VW Taos | Comparing VW Taos Specs to Kia Seltos, Nissan Rogue Sport, Subaru Crosstrek & Honda HR-V

In this video, I talk about the 2022 Volkswagen Taos and preview how it stacks up to the subcompact SUV competition.
VW Taos is a subcompact SUV that will be a baby brother of the compact SUV Tiguan. The Taos is a gasoline powered SUV and will be powered by a 1.5L turbocharged 4 cylinder engine producing 158 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. The engine specs are very good for this subcompact SUV segment. Looking at the chart here of popular competitors, none of the others come with a standard engine with anywhere near that 184 lb-ft of torque in the Taos. It’s great that VW decided to go with a turbo engine as standard.
The engine will be paired with either an 8 speed conventional automatic transmission for the front wheel drive or a 7 speed dual-clutch automatic with the all wheel drive version. Volkswagen 7 speed DSG should be one of the more sporty shifting transmissions in this class. Most of the competitors are not even offering conventional automatics so the fact that VW is offering a normal stepped automatic is appealing. The competitors here have gone to CVTs for cost, weight, and fuel economy. Volkswagen has not revealed fuel economy figures so we’ll have to wait and see if it’s competitive with the CVT models.
The Taos will be approximately 176” in length, so about 9 inches shorter than the Tiguan. The Taos will be roomy with 40.1” of legroom in the front and 37.9 of legroom in the rear. It looks like Volkswagen is going to be one of the larger subcompact SUVs just like the Tiguan is large for the compact SUV segment. Ever since Volkswagen’s Atlas and the redesigned Tiguan were introduced, Volkswagen has been going big and it’s paid off in sales. At least in America, people want size. Remember the Touareg, which was a really well designed premium midsize SUV? It didn’t sell well partly because it was expensive for its size.
One more thing, the Honda HR-V is getting older but Honda sure knows how to package a vehicle for maximum space efficiency. It’s got a lot of space.
The Taos cargo space will be 28.1 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 66.3 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. Those are huge numbers for a subcompact SUV and should be at the top of the class. These cargo numbers for the Taos are approaching compact SUV levels.
In terms of styling, the Taos takes a lot of cues from the Tiguan especially the rear. The side profile looks like a shrunken down Tiguan. The shape is distinctively Volkswagen. The front is handsome with a large black grill that extends down. I like the stance of the Taos. It looks wide and has a rugged appearance.
Inside, the Taos has a familiar modern look of a VW. There is a standard Digital Cockpit instrument cluster that makes it look premium. The infotainment screen is an 8” touchscreen that is in other VW models. The design of the interior looks pretty standard for a Volkswagen. That’s not a bad thing as VWs have simple to use physical controls and the infotainment system is snappy and intuitive.
Volkswagen is aiming to offer some premium features in their least expensive SUV offering. One feature includes wireless app connect which I think is wireless Apple CarPlay. This feature used to be only available on luxury cars like BMW so it’s nice that VW is offering this as an option.
Another option that is being offered on the Taos is ventilated seats. This is usually not seen in this segment but again nice that Volkswagen is making it available.
Taos will be built in Volkswagen’s Puebla, Mexico factory. Pricing hasn’t been released but VW expects to release the Taos in the summer of 2021. It should start in the low 20s as all of the competition is in this range.
My take is that Volkswagen is joining everyone else in the SUV craze. It’s smart for them to get in this popular subcompact SUV space since that’s what’s selling today. It’s like printing money for a lot of companies when they offer a SUV instead sedan. You can charge more and people buy it.
What do you think of the Volkswagen Taos? Thanks for watching.

[@kristivaughan3839]

Love the cornflower blue color with black wheels.

[@kristivaughan3839]

Ventilated seats only in SEL AWD version.

[@carsavvy4764]

I think the Taos looks sharp and VW's done a nice job with making it one of the largest in its class? Do you like what Volkswagen has done with the Taos?

[@Dubmcbogie]

Why go with the 1.5l? The taos is 3/400lbs heavier than the alltrack with the less powerful engine? its got to be a dog loaded up. That 1.8 is just such a good engine I'm surprised they would do that.

[@carsavvy4764]

You're right about the Alltrack, which was awesome but nobody bought it. People will buy this because its not a wagon but a crossover / SUV. In this subcompact category, most competitors are super slow with normally aspirated engines so VW must think the 1.5L turbo will give them competitive power.

[@powertools2375]

We purchased en se and it’s pretty quick even loaded. It’s no sports car but it handles really nice