Road Test: 2023 Volkswagen Taos SEL 4Motion

Road Test: 2023 Volkswagen Taos SEL 4Motion

Family-Focused Entry Level Compact Crossover

With a roomy backseat and a large cargo area, the 2023 Volkswagen Taos will appeal to families with small children, or couples who will drop the rear seat and head out on road trips. New in 2022, the Taos replaced the Golf Sportwagen, offering an upright stance and more space to haul your gear. It fits in below the Tiguan in the VW SUV hierarchy.

Getting There

The 2023 Volkswagen Taos comes in three trim levels—S, SE and SEL—in either front-wheel drive (FWD) or 4Motion, as Volkswagen calls its all-wheel drive. All have a 1.5liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engines producing 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. FWD models have an 8-speed automatic, while the 4Motion gets a 7-speed automatic with a dual clutch (DSG) transmission. Fuel economy is EPA-rated at 28 mpg city/36 highway/31 combined for the FWD Taos, with the 4Motion rated at 25/32/28.

Clean Fleet Report was in the Taos SEL 4Motion for a week, spending most of our time on Southern California freeways. In 371 miles we averaged 28.6 mpg, but in a 99-mile highway run at 65 mph, we averaged 34.3 mpg. On another 87-mile run we hit an impressive 39.2 mpg. While fuel economy may be less if your driving keeps you on city streets with frequent starts and stops, it is good to know when on the open road and at a consistent speed, mid-to-high-thirties are possible.

Fuel economy numbers reported by Clean Fleet Report are non-scientific and represent the reviewer’s driving experience using the dash gauge computer. Your numbers may differ.

Driving Experience: On the Road

The Taos SEL Premium 4Motion we drove had a hesitation upon launching from a stop or tromping on it when already rolling. This probably was turbo lag, but other contributing factors could be the Stop/Start and/or the 7-speed automatic getting through lower gears quickly looking for a higher gear to maximize fuel economy. After repeated attempts and varying degrees of pressure on the accelerator pedal (including removing our right shoe for better feel) we never could get it to launch completely smoothly and accepted counting “one, two” before launching. Otherwise, the engine was smooth.

The Taos 4Motion has four driver selectable drive modes of Eco, Normal, Sport and Custom. There are also settings for Snow and Off Road, and Off Road Custom, which offer traction options not found on most compact SUVs. Eco is best for maximizing fuel economy on the open road, Normal for around town with Sport giving the most spirit by changing the transmission shift points, the throttle response and steering sensitivity.

The Golf Sportwagen was a great handling car with a large following of driving enthusiasts, so it is assumed a compact SUV with a higher center of gravity would not be quite as good. While the Taos 4Motion is designed for comfort versus performance, the multi-link rear suspension, electronic stability control and the 225/45/19 Pirelli Scorpion Zero all-season tires, made it so there is no shying away from curvy roads.

The car’s balance is placed so body roll or pitching from side-to-side during aggressive turns is manageable, but don’t expect to be attacking twisties as the Taos 4Motion is not designed or marketed as a sport SUV. The rack and pinion electric power steering was too light for our liking, even though it was progressive, tightening (or becomes heavier) on the open road, While lighter in town.

Stopping comes from front vented and rear solid disc four-wheel anti-lock brakes with electronic brake pressure distribution and hydraulic brake assist. It all produced straight stops without brake fade.

Exterior Design

Keeping with VW’s design philosophy, the 2023 Taos has a clean, classic look that immediately sets it out as a Volkswagen. Very European. The front end has rounded edges with LED lighting on all trim levels (the SEL gets dynamic cornering headlights). The flat roof sports a dual-pane power and fixed sunroof, and silver roof rack rails that lead to a small integrated spoiler and LED tail lights.

Big props to Volkswagen for not slapping black brush guards on the fender arches. The lack of needless chrome and cladding is what makes the Taos design a winner. The twin faux exhaust ports on the lower rear fascia actually don’t look too bad, and the star-patterned 19-inch machined alloy wheels look great.

Interior Design

Neat and tidy, clean and uncluttered, the German simplicity theme continues inside. Cloth seats are standard on the S trim, a synthetic CloudTex on the SE and leather on the SEL. The driver in the SEL is treated to a heated and ventilated seat with 8-way power adjustments including lumbar. The front passenger gets manual adjustments, as do the outbound rear seats, which recline. The configurable digital cockpit information screen has two large gauges set against a black background.

The seats had good thigh bolstering with lumbar adjustments for the driver. When combined with the height adjustable and telescoping steering column, a comfortable driving position was easily found. Separating the front seats is a center console with cup holders and a storage area. The flat-bottom, leatherette-wrapped steering wheel has white top stitching and brushed chrome accents.

Throughout the interior is a mix of soft and hard plastics, with the latter more prominent, as is the case on many, but not all, entry level SUVs. When comparison shopping compact SUVs, if a plusher interior is a pacing item, the Taos may be a bit Spartan.

The flat roof and wide opening doors makes for easy access to the rear seat, where there is almost the same space as the larger Tiguan. The rear head and leg room easily and comfortably accommodate a 6-foot plus person, and can handle three child seats. Rear seat passengers get console-mounted air vents, a USB-C charge port, and a fold-down arm rest with cup holders. The 60/40 rear seat in the Taos 4Motion folds near-flat for 60.2 cubic-feet of cargo space (24.9 cubic-feet when upright), but if you opt for the front-wheel drive Taos those dimensions grow to 65.9 and 27.9 respectively.

The infotainment system comes with either a 6.5-inch (S) or 8.0-inch (SE and SEL) color touchscreen. Our Taos SEL came with the 8-speaker Beats Audio and AM/FM/HD radio with MP3 playback. SiriusXM is part of VW’s Media Device Interface (MDI) with Bluetooth for telephone and streaming music and two USB-C ports—one for charging and one for data.

Volkswagen’s CarNet connected car technology provides a wireless connection for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Wi-Fi and wireless phone charging. Clean Fleet Report is a big fan of knobs and switches for radio and climate controls, so thanks to Volkswagen for making it easy to operate the radio and the automatic dual zone climate control system with the turn of a few knobs.

Conveniences, standard or optional, include wireless phone charging, rain sensing windshield wipers with heated washer nozzles, power windows, remote engine start with keyless access, heated multi-function steering wheel with audio and telephone controls, adaptive cruise control, power adjustable and manual folding heated exterior mirrors, multiple power ports, front and rear reading lights and 10-color ambient lighting.

Safety and Convenience

The 2023 Taos comes with six airbags, a tire pressure monitoring system and an Intelligent Crash Response System. Standard or available safety features as part of IQ.Drive include radar cruise control, a rear view camera, rear parking distance control, hill hold and hill descent control, a blind spot monitor, lane departure warning, rear traffic alert, and forward collision warning and autonomous emergency braking.

The 2023 Taos has been tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and received 4 of 5 Stars for overall safety. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the Taos a Good rating for driver side front, side, and roof safety.

Pricing and Warranties

These 2023 Taos prices are before any options, but do include the mandatory $1,295 destination fee.

S

FWD  $25,450

AWD  $27,790

SE

FWD  $30,220

AWD  $31,670

SEL

FWD  N/A

AWD  $35,830

The 2023 Taos comes with these warranties:

• New Vehicle – Four years/50,000 miles
• Powertrain – Four years/50,000 miles
• Corrosion Perforation – Seven years/100,000 miles
• 24 Hour Roadside Assistance – Three years/36,000 miles
• Scheduled Maintenance – Two years/20,000 miles

Observations: 2023 Volkswagen Taos SEL 4Motion

Volkswagen introduced the compact Taos SUV in 2022, becoming the entry to their line-up of Tiguan, Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport. Since then, they also debuted the all-electric ID.4 SUV. The 2023 Taos continues as a roomy five-passenger SUV with mid-thirties fuel economy, a quiet ride, good power and nicely appointed safety and convenience features. The classic European design will age gracefully. An inviting entry price around $25,000 (S model with front-wheel drive) makes the Taos appealing.

Clean Fleet Report did not have the opportunity to take the Taos off-road to test the 4Motion all-when drive system. We have experienced 4Motion on other Volkswagen models, and it is a welcome feature. If your driving includes muddy or snowy roads, you won’t need to go off-roading to get the advantage of the sure-footed handling of the Taos. The 0-60 times in the mid-7-seconds are perfectly fine for driving needs that include freeway merging and heading off to the mountains.

The Taos 4Motion is less than $2,500 over the front wheel drive Taos, so it may be a good choice for the extra traction on sloppy roads or the occasional trip to the cabin.

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Story and photos by John Faulkner.

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Disclosure:

Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.

Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.