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Test drive showroom: 2022 Volkswagen Taos SE | Daily Drive | Consumer Guide® The Daily Drive

newsofmax03/23/2022

6 3 minutes read

2022 Volkswagen Taos SE

Class: Subcompact Crossover SUV

Driving miles: 441

Fuel used: 14.6 gallons

Real-world fuel economy: 30.2 mpg

Combined driving: 65% city, 35% highway

EPAestimated fuel economy: 28/ 36/31 (mpg city, highway, combined)

Type of fuel: Regular gas

Corporate governance report card


Rooms and Facilities	ONE-
Power and performance	B-
Fit and perfect	B-
Energy saving	ONE
Value	REMOVE

The score of the report card is obtained from the consensus of the test-driver assessments. All classes are compared with other vehicles in the same class. The value tier is for the specific level being evaluated and may not reflect the Consumer Guide’s impression of the entire product line.

Comfortable big & tall

Big boy	ONE
Tall guy	ONE-

Big & Tall comfort ratings are for the front seats only. The “Large” rating is based on a male tester weighing approximately 350 pounds, the “High” rating is based on a 6’6″ tall male tester.

Powertrain
Engine Specifications	158 hp 1.5L
Engine type	Turbo 4 cylinder
Transmission process	8-speed automatic transmission
Steering wheel	FWD

Base price: $27,245 (not including $1195 destination fee)

Options on test car: King’s metallic red paint ($395); panoramic sunroof ($1200), IQ.DRIVE SE Package ($895; includes Travel Assist semi-autonomous driver assistance system, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, Emergency Assist , blind-spot monitor), 18-inch black alloy wheels on all – Tricycle tires ($395), SE Convenience Pack (includes IQ.DRIVE SE Package; adds heated steering wheel, high-beam headlights) automatic, wipers)

Wish I had checked: $31,325

Quick hits

Wonderful thing: Spacious passenger and cargo room inside is neater outside, with better-than-expected rear-seat space; attractive price

Good: Clean styling from the inside out; unique balance dynamics for an SUV crossover; good fuel economy

Not so good: Faint interior materials; quite noisy when driving on the highway; some console/device quirks

More information on Taos pricing and availability

CG says:

Volkswagen’s new 2022 small SUV is particularly compelling evidence of how crossover SUVs are replacing traditional passenger cars as Americans’ vehicles. The Taos is essentially a direct replacement for the discontinued Volkswagen Golf, the mainstream version no longer sold in the US (only the high-performance Golf GTI and Golf R models remain).

The first Taos we tested at Consumer Guide was an all-wheel drive SE (Taos’ mid laner trim level) has no optional equipment. This time around, we’ve got a front-wheel-drive SE version with a few options — enough add-ons, in fact, that the final price is about $1,400 more than our AWD tester. , although the AWD model has a higher base price of about $1400.

Aside from their higher starting prices, AWD vehicles are almost always a bit less economical than their 2WD cousins. With the Taos, this fuel economy penalty is notable in terms of both EPA estimates and the real-world fuel economy we observed during our testing. The Taos’ only engine is the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, and it’s rated at 28 mpg city/36 highway/31 combined with front-wheel drive and 25/32/ 28 with all-wheel drive. That’s a range of 2-4 mpg, and the difference is even bigger with our observed fuel economy: We averaged 30.2 mpg even in the front-wheel-drive Taos, compared with 25. ,3 mpg in our all-wheel drive Taos. That’s an improvement of almost five mpg, though we’ll note that our AWD Taos test included a slightly higher city stop-and-go ratio than frugal highway driving. More: 70%, to be exact, compared to 65% with our front driver.

In addition to better fuel economy, we found the front-wheel-drive Taos to be more pleasant to drive around town as well, as it uses a traditional eight-speed automatic instead of a clutch automatic. 7-speed dual of AWD Taos. The dual-clutch transmission often feels slick and unrefined when pulling away from stops and when driving at low speeds, and the Taos’ seven-speed transmission certainly falls into this category. In fact, it’s one of the worst DCTs we’ve tested in recent memory. The front-wheel drive Taos eight-speed automatic transmission is exceptionally smooth and unobtrusive by comparison.

Gearbox, fuel economy, and all-wheel drive aside, the Taos is a lovely small SUV that offers excellent passenger and cargo space in its compact exterior dimensions — exceptional rear seating. spacious for car class. The touchscreen controls have their quirks and the cabin trim takes a bit of a cut at some points, but the Taos’ pricing is pretty competitive across the line considering the space offered. You can check out our test drive review of the AWD Taos this for more information.

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