2025 Volkswagen Taos review: a compelling compact choice

VW's Taos makes a surprisingly worthy case for itself

2025 Volkswagen Taos SE review | The Road Beat

2025 Volkswagen Taos review by The Road Beat

Words and pictures: Mitchell Weitzman

I never would have recommended the sad little Taos in the past, but in light of a certain Bob Dylan biopic in theaters currently (and Timothée Chalamet likely winning an Oscar for it - edit, he did not :/ ), the times they are a-changin'. As one of the single largest automakers in the world, I’ve always been disappointed with how little thought and attention VW puts into some of their products—almost like they just don’t care. Yet, after a slew of new and refreshed compact crossovers hitting the market recently, the Taos cements itself as a key player thanks to tiny, yet simple differences that make a big impact for such a relatively small car.

Picks

An engine that works

My main gripe with the last Taos I tested was with the lump of unfortunate aluminum resting—no, slumbering—under its hood. Not only was it slow with a measly 158 horsepower, but more importantly, its main trait was unpredictable throttle response, resulting in constant slow speed lurching and an eight-speed transmission that somehow never could find the correct gear. In my head I could hear the voice of Ryan Gosling as Noah in The Notebook yelling, "“What do you want?! What do you want?!” each the Taos would upshift and immediately downshift again, unable to decide which gear it wanted.

2025 Volkswagen Taos SE Bright Green Moss

Fast forward to today, and the horsepower has risen to 174 for this 1.5L turbocharged inline-four, with maximum torque remaining at 184. Sixteen horsepower is a very, very minor increase, yet it goes beyond a simple boost in power—improving the overall functionality of the powertrain as one complete system. In the real world, this translates to an absence of the past uncomfortable jolting when leaving stops, and no longer does the Taos hunt for gears and change its mind like a distracted terrier.

A fast vehicle this is not, but it dusts a lowly Toyota Corolla Cross while also featuring an engine that plays largely behind the scenes when it comes to noise and vibration. In other words, while Toyota and Hyundai’s four-cylinders can sound like trash compactors under load (and they're under load often give their weak power outputs), Volkswagen’s own units are restrained and almost smooth with their accompanying deeper tone to match. This makes for an increasingly pleasant living experience because the engine doesn’t sound particularly cheap or thrashy like some competitors. And with that extra helping of horsepower, when you do squeeze the throttle, it’s more than capable of getting out of its own way and accelerating onto freeways—even with uphill onramps.

Simple, understated styling

While I’m not a fan of this particular shade of green (which looks somewhat like a crossover between Shrek and radioactive waste), the Taos is a handsome shape. Because so many other cars and everyday objects are overstyled to capture unnecessary attention, the overall shape bears an upscale appearance—helped further by its resemblance to expensive Audis. The exterior is simple, but it’s a simplicity that works. Just choose a different color.

The interior also goes without any particular visual flair, but the main controls are laid out in intuitive locations and features real knobs and dials for key components. Even the central display is easy to navigate and use. It's comfortable and reasonably quiet, too, and has decent quality to all the materials used on vital touchpoints. More valuable to some is how spacious this small car is for small families, with a highly impressive cargo area in the boot on this FWD model (noted by the sunken floor for extra room), and the rear seat legroom isn't half bad either. According to the spec sheet, the FWD models like feature over 27 cubic-feet of volume behind the rear seats, while AWD versions drop to 24. Either way, both offer more cubic feet than a FWD and AWD Corolla Cross, and the peak figure is similarly higher than a Honda HR-V.

More valuable to some shoppers is how spacious this small car is for a variety of families. Open up the tailgate, and there's a highly impressive cargo area in the boot on this FWD model (noted by the sunken floor for extra room), and the rear seat legroom isn’t half bad either given the 176-inch overall length. According to the spec sheet, the FWD models feature over 27 cubic feet of volume behind the rear seats, while AWD versions drop to 24. Either way, both offer more cargo room than FWD and AWD Corolla Cross models, and the peak figure is similarly higher than that of a Honda HR-V.

Confident cornering

Volkswagens have distinct steering—which isn’t my favorite by any means—by embracing an overboosted power steering effect that allows turning with a single finger. Still, while this isn’t my preferred feel, it’s direct and accurate in response, and helps make the Taos feel agile and eager to change direction, and because of the lightweight steering, this makes it increasingly comfortable and easy to drive long distances..

Handling is decent, featuring more life and tactility than its Toyota or Kia/Hyundai-branded competitors. If you’re in a hurry, you can confidently chuck the Taos into corners at considerable and passenger-scaring speed—without fear of ruinous understeer and with ample grip. Really turn up the wick, and the front end will surprisingly commit strongly to its line, while a small lift of the throttle can even help rotate the car toward your exit point. Volkswagen remains the world leader in FWD chassis tuning, as this Taos exhibits zero torque steer in the real world and doesn’t compromise on its ability to deploy its addmitedly modest power when exiting turns.

Nicks

Annoying beeps and bongs

While the Taos represents a complete package in many aspects, there are issues that ought to be ironed out—and are still subject to the formidable Volkswagen Oversight Committee. Take, for example, the incredibly loud and blaring alarm tone that sounds each time you start the Taos without your seatbelt fastened or your door closed. It’s literally the loudest bong of any new car I’ve driven, and I didn’t see a way to lower it. At least it trained me to make sure both my door and belt were done up—for fear of another earful. If it's early morning and you're on your way to work and you haven't had your coffee, the Taos' beeps will easily wake you.

The controls might be in the right places, but the steering wheel is a cluttered mess of excessive buttons. Count, and there are literally 12, and some seem like afterthoughts with their odd placement. Take the heated steering wheel, for example, which requires a specific location to be pressed with the side of your finger. Then there’s the instrument cluster and its many menus, which require scrolling and also left and right movements via the wheel. It’s incredibly dense and frustrating when trying to configure the view and information you want. You have to click one button first, then use two other sets of buttons to go right, left, up, and down just to find a single economy figure - It’s way too overcomplicated.

Not thrifty in the city

For a small and still-slow vehicle, 26 MPG overall isn’t setting any records—though it is comparable to rivals that return similar numbers. Still, I feel like we should be in a place now where a car of this subdued stature should easily return over 30 in mixed driving. At least highway mileage increases to about 40 for long hauls, but accelerating and using the turbocharged engine in city driving drains your precious gallons considerably faster.

Sensibility is compelling

Those above nicks do little to diminish the wide practicality of the Taos and its position in the market. There’s not much it does the best, but it does the fundamentals very well—and luckily, the main points of contention are things you can adjust to over time. Mazda still holds the cake when it comes to driving dynamics, luxury, and performance, but the CX-30 is less practical with its lacking interior and cargo dimensions.

I ended up liking the Taos a lot more than I previously envisioned. The key powertrain elements have improved, while its practicality and spacious nature remain—tied up in a handsome package. At $32,025, the price is bang-on competitive with its key rivals, and this modest German gets a surprising nod from a previous naysayer.

2025 Volkswagen Taos SE

Price as-tested: $32,025

Pros: Spacious and improved powertrain; Handsome shape

Cons: Beeps and bongs; City economy lags