It would confuse North American buyers, and isn't it similar to the Tiguan? The current Tiguan is stretched over the previous generation.
2027 VW ID Polo
- Thread starter Finklejag
- Start date
RAV4 and CR-V are VW Tiguan competitors. Taos is more of a Honda HR-V, Toyota Corolla Cross, Hyundai Kona, Kia Seltos, Chevy Trax & Mitsubishi Outlander Sport competitor in the "subcompact" CUV space - Ford and Nissan kinda threw in the towel in this market when they ditched the EcoSport and Rogue Sport respectively.
Taos is the North American equivalent of the T-Roc, Tiguan is larger.
Nissan still has the Kicks in that subcompact category.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
I don't know. I think it's handsome but doesn't look like a VW. If that makes sense. I guess I'm stuck in the 80s to 2000s where the looks of the brand peaked my interest. Nowadays, only the GolfR does so.
I can't believe that VW Couldn't get the dsg transmission to work smoothly in the Taos yet have used it in countless other vehicles without a problem.
Didn't work very well in the TDI models either (had two MKV.5 Sportwagens) - never experienced the DSG in the GLI/GTI/R models so can't really comment there. They were fantastic after you got moving - it was the takeoff performance/lag that left a lot to be desired.
Taos was a bit better than the TDI's but still even then the takeoff performance was still pretty lacking compared to a traditional automatic. Taos also had pretty noticeable upshifts as well, TDI you only knew it shifted because RPM dropped - Taos you got a slight bump in the butt dyno when it upshifted at full throttle.
Glad they switched back to a traditional auto for the Taos 4Motion - I don't think the DSG was the greatest decision for their grocery getter subcompact.
My GTI DSG was excellent, but I don't remember much of how it was stock. It was Stage 1 tuned and had the DSG tune on it too for most of my ownership. I do remember driving it though in stop and go traffic in Chicago when I went to pick up my Tesla and the 1-3-5 clutch did not seem too happy after that. I backed off of traffic, put it in manual and just kept it in second to roll without stopping when I could. I think a torque converter is probably better for bumper to bumper.
There are more detailed photos posted here. The presence of a stupid torsion beam rear suspension is a disappointment for me and I'd really prefer it had RWD. I used to own a 2014 Polo with the same and it was jittery around bumpy corners but otherwise a jewel of a car.
Another slight disappointment is that the motor is not oil cooled like the larger VW unit but uses only coolant. The issue is not the cooling itself but that the motor rear bearing will be a sealed greased part and prone to a shorter life. Many earlier EVs suffer from this and most now use oil cooling only which allows the bearings to take full advantage of that.
But I see they have made positive changes to the battery pack, moving the cooling panel from the underside to the top-side surface to avoid risk of damage. As best as I know only current VW, Hyundai-Kia and BYD EVs avoid having any coolant plumbing present inside the pack.
And check out the beast of a battery frame which appears to be die cast. According to AI the smaller battery is LFP while the larger one (shown below) is NMC.
From Google AI:
The upcoming 2026 VW ID. Polo EV will use both LFP and NMC cell chemistries, depending on the battery size and power output. [1, 2]
Another slight disappointment is that the motor is not oil cooled like the larger VW unit but uses only coolant. The issue is not the cooling itself but that the motor rear bearing will be a sealed greased part and prone to a shorter life. Many earlier EVs suffer from this and most now use oil cooling only which allows the bearings to take full advantage of that.
But I see they have made positive changes to the battery pack, moving the cooling panel from the underside to the top-side surface to avoid risk of damage. As best as I know only current VW, Hyundai-Kia and BYD EVs avoid having any coolant plumbing present inside the pack.
And check out the beast of a battery frame which appears to be die cast. According to AI the smaller battery is LFP while the larger one (shown below) is NMC.
From Google AI:
The upcoming 2026 VW ID. Polo EV will use both LFP and NMC cell chemistries, depending on the battery size and power output. [1, 2]
wemay
Site Donor 2023
This view is more like it...very nice.
Isn't that just an ID.3 with the spoiler panted instead of in black like it normally is?
wemay
Site Donor 2023
Yes, it is, thanks. I went back and was just about to post that. I definitely like the ID.3 styling more.
When my mom was in Europe if you tried to rent an automatic they asked what type of disability you had.
Only a few years ago it was much more expensive to hire an auto vs a manual but it's changing rapidly. Over 50% of new car sales in Europe are now auto and a large percentage of those autos will be sold to hire companies because auto's will be easier to sell when the time comes. I think the move to auto would have been faster but people don't trust DSG type auto's as a used car buy particularly the dry clutch ones that VW use in their smaller models.
