We love VW’s. And we especially love the sensible ones. They always remind us of the brand’s beginnings, from the early Bug to Rabbits and Golfs. They make a simple vehicle fun, useful and have a little bit of European charm. All without breaking the bank.
If you’re looking for affordability and hatchback/SUV/crossover capability, the VW Taos is your vehicle. It’s the second least expensive model behind the Jetta, but it offers scores more usability. So, in 2024 does the Taos have the goods we’re looking for? Let’s find out!
All in the Family
If you like the current design language of VW, you’ll feel right at home with the Taos.
Up front, the familial good looks start with a signature three-bar grille, blingy VW badge framed by crisp LED headlights and driving lights, while large lower intakes add a sporty vibe.
The profile also fits in the family vibe, resembling the larger VW Tiguan, with squared-off wheel arches that echo the much larger Atlas. Size is the word here, although the Taos is 9 inches shorter than the Tiguan, it looks much larger than competitors like the Mazda CX-30 and Subaru Crosstrek. Adding to the tough looks, our Taos rode on handsome optional blacked-out 18-inch alloy wheels. The wheel wells are spacious too – it looks like a set of 20” alloys would fit, if you’re thinking about adding some aftermarket kicks.
At the rear, there’s a handsome LED taillight treatment with chevron-shapes that’s unique and upscale, TAOS in bold script letters, and a black molded bumper for a tough look. Finishing off our tester was a Pure Gray exterior with black roof, a combination that makes the Taos look more expensive than it actually is.
Simple, Spacious and Sleek
The large looks on the outside translate to one of the roomiest interiors in its class.
Open the door, and you’re greeted by a feeling of wide-open space – in fact the overall dimension is only 1.6 cubic inches smaller than the Tiguan! That translates into lots of headroom, shoulder room and stretch-out room.
That goes as well for the rear seats that can easily swallow up real-size adults – something other competitors struggle to do. The Taos also serves up loads of cargo space, 27.9 cubic feet with the rears up, and an impressive 65.9 cubic with the rear seats folded flat. And if you need to carry even more, all Taos models feature standard roof rails.
Space comes with style, too. We liked our testers blend of light silver and blue interior trim that gives a lift to the otherwise gray interior. SE models like our tester feature CloudTex and cloth seating surfaces, with new contrasting stitching for 2024. You do find occasional bits of hard plastic, though.
Keeping you in the loop starts with an 8-inch digital driver display, that features different screen layouts to suit your taste, and everything looks modern and clean. You also get an 8-inch touchscreen for info-tainment, with voice control and wireless Apple CarPlay. The screen is sharp, clear, with an easy-to-use setup, and thankfully knobs for both tuning and volume. (Yay!) There’s even wireless charging for your smartphone – unusual in this price range.
Keeping things simple, small switches let you turn on the heated seats and defrosters, while the controls for the standard dual-one climate control are equally clear and concise – no need to go fishing through the touchscreen.
Under that you have the controls for the pushbutton ignition – our tester featured remote start as well, a real treat in colder climates – did we mention standard heated seats and steering wheel on the SE? Topping it off, there’s a nice traditional shift lever for the automatic transmission.
We’d also like to point out what great value you get here. SE models feature full keyless access, remote start, dual-zone climate control, an 8-way power driver seat with lumbar, auto-dimming rearview mirror, heated front seats, heated side mirrors, heated washer nozzles, and privacy glass. Impressive.
Sporty Sport
One of the things that sets the Taos apart from competitors like the Kia Niro and Subaru Crosstrek is in the drive.
We recently tested the Audi S4, and yes it’s a high-price, high-performance sedan, but we noticed our Taos has that same light, slick, effortless feeling that connects you to the drive without wearing you out.
Power comes from a 1.5-liter, turbo 4-cylinder, and while that sounds like a small engine, power is strong with 158 horses, and 184 lb.-ft of torque just off idle. This is a silky smooth powerplant, that revs freely and is also impressively quiet. On our front-wheel drive tester, (AWD is available), it’s hooked up to an 8-speed automatic that offers quick responsive shifts, especially in Sport mode.
The little 1.5 is frugal too, with a 28-mpg city, 36 mpg highway EPA rating, and we found it actually did a little better than that in the real world.
There’s also plenty of Euro-goodness in the chassis department. The ride is smooth and controlled and it easily soaks up bumps and ruts. Interestingly, the front drive models have a simpler torsion beam rear suspension, compared to the independent rear on AWD models – but we found the ride excellent even with that simpler rear setup.
Handling also feels very VW, with steering that’s like to the touch, and cornering that’s fun to toss around. No, it’s not a bahn-stormer GTI, but it has a sporty vibe that makes you smile.
OK, so most Taos buyers aren’t looking for a hot hatch – tosses the groceries all over the place – but they’ll probably be transporting friends and family. The Taos is family-friendly, with the IQ.DRIVE suite of driver assistance tech on all models. Features include Forward collision warning and emergency braking with pedestrian monitoring, Active blind spot monitor, rear traffic alert, Adaptive cruise control with stop and go and Lane Assist. You feel well looked after.
Big on Value, Too
The best part of VW’s Taos is affordability. You can get into a Taos S starting at $23,995, with that spunky 1.5 turbo engine, IQ.DRIVE, and loads of space, that’s tremendous value. Our SE tester was the next step up, adding goodies like dual zone climate control, remote start nicer interior trim and more for $28,165.
Very well equipped from the start, we had a few well-chosen options, including Pure Gray with Black top paint ($790), panoramic sunroof ($1,200), and black wheel package ($395). Add in destination, and we rang the bell at a very reasonable $31,900. Figure in an additional $1,500 if you want 4Motion AWD.
Competitors would include the Mazda CX-30, which is also a sporty drive, but can’t match the VW’s interior space. At $34,005, it’s a bit more but does feature standard AWD. We also like the outdoorsy and capable AWD Subaru Crosstrek, but it’s also less spacious at $32,855.
Stylish, spacious, with European road manners, the 2024 VW Taos is a great small SUV, and a smart value, too!
Ben Lewis grew up in Chicago, and after spending his formative years driving sideways in the winter – often intentionally – moved to sunny Southern California. He now enjoys sunny weather year-round — whether it is autocross driving, aerobatics, and learning to surf.