Volkswagen's Taigo offers a slicker small SUV option. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Review

Volkswagen has added further to its already extensive line-up of compact SUVs with this trendier-looking model, the Taigo. This car shares much with both the Polo supermini and the brand's existing entrant in the compact Crossover class, the T-Cross, but brings a more avant garde vibe that will appeal more to the segment's fashionistas. And of course with it, you get all the usual reassuring Volkswagen attributes of quality and sound engineering.

Background

It doesn't seem so long ago that the Volkswagen SUV range began with the Tiguan. Today it's very different. Now there are no fewer than three Crossover models positioned below that car. Two you might be familiar with, the T-Cross and the T-Roc. The other though, might be less familiar, this car, the Taigo. The Taigo's here because there's been an explosion in sales of small SUVs in recent years and it was an easy extra model for Volkswagen to bring to Europe, this design already being on sale in South America where it's known as the Nivus. For our continent, it's being built in Pamplona, Spain and is being positioned as a trendier, more coupe-like alternative to the Polo supermini-based T-Cross. Coupe versions of mid-sized and large SUVs have sold quite well and Volkswagen is hoping same will be true here.

Driving Experience

If, like most buyers of this model, you've decided on the 110PS version of the three cylinder 1.0-litre TSI petrol powerplant, you might be forgiven for feeling quite hopeful here. This engine (which sits above an entry-level 95PS version of this unit and can also be had with 7-speed DSG auto transmission) is, after all, much the same as the one that'll royally entertain you in the brand's up! GTI citycar shopping rocket. And here, it's bolted to an even better platform, the Polo supermini's stiffer MQB-A0 chassis. If your Taigo happens to be jazzily packaged, you might think it would all add up to a little SUV that could be as fun to drive as it can be to look at. But of course the 1.0-litre TSI engine in this Crossover has quite a bit more weight to lug about than it's saddled with in an up! The longer ratios chosen for the 6-speed manual gearbox and are more geared to cruising than cremating the tyres. And of course that taller body will make its presence felt if you're minded to start ambitiously pushing on at speed through tighter bends. All of these attributes will of course be welcome to the older buyers who'll ignore the surf shack marketing and form the largest likely audience for this car. Some of these people might be more minded to stretch to the alternative four cylinder 1.5-litre TSI 150PS engine that Volkswagen is offering with this car - though that can only be had with the DSG auto transmission, which makes it a much pricier choice.

Design and Build

Think 'fastback T-Cross' here and you'll not be too far out. Like the T-Cross, the Taigo is based on the Polo supermini's MQB-A0 platform, but unlike the T-Cross, it gets a sportier swept-back rear end, finished by a full-width light bar. Sharp creases down the flanks, contrasting wheel arch trims, an extended rear overhang, smart LED headlamps and a deep front bumper complete the more dynamic effect. Dimensionally, the Taigo conforms to the segment norm, its 4,266mm length, 1,494mm height and 1,757mm width being comparable to the strong-selling Nissan Juke. Inside, there is of course lots carried over from both the T-Cross and the Polo, which means this car gets the brand's latest MIB 3 entertainment software for its 8.0-inch central screen - upgradeable to 9.2-inches in size further up the range. Plus there's a completely digital instrument gauge cluster, which will be either 8.0-inches or 10.25-inches in size, depending on the spec you choose. Rear seat headroom is slightly less than you'd get in a T-Cross because of the sloping roof, but you'd have to be quite tall to notice it. And a couple of averagely-sized adults should be fine. Out back, there's a 438-litre boot - that's 17-litres less than you'd get in a T-Cross.

Market and Model

Prices start at around £27,000 (that's for base 'Life' and 'Match' variants) with plusher 'Style' and 'R Line' variants requiring a £30,000 budget. Even 'Life'-spec gets quite a lot, with 16-inch 'Everett' Black alloy wheels, front fog lights, LED headlights and black-finished roof rails. Comfort and convenience features include logo projection lighting from the car's door mirrors, a multifunction camera, lumbar support for the front seats, electrically-folding heated door mirrors and a multifunction steering wheel. There's also an 8.0-inch instrument screen and a central infotainment monitor of the same size. Standard safety kit includes Lane Change Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control and Park Assist with front and rear parking sensors. Move up to 'Style' trim and you get Volkswagen's 'intelligent' 'IQ.Light' LED matrix headlights. These feature individually controlled modules that are able to automatically switch modes to suit a variety of driving situations. The Taigo 'Style' also features 17-inch 'Aberdeen' alloy wheels, as well as Dynamic Light Assist for the IQ.Light headlights as standard. Plus a 10.25-inch 'Digital Cockpit Pro' dashboard display and an 8.0-inch 'Discover Navigation' infotainment system. Sportier 'R-Line' trim gets you 17-inch 'Valencia' alloy wheels and R-Line exterior styling with bespoke bumpers. On the inside, more 'R-Line' styling cues are present, with a black roof-lining, 'R-Line' badging on the floor mats and an 'R-Line' specific multifunction steering wheel, plus luxuries such as ambient lighting and 2-zone Climatronic climate control.

Cost of Ownership

As you'd expect, this Volkswagen delivers a frugal set of running cost returns. In base 1.0 TSI 95PS manual form, you're looking at 51.4mpg on the combined cycle and 124g/km of CO2; it's 52.3mpg and 124g/km for the 1.0 TSI 110PS manual model; and 47.9mpg and 134g/km for the 1.0 TSI 110PS DSG auto variant. For the four cylinder 1.5 TSI 150PS DSG auto version, it's 47.9mpg and 138g/km. There's no diesel option - and both mild hybrid and Plug-in hybrid tech is missing too. And warranties? Well the standard package is three years and 60,000 miles. We can't see why Volkswagen couldn't extend that mileage limit to 100,000 miles, since that what you get on its mechanically very similar Caddy model. Doing that though, wouldn't give Volkswagen dealers so much of an opportunity to sell extended warranty packages. There's one for four years and 75,000 miles or, if you plan to see a bit more of the world in your Taigo, there's a five year / 90,000 mile package. Whatever your decision, your car will come with three years of pan-European Roadside Assistance that has no mileage restriction. The paintwork warranty lasts for three years and, as you'd expect, this little SUV is protected by a 12-year anti-corrosion package.

Summary

You wouldn't have thought there was room for yet another small SUV in Volkswagen's range, but the Wolfsburg brand has found space for the Taigo anyway. It's difficult not to think that it will merely sell to folk who would otherwise have bought T-Roc or an upper-spec T-Cross; that's one perspective. The other is that the T-Cross looks a little frumpy compared to some avant-garde rivals like Nissan's Juke and Ford's Puma. Which has meant to date that some people not prepared to move up to the slightly larger T-Roc have been dismissing the Volkswagen brand in the small SUV segment. The Taigo will put this issue right. Perhaps too effectively. After all, it's certainly difficult to see why you'd choose a mid-to-high-spec T-Cross when you could have this trendier Taigo instead for only slightly more. But that assumes you're wedded to the idea of having a Volkswagen in this segment. Many browsing customers of course won't be; they simply want a stylish, well-equipped quality option when it comes to a car of this kind. With this model in the range, the Wolfsburg maker thinks it's better able to offer that. They could well be right.

Body Glass

Electric windows

Rear wash/wipe with intermittent wipe setting

Brakes

Electronic stability control

Front and rear disc brakes

Hill start assist

Carpets/Rugs

Black carpets

Front + rear carpet mats

Communication

App-Connect including App-Connect Wireless

Wireless Charging including Bluetooth

Driver Aids

Driving profile selection

Predictive adaptive cruise control

Power Steering

Advanced driver attention and drowsiness monitor

Driver Information

Washer fluid level indicator

Digital cockpit pro - 10.25" high resolution TFT dash display screen with customizable menus and information

Travel assist including emergency assist

e-Call (emergency call)

Driving Mirrors

Power folding adjustable/heated exterior mirrors and front passenger exterior mirror lowering function

Aspherical driver's exterior mirror

Left convex exterior mirror

Embellishment Trims

Grey anodised matte decorative inserts in dash and front door panels

Engine

Start-stop system with battery regeneration (recuperation - energy recovery during braking)

Entertainment

Diversity antenna for FM reception

WeConnect plus

Digital radio reception (DAB+)

Exterior Body Features

Body coloured door handles

Rear side wing doors

External USB type C socket and charging sockets

Body coloured bumpers

Exterior Lights

Cornering headlights

LED third brake light

Ambient lighting with logo projection

Rear fog light on one side, reversing light on both sides

LED rear combination lamp

Auto headlights

Heating/Cooling/Ventilation

Air care climatronic air conditoning system with active combination filter and 2-zone temperature control

Interior Features

Front centre armrest

Chrome bezel for instrument cluster, vents, door handles + gear shift

12V socket in centre console

Seat covers in grey + titanium black

Karoso artvelours cloth upholstery

Stainless steel pedals

Black roof lining

Leather wrapped multifunction steering wheel

Storage compartment under front seats

Leather trimmed gear knob

Height and reach adjustable steering wheel

Luggage compartment floor

Interior Lights

Interior ambient lighting and surround lighting

Luggage compartment light

2 front reading lights

Front footwell illumination

Packs

IQ.LIGHT - LED matrix headlights pack - Taigo

Black roof pack with mirror housing - Taigo

Light and Sight pack including High beam assist - Taigo

Black design pack - Taigo Black Edition

Safety

Extended and predictive pedestrian/ cyclist protection

Front curtain and side airbags with center airbag

3-point seatbelt for centre rear seat

3-point seat belts in front with pretensioner and height adjustment

2 x 3-point seatbelts/outer rear seats with ECE label

Driver and front passenger safety-optimised head restraints

Adaptive driver and front passenger airbags with passenger airbag deactivation function

Tyre pressure loss indicator

Single tone horn

Manual rear child locks

Seats

Single front passenger seat

Heated front seats

Child seat anchor for child seat system i-Size, 2x top tether and child seat anchor in front on front passenger side

Front sports comfort seats

Split folding backrest with centre armrest and unsplit rear seat bench

Driver and front passenger seat height adjustment

Lumbar support for driver's and front passengers seat

3 seat bench in 2nd row

3 rear head restraints

Security

Anti-theft alarm system with interior monitoring, backup horn, and towing protection

Transmission

XDS electronic differential lock for improved traction and handling

Vanity Mirrors

Sun visors with illuminated vanity mirrors

Wheels

Low rolling resistance tyres

Wheels - Alloy

18" York black alloy wheels with anti theft wheel bolts

Wheels - Spare

Breakdown kit

Emissions - ICE

WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - Comb - TEL: 126

WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - Comb - TEH: 130

WLTP - CO2 (g/km) - Comb: 126

Standard Euro Emissions: EURO 6

HC+NOx: N

Particles: N

Engine and Drive Train

Camshaft: DOHC

Compression Ratio: 11.5:1

Transmission: MANUAL

Gears: 6 SPEED

Engine Layout: FRONT TRANSVERSE

Catalytic Convertor: No

Fuel Delivery: TURBO DIRECT INJECTION

CC: 999

Number of Valves: 12

Cylinders - Stroke (mm): 76.4

Cylinders - Bore (mm): 74.5

Engine Code: CS15BX

Cylinder Layout: IN-LINE

Cylinders: 3

Fuel Consumption - ICE

WLTP - MPG - Extra High - TEL: 48.7

WLTP - MPG - Comb - TEH: 49.6

WLTP - MPG - Comb - TEL: 50.4

WLTP - MPG - Extra High - TEH: 47.9

WLTP - MPG - Medium - TEH: 50.4

WLTP - MPG - High - TEH: 57.6

WLTP - MPG - High - TEL: 58.9

WLTP - MPG - Low - TEL: 39.8

WLTP - MPG - Low - TEH: 39.2

WLTP - MPG - Medium - TEL: 51.4

EC Directive 1999/100/EC Applies: 0

WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Comb - TEL: 5.6

WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Comb - TEH: 5.7

WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Low - TEL: 7.1

WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Low - TEH: 7.2

WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Medium - TEL: 5.5

WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Medium - TEH: 5.6

WLTP - FC (l/100km) - High - TEL: 4.8

WLTP - FC (l/100km) - High - TEH: 4.9

WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Extra High - TEH: 5.9

WLTP - FC (l/100km) - Extra High - TEL: 5.8

General

Vehicle Homologation Class: M1

Badge Power: 115

Badge Engine CC: 1.0

Coin Description: TSI 115

Coin Series: Black Edition

Special Edition: 0

Special Order: 0

Insurance Group 1 - 50 Effective January 07: 19E

Service Interval Mileage: 9300

Service Interval Frequency - Months: 12

Did at least one aspect of this vehicle's safety give cause for concern?: 0

AdBlue: 0

Standard manufacturers warranty - Years: 3

Standard manufacturers warranty - Mileage: 60000

Manufacturers Paintwork Guarantee - Years: 3

Manufacturers Corrosion Perforation Guarantee - Years: 12

Generation Mark: 1

Alternative Fuel Qualifying: 0

Performance

Top Speed: 122

0 to 62 mph (secs): 9.9

Engine Torque - RPM: 2000

Engine Power - BHP: 115

Engine Power - PS: No

Engine Torque - MKG: 20.4

0 to 60 mph (secs): 0

Engine Power - KW: 85

Engine Torque - LBS.FT: 148

Engine Torque - NM: 200

Test Cycles

Emissions Test Cycle: WLTP

RDE Certification Level: RDE 2

Tyres

Wheel Style: MISANO

Alloys?: No

Space Saver?: 0

Wheel Type: 18" ALLOY

Tyre Size Spare: TYRE REPAIR KIT

Tyre Size Rear: 215/45 R18

Tyre Size Front: 215/45 R18

Vehicle Dimensions

Length: 4266

Width: 1757

Wheelbase: 2554

Height: 1518

Weight and Capacities

Luggage Capacity (Seats Up): 440

Max. Loading Weight: 531

Max. Towing Weight - Unbraked: 620

Max. Towing Weight - Braked: 1100

No. of Seats: 5

Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres): 40

Minimum Kerbweight: 1169

Gross Vehicle Weight: 1700

Max. Roof Load: 75

Turning Circle - Kerb to Kerb: 10.7

Driver Aids

Rear view camera

Driver Information

Discover pro navigation system including streaming and internet - 6 speakers, road sign display, voice control, traffic sign recognition

Exterior Body Features

Removal of roof rails

Tilting and sliding panoramic sunroof with spoiler

Two tone Metallic/Pearl paint

Two tone premium paint

Paint - Two Tone

Two tone solid - Pure White/ Black

Two tone Metallic/Pearl - Reflex Silver / Black

Two tone Metallic/Pearl - Smokey Grey/ Black

Two tone Metallic/Pearl - Reef Blue / Black

Two tone Metallic/Pearl - Visual Green / Black

Two tone premium - Kings red

Security

Keyless locking and starting system keyless access with safelock

Towing

Trailer hitch - removable and lockable

Trim - Cloth

Karoso artvelours cloth - Titan black