Why choose a manual: review of the owner of Taos
Good day to all! Relatively recently I became the owner of Volkswagen Taos in the configuration Respect with a 1.6 MPI engine and manual transmission, and decided to share my impressions of the experience of operating the car. The new crossover is produced since 2020, and therefore there is not much information about its pros and cons yet.
Meanwhile, for buyers who have not yet had time to decide on the choice of a particular car model, the reviews of real owners of technology are an important guide. And therefore, my considerations about the advantages and disadvantages of the Volkswagen Taos with a mechanic will most likely be of interest to these people.
Why did I decide to buy this particular model? Probably because I have been a fan of the popular brand for a long time. Before that I had Polo. Until the time this car suited me quite well. But the life has changed. I had a family and a dacha. Soon it became clear that I needed a more spacious vehicle. Preferably a crossover.
And here just the first Volkswagen Taos appeared in dealerships. I took a closer look, went for a test-drive and decided – I’ll take it! During the time since the purchase, the car did not disappoint me. Although, of course, it is not perfect. There are some things that I liked, and there are some things, to which I have claims.
Design
I have no complaints about the exterior. Stylistically, the exterior of the Taos is almost flawless. The automobile doesn’t look pudgy, but it also doesn’t look like a jock overfed with steroids. It is not perceived as an average washcloth, of which there are enough on roads today, but it is not overloaded with decorative elements. What I like is:
- The plastic pads that protect the body sides from damage are attached to the lower edges of the doors. They serve their purpose well, but you don’t hit them when boarding and disembarking, soiling your clothes.
- Roof rails for mounting a roof rack are already in the basic version. There is no need to dig out special plugs, installed on some models of cars to protect access points to the mounting points, or to try to invent something by yourself. Just put the crossbars and it’s done.
- The outer door handles are not flush recessed, but provide a normal grip. You don’t have to twist your hand unnaturally to grasp them. You can grab it from above, from below if you want.
- The turn signal indicators are mounted in the rear-view mirror housings. Even in heavy traffic it is difficult not to notice them. The main thing is not to forget to turn on the turn signals.
All body panels and connectors are fitted as they should be, there are neither height differences, nor wide slots. Nevertheless, I did not like it:
- The quality of the paintwork. It feels too thin and not strong enough. There are frequent scratches that have to be polished out.
- Low-hanging front bumper lip. It is clear that the crossover is not a full-fledged SUV. Nevertheless, the front overhang essentially limits geometric cross-country ability of Volkswagen Taos.
The interior is similar to the exterior. Certainly, quality of finishing materials could be better, but one should hardly demand it from a budget crossover. Yes, the plastic is rigid, and the fabric is not so refined, as on models of the premium class. But the ergonomics is up to the mark.
With my 186 cm and 80 kg I feel quite comfortable at the wheel. Both my wife and two underage children can be comfortably seated. But what is really missing is the memory of the seat settings. It is a necessary thing, when a diminutive wife occasionally drives the car instead of you.
Engine
I wish the engine was more powerful. But I intended to buy the car with a manual gearbox, and the engine 1.4TSI has no manual gearbox. I am not an ardent opponent of automatic transmissions and variators, I like to travel and have already had the sad experience of transportation of the car with automatic transmission to the nearest workshop, which was fifty kilometers away from the place of its damage. Yes, Russia is a big country, and not all of its corners have yet reached the benefits of civilization.
The engine of EA211 line assembled in Kaluga is reliable enough and moderately economical. But 110 hp is not enough for a car with curb weight more than 1200 kg. According to the passport acceleration from a place up to a hundred is not so sluggish – 11,4 seconds. But in a reality the car accelerates not quick enough and while overtaking one has to manipulate the selector, switching gears. I tried Taos 1.6 with an automatic on the test drive – everything there is even worse.
Nevertheless, you cannot call the crossover absolutely useless in the sense of dynamics. With the necessary skill of the driver it is enough both acceleration and the maximum speed. I know the engine 1.6MPI from Volkswagen Polo. I know that some owners of cars with EA211 in the CWVA specification complain about oil leakage, but so far I have not had to deal with this problem.
They say they pour Lukoil oil from the factory. I do not have much confidence in this brand, so at the first service, I switched to Total Quartz Energy with a viscosity 5W-40. This lubricant meets the requirements of VAG specifications, and I have no questions about its quality. Knowing that the manufacturer recommends changing the oil every 15 thousand km, I decided to reduce the interval to 10 thousand km, taking into account the operating conditions.
Transmission
During passing checkup I had a chance to ascertain, that Volkswagen Taos with 1.6 engine is equipped with five-speed gearbox MQ200. This is not a new unit, time-tested and got rid of childhood illnesses. Approximately the same mechanics was on my Polo.
Gears are shifting smoothly, there are no loud noises. The specs say that the transmission oil is for life and doesn’t need to be changed. May be so, but I changed it every 60k on my previous car, and didn’t have any problems. I intend to keep this tradition.
Running gear
The car confidently holds the road and does not roll in curves. Elastic, moderately power-consuming suspension skims well the roughness of road surface and allows, not exerting much effort, to overcome speed bumps and other similar obstacles. But do not have illusions about the high cross-country ability of Volkswagen Taos. It is a city crossover, but not a high-grade off-road.
A few kilometers of country lanes separating the village where my dacha is situated from the paved highway, I have to drive carefully and watch carefully in order not to chip the belly of the next pothole. It is easier to do than in an ordinary car, but not by much.
Conclusion
I hope that my review will be useful to those who are going to buy Volkswagen Taos with a manual transmission. Since the car operates less than a year, there is nothing to add yet. Perhaps with time there will be more information, but that’s all for now. Good luck on the roads!
Disadvantages of Volkswagen Taos: all the pros and cons according to reviews of owners
Before you buy a new Volkswagen Taos or any other car, it is first worth studying the reviews of owners who have shared their experiences of owning this crossover.
Below we have collected the disadvantages of Volkswagen Taos based on the reviews of real car owners. The car is sold in Russia with two gasoline engines: the initial version is equipped with a 1.6-liter atmospheric 110 hp, which is combined with a 5-speed manual or with a six-speed automatic transmission, the drive – only the front.
More powerful 1,4-liter turbocharged TSI unit develops 150 hp and is offered both with front and full drive 4Motion. In the first case, the engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic, and in the second it is due to a 7-band DSG robotized gearbox. You can add the pros and cons of the car in the comments.
Pros and cons of Volkswagen Taos
- Design
- Dynamics
- Spacious interior
- Manageability
- Small trunk
- Interior trim (hard plastic)
- Ergonomics (a number of minor flaws)
Reviews of owners of Volkswagen Taos
I will be comparing it exclusively to the Kia Sportage 4. Externally Taos is much more interesting than the “Korean”. No, Sportage is beautiful from behind (it is indisputable), but Taos is beautiful from all sides.
As for the interior, Taos is completely superior to Sportage. Everything is convenient and in its places. Nevertheless, some little things lose out to Sportage, such as absence of button “Mute” on a steering wheel, hard plastic of the panel and a lot of glossy details.
Running characteristics. Taos has less suspension travel and lower clearance, but that’s all. The Sportage doesn’t win anywhere else by its running characteristics. Taos is more “knocked down”, more skittish, and more aggressive. It is not even cultural to compare Taos brakes with Sportage ones.
Review of the owner of a Volkswagen Taos 1.4 (150 hp) automatic transmission, 2022.
Video review
Switched to it from a Mercedes C-180 that I drove for over 10 years. From the looks of it, I like it better from the front than the back (kind of lackluster in the back, underdesigned somewhere).
The interior is really cheap trim, but everything is pretty comfortable. What I remember from my 20-year-old Merc, a true German, is the noise. Here, of course, the noise leaves much to be desired, the doors feel hollow.
Now we have a cold minus 20. The heater warms up, but it still feels as if it is blowing from somewhere. And the heating at the bottom doesn’t warm the legs, that is, when the cabin is warmed up – the floor is cold (especially checked).
Otherwise, the car is nice, acceleration chic – stoked – went (after driving Taos Land Cruiser 200 and Touareg – they seemed to me, to put it mildly, not very maneuverable). On consumption: in the city eat more than the stated, although I do not go quickly (up to 80 km / h), on the highway comes to 5.5 liters.
Review of the new Volkswagen Taos 1.4 (150 hp) automatic 2022
The engine pulls predictably from the bottom, in the cabin it is almost never heard and, interestingly, even in -20 revs fall below 1,000 in less than a minute. It may be another ecology trick, I don’t know).
But the algorithm of work of the new DSG is very interesting: the box is adjusted to go very smoothly, moves off as a classical automatic device, while in Tiguan it has 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 the gears high, shifts down very reluctantly.
The suspension on the MQB platform is quite loud, it’s no secret. But Taos outdid everyone: when rebounding, it sounds as if the suspension is dead in the car. Thus, in comparison with Tiguan, the suspension is softer, smoothly absorbs irregularities, is not swaying and is very stable on a freeway.
Review of the real owner of the Volkswagen Taos 1.4WD on robot 2021.
Inside, the car is spacious, not inferior to the Tiguan, as their dimensions are almost the same. There is enough space for a family of four. It is even surprisingly spacious in the back, I have no problems at the height of 180 cm. True the trunk is not big at all. It can fit two or three decent suitcases.
The saloons are similar by design, but Taos will be more “youthful”. Nevertheless, a VW is a VW; everything is at hand, everything is convenient. Plastic of course is cheaper than in Tiguan, and door handles are oak.
VW Play multimedia. I liked it, it works fast, the quality of the picture is high. With smartphones on Android cooperates brilliantly, about iPhones I can not say, I do not know (although Apple CarPlay is here). Very convenient menu, on the left side there are “quick” buttons that switch to the most popular sections.
A slight inconvenience – there is no “twist” volume. You need to click on the icon among the “quick” buttons in the menu, after that the volume scale will pop up on the screen and then you can adjust. That is, to adjust in one touch does not work.
Sergey, review of the Volkswagen Taos 1.4 with automatic transmission 2021
