2022 Volkswagen Taos Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The way Volkswagen explains it, the new 2022 Taos and refreshed 2022 Tiguan are bookends within the compact SUV segment. Not quite a subcompact, the Taos competes at the lower end, while the Tiguan resides at the higher end. Volkswagen says the Taos’s competitors include the Kia Seltos, Jeep Compass, and Subaru Crosstrek, each of which is a subcompact or compact crossover SUV.

On the surface, Volkswagen appears to keep things simple with the new Taos. But, as they say, the devil is in the details.

The 2022 Volkswagen Taos comes in Trendline, Comfortline, or Highline trim with one available engine and, on the base model, a choice between front-wheel drive (FWD) and 4Motion all-wheel drive (AWD). Prices range from $26,695 for the Taos Trendline FWD to $36,695 for the Taos Highline 4Motion. The destination charge to ship the SUV to Canada from VW’s Mexico factory is $1,950 extra.

A handful of factory options and packages are available, in addition to dealer-installed accessories. VW is also considering a Basecamp package for Taos owners planning off-pavement adventures.

In Canada, only the base model is available with FWD. When you add 4Motion AWD to the Taos, VW makes additional changes. The company swaps out the automatic transmission for a dual-clutch automated manual transmission and drops the torsion-beam rear axle suspension in favour of an independent multilink design. Additional driving modes are also available.

As far as the SUV’s styling goes, this VeeDub fits right in with the existing lineup. The Highline 4Motion test vehicle’s handsome extra-cost 19-inch machined-finish aluminum alloy wheels add significant presence, and its Cornflower Blue paint matched the Taos’s vibrant personality.

Naturally, it wears the roof rails, dark gray plastic cladding, and simulated front and rear skid plates seemingly required for admission to the SUV club. If there is a questionable element to the exterior styling, it’s the blacked-out front bumper between the grille and the lower air intake.

Inside, hard, somewhat shiny and slippery, sometimes hollow-sounding plastic is the rule rather than the exception. In fact, during the video shoot for the Taos, our videographer commented that the interior reminded him of his young daughter’s toys. It was not a compliment.

But, VW supplies soft surfaces where they matter the most, and the cabin’s tones and textures are complimentary. The Highline trim level supplies two-tone perforated leather with contrast stitching (lower grades get cloth or leatherette), an upscale strip of stitched material on the dashboard, and matching door panel inserts.

Every 2022 Volkswagen Taos has a turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine making 158 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 184 lb-ft of torque beginning at a low 1,750 rpm.

Thanks to the robust torque figure, the Taos feels powerful enough to stay out of its own way. But the turbocharger takes more than a moment to spool up and spit the torque out, resulting in delayed throttle response. And when the torque arrives, it is frequently sudden.

The seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission (DCT) paired with the 4Motion AWD system offers rousing performance, but it comes with a penalty in the form of erratic and sometimes harsh shifting. Combined with the engine’s on/off torque characteristics, it will undoubtedly irritate Taos owners who don’t know (or care) how a DCT works and are, therefore, under the impression that something is wrong with their new SUV’s transmission.

Between the two transmissions, the standard 8-speed automatic is superior when it comes to consistent behaviour and overall driving smoothness. But, it comes with only front-wheel drive, with only the less sophisticated torsion-beam rear suspension, and with a maximum wheel-and-tire size of 17 inches.

In the Highline 4Motion test vehicle, switching to the Sport driving mode helped improve driveability by keeping engine revs higher but did not completely eradicate the herky-jerky nature of the powertrain. Also, if you shut the Taos off and return to it later, the Sport driving mode remains engaged but not the Sport transmission mode, so you’ll need to remember to reactivate that.

These issues crop up mainly when accelerating from a stop or at low speeds when engine revs fall below where the torque plateau begins. For example, if you’re in a Normal driving mode and you brake to take a corner or a curve, and then you accelerate, you’ll often feel a delay in the form of turbo lag, like nothing is happening when you push down on the accelerator. In turn, this encourages you to push harder on the accelerator pedal just as the torque hits, causing the Taos to surge forward with unexpected power. Add the DCT’s sometimes harsh shifting to the mix, and you could find yourself wearing a frowny face when running around in urban areas or driving in traffic.

This situation is unfortunate because the Taos is otherwise a joy to drive. It has that light, effortless, compliant character common to Volkswagens, combined with impressive road feel, responsive steering, effective brakes, commendable grip, and taut handling. With the Taos Highline 4Motion in Sport mode (and with the DCT in Sport mode) and by keeping the SUV in the thick of its torque band, you can rip around on the pavement with confidence, aided by sticky all-season tires.

However, while Volkswagen names a couple of the more capable off-roaders in the segment as direct competitors to the Taos (Jeep Compass and Subaru Crosstrek), maximum ground clearance is a paltry 16.2 centimetres. That’s 5.4 centimetres less than a Compass Trailhawk and also 5.8 centimetres less than every version of the Crosstrek. Even a Hyundai Kona, which in turbocharged format I’ve likened to a driving a Volkswagen GTI, offers more clearance than the Taos.

As far as fuel efficiency goes, Natural Resources Canada says the Taos 4Motion will use 8.5 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving. During our testing, the SUV averaged 8.7 L/100 km.

Volkswagen might be keen to classify the Taos as a compact to underscore its impressively roomy cabin. Given the targeted competitive set, it’s huge inside.

Up front, both of the Highline’s deeply bolstered seats offer plenty of seat-track travel and height adjustment. The driver’s seat provides an eight-way power adjustment plus power lumbar support. And the Highline 4Motion offers heated and ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel. If you are tall and you have trouble finding small, affordable vehicles that accommodate you, be sure to check out the new Taos.

The rear seat is equally spacious, with generous leg- and foot room and a comfortable cushion and backrest. Rear air conditioning vents help to keep passengers cool on hot days.

Storage space is plentiful, but the bin underneath the front centre armrest is small. Most likely, this is due to the addition of rear air conditioning vents for the back seat.

Cargo space is not quite as impressive, and the volume is dependent on which drive system the Taos has. In standard front-wheel-drive format, the SUV’s torsion-beam rear suspension takes up less space, so there is more cargo volume. Measurements are 790 litres behind the back seat and 1,866 litres with the back seat folded down. With 4Motion and the accompanying independent rear suspension, cargo space is 705 litres and 1,705 litres.

Notably, the Taos has a centre pass-through between the two outboard seating positions. This inclusion makes the SUV perfect for ski trips for four people.

Volkswagen equips every 2022 Taos with its Digital Cockpit instrument cluster. It pairs with a standard 6.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Trendline trim, while the Comfortline and Highline have 8-inch touchscreen displays running more sophisticated “MIB3” software.

All Taos trim levels include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Starting with Comfortline trim, VW equips the Taos with the 8-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio with 360L service, voice control, and wireless smartphone charging. The Taos Highline adds a navigation system and an eight-speaker BeatsAudio premium sound system.

VW’s MIB3 infotainment system is supposed to be fast and easy to use, with improved voice recognition. This was not our experience with the technology. Pairing to Bluetooth and running wireless Apple CarPlay was not a problem, but the voice-recognition technology in the pre-production test vehicle did not appear to have an active data connection, or so the voice assistant regularly informed me in response to our standard litany of test voice prompts. She also let me know that you cannot use voice control to change the cabin temperature.

The user experience can also use improvement. For example, if you have the radio live on the display, and you’re on the station pre-sets screen to cycle between your saved stations, and you want to switch from a pre-set like Alt Nation to, say, an unsaved SiriusXMU (one channel down), you can’t just twist the tuning knob one click. First, you need to put a fingertip close to the display to activate the proximity sensing feature that calls up the labels for the radio menu icons at the bottom of the screen, choose the Station menu from the icons (not the Tune icon), then twist the tuning knob, then wait for the system’s software to catch up, and then push the tuning knob to choose the new station. It is an unnecessarily complex exercise.

Lastly, Volkswagen appears to be transitioning away from Fender premium sound systems in favour of BeatsAudio components. We don’t find this to be a positive development.

With Canadian packaging on the 2022 Taos, getting the most popular safety and driver assistance features means spending more money. Forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot warning, and rear cross-traffic alert are included on the Comfortline grade and up, while automatic high beams, rain-sensing wipers, and rear parking sensors are included only on the Highline grade. Lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, Travel Assist and Emergency Assist, dynamic road sign display, and remote start are only available on Highline and require purchasing an extra-cost package.

Travel Assist is a Level 2 advanced driving assistance system that combines adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability and a lane-centring assistance system. It will work for short distances without your hands on the steering wheel, but it doesn’t take long before the technology requests that you retake control of the steering.

Emergency Assist is a safety feature uncommon in luxury vehicles, let alone an entry-level Volkswagen SUV. Suppose you have Travel Assist engaged and fall asleep or suffer a medical emergency. In that case, Emergency Assist responds to an inactive driver by slowing the Taos, activating the hazard flashers, and bringing the SUV to a safe stop.

The test car’s reverse automatic braking was active when VW delivered the SUV, and the first time we attempted to exit the driveway where we parked the car, the Taos slammed on its own brakes. The driveway has a traditional apron at the street, a short section of a flat sidewalk crossing it, and a modest incline leading up to the house and garage. A handful of test vehicles with automatic rear braking have had trouble with this driveway in the past, and now we can add the Volkswagen Taos to the list.

The good news is that you can turn this feature off using a menu in the infotainment system. And it stays off the next time you start the car, unlike similar technology in a Subaru. If not for this ability to shut the automatic rear braking off and keep it off, there is no possible way we could ever own this SUV at our current residence.

Because the Taos is a new model, neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety had performed crash tests on the SUV as this review was published.

In relationship to its identified competitors, the 2022 Volkswagen Taos is priced right.

Additionally, the Taos comes with a 4-year/80,000-kilometre warranty, plus 24-7 roadside assistance for the same period.

Consider these factors, plus the remarkably roomy cabin, the impressive driving assistance technologies, and the rewarding ride and handling characteristics, and the new VW Taos makes a strong case for consideration.

All VW needs to do is solve its turbo lag and transmission issues, add some extra ground clearance to the all-wheel drive models, and (possibly) improve the MIB3 infotainment system’s user experience and voice recognition technology.