilitate driving and TMI here, they cut circulation on my private areas giving me a sensation of Blue b*lls, has anyone else experienced this? They are not car seats but a chair in which as the driver you become a passenger and you just ride on it. 4)The drive. This is were I think you left out a big point Alex. The TAOS is capable and feels very safe but I have absolutely no idea what the engine, brakes and steering are doing and that makes it hard for me to trust this vehicle and apparently the TAOS doesn't trust me either as I am constantly distracted with "turning on my headlights" and "collision" warnings. Coming from a Manual MKV GLI I might be a little harsh on this car, but I loved that thing and how about my wife's 09 Tiguan and 12' Passat which we both dear so much and this new TAOS feels like it was built for someone else by someone else.

VW TDi guy but outgrowing my ‘15 Golf TDi. AllTrack was tempting but still has the same backseat space and no diesel. Taos is only 6 inches longer than a Golf. 2wd Taos gives you the same interior and cargo space as much bigger Tiguan. 2wd Taos gets an extra gear for mpg 8 speed. The engine is the proven 1.4 bored out to 1.5 and uses a Variable Turbine Geometry Turbo which is tech from Diesel engines. Truly a worthy Golf successor. If you don’t care about AWD why wouldn’t you get one?

The base model seems like a decent deal, but if I want an AWD Taos with that panoramic roof, it will cost me about $35k... for a car with 158HP. This price range would get you a CX-30 turbo with 250HP. If only they had offered a more powerful engine with this, I'd have probably bought this for the sweet DSG transmission.

I own one. It’s a great little suv. For real world driving the 1.5 turbo is fine, and have not felt any noticeable lag. Go drive one, don’t get caught on the 150hp number

I loved the size of my ‘13 Tiguan and this seems to have those same dimensions. Perfect for city driving and parking. However while the ‘13 Tiguan had the excellent 2.0T, the engine in the Taos seems to be a little underwhelming. With that said I really like the size, styling, and interior of this Taos. It’s a great way for someone to avoid the bloat of the newest Tiguan.

Sandy Munro took a close look at the ID4 (not a full teardown though) and in his interview today wouldn't even mention it in his list of decent EVs. In fact he said places #1,2,3 and 4 belonged to the 4 Tesla models (although he didn't list the model order), #5 was the Ford Mach-E and #6 was the Polestar 2.

I have had 3 VW Jettas. The Tornado Red R line was my favorite. However, I just purchased a white Taos (Taco)with black alloy rims 2022 on 8/31/21. I love the sporty look and the panoramic view. Thank you VW…👌🏽 BTW Alex u did a wonderful job in the detailed video!

This, CX30 and Seltos are imo the best subcompact crossovers.

VW should make a Taos GT or Taos R with the 2.0T from the GTI. 241 HP would be amazing in this vehicle.

This looks like an excellent package and value proposition. It compares well to the Seltos and the CX30. Could use more power, though.

I drive a SV model. It is an very nice driving experience with acceleration, handling and turning circle. It's fun to drive - simply put. The visibility is pretty good out of the car, and the seating position is high. The interior fit is well, but the materials are cheap - hard plastic dash and door sides, with soft door sills only. It's a durable surface, but odd for the market. The DSC takes some getting used to and works nicely with the Taos except for off the line where there may be a jerking motion on launching from a rolling stop. The infotainment unit is frustrating as it allows wireless Apple CarPlay, but that's where the convenience ends. The unit must be powered "on" to work, and the radio won't share with the CarPlay nav screen which forces you to flip screens manually using the "APP" button which is far to the right for the driver's reach ( a distraction) to get back to the navigation screen after adjusting the radio. Unless you memorize all the presets in your memory, you can used the steering wheel switch to toggle through the stations. The HVAC system is manual which is odd for the segment as the competition offers automatic climate controls. It's somewhat sensitive and finding temperature control takes some practice. The backup camera is plain and has no 360 view nor turning guidance. There is a heated steering wheel and heated front seats, odd for a mid level trim in this segment. I would've traded the heated steering wheel for a automatic climate system and 360 backup camera. The TAOS looks great and is fun to drive, park and maneuver. It does all road work competently and suredly. What is lacks in finesse, it makes up for in handling and driving enjoyment.

Been waiting for this one - On the short list to buy!

The dual-clutch transmission kills it for me; I live in Canada so I'd be more interested in the AWD version but I wouldn't get the DCT because of their reliability and usability issues. It would've been great if the 8 speed Aisin transmission, which is one of the most reliable transmissions available, could've been coupled with the AWD.

I guess that the reason that all the full-LCD instrument cluster is standard across all trim levels is that it is more cost-efficient to offer only one choice of instruments rather than two and it seems that LCD screens come pretty cheap nowadays.

I’m not sure they’ll add more power. The Tiguan definitely needs the 235hp 2.0t from the atlas but they’d rather you just buy a Q5. With the Taos if you want more power go get the Q3. I think it’s a stupid business choice as my pick in the segment would be the CX-30 as 9.7 0-60 isn’t acceptable to me.

I’m not sure I agree with Alex as far as value... while it might offer that in terms of size it only applies to base models. 34k for top level trim is absolutely way too much money for this car, and as others have pointed out a base Tiguan is only a few hundred dollars difference compared to an SE Taos

So much Mountain town names lately. Taos, Palisade, Telluride

The steering wheel doesn't have the crap haptic feedback buttons! Good

Yay!! No Haptic Buttons, might have to grab me one of these for the winters!

So essentially this is the same size of the original Tiguan sold in the U.S.

the comparisons between competitors is great 1:23... was wishing someone would do this for a while now. I dont think it's right to put that it's $24,000 in the description when youre reviewing a higher trim.

158 horsepower is a missed opportunity. Like the current Tiguan, they underestimated the power demands of people who buy top level trims. The Seltos has 175 hp and the CX-30 has even more. 158 is a good base number but not great for those who choice to add more features.

Tested an Awd version of this the other day. I was surprised. Made me rethink after my experience. Though I will have to test out the Tiguan for comparison. I’m getting tired of Nissan and the cvt and the joystick shifter.

Excellent overview. Wow that's slow though. Motortrend has a base CX-30 at 7.8 seconds 0-60 and Mazda is also pretty generous with it's standard safety suite. If you can live with the smaller backseat and cargo capacity, it would be my choice. (PS Dear Mazda more of your competitors are adding ventilated seats, please add them to the CX-30 and Mazda3!)

I like the Strong Bags roller the you have in the trunk. Best bag in the market. I have two and love that they fit in my MK 1 Tiguan. I’m very interested in this vehicle replacing my 2017 when the time comes.

After watching a video from Scotty on a Jetta(about the timing belt in it), I believe Taos shares a lot with it.

VW's biggest problem, and one that they persistently refuse to address is that across their entire lineup, (with the exception of the GTI and Golf R) their vehicles are vastly underpowered, and they do not give you the engine upgrade options that other manufacturers offer. Even in this segment, 10 second zero to sixty runs are rather pathetic, and not what I would wish to rely on if I had to quickly clear an intersection, or pass anything faster than a turtle on the highway.

Dsg is slow to shift which is not impressive and certainly not live up to the hype of dsg. Which one is better? dsg or Aisin 8 speed from Tiguan/Atlas. If dsg is not quick enough, then what is the point? Not to mention, lack of Electronic differential lock XDS. Not impressed for the price with 1.5 TSI that sounds terrible lag compared to my Jetta 1.4 tsi with Aisin 6 speed.

Looks to be the right size for urban, and suburban, use. Easy to manuever around in a mall parking lot. Maybe VW will offer a Wolfsburg edition taos with a 2.0 and unique trim.

what do you think about placing the POV camera behind you, looking at the dashboard and the road ahead? i feel personally that looking at the steeringwheel in one shot and then looking at the road from the rear c panel is ok, but maybe those two cameras can be merged into one. i don't really get much benefit from looking at the wheel the whole time or looking at the side of the car....just one person s opinion

Awesome review as always! Can’t even tell you were rushed.

I got a Taos S with 4Motion and its great. My only complaint is that the S trim has cheap feeling cloth seats :/ Coming from a 19 Golf SE, the interior is definitely cheaper feeling (In the S Trim). Also the sound system could be better.

The RAV4 rides quite firmly, so Alex's comment about it riding better than the Taos is a negative.

The size comparison should be with the Golf. This is basically the same size as a Golf, but jacked up a bit, right? I have had rabbits and Golfs in the past and they are excellent daily drivers/road trip cars even for very tall people. Is there a shade for the panoramic sun roof? The over head glare is headache inducing on a long drive if you don't have one and I would think the car gets hotter in the summer.

Pedestrian detestion is an important feature

Love the Looks of this and i usually dont care for the Design language of VW's... thanx for showing us this.

The driving dynamics of the KIA Seltos SX is great--- and also much less $ than the Taos....

Anyone else having occasional high pitched squeaking when accelerating. (Occurs at city and highway speeds). Seems to happen when the gears shift. Lasts about 5 or so seconds. Stops immediately when I let off accelerator. I have the 8-speed auto (about 2,000 miles on it). Happens in "D" and in "S", maybe a little less in "S". TIA!

34 grand for a top end trim is really pricey. Especially for not having more power and no power lift gate. I’d rather save 5-6 grand and get the Kia Seltos and not have ventilation on the front seats!

2:50 ... "Pedestrian Detestion" 😂🤣

Nice video Alex

Can't you get navigation map to show up on dash? He said thats not possible?

About those LED taillights. Not a fan. I know this is a pessimistic take but headlights being LED are logical because of the vision improvements, but tailights should be cheap and smashable.

Similar size and more features and a DCT and a much better warranty and very connected to the road and for 5k less at a top of the line model? Taos? No, Seltos. Kia Seltos has those features but the VW fanboys (I'm guessing there are fewer and fewer over time) will stick to their brand until the end of days while the products around them get better and better. 22k on a 2021 SX Turbo Seltos and I still love driving it. (lots of highway miles...who knew Kia could make a great smallish highway SUV?).

Please review the 2022 HYUNDAI Kona N-Line (similar engine to the i20N)! Thanks Alex on Autos!

Sigh... hate to admit but this seems like a perfect fit for me. Now I gotta test drive it.

This will do well. Might be under powered as most VWs are.

Wish there was a Taos with a more powerful engine option and a more luxurious interior. I love the space utility of the transverse mounted engine. What is the cargo volume with the rear seats down?

I would be interested in this vehicle and I like what I see, but I suspect I would find it too under powered, especially in the mountains.

How would you compare this to the 2014 Tiguan I saw you do a review on? I bought that car. Is this more comfortable for a 260 lb 6 foot tall man??

Taos drinking game - take a shot every time Alex says compact

Great info. Thanks for that.

great review !

Your NVH testing is so limited. Buyers care about cabin noise more than most of what you're talking about.

:/ for the price you're better of getting a GLI if you're looking for better driving dynamics and power. Just another one of those head scratchers for me on why people would rather have a slower SUV than a better driving sedan at the same price point from the same manufacturer.

for the price.. I feel like Mazda CX-30 is a better buy?

I'm very disappointed that VW would release a family SUV with only 158 horsepower. When the Taos is loaded up with a family and all their cargo, it will feel underpowered. Not to mention the constant strain on that tiny turbo engine. Expect to pay out of pocket to replace engine and DCT right after warranty expires.

So,,in short, they made the Tiguan too big and came up with this to compensate for the lack of a subcompact in the line.

Not sure why they have to keep those no-use buttons around the shifters......

Any reservations about driving this DCT in urban city stop and go traffic?

11:40 For official scores come back soon! Everybody: ☠

Why can't people do a comparison on the base model vs the tricked out model that most people can't afford?? Is the actual ride different??

I find it baffling that the VW Taos actually has an option for ventilated seats while the Audi Q3 doesn’t. Terrible decision by Audi, imo, definitely a dealbreaker for me.

"Pedestrian detestion"? I don't like them either!😁

So this is the Jeep Compass to the Jeep Cherokee?

Why you do not have Mitsu outlander on your scales for comparison?

Move tiguan larger, replace with updated car the same size as old one

11:26 Agree 100% .

Other than looks, is there a reason manufacturers like VW and Toyota are all in on boxy front-ends? If there is a reason, it has little to do with aerodynamics.

Anyone know if you can fit two car seats (1 convertible and 1 infant seat) in the back with room for an adult to sit in the third seat?

Tiguan or Taos ? It’s nice 👍

With this kind of engines will it be able to go up a road mountain with an 8% gradient fully loaded (4 persons and luggage) in a 105 F sunny day?? Asking for a friend...

The stats listed for 2nd row headroom show the Taos listed twice, with 2 different metrics. What's the reason for that?

How about this versus a 2022 Kona Limited with AWD?

11:42 or simply a T-Roc

Could have just made a shorter version of Tiguan.......like Europe version

Too expensive, too slow. Otherwise it’s really nice. I’ll take a Seltos

9 seconds to 60?? WTF VW?. I was thinking of trading my 09 Tiguan in on one of these at some stage but the thing I love about the Tiguan is that it goes like a bat out of hell if I ask it to. This would be a step down for me in terms of power so no I don't think so . Shove a bigger engine in it and I'd reconsider.

It needs a EV drive train option.

Unreliability comes standard

No hand ceiling grip, come on man.

For what this is - this is amazing and will sell veryyyy well

For that price you could get a nicely equipped Subaru Outback XT and more room.......i think they priced it wrong.....

Hard Plastic?

I just can’t stand all the “fake” with VW these days. Fake exhaust. Fake vents * everywhere *.

Nice!

Did anyone else think this was named VW Tacos?

The Volkswagen "Humans" Tao is translated as human in the Tagalog language