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Pros: Spacious cabin, stylish exterior, plenty of tech inside
Cons: No hybrid, small boot
When I first heard that Volkswagen were adding another SUV to their range, It made me realize just how many there actually is. Currently their SUV offering includes the T-Cross, T-Roc, Tiguan, Tiguan Allspace, Touareg and the all-electric ID.4 and ID.5.
So where does the all-new Taigo fit into this line-up? It’s slightly larger than the T-Cross, but because of the sloping roofline at the rear it fits into the new and ever-growing SUV Coupé market.
The Taigo faces fierce competition not only from within its own family but from the likes of the Ford Puma, Nissan Juke, Kia Xceed, Mazda CX-30 and Audi Q2 to name a few.
Taigo Exterior
From the outside, you can tell that Volkswagen took an even more style-focused approach when designing their latest SUV. Apart from an impressive new continues LED light strip, it may be hard to distinguish from its siblings the T-Roc or T-Cross at the front. It’s really from the side where you see the coupe-styled SUV signature of the Taigo that’s very easy on the eye.
The sloping rear of the Taigo is accentuated by a dark red LED light strip which continues across the whole back of the vehicle, with the VW logo positioned in the centre, giving the vehicle a distinctive presence on the road.
Taigo Interior
Inside the cabin is spacious and comfortable. One thing that was pleasantly surprising was proper buttons on the steering wheel, as opposed to the awkward touch sensitive ones featured on other Volkswagen vehicles like the new Polo and Tiguan Allspace we recently reviewed.
The tech inside the Taigo as expected is seriously impressive. Our test car featured a digital cockpit pro and wireless phone charging which were great additions. I felt as though Volkswagen could have fitted a larger infotainment screen though, maybe squeezed an extra two inches onto the existing 8-inch. But besides that the infotainment was very easy to connect to and displayed very well.
Passenger space in the rear in generous enough for a small crossover of its size. The Taigo’s sloping roof loses some headroom compared to the T-Cross, but would fit an average size adult comfortably.
Taigo Performance & Trims
The Taigo is only offered as 1-litre Petrol in Ireland currently, with manual and automatic transmission options available. Our test car had the DSG (automatic) gearbox, which shifts swiftly and smoothly.
Driving the Taigo is best cruising at a leisurely pace. The 1-litre engine isn’t designed to shoot off from the mark, but it does feel light enough with heavy acceleration. The Taigo is a city car and proves that when taking corners and bends with its sharp responsiveness.
There are three trim levels available, Life, Style or R-Line. The entry-level Life trim comes with a number of impressive features as standard including the leather wrapped multi-functional steering wheel, digital cockpit, 16-inch alloys and lots of safety equipment. The car we tested was the R-Line trim which included R-Line sports comfort seats, R-Line specific exterior styling, adaptive cruise control system and privacy glass in the rear. Our test car also had added extras including metallic paint, rear view camera, panoramic sunroof and wireless smartphone charger.
Pricing for the Volkswagen Taigo starts at €29,625 including delivery, which is pretty much in line with its nearest competitor the Ford Puma. If you wanted the same spec as our test car plus the optional extras, you’d be looking at a hefty enough €41,849.
Verdict 3.5/5
Crossover coupés have become extremely popular lately among Irish motorists and it’s no surprise to see Volkswagen release their own version. It’s a great looking, stylish car with reasonable enough space and a comfortable drive. But I struggle to find much more that it offers that we haven’t already seen in the likes of the T-Cross or Polo. Saying that, if something isn’t boke don’t fix it, so if you are looking for the reliability and familiarity of a Volkswagen with a fresh shape then the Taigo won't disappoint.
Model: Volkswagen Taigo R-Line
Engine: 1.0 TSI 110hp DSG
Fuel Type: Petrol
Co2 emissions (WLTP): 136 g/km
Motor Tax: €210
Starting Price: €29,625
Test Car Price: €41,849