2022 VW Taos AWD Review and Off-Road Test

We get behind the wheel of the 2022 Volkswagen Taos with a 1.5-liter Turbo Engine and All Wheel Drive. Can it master the trails of the Cascade Mountains? Let's find out!

#volkswagen #vw #offroad

CONTENTS
00:00 - Introduction
00:28 - Features
05:03 - Driving Impressions
14:15 - Off-Road Trail Test

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[gamergeek]

I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, if hard plastic brings down the price of cars give me hard plastic. It’s reviews like this that are constantly making cars more expensive. Not every car needs to be luxurious. Sometimes we need a car that is cheap and reliable.

[movadopika]

I just bought a Taos and I have to offer some rebuttals to its criticisms. Power, it's not overwhelming, but is it sufficient and zippy around town. I have not noticed any delays that seem to plague the earlier models. The engine sounds are quite refined compared to the competition and at the end of the day, how many times are you going to floor it from a red light. The interior is typical VW, most parts are well done and very Germanic and others are cost saving elements. But the vehicle has a sense of refinement in its drive, the steering is very precise, handles better than you would think and the ride is well sorted. Not too firm, not too soft, VW hit the sweet spot. Kia and others might offer more soft touches, but lack the maturity of a well engineered product, which the Germans do best. Lastly, there are some Audi touches, the digital cockpit is quite nice, ambient lighting is better than most of the competition, even in higher price brackets. This is a very nice compact SUV, I had a few trepidations about the specs, but go test drive, you will find yourself surprised, it is pretty well done. I opted for the SEL trim with panoramic roof, basically all in, would purchase again, thanks for reading if you made it this far :)

[nhuff]

I just bought this vehicle today. I absolutely love it. I need it for exactly what you did with it. Got 37 mpg on the drive home from the dealer. Paid $32, 700 off the lot which I’m happy with.

[dpajc]

I just passed 1, 000 km in my Canadian Highland trim (USA equivalent SEL I guess?), and the interior is far nicer than the SE tested here. The quality is much better, nice leather stitching, better displays, cooled seats, etc. It made my buddy's Honda Civic SI look like a crummy economy car. I agree that the car is noisy compared to the Tiguan R I drove recently, that car wasn't any louder whether you're doing 40 or 140, you couldn't tell. The Taos is a great SUV offering very good interior space compared to the competition, better interest rates, and the dual clutch transmission is awesome! The car feels connected to the engine instead of the sloppy CVT where you get the rubber band effect. However, the CVT is a lot smoother and this car with DCT coupled with a Turbo lag is not as smooth as a CVT naturally aspirated engine car. The car isn't without faults, but genuinely is a great buy and I def recommend one. I so wish they had a diesel option though !!! 😭 This guy is full of it saying it's slow, slow compared to what?! A Tesla?! The car is not slow at all, if you need speed then buy a damn Tesla Model S plad.

[Taliyon]

Everybody is bashing the interior materials. I don't see the confusion. It's a very "adult" daily driver. The Taos has room for a small family, without sacrificing the familiarity in handling with hot hatches and the like... If you have a couple little rugrats, the last thing you want is to have to clean cracker crumbs out of soft touch materials. I think VW was very wise in creating a compact SUV with enough power to DD without sucking, even if it's uninspired... It looks sharp, luxury vibes, without being pretentious.

If you're 24-35 ish... Can responsibly buy a 35k car. Possibly have a small family. Need a daily driver that isn't entirely boring, looks respectable. But don't need a larger, more luxurious vehicle... Again, I don't see the confusion. The Taos might be the most VW creation in a very long time. I think it's a bigger market than "car enthusiasts" who review cars, seem to understand.

I like the review format! Sub-worthy

[jacknapier]

I love my 2022 Taos SE, I get compliments cus I always keep it looking sharp. I bought it October 2021 and only has 6400 miles, and I intend to keep it for a long time. 😉😊

[mistersitati]

Haha...shout out from #Kenya 🇰🇪 .. 18:11.. Would be great if we got the Taos, we only get the Polo and Tiguan locally assembled here. It's Subaru country though! I'm sure you saw that. Love the show ✌️

[marshaclark]

Another great review; really appreciate the efforts to use the same locations, techniques and camera angles to help make valid comparisons between vehicles. Can’t wait to see the improvements to the DS “proving grounds”. Keep up the good work!
Sadly this VW is overall somewhat disappointing, but the dual clutch tranny did surprisingly well off-road. Higher cabin noise is a deal breaker for me on those longer trips. CS-5 has my vote in this class right now and can actually still be found on dealer lots here in FL.

[streamscreen]

Nice video I have the awd Taos would never take it off road.It’s not fast but definitely not slow I find it be quite zippy for the power it has.

[bradenabbott]

Excuse me what? This does not compete with the Forester, CR-V or Tuscon. This competes with HR-V, Kona, Trailblazer, Envision, Bronco Sport, Seltos, C-HR, Renegade, Kicks, and Crosstrek.

[coraltheexplorer]

I had a TAOS it’s is a GREAT city car or even just living in the high desert will get you to 80 percent of place. And the cargo space NEVER let me down with needed cargo space… I used that car to the max. Only thing That needed some refinement was the transmission. Got it for 23k such a great price . My other cars atlas (Taos replacement) and 1992 gmc 3500HD

[brandoncooney]

I absolutely loved the Taos, I hated the Tiguan because it was way too underpowered and the Taos is more peppy. The Taos is 1000x better than the Kia Seltos, I drove that and wanted to turn right back around, it was sooo loud, not smooth at all, and overall very disappointing. I ended up trading my Arteon in for an Atlas because the Taos's are hard to find in SEL trim and Kings Red color. Atlas are easier to find.

[devinlewis]

Awesome review. Love seeing crossovers tackle this road. Also love seeing the maverick in the background. Would be cool to get an update on how it’s been since you’ve got it

[welcomemyworld.o]

That is actually pretty damn impressive! So much better then 1995-2017 outback’s and Toyota 2001-2022 rav4, highlander, and all Hyundai vehicles lmao!

[RichardVac]

Thanks! For the review, one thing this vehicles can do if you want to do a 0-60 is launch control, it will do more than a second faster than the 8.4, I did it myself and it works great, I am surprised no other vehicle in this category and price point offer this feature. This little turbo engine using 93 octane gas will increase the hp but to save $ 87 is ok to use.
I like the driving dynamics, the steering feels nice and the suspension is well tuned with the vehicle, it corner well, filling security on the road, also the 4MOTION has proved to be good, if you want a little more ground clearance you can buy a lift kid they sell for all the vw SUVs called "Basecamp accessories". I like the space it offers inside, over all I think it is a great vehicle

[williambuklad]

Agree it's terrific driver, you hit the important stuff, the only down is the tire noise maybe it's the OEM fit; the Conti's on my otherSportwagen TDI are really good in that regard. On my front driver the 8 spd is absolutely terrific, always in the right cog. Seats with lumbar adjustment are outstanding. Right, the trip odometer I haven't figured out and use the car data window. And that lets me hyper mile, the flat road 65 mph local stuff nets always over 41 - like 45 even - which just flat out amazing. I think the fwd has plenty of pull with the 1.5, which engine has a terrific reputation in the eurozone. Nice review, thanks.

[artpastorette]

I have a Taos S 4Motion. My car really grew on me and the fact that it can handle off-roading is great. I do think it is slow unfortunately. I also feel like the interior is quite cheap feeling, especially the cloth seats on the S trim. Other than that I love it. I use to have a Golf SE 2019 and the interior quality of the Taos is definitively a huge downgrade. Mine is equipped with the adaptive cruise control stuff.

[bucknakedbullfrog]

Great review, the Taos 4motion is what we are looking at for our get around vehicle in Maine.

[AaronPeabody]

Another enjoyable video—thank you! As a fellow dweller in the Seattle area I’d love it if you could share more information about the roads you drive. Not your private course, naturally, but I’d love to try my hand (and Subie) at the places you use for your test drives and reviews.

[freedomstar]

The Taos with a 2.0 turbo and a 2 inch lift and better off road tires would be a blast !