Do we need another small SUV ? Volkswagen obviously think so with the introduction of the Taigo, a new crossover that sits above the T-Cross & below the T-Roc in the Volkswagen car range.
What is it ?
We’ve mentioned the T-Cross, which is Polo based. And that’s what the Taigo does too, sharing it’s MQB A0 architecture.
Model range
The Volkswagen Taigo is available with a 1.5-litre petrol engine & two smaller 1.0-litre petrol engines Plus three trims; Life, R-Line & Style.
There’s a 1.0 litre 5-speed 95hp model, only offered in Life trim. A 1.0 litre petrol 6-speed 110hp, available on all trims. Then a choice of two autos. A 1.0 litre 7-speed 110hp across all the range & a 1.5 litre 150hp, on just R-Line & Style trims.
Spec
As with most VW’s nowadays, all models are well appointed. Life comes with LED headlights, 16″ alloys, black-painted roof rails, an 8″ digital driver’s display, wireless phone charging, adaptive cruise control, plus front & rear parking sensors.
R-Line which we are testing, features 17″ alloys, tinted rear windows, R badging, black roof lining, an R Line steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, a 10.25″ digital driver’s display & an 8″ touchscreen infotainment system with SatNav.
Range topping Style adds to this with a full-width LED light bar in the front grille & automatic headlights. All models also feature lane assist, traffic-sign recognition, autonomous emergency braking, plus the bonus of wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto connectivity.
Exterior
Squint & there’s bit of 1990’s Scirocco there, as the Taigo is lower & longer than a T-Cross. Up front, there’s a large VW logo sitting centre grille, with narrow headlights & deep set fog lights. The side is neat & tidy whilst the rear features high set headlights at each corner, low set bumper lights & a sloping rear hatch.
Interior
This will be familiar to current Volkswagen customers with logically laid out instrumentation, a large, central touchscreen, steering wheel controls for infotainment & adaptive cruise control, separate climate controls, with a proper hand brake & gear lever finishing things off. The quality is mixed, with the good stuff located higher up on the dash front & top, with the cheaper plastics adorning the door pockets & centre binnacle. The seat fabric looks & feels, built to last.
Practicality
There are twin USB’s in the front & rear with all door pockets large enough to hold a drink, which is good, because the two drinks spaces located in the centre binnacle, are too small for most bottles. The wireless charger is a nice touch & the glove box is usable.
Despite the sloping roof, rear space is actually pretty good & up front, the Taigo offers decent head & legroom. The 440-litre boot is generous & it comes with a flat load floor, so it’s also easy to load up & there’s a space saver wheel located underneath.
Fuel economy
The EURO 6 engine comes with 134g/km of CO2 emissions & a combined economy of 47.8mpg. A week behind the wheel saw us average 44.6 mpg, so not far off the claimed. The 40 litre fuel tank should see a range of 350-400 miles.
On the road
Our R-Line featured Volkswagen’s 1.0-litre three-cylinder TSI turbocharged petrol engine. This comes with 108bhp & 200Nm of torque, which is plenty enough for a car weighing in at 1,260kg. The 7-speed DSG gear box is the same as the one on our own Tiguan so apart from a slow kick down in first, it’s more than up to the job, as it shifts swiftly & smoothly through the gears & is really quite refined.
The 0-62mph time is 10.9 seconds, with enough oomph offered for most situations. Top speed is 119mph, although we didn’t get close, sticking to 70mph in cruise control when on the motorway. Volkswagen’s steering wheel controls are simple to use when setting adaptive cruise up & you can also adjust your distance to the vehicle in front via the steering wheel controls.
The engines mostly quiet, only becoming noisy when you put your foot down hard. In town, the auto box makes driving the Taigo a cinch & it’s smallish proportions make for easy parking.
On winding roads you’ll enjoy the light steering & the cars very able around corners. Ride quality is also very good, with only the worst road surface causing any distress.
Being an R-Line, you can select from four driving modes; Eco, Normal, Sport & Individual. The Mode button sits alongside the gear lever next to the driver & it’s very easy to select which one you want to use. Eco was our preferred choice, mainly to save on fuel & we suggest it’s the best mode to choose, with petrol prices at an all time high.
Pros
The Taigo is a handsome, five door, family car, with coupe looks that make it stand out in crowd. All models are extremely well equipped & feature top-notch tech & safety. The 440 litre boot & hatch entry make it practical too.
Cons
Another VW SUV may confuse some. No plug-in variant
Conclusion
SUV’s represented over 40% of total Volkswagen sales in the UK in 2021, so it’s clear to see why the Taigo was launched. The Tiago drives & handles well & we had no complaints there. If pushed, we’d choose a Life model fitted with the 1.0 litre 6-speed manual 110hp engine, over the R-Line spec or both auto versions, as a car this size doesn’t require an automatic gear box & you’l save a bit up front & at the pumps.
As the current owner of a Tiguan & previously a T-Roc, we can clearly see that at 150 mm longer than the T-Cross it’s actually a clever addition to the Volkswagen SUV range.
4/5
Model Tested: Volkswagen Taigo R-Line 1.0 TSI 7-speed 110 DSG FWD
Engine: 1.0-litre 3cyl turbo petrol
Power/torque: 108bhp/200Nm
0-62mph: 10.9 seconds
Top speed: 118mph
Fuel Economy & CO2 emissions: 47.8 mpg/134g/km
Price: £28,235
