First Drive: 2022 Volkswagen Taos

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The introduction of the 2022 Taos continues Volkswagen’s shift from car company to crossover brand. When VW decided the cute and cuddly T-Roc was just too small for North America tastes, it started planning. The result sees the Taos straddle the gap between the traditional sub-compact and compact segments.

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It is a bold entrant that picks up a lot of its style from its larger Atlas siblings and slots neatly under the Tiguan, so it becomes the gateway to the brand’s range of crossovers. When it lands, Taos – named after a small New Mexico town – will be offered in Trendline ($26,695); Comfortline ($32,395); and the top Highline ($36,695) model tested.

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The strong exterior style flows neatly into a clean and well-conceived cabin. The Highline brings classy materials — the leather covering the heated and cooled front seats is so much nicer than the leatherette found in the Comfortline. This is worth the Highline premium alone.

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Centre stage goes to an eight-inch infotainment screen that proved to be fast and easy to use. It also supports wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a solid Beats sound system with eight speakers and a subwoofer. You’ll also find VW’s Digital Cockpit with a 10.25-inch reconfigurable screen and a power panoramic moonroof.

Move rearward and there is plenty of room for a pair of six-footers, which is generally not the case in a sub-compact crossover. The reason is the legroom in the Taos is only 45 millimetres less than Tiguan, in spite of the fact the wheelbase, at 2,689 mm, is full a 101 mm shorter.

The Taos also has generous cargo space. With the seats up, it measures 790 litres; drop the 60/40 split/folding seats down, and it grows to 1,866L. The amount of space does drop slightly for the 4Motion all-wheel-drive models. Regardless, it’s still significantly more than the Mazda CX-30 and Subaru Crosstrek.

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One small nit is when the seats are folded, there is a 25-mm or so lip where the folded seat backs meet the trunk floor.

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While the Trendline is missing key safety equipment, the Comfortline and Highline come with forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and auto-braking along with blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The Highline then adds active front headlights, rain-sensing wipers, auto high-beams, and rear parking sensors. A $1,000 package on Highline brings lane-keep assist, remote start, and adaptive cruise control with stop/go functionality.

Power comes from a new 1.5L turbo-four that was derived from the 1.4L turbo-four found in the Jetta. In this case, it twists out 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque at 1,750 rpm. It works with an eight-speed automatic transmission in the front-drive model; and a better seven-speed twin-clutch box in the all-wheel-drive units. The smart entry-level shopper will go with the 4Motion all-wheel-drive system — the $2,500 option cost on the Trendline is money wisely invested. It is standard on Comfortline and Highline.

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Normally, 4Motion feeds the power through the front wheels, which helps fuel economy. However, an impending loss of traction sees up to 50 per cent of the drive flow to the rear wheels. As the system is proactive, the continual ebb and flow of power means wheelspin is basically banished, so it is just what’s needed on a slippery Canadian road. It also uses a brake-based differential action to ensure the drive goes to the wheel(s) that can use it.

There are different drive modes, including Normal, Sport, and Individual. Sport puts a little more weight in the steering, sharpens the throttle response and quickens the gearshifts. There are also terrain modes, including snow and off-road.

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The Taos is a perky performer — the turbo-four gets the riders to 100 km/h in 8.3 seconds, which is pretty quick for the segment. Part of the reason is the turbocharger blows the air into the engine at 25.9 psi. In spite of this high boost pressure, Taos still burns regular gas, which is a plus that cuts the cost of ownership.

Another reason to go with the 4Motion AWD model is the fact it gets a better rear suspension. Where the front-drive model uses a torsion beam setup, the 4Motion models employ a multi-link layout. In simple terms, the switch makes a semi-independent system fully-independent. This helps both the ride and handling.

This is where the Taos really shines. The manner in which it balances ride comfort with handling is right there with anything in the segment. On an occasionally wet drive route, the all-wheel-drive system hooked up seamlessly and the suspension soaked up road ripples in stride.

The bonus is body roll is limited to a handful of degrees, so it holds a flat attitude through a fast corner. The steering follows this lead. It has good on-centre feel and the response to input is quick and refined. As a package, it is one of the sportier crossovers at this end of the market.

The 2022 Volkswagen Taos is marked by its clean, spacious cabin, perky performance, dialled-in handling, and a good all-wheel-drive system. This blend of attributes promises to make it a hit with a growing family or a family on the go.