2022 Volkswagen Taos SE, FWD - 3,000 mile review

[Zee09]

I drove to North Carolina last weekend behind a uhaul trailer, around 70mph with periods of higher speed 80ish, and averaged 36mpg with the AC on, I can say I'm quite happy with that. The periods of higher speed kinda ruined it, for a while after refueling and 70mph I saw an average of 41-42mpg for a time. Oh and this was also fully loaded down probably to payload capacity, I was very impressed.

That is great...
I suspect 87 octane?
I test drove one today. Has many of the Arteon goodies too.
Enjoy!!!!!

 

[KCJeep]

You were driving VeeDubs?

Go drive an Alfa for me i don't think my heart would take it.

 

[jstert]

I drove to North Carolina last weekend behind a uhaul trailer, around 70mph with periods of higher speed 80ish, and averaged 36mpg with the AC on, I can say I'm quite happy with that. The periods of higher speed kinda ruined it, for a while after refueling and 70mph I saw an average of 41-42mpg for a time. Oh and this was also fully loaded down probably to payload capacity, I was very impressed.

the one thing that i haven’t liked about vw’s 1.4turbo is the lack of highway passing power, in my test drives it simply ran out of steam if i needed to pass above say 60mph. how is the vw’s new 1.5turbo?

i am unfortunately in the market this summer for an additional non-awd car and on paper so far it’s looking like a choice between a vw taos and kia soul, base model in both.

 

[KCJeep]

The 1.4 has plenty of power. It is unfortunately mated to a transmission tuned for maximum mpg at all costs for obvious reasons. I drive in "Sport" mode always which IMO makes the car drive more normally. Not jumpy like some sport modes can. I still get over 42 mpg overall doing so as well.

The 1.4 is an amazing little piece of German engineering. Its reliable, amazingly efficient, yet it will still propel the Jetta to over 120 mph and is peppy in normal driving if you want it to be. I have started referring to it as " The Shrew". I get a kick out of it.

I'd expect the 1.5 in the Taos to be an improvement, which is the way VW is marketing it.

 

[K.Aoi]

the one thing that i haven’t liked about vw’s 1.4turbo is the lack of highway passing power, in my test drives it simply ran out of steam if i needed to pass above say 60mph. how is the vw’s new 1.5turbo?

i am unfortunately in the market this summer for an additional non-awd car and on paper so far it’s looking like a choice between a vw taos and kia soul, base model in both.

I tend to drive in sport mode instead of regular mode but in general I can't say I have a problem with the power. More would always be better and I think any version of the 2.0T EA888 would be a more fun engine, the 1.5 is fine once you learn the best way to get the most out of it. At lower speeds you're better off with less throttle which will build boost but not cause it to downshift. If you get it to downshift you want to use more throttle to get the most power out of it. I can't say I had an issue with it when fully loaded down with stuff, me and another passenger and the backseats down and trunk completely full. No issues with having enough power to pass or anything like that.

 

[wemay]

Great writeup! This is a really attractive vehicle.

 

[Zee09]

I tend to drive in sport mode instead of regular mode but in general I can't say I have a problem with the power. More would always be better and I think any version of the 2.0T EA888 would be a more fun engine, the 1.5 is fine once you learn the best way to get the most out of it. At lower speeds you're better off with less throttle which will build boost but not cause it to downshift. If you get it to downshift you want to use more throttle to get the most power out of it. I can't say I had an issue with it when fully loaded down with stuff, me and another passenger and the backseats down and trunk completely full. No issues with having enough power to pass or anything like that.

Yes the 2L is very nice.
I could live with the 1.5 L as it is more than adequate...
Being new to VW I usually drive very modestly but my Arteon doesn't reward me with stellar mpg's unless I wind it out more than I am used to doing. Weird but true.

The Tao's is impressive for the cost

 

[jstert]

i finally had a brief test in a fwd vw taos se yesterday. most taos here are awd and i don’t want a dsg transmission.

the 1.5t engine an 8sp auto trans combination is sweet. plenty of seamless power from start, in stop & go traffic, highway merging and at highway passing speed. much improved over my experience in the 1.4t in the 2019+ jetta.

my only gripes are the highly side-bolstered seats in the se and some wind noise at 75mph. im hoping that my desired s trim has flatter, less bolstered seats-can anyone tell me?

now need to find a fwd taos s in white without the iq drive nanny option...

i also need to test drive a kia soul lx and chevy trailblazer/buick encore gx awd (to get the 1.3 engine and 9sp auto trans combination). maybe a kia seltos too?

 

[dbias]

Was at the dealership yesterday with the Cross Sport and I noticed two things abouttheTaos. One it looks like a mini atlas and two there is some magic going on because as small as it looks it has a lot of space inside.

 

[K.Aoi]

Was at the dealership yesterday with the Cross Sport and I noticed two things abouttheTaos. One it looks like a mini atlas and two there is some magic going on because as small as it looks it has a lot of space inside.

The packaging on the Taos is impressive, it's almost a foot shorter than the tiguan but the interior volume is only a little bit less.

 

[BLND1]

We are 1 year 10k miles into our 2021.5 VW Atlas. Very very happy with the FWD 2.0T. I’ll have to agree with you about VW SUV’s - we are fans, so far.

 

[Boomer]

Congratulations and welcome to the VW family!! Great cars. I hope you are as happy with yours as I am with mine.

 

[partspro]

A couple months ago I took delivery of my 2022 VW Taos, replacing a 2021 Kia Forte GT. Ordinarily that would be a bad move, but the used car market right now is so insane that I got $200 more on the trade than I paid for it new. I had been in Germany and had a VW T-Cross rental, and I loved it, so when I came home I took a look at the new Taos. Interestingly the Taos isn't a new car, it's been sold as the Skoda Karoq and SEAT Ateca in Europe for several years now, and as the VW Tharu in China.

Mine is a cornflower blue, SE FWD with the IQ convenience package and panoramic sunroof. I explicitly went out of my way to get the FWD model, one because I've had enough of DCTs over the years, and two the DSG programming in the AWD variant is oddly bad. The T-Cross I had in Germany was a 1.0T with the 7 speed DSG and it was a fantastic powertrain. Extremely torquey around town, quiet and refined, and the DSG was programmed to perfection. For some reason they screwed up the DSG on the AWD Taos. Also, AWD drops the highway rating from 36 to 32, and I'd rather put that money into snow tires (also going to be posting a review of the Nexen Winguard Sport 2s later on).

Looks: I personally think the Taos is one of the best looking SUVs in the segment, and VW SUVs in general look nicer and more mature looking (some might call that boring) than most of the competition. This is entirely subjective but I also think the cornflower blue is the best color for this car, it looks simply fantastic. It also doesn't look very big, which as pro reviewers have pointed out is in stark contrast to how roomy it is inside.

Driving Experience: Powertrain- The 1.5T, like all EA211 engines is a gem. Torquey at low RPMs, has enough power at the top end, is incredibly smooth and refined, and is insanely efficient. The best highway fuel economy I ever got in my Forte GT (1.6T, 7 speed DCT) was 34mpg highway (rated at 35) at 75mph. The Taos weighs basically the same, and is slightly shorter, but the best so far I've managed is 40mpg at 75, and not in ideal conditions. For those who aren't aware, the 1.5T is a newer variant of the 1.4TSI found in the Jetta for years, part of the EA211 Evo family introduced in Europe in 2016. In the 158HP (NA) and 148HP (Europe) guise it has variable geometry turbo vanes, atmospheric plasma spray coated cylinder walls (instead of cast-in liners), as well as Budack cycle (modified miller cycle) and active cylinder technology (it can shut off cylinders 2 and 3 under low-moderate loads). All of the torque is found between 1500 and 3,000RPM, and the 8 speed Aisin auto will happily keep you under 2,000 in easy city driving, and there's plenty of torque to make that happen. It sounds just OK though, nice growl down low but typical 4 cylinder whine at high RPMs. It still has plenty of power at the top end, but unlike say the Hyundai 1.6T, it doesn't "feel" fast. But you give it it throttle and it just accelerates. It's hard to explain, but while it doesn't feel quick its definitely not slow. There's no drama, it just goes. Here's a 0-60 video I took, sport mode with brake torquing.
https://1drv.ms/v/s!At0tRBtNE6qxha4E8Xz0FiQ8ikodCw

A lot of reviewers have noticed some issues with turbo lag/delay on these from a stop. I can't say I've noticed any, even before I used Carista to change the throttle behavior. It feels similar to me to driving a lot of DCTs, expect a small delay while the clutch engages when burying it. After using Carista to change the throttle response from time based to direct, its even better. It feels plenty responsive to me. The transmission is also great, as it is in pretty much every application (of which there are many). Smooth, fast shifts, plenty of gears to keep the engine in the torque band, and a tall OD and final drive (75mph is something like 2100RPM or less). The AWD variant though has that weirdly programmed DSG, and with the fuel economy loss I can't really recommend it.

Driving experience- Driving feel, suspension, steering- This is where, in my opinion the Taos shines. Its not a Golf, but when you drive it you can tell it shares the same DNA. There's a lot of to-do about the FWD model having a rear torsion beam instead of full IRS like the AWD model, but honestly having test driven the two I am unable to tell the difference. VW has torsion beams down pat, the spring and damping rates are just right, and its extremely comfortable on the highway, with just a little bit of firmness over bigger bumps. Its much, much more compliant than the Forte GT was. At the same time the handling is still admirable, it is competent in the twisties and has plenty of grip, and not much body roll, and the steering is very VW. Light yet precise, and just enough feedback (though not anywhere close to GTI/GLI levels). All in all, it's an extremely comfortable highway cruiser yet still tossable on back roads. Its also pretty quiet, far quieter than the CRV or HRV, but not as quiet as the Kona, though that could depend a lot on tires. Wind noise is hushed, and road and tire noise is subdued though present depending on the road surface.

Interior: A pleasant place to spend time. The dash does have a lot of hard plastics, though they all feel durable and much better than the bad years of the Jetta. The design is also typical VW, easy to use and understand, simple yet mature. There's one thing a lot of reviews don't touch upon, but the interior trim color changes depending on the trim level. The S has a glossy black trim on the dash and doors, the SE like mine has a matte dark blue (which I love) and the SEL has a glossy gray. The seats are hands down some of the most comfortable modern seats I've ever sat in. They are well cushioned, well appointed with an alcantara-esque leather in the middle of the seats and cloth side bolsters. These are seats that make it easy to soak up the miles on long drives. I'm also a huge fan of VWs new steering wheel design (though thank god they skipped the capacitive touch buttons on the Taos or this would be a different discussion). The seating position is good, high and comfortable but not TOO high, finding a comfortable position is easy. The digital dash is nice, though I can't say I wouldn't have preferred old-school analog gauges. The SEL has the bigger more advanced version that's fully configurable, the SE and down have the smaller model with only 3 layouts (analog speedo w/digital speed, analog tach with digital speed, and digital speed with 2 other options you can configure, average mpg/average speed/distance since start, etc). I usually use the one in the picture, the tach with digital speedometer. The carista/ODBEleven/VAGCOM stuff opens up some additional customization, for instance mine by default was not configured to show oil temp as an option, I was able to enable that. All reviewers have already talked about this but the interior space is incredible considering the size, I don't know what magic VW used but the packaging is great, there is more than enough front and rear space for passengers. I'm almost 6 foot and I can comfortably sit behind myself with room to spare, and plenty of headroom. And it still has a massive hatch/trunk space behind the seats. If you need to haul adults and their stuff comfortably, nobody else does it better in the segment. There is 1 12V outlet under the dash, 2 USB-C ports in front, and 1 USB-C port in back for the rear passengers, as well as rear climate vents (in the SE and SEL anyway). All I can say is this is a fantastic all around interior, well done Volkswagen.

The IQ drive system includes the usual suspects, active lane keep assist (if enabled), adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and "travel assist". These are all well done technologies, though I wish I could set it to default the Adaptive cruise to off, I only use it on long highway trips, but it defaults to on and I haven't been able to find a way to change that. Fortunately I was able to change the default following distance however. Travel assist is pretty close to full self driving on the highway, though you still of course need to keep your hands on the wheel, but it can handle the acceleration/braking/steering for you to a large degree. This package also includes heated seats, heated steering wheel (!!!) and heated side mirrors. These are important features to have for a Northeast car, and automatically turn on when you use remote-start.

This sounds awfully positive so far- and that's because I can't really think of much to complain about. I wouldn't complain about a sport model with the EA888 2.0T as an option for more power, and the programming on the DSG needs fixing. Other than that though, not much. Fit and finish and general quality is great. Built in Puebla Mexico with a lot of European parts (lots of stuff under the hood and under the car stamped Made in Slovakia/Made in France/Made in Germany etc. Which makes sense, since they can use the parts bit from the SEAT Ateca and Skoda Karoq for that stuff which are all built in Europe, mainly Slovakia I believe. The base radio is just fine, and personally I wouldn't upgrade to the SEL for the beats one, too bass-heavy for me. Not rated to tow, but towing 2000lb ish in Europe is allowed, so I may add a hitch down the road for small trailers. So far in 3,000 miles I haven't had any quality issues, and haven't had to go back to the dealer since I picked it up.

All in all, I think the Taos is a great entry by VW into the segment, they leaned heavily on their European models for this, and I'm not too concerned about reliability since these engines and transmissions have proven reliable. Thanks for reading, let me know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to answer in case I forgot anything.

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Nice Ride love the color

 

[Kira]

This thread is nearing 14 months old. Thanks "you know who" for the link.
We've a kitchen (with small lavatory) and the full bathroom above it and plumbing and electric to do this Fall.
There's a real chance of of us buying a new 2024. Ha-ha, I sure hope VW doesn't change too many things...thus requiring another round of research. I'm not complaining but my eyes are hurting.
The Taos looks so good for the money.
Turbos don't scare me necessarily as I tended 5 Saabs for a chunk of time.
Want a laugh? I haven't been able to determine if the base Taos has no sunroof. Web searches produce all kinds of junk links.
For geezers like me they could make the old 'master showroom brochure' and put that online.

Have steel wheels been made for these newer cars? My pal found steelies for his Mitsu Outlander.

The vibrant blue is cool but I like the description of the Cornflower blue too.

Anyone know if ingested intake cleaners work on these GDI engines?

Has anyone bettered the VW 0W-20 speced for these engines (semi-joking/semi-serious).

 

[K.Aoi]

This thread is nearing 14 months old. Thanks "you know who" for the link.
We've a kitchen (with small lavatory) and the full bathroom above it and plumbing and electric to do this Fall.
There's a real chance of of us buying a new 2024. Ha-ha, I sure hope VW doesn't change too many things...thus requiring another round of research. I'm not complaining but my eyes are hurting.
The Taos looks so good for the money.
Turbos don't scare me necessarily as I tended 5 Saabs for a chunk of time.
Want a laugh? I haven't been able to determine if the base Taos has no sunroof. Web searches produce all kinds of junk links.
For geezers like me they could make the old 'master showroom brochure' and put that online.

Have steel wheels been made for these newer cars? My pal found steelies for his Mitsu Outlander.

The vibrant blue is cool but I like the description of the Cornflower blue too.

Anyone know if ingested intake cleaners work on these GDI engines?

Has anyone bettered the VW 0W-20 speced for these engines (semi-joking/semi-serious).

23.5k miles on mine, no further issues once the fuel unit was replaced (there is a recall for the issue now, https://www.carscoops.com/2023/04/2022-vw-taos-recalled-over-a-faulty-fuel-pump/)

Still get good fuel economy, I drive in sport mode 99% of the time, I prefer the shift points and TC behavior more. Still handles towing the jetski just fine. I doubt I'll keep it long-term, but it's a great car for one person or a small family.