#Taos aer review driver

Enthusiasts and commuters, however, won’t be disappointed with its excellent chassis and compliantly composed suspension, which seem to get better as speed increases. It doesn’t feel as connected-the steering is a bit light on feel and over-boosted. Find yourself in a desolate area blessed with curvy and hilly roads and the Taos shows that the Golf’s cheery handling isn’t completely lost either. It’s obvious Volkswagen spent more time in the chassis and suspension departments. It’s as fast the CX-30 and faster than the Seltos. Getting to 60 mph happens from a standstill in around 7 seconds, which makes zipping through and keeping up with NYC-metro traffic a breeze.

But its 184 pound-feet of torque and well-tuned and smooth eight-speed automatic pleasantly surprised us with its willing eagerness toward forward progress, even if upshifts aren’t lightning quick. The 158-horsepower EA211 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder won’t win pink slips any time soon. While other competitors try a little too hard to be sporty, sometimes pretentiously, the Taos embraces its modest roots to make one pleasant driver’s car. The Taos gets physical and tactile steering wheel control buttons rather than the troublesome touch-sensitive steering controls seen on some other VWs. So while the Taos seems like it needs a lot to separate itself from the crowd, it does so by harnessing a lot of the Golf’s original charm by perfecting the simple things, such as fuel efficiency, comfortably usable space and pleasant road-going mannerisms, just in the form of a premium subcompact crossover SUV. If you’re not quite sold on a crossover, excellent compact and midsize sedans can be had for this kind of dough as well. There’s more ground clearance, all-wheel drive is optional and it’s all packaged in an upright boxy profile that’s reminiscent of the larger Atlas. As the Golf’s replacement, the Taos shares its five-door front-engine and front-wheel drive configuration, and even the same MQB modular architecture. Slotting below the Tiguan, the Taos takes the crown as the “People’s SUV” and VW’s smallest and cheapest crossover offering.

All prices exclude the mandatory $1,295 destination fee. Lastly, the top-range SEL, which now gets all-wheel drive as standard, starts at $35,830, up from $32,865 (front-wheel-drive model) and $34,240. Other trims, such as our midrange SE tester, also see similar adjustments, starting at $28,925 versus $28,440-4MOTION adds $1,450 to the invoice. Opting for 4MOTION all-wheel drive, which also bundles some extras, raises the sticker by $2,340. Pricing for the base front-wheel-drive S increases to $24,155, from last year’s $23,495. Chris Chinĭespite the extra sheet metal and slightly larger footprint, Volkswagen kept the Taos at the same price point as the Golf it replaces-just a shade under $25,000. The Taos feels refreshingly minimalistic with class-leading space, excellent fuel economy, competitive safety tech and top-notch engaging driving dynamics. Opt for the mid- SE and top-range SEL, pricing alone picks fights with the larger compact SUV segment, like the Mazda CX-5 and CX-50, Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Toyota RAV4, Chevrolet Equinox, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson and even its larger sibling, the Tiguan. AWD variants have bigger 18-inch tires.Īs a contender in one of the hottest-selling segments since sliced bread, the Taos competes with the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Kona, Honda HR-V, Toyota Corolla Cross, Mazda CX-30, Chevrolet Trailblazer and many more.

#Taos aer review driver

Higher trims come with VW’s IQ.Drive driver assistance system and the top trim includes a panoramic roof. More standard safety features are included across the S, SE and top-trim SEL. To answer the call, the Wolfsburg-based automaker dropped its slow-selling hatch from the lineup-except for the performance-oriented GTI and Golf R-replacing it with the Taos, a new entry-level SUV for 2022.įor 2023, it remains largely unchanged from its 2022 debut, aside from slight price hikes and equipment arrangements. But as paying customers clearly demonstrated, crossover SUVs are what they want. It was a sad day when Volkswagen announced the discontinuation of its beloved Golf hatchback in the U.S.