The compact-sized Volkswagen Taos crossover made its initial debut in October 2018 in China, while the North American market waited until October 2020 for a restyled 2022 version — just as the pandemic was hitting its stride. Despite the lack of consumer awareness regarding the Taos at the time, it has subsequently proven a very significant and popular model within the company’s SUV lineup, particularly with female buyers.
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Building on its strengths of efficiency, comfort and roominess, the updated 2025 Taos makes improvements with upgraded tech, enhanced styling and increased power.
2025 VW Taos exterior design and dimensions
This is not a total redesign but what Volkswagen calls a “heavy facelift” to a maturing model to keep it competitive with a very long list of competitors. Changes start at the front end, where a new bumper design, a new grille with an available light bar, and standard LED projector headlights with available Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS) offer a more expressive appearance. Connected taillights and an illuminated Volkswagen badge continue the theme at the rear.
Squared-off wheelarches and a strong character line give the Taos’ side profile a more sculpted look. Roof rails are standard, with Trendline models carrying black roof rails and side mirrors. Comfortline and Highline models have silver roof rails and body-coloured side mirrors. A panoramic sunroof is optional on Comfortline models and standard on the Highline trim.
Several new wheel designs are offered across the lineup. Seventeen-inch Manali aluminum-alloy wheels wrapped in P215/55 all-season tires come on the Trendline FWD, with 18-inch Kentucky machined alloys found on Trendline 4Motion models. Comfortline and Highline models carry 18-inch Fiji machined alloys. Comfortline Black Edition models sport black, 19-inch Portland” wheels with P235/45 rubber. These same wheels with a machined finish are optional on Highline models.
The Comfortline Black Edition trim, introduced for 2024, continues with a blackout look. This includes black roof rails, gunmetal front and rear trim and exhaust tips, and an optional black roof. Inside, the dash is finished in gloss black, and black scuff plates match the fully blacked-out interior.
At 4,467 millimetres in length — just 217 mm shorter than the Tiguan — the smallish compact Taos slots under its sibling as VW’s entry-level crossover. Those who fear underground garages will be comforted to know the Taos’s 1,638-mm height will not be an impediment to parking. Nor should its 1,841-mm width (with mirrors tucked in).
2025 Volkswagen Taos Interior Design and Technology
For 2025, the five-seat cabin becomes more fashionable courtesy of a redesigned dash with contrasting accent trim and an integrated semi-floating infotainment display. New materials and colours offer greater personalization with new acoustic dampening helping to reduce interior.
The upgraded dashboard features décor that varies by trim and borders the Volkswagen Digital Cockpit, while an accent runs beneath it and surrounds the air vents. The lower level provides a soft-touch surface, which runs the width of the interior and continues through the door panels on each side. The Trendline features dark blue cloth upholstery; Comfortline trims are equipped with a choice of Titan Black or Mistral leatherette. Comfortline Black Edition interiors are, naturally, all black. Highline models are finished with leather seat surfaces available in either Titan Black or a new Blue Night hue. Comfortline Black Edition and Highline models also feature a 10-colour LED ambient lighting system.
Standard convenience features include automatic headlights, dual-zone Climatronic automatic climate control, rain-sensing wipers, heated front seats, heated washer nozzles and side mirrors, heated leatherette-wrapped multifunction steering wheel and KESSY-Go push-button start. Comfortline trims add full KESSY keyless access, remote start, an eight-way power driver seat with lumbar, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and privacy glass. Highline trims add ventilated front seats.
As for connectivity, all trims feature an eight-inch touchscreen display. Along with its larger, higher resolution glass touchscreen, the new infotainment system features two USB-C ports with 45-watt fast charging and Bluetooth technology for compatible devices. Connecting devices is easier with standard App-Connect (including CarPlay and Android Auto), which is wireless for Comfortline and Highline trims, and includes wireless charging for compatible devices, along with an additional USB-C port in the rear console. SiriusXM satellite radio is also standard on Comfortline models.
All trims include the myVW mobile app with Car-Net connected vehicle services, which allows for remote access to numerous vehicle functions. It is offered at no additional charge for five years from the date of purchase. Features include remote start and stop (if equipped), door lock and unlock, honk and flash of lights, last parked location, parking information, vehicle alerts and roadside call assist.
The standard Volkswagen Digital Cockpit presents drivers with a fully digital instrument cluster. Trendline trims feature an eight-inch display with two views and customizable widgets to show a variety of vehicle information. Comfortline trims receive the 10.25-inch fully configurable Digital Cockpit Pro with up to four views — including full-screen navigation on Highlines — and numerous viewing options, including car status, driving data, phone information and driver assistance features.
There are two speaker configurations for Taos — Trendline models include four speakers; Comfortline and Highline trims include six.
Thanks to its long wheelbase, the Taos has a roomy 2,818 litres of passenger space. Front-wheel-drive models offer 790 litres of luggage space behind the second-row seats and 1,866 litres with the second row folded down. 4Motion models have 705 litres of space behind the second row and 1,705 litres when the second row is folded. In addition to generous cargo space, Taos offers decent room for all passengers, with 1,019 mm of legroom in the front and 963 mm in the rear.
What powers the 2025 VW Taos?
Volkswagen ingenieureupdated the1.5-litre EA211 turbocharged TSI four-cylinder. Hardware changes include revised piston rings and fuel injectors, a modified turbo housing, a larger intercooler, and a new gasoline particulate filter. These changes increase the engine’s output to 174 horsepower, a gain of 16 from the outgoing model. Torque remains 184 pound-feet. The revised engine features VW’s modified version of the Miller cycle, where the intake valves are closed early in the induction stroke to help with fuel economy. VW notes that it has a high compression ratio (11.5:1) for a turbo engine, which is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, a replacement for the previous seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission in 4Motion models.
How’s the fuel economy in the VW Taos?
The Taos front-wheel-drive model has an estimated fuel economy rating of 8.4 L/100 km city, 6.5 L/100 km highway, and 7.6 L/100 km combined. Taos 4Motion models have ratings of 9.4 L/100 km city, 7.2 L/100 km highway, and 8.4 L/100 km combined. The engine runs on regular unleaded.
Taos’s Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
Volkswagen’s 4Motion AWD system is available on the Trendline trim and standard on the others. The latest generation 4Motion system is designed to activate before wheelspin occurs, helping eliminate traction losses. The system achieves this by using an advanced control function based on specific driving conditions. When operating under a relatively low load or when coasting, the front wheels are driven and the rear wheels are decoupled, a feature designed to help save fuel. However, the rear wheels can be engaged almost immediately whenever necessary via the centre differential, which is activated by an electro-hydraulic oil pump.
In addition to the centre differential that acts longitudinally, electronic differential locks that are a function of the electronic stability control (ESC) system act laterally. The system can briefly brake a slipping wheel, enabling an uninterrupted transfer of drive power to the wheel on the opposite side.
Driving Mode Selection
All versions with 4Motion feature Driving Mode Selection, which allows the selection of specific vehicle profiles based on driving conditions. There are four settings: Snow, On-Road, Off-Road and Off-Road Custom. Within the On-Road setting, additional options are offered: Eco, Normal, Sport, and Individual. These alter operating parameters for the engine, transmission, steering and adaptive cruise control (ACC), as well as traction-assistance systems such as hill descent assist and hill start assist. The interface is intuitive, comprising both a rotary knob and a push-button. Turning the knob engages the various drive modes, while tapping the button triggers a pop-up menu on the screen of the infotainment system, allowing the driver to fine tune the On-Road mode.
On-Road mode is the default setting. Here, the Taos automatically varies the drive distribution between the two axles, accounting for road conditions. Pressing the button triggers the driving profile selection screen to pop up on the infotainment screen, offering a choice of Normal, Sport, Eco, and Individual drive modes. Within each, the tuning parameters for the engine control, gearbox, steering, and optional ACC are varied.
In Snow mode, the controls are adjusted to help negate wheelspin, and the transmission upshifts earlier to help optimize traction. Communicating with the gas pedal and individual wheel speed sensors, the traction control system helps reduce engine power the moment it detects slippage. Also, ACC is switched to the more defensive Eco driving profile when in Snow mode.
Off-Road mode offers similar throttle and transmission characteristics to Snow mode, adding manual control of transmission shifting via Tiptronic (the throttle kickdown switch will force a downshift). The start/stop system is switched off in this mode, and ACC operates normally.
The ESC system is relaxed to help avoid false positives often encountered off-road, and Hill Descent Control is automatically activated on gradients of more than 10 per cent. It functions at speeds up to 32 km/h and is adjustable via brakes or throttle.
How does the VW Taos drive?
Volkswagen had us driving the hill country north of San Antonio, Texas. Starting off in the state’s second-largest city, we worked our way onto its main highways until we were well past the outskirts, and then on to secondary roads that twisted and undulated with the rolling terrain. Acceleration to highway speeds is notably stronger and more progressive than last year’s model. For an American-spec crossover weighing 1,564 kilograms, the Taos with 4Motion and eight-speed automatic transmission had no issue getting to 100 km/h, taking about 7.5 seconds to do so. For the most part, the powertrain is smoother, quieter and less obtrusive, with less (but still some) turbo lag.
Considering there is no attempt by VW to portray the Taos as anything other than — to use one of my favourite sobriquets — a soft-riding suburban mall assault vehicle, ride and handling, already a strength, remains better than most of its competition. 4Motion-equipped models are fitted with a multi-link rear suspension versus the FWD model’s torsion beam setup. Nothing inherently special there but motoring along at a decent clip revealed a sportiness that is impressive. The Goodyear Assurance rubber displayed excellent grip in the turns, and there was little body roll, no matter how winding the road got. The ride was firm but never harsh. Cabin noise was hugely dependent on how grainy the tarmac surface was.
Safety and Driver Assistance in the VW Taos
Taos provides a combination of passive and active safety systems. Six airbags are standard (front and side airbags for front passengers and side curtain airbags for outboard seating positions), along with numerous electronic safety systems, such as ABS and electronic stability control. All models feature a standard rearview camera.
Volkswagen’s Automatic Post-Collision Braking system is also standard, building on the premise that a collision is rarely a single, instantaneous action, but rather a series of events that follow the initial impact. The system helps mitigate crash scenarios by applying the brakes when a primary collision is detected by the airbag sensors, thus potentially reducing residual kinetic energy and, in turn, the chance of additional damage.
The Taos also includes an Intelligent Crash Response system that shuts off the fuel pump, unlocks the doors, and switches on the hazard lights if the car is involved in certain types of collisions.
Volkswagen’s standard-for-2025 IQ.Drive advanced driver assistance technology features hands-on semi-automated capability. On the highway, IQ.Drive features lane centering and a capacitive steering wheel to help make driving easier. Around town, IQ.Drive can alert drivers to surprise obstacles in front of the vehicle. The system utilizes front and rear radar, a front camera and several ultrasound sensors to collect data from the surrounding area, enabling Travel Assist (semi-automated driving assistance); front assist (forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian monitoring); active blind-spot monitor; rear traffic alert; adaptive cruise control stop and go; lane assist (lane keeping); and emergency assist (semi-automated vehicle assistance in a medical emergency).
How much does the 2025 VW Taos cost?
Pricing starts at $29,795 for the Trendline front-wheel-drive model, $31,795 for the Trendline with 4Motion all-wheel-drive. The Comfortline 4Motion is next at $35,295, the Black Edition another $1,700. The topline Highliine 4Motion is $38,995. Add $2,100 for freight and PDI.
Final Thoughts
The industrial-grade door trim and hard plastics are mostly gone, and VW’s troublesome DSG seven-speed transmission has been given the heave-ho. The size of the touchscreen has been increased. Thus, VW has addressed the primary knocks against earlier Taos models. So, there is little that’s cheap about the surprisingly spacious soft-roader, especially the top-spec Highline version. Overall, there’s better-than-average visibility, sportier handling and Scrooge-like parsimony at the pumps. It still lacks a power liftgate or a front camera, however.
The Taos’s improvements make it more competitive than last year’s model. It has more personality, more hustle, yet it doesn’t raise the bar against the major players in the small crossover segment — Toyota Corolla Cross, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, Subaru Crosstrek, Mazda CX-30 and an easy half-dozen other makes. In other words, it’s a joiner, not a leader. Yet with stronger safety bona fides, more pleasing drivability and no massive increase in price, there are more than enough reasons to give it a look.
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