It’s starting to get a bit monotonous, but indeed: here’s another new compact crossover from a brand that already had a compact crossover in its range. Niches are there to be filled and nobody knows that better than Volkswagen. Therefore: see here the new Volkswagen Taigo, which from now on will be positioned next to/against/between/on the three-year-old T-Cross.
VW’s explanation for this apparent duplication is simple. Polo buyers are usually young, but sometimes they want something higher and hipper than a hatchback. Only: the T-Cross is bought by their parents, so they walk around it. Europe is no longer as important a market as we think it is, so developing something completely new especially for this target group is also going a bit far.
The Volkswagen Taigo is not entirely new
But wait: you are Volkswagen, you have countless different models driving around the world. Like the Nivus in South America, a modern and smooth-looking case with a sloping roofline, developed by VW Brazil. So what do you do? You adjust it a bit (on details, think of the lighting and grille) after which you park it here on the market as a fresh, new Volkswagen Taigo. Finished!
This sounds like a disastrous recipe, because you can guess what is happening now: a car developed for another continent does not meet delicate European requirements in terms of equipment and quality experience, TopGear and competitors are squeamish, customers ignore it, experiment fails. Has happened many times before.
Although this is VW, it can also be just like that: TopGear and competitors are having a hard time, everyone is still buying the thing and expectations with the proud logo are slowly declining. We understand that you are thinking in this direction, because that is what we initially did. But no, surprise: the Volkswagen Taigo is a fine thing.
Not just any South American model
To start with, when the Nivus was introduced in 2020, it was already considered that it would also come to Europe. The Volkswagen Taigo is now being built in Spain and shares several elements with the Polo, such as the doors, windscreen and interior parts. The latter in particular is good news for petite people like us, who have the Polo high and the T-Cross at its introduction, given its higher price but cheaper interior, immediately waved off insulted.
Besides, he looks good. VW actually supplies the Taigo in interesting colors, such as this ranger-like green, beautiful red and unilak gray. And you can spice it up with trim levels (there’s also an R-Line) and optical packages. In terms of height, he is between the Polo and T-Cross and of course his sloping roofline ensures that his luggage space also forms a bridge between the two.
The strange thing is that it is not only larger than the T-Cross, but also a few centimeters longer than the T-Roc, which really operates a segment higher. However, in terms of price, it is at the level of the first. Do not ask how it is possible, et cetera.
The interior of the Volkswagen Taigo
Anyway, when we get in, we’re pretty happy. No bright shiny dashboard, just neat materials, as befits a VW. Okay, the door panels apparently ran out of budget, but the armrest has a soft cushion for your elbow, so go ahead.
Hints to its overseas origin can be seen in the buttons on the steering wheel, which are still real buttons instead of the new clumsy rub cases, and on the center console: there actually shines the hefty lever of a real handbrake. That it still exists! For the record: as far as we are concerned, these are plus points, because nothing is more pointless than digitizing things unnecessarily.
The familiar elements are back too
Our chic Style version has an 8-inch infotainment screen that houses the well-known somewhat slow, but otherwise clear VW system. It also listens to your voice or gestures and it likes to talk to your smartphone, which you can charge on a nice, non-slip charging platform behind the poker. VW could not hold back at the air conditioning panel: those are the tap, wipe and pat buttons that you know from other recent models.
Instead of counters, there is a nice and clear second screen with different views and all the information you could wish for. A button on the indicator stalk takes you directly to the assistance systems, so that you can switch off the lane assist with one quick finger combination after each start.
The seats wear a tight fabric and the cheeks of both the backrest and the seat are high to keep you well in place. With our height of just under 1.85 meters we are a bit far away from the steering wheel and the touch screen: to tap the cross in the top right corner of a window, we really have to stretch. But: although you would suspect otherwise, we can sit okay in the back, in terms of head and legs. It does not last, but we are talking about a B-segmenter with a sloping roofline – nothing against it.
But how does the Volkswagen Taigo drive?
The Taigo also drives fine. The steering is typical VW: light and numb, more focused on convenience than on connection, and therefore suitable for a car like this. Do you still want more weight, put it in the Sport mode and adjust your expectations a bit. The chassis is friendly and indulgent without being slack and the sound insulation is perfectly fine.
On the highway we try VW’s Travel Assist, or steering assistance in simple language. Just a few years ago, many of these systems didn’t really work, even in six-figure cars. Now we are in a compact crossover and we drive for miles on semi-automatic pilot. It can go wrong.
the engines
The powertrain choice for the Volkswagen Taigo is limited: either a 1.0 TSI three-cylinder with 95 or 110 hp, or a 1.5 TSI four-cylinder with 150 hp. We have the latter and although it is a nice engine, powerful and a nice couple with the DSG transmission, we better stop talking about it right away – because it costs almost 40 grand (more than 30 grand in Belgium). You will almost certainly go for the 1.0, which is in the Netherlands from 28,590 euros in the price list and starts at 24,865 euros in Belgium. Although we didn’t drive that engine, based on our experiences with other VWs, we would recommend the 110-hp version with a six-speed manual transmission – you won’t regret that combination.
A bit against our expectations, we can get along well with the Volkswagen Taigo. Despite the fact that it seems to be diving into a completely arbitrary cavern in the market, we think that it does have a right to exist. Provided the extra ride height, the extra space and the sweet-tough looks are worth the hefty extra price compared to a Polo. If so, forget the T-Cross and take it. In green.
Specifications Volkswagen Taigo 1.5 TSI Style (2022)
engine
1,598 cc
four-cylinder turbo
150 hp @ 5,000 rpm
250 Nm @ 1,500 rpm
Drive
front wheels
7v automatic
Performance
0-100 km/h in 8.3 sec
top 212 km/h
Consumption (average)
6.1 l/100 km
138 g/km CO2, C label
Dimensions
4,266 x 1,757 x 1,515 mm (lxwxh)
2,554mm (wheelbase)
1,204 kg
40 l (petrol)
440 / 1,122 l (luggage)
Prices
€ 38,840 (NL)
€31,770 (B)
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