Volkswagen Taos 2021-2022 owner reviews
The pros and cons of the new Volkswagen Taos 2021-2022 are revealed based on reviews from real owners. More detailed pros and cons of the Volkswagen Taos 1.4 with automatic, robot, front-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive 4Motion can be found in the stories below:
Owner Reviews
In terms of looks, purely my opinion, but I like the car from the front more than the rear. Some kind of impolite it in the back, as if somewhere underdeveloped design.
Inside is really cheap trim, but everything is quite comfortable. Compared to my former 20-year-old Mecredes C 180, the noise leaves a lot to be desired, the doors feel like they are hollow. Now we have a frost of -20, and it is especially felt.
The heater warms up, but it still feels like it is blowing from somewhere. And the heating at the bottom does not warm up legs, i.e. when the cabin is warmed up – in the area of the floor is cold (especially checked).
In terms of visibility do not like the “dead zone” on the front left and right, ie you can not see a pedestrian or car from the side. It gets dirty very much, collects the dirt on itself in a moment.
Otherwise, the car is nice, chic acceleration – stomped, went (after Taos managed a Land Cruiser 200 and Touareg, but they seemed to me, to put it mildly, not very maneuverable).
The display is awesome with Android Auto, I only have Yandex Navigator, radio, native VW navigator and radio app in it. Is it possible to download something else – have not yet understood.
Internet and Bluetooth are good. The light is great, on the dark road is very good. On consumption: in the city eats more than the manufacturer, although I do not go fast (up to 80 km / h), on the highway comes to 5.5 liters.
Video review
In general, this is a simplified version of the Tiguan with a note of American cars, for it is from the U.S. market and arrived to us Taos: where necessary – soft, where not – hard plastic. Ergonomics and quality of the interior are also at a high level; there is nothing superfluous or inconvenient here.
But not to make it strong competitor to Tiguan, many chips are either available in the maximum complete set (for example, a hatch armrest in the back row), or it is necessary to install them yourself (for example, eyewash, drawers under seats), or are not available at all (for example, a panoramic roof and a cool sound system).
The engine pulls predictably from the bottom, it is almost never heard in the cabin, and what is interesting, even in -20 the revs fall below 1,000 in less than a minute. The algorithm of work of new DSG is interesting: the box is adjusted to go very smoothly, moves like a classical automatic device, while in Tiguan there is an appreciable kick from a place.
In spite of dynamism and imperceptible change of gears, in comparison with Tiguan the box is very thoughtful and does not give that feeling of flight. It always keeps high gears and shifts down very reluctantly.
It is ridiculous that even in sport mode the box either cuts 1-2 gears, which is imperceptible, or does not change gear at all. At the same time the car is quite dynamic, you just have to press the gas pedal harder. Hopefully, in the future there will be firmware with more dynamic settings.
At 90 km/h the engine speed is about 1,800, which paired with the disconnection of two cylinders gives a good range (although I may be wrong about the cylinders). The 4Motion drive works great. Picked up the car on summer tires, drove it with no problems. Brakes are tenacious like the Germans, with plenty of reserve.
Noise isolation is good: no discomfort, no noise from the wind on the highway as well, with the speed of a new sound is not added. Suspension on the MQB platform is rather ringing, it is not a secret. But Taos has outplayed everybody: at rebound such sound, as if a suspension in a car was dead.
However, in comparison with Tiguan, the suspension is softer, smoothly absorbs bumps, does not rock and is very stable on a freeway. Have ridden in five, no dips, breakdowns and rocking were also not noticeable, I was pleasantly surprised.
I chose between the Tiguan and this “beastie”. One of the main reasons for choosing Taos was the novelty of the model. And as I passed the test drive, the last doubts fell away. This model simply charmed me with a level of electronic stuffing.
The dashboard – display, multimedia – 10″, LED headlights (you’ll be amazed, especially with high beam), several assistants (parking, maneuvering, automated tailgate).
You drive like on a computer simulator. Very decent. I hope for a long time. So far I, my family and friends have only rapturous emotions.
The exterior of the car is close to the classics. A lot of chrome. It is shiny. There are inserts of other color. Anyway, it looks better than haval Jolyon.
Taos drives better than Tiguan. Sellers notice that, too. Ground clearance is like BMW X5. The robot gearbox will digest everything. The only thing that I did not like after the old “japs” is the absence of a sharp start. If you sharply press the accelerator pedal, only the engine will start spinning. The gearbox and wheels will stand still. It is reluctant to start.
The seat of the Taos is low. When steering, I can’t see the curbs from the left window, as they are seen from the X-Trail. You can’t sit higher – the roof is low. And the car is more female. That is how we have distributed the cars in the family.
The X-Trail and Taos steer differently. The wheels of the “German” have more turn from an identical turn of a steering wheel, than Nissan has. It is necessary to hold a steering wheel more tenaciously. The Nissan’s one-finger steering wheel is wobbly. The turns are smoother.
My wife really likes the Taos. She’s completely happy with it. It’s even a little small now. She didn’t want a big car at first, though. I assured her that the Taos is the most compact crossover of the normal ones.
About the Taos. It’s cool looking. In addition to being new, the design itself is very good and draws attention on the streets. Steering is great. Suspension WAG knocked down (for some people this is a minus). Electronics has everything you need, and that will gradually appear in all modern cars.
The trunk is sufficient. The engine is the checked 1,4 Turbo with 150 hp. It is absolutely enough for this car. Slightly less than 9 seconds up to a hundred confirms it. The gearbox DSG DQ381 works very pleasantly and imperceptibly. And given that it’s potentially supposed to be the most reliable DSG at the moment, that’s great.
The rear camera is excellent. It would be much worse without it. Especially the wide-angle mode – it helps when going out in blind spots.
What could be better ? Sound is decent, but I would have liked more. Lack of eyewear in the base. This is ridiculous, considering that there is a place for it. Can be fixed quickly and inexpensively.
The absence of memory of an electric seat. In theory, it’s also a penny revision, why they did not make it right away – I do not understand.
Disadvantages and shortcomings of Volkswagen Taos: is it that bad?
The new Volkswagen Taos was introduced in Russia in July 2021. It is another striking representative of the budget B-class crossovers. The SUV can be both all-wheel drive and front-wheel drive. But here it has disadvantages and shortcomings, as well as the so-called “childhood diseases”.
Drawbacks of interior
Little traces of economy, even in a premium complete set are traced in new Taos. Budget rough plastic inside the interior without any chrome-plated overlays catches the eye at once. The dashboard with a sparkling smooth forehead ask to be covered with leather. And who wants to finalize something else, having bought a brand new car?
And also this bump on the panel, under which the airbag of a front passenger is hidden! It does not cast eyes lightly!
The only pleasant thing is a soft leather upholstery of an armrest on a driver’s door. Though the plastic-covered compartment of a door card will be much rattled by plastic bottles. A niche for a smartphone turned out to be slippery, so it is necessary to put anti-slip mat.
There are no armrests on back row of passenger seats. And the support of front seats is designed only for a man of medium build.
The illumination in the interior is filament, but not light-emitting diodes. Those who like cold light should buy analogues.
In many points the “fellow” of the Taos, Skoda Karok wins.
Fuel and oil consumption
Not all configurations of Taos can boast of economy. For example, the 1,6-liter engine with 110 hp has already shown itself on the Skoda Rapid. Along with endurance, it has also become famous for its “voraciousness”. Taking into account, that only the front-wheel drive versions of Taos are equipped with this power unit, the high expense is not justified at all.
Consumption of fuel in all-wheel drive version reaches 10,2 liters, that is much more than expenses of front-drive Taos (8 liters).
Besides, 1,6-liter CVVA power plant is notable for voraciousness of engine oil. It “eats” a liter per 10,000 km. This was noted not only by the owners of Taos, but also by the drivers of Polo, Skoda Rapid, Skoda Octavia with a similar unit.
Inconvenient hood opening/closing button
The hood opening button was made too short. If you are in a hurry, you risk to hurt yourself with an iron clamp-holder of the paw, as your finger rests against it. This is especially critical for women’s manicure.
Also the gas stops of the hood lid are not available on all versions.
There is no emergency button of closing on a trunk. Therefore, if your electronics has failed for any reason, you will have to take the lid of a boot with your hands.
Rigid suspension
VAG has sacrificed softness of the suspension for the sake of safety and controllability. It is designed for moving on smooth city roads. On bad roads and stony pavement all the bumps and jumps will be transferred by vibration to the body. As a result, already after a little run the plastic plates of Taos start to “sparkle”.
The rear semi-independent beam of the front-wheel drive version creates the sensation of underloadedness of the car. Because of it there is a feeling that the back part of the car is lifted a little bit. But this suspension is more dynamic than multilever in all-wheel drive.
Off-roading can affect not only ride comfort, but also the bottom of the car, as the clearance here is designed for city roads (only 182 mm). This, along with large bumper overhangs, somewhat detracts from the four-wheel drive Taos, leaving it no chance to climb big hills.
The whole truth about the assembly of the Volkswagen Taos for Russia It is no secret that the quality of a car is determined not only by the design or materials, but also by the place of production. Therefore, the question of where the modifications designed for Russia are assembled…
Transmission
The gearbox does not like a sharp push of accelerator pedal to the floor. It will react only after a little pause. And it concerns even the robot DSG. True, in the automatic Aisin the pause is much deeper.
The automatic gearbox is a little bit sluggish. It takes a second longer to accelerate in the light front-wheel drive version compared to the DSG in the heavier all-wheel drive configuration. Also, the automatic transmission is harder to accelerate at the speed it has already gained.
A couple more trivia points.
The Taos’ optics are all LED. The only exception is the small bulbs of the front turn signals. And as one more disadvantage – absence of fog lights.
The indicator of blind spots is placed outside on the mirror. Sometimes it can be hardly seen because of dirt on the glass. It would be better to place it inside the cabin.
In the underhood space you can notice a lot of badly insulated bare wires. And the noise insulation is incomplete here, so a lot of vibrations will be transmitted to the body.
To increase the luggage compartment, you can fold the backs of the rear row. However, this does not form an even floor. It is impossible to block the extremely large overhang of the seats even by raising the bottom of the luggage compartment. It takes away a part of useful space, reducing capacity of not so big compartment.
As to safety systems, the system of the car keeping in a lane works not precisely. It is needed only for a small safety net.
Briefly about the main thing
Volkswagen Taos will do as a family or as a business car for everyday trips to work. But it will be problematic to go on vacation or to drive off-road with a breeze. After all it is a city crossover! We hope that minor flaws and problems of the new Taos will not darken your impression of the new line of VAG developments.
