VW’s Revamped, Upgraded and Redesigned Entry-Level Compact Crossover
The Taos has only been in the Volkswagen lineup for three years, but that was long enough for it to be freshened to remain a player in the hyper-competitive compact SUV segment. Which is exactly what Volkswagen did with the 2025 Taos to continue its appeal to families with small children, or couples that will drop the rear seat and head out on road trips. Taos is the No. 1 selling Volkswagen SUV in Canada and Mexico, and the fourth best-selling model in its US line-up behind Tiguan, Atlas and Jetta.
Volkswagen brought members of the automotive media to San Antonio, Texas, to drive the 2025 Taos as part of the celebration of the company’s 75th year in America. We only got a couple hours behind the wheel for a quick taste, so this Flash Drive will hit the high points. Clean Fleet Report will write a more in-depth review when we get in the Taos for a week or more.
Getting There
The 2025 Volkswagen Taos comes in four trim levels, S, SE, SE Black and SEL, which all come in either front wheel drive (FWD) or 4Motion, as Volkswagen calls their all-wheel drive. All have a 1.5 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine producing 174 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, a slight hp boost from last year. The 7-speed dual-clutch transmission from the outgoing Taos has been replaced with an 8-speed automatic for both all models. Volkswagen stated the fuel economy is rated at 28 mpg city/36 highway/31 combined for the FWD Taos, with the 4Motion rated at 25/33/28.
When Clean Fleet Report has the 2025 Taos for a week or more we will report on real world fuel economy and more detail on the powertrain’s on-road performance.
Driving Experience: On the Road
Clean Fleet Report drove both the FWD and 4Motion 2025 Taos. Compared to our last time in the Taos in 2022, the acceleration has been smoothed-out, which is probably the result of going to the 8-speed automatic with the small hp boost. The 0-60 times in the mid-8-seconds are perfectly fine for driving needs that include freeway merging and heading off to the mountains.
The Taos 4Motion has three driver-selectable drive modes—Eco, Sport and Individual. When in Active Control, there are settings for On Road, Snow, Off Road and Off Road Custom. There are even more options when in the On Road mode–choices of Normal, Sport, Comfort and Individual—that allow for fine tuning of the driving experience. Our time behind the wheel was on a bright, dry, sunny day, so we didn’t play many of this wide array of drive mode options.
The SUV’s balance is placed so body roll or side-to-side pitch during aggressive turns is manageable. Even though the steering is precise, don’t expect to be attacking twisties as neither the Taos FWD or 4Motion are designed or marketed as a sport SUV.
Stopping comes from front vented and rear solid disc four-wheel anti-lock brakes, with electronic brake pressure distribution and hydraulic brake assist that produced straight stops without brake fade.
The IQ.Drive system is standard on all trims, featuring advanced driver assistance technology that features hands-on semi-automated capability.
Exterior Design Facelift
The 2025 Taos has gone through a facelift that retains a clean, classic look that immediately sets it out as a Volkswagen. Very European. The front end has rounded edges with new LED projector headlights on all trim levels. The SE Plus gets an LED Light bar on the front grille, similar to the design on the ID.4 and ID.Buzz EVs. The flat roof with a dual pane power sunroof (standard on SEL and a $1,200 option on SE) and black roof rack rails leads to a small integrated spoiler and LED tail lights.
Big props to Volkswagen for not slapping excessively large 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 17-inch, 18-inch and 19-inch machined aluminum-alloy wheels look great.
Exterior paint options are Deep Black Pearl, Platinum Gray Metallic, Pyrite Silver Metallic, Monument Gray, Pure White, Monterey Blue Pearl, Cornflower Blue and Bright Moss Green Metallic.
Interior Design
Inside it’s neat and tidy, clean and uncluttered, continuing the classic German simplicity theme. Cloth seats are standard on the S trim, a synthetic CloudTex on the S Plus and SE Black, and leather on the SEL. The driver seat in the S trim is manual, while S Plus and SE Black get heated seats with 8-way power adjustments, including lumbar, and lastly on SEL the front seats add ventilation. The front passenger gets manual adjustments, as do the outbound rear seats, which recline.
Separating the front seats is a center console with cup holders and a storage area. The flat bottom, heated, leatherette-wrapped steering wheel has white top stitching and brushed chrome accents.
There is a mix of soft and hard plastics, with the latter more prominent (as is the case on many entry level SUVs), but Volkswagen did it well.
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 FWD folds near-flat for 65.9 cubic-feet of cargo space, or 27.9 cubic-feet when upright. If you opt for the 4Motion Taos, those dimensions drop a bit to 60.2 and 24.9 respectively.
The configurable 8-inch digital cockpit information screen has two large gauges set against a black background. The infotainment system comes with either a 4-speaker, 8.0-inch (S, SE and SE Black) color touchscreen, or a 6-speaker, 10.25-inch in the SEL for AM/FM/HD radio, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MP3 playback.
Conveniences, standard or optional, include Bluetooth for telephone and streaming music, two 45-watt USB-C charge ports, one for data, wireless phone charging, rain sensing windshield wipers, power windows, remote engine start with keyless access via the app, heated multi-function steering wheel with audio and telephone controls, power adjustable and manual folding heated exterior mirrors, front and rear reading lights and 10-color ambient lighting in the SEL trim.
Safety and Convenience
The 2025 Taos comes standard with these safety systems.
- Intelligent Crash Response System shuts off the fuel pump, unlocks the doors and switches on the hazard lights if the car is involved in certain types of collisions.
- Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, in certain crash scenarios, applies the brakes when a primary collision is detected by the airbag sensors, potentially reducing the chance of additional damage from running into another vehicle or structure.
It also comes with six airbags, a tire pressure monitoring system, a rear view camera, rear parking distance control, hill descent control, a blind spot monitor, lane departure warning, rear traffic alert, forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking.
Pricing and Warranties
These 2025 Taos base prices include the $1,495 destination fee. Expect the Taos to be in dealers in the first quarter of 2025.
S
FWD $26,420
AWD $28,120
SE
FWD $29,320
AWD $31,420
SE Black
FWD $31,570
AWD $33,270
SEL
FWD N/A
AWD $36,120
The 2025 Taos comes with these warranties:
- New Vehicle – Four years/50,000 miles
- 24 Hour Roadside Assistance – Three years/36,000 miles
- Scheduled Maintenance – Two years/20,000 miles
Observations: 2025 Volkswagen Taos
Volkswagen introduced its compact Taos SUV in 2022, when it became the entry to the SUV line-up of Tiguan, Atlas, and Atlas Cross Sport. Since then, they have added the all-electric ID.4 compact SUV.
The 2025 Taos continues as a roomy five-passenger SUV with mid-thirties fuel economy, a quiet ride, good power—and is nicely appointed with safety and convenience features. The classic European design will age gracefully. The inviting entry price around $26,000 (S model with front-wheel drive) makes the Taos appealing.
Petar Danilovic, SVP, product marketing & strategy for Volkswagen of America, told us the importance of the Taos is “There was a place for an entry level SUV (below the Tiguan) and, since 2022 (when the Taos was introduced), we have sold more than 209,000 cars, so we can say we have been very successful.”
Clean Fleet Report did not have the opportunity to take the Taos off-road to test the 4Motion all-wheel 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 AWD Taos.
The Taos 4Motion is less than $2,500 more the Taos FWD, so maybe it is a good choice for the extra traction on sloppy roads or the occasional trip to the cabin.
Some competitors in the subcompact SUV segment (with links to our reviews) include the Buick Encore GX, Buick Envista, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, Hyundai Venue, Kia Soul, Kia Seltos, Mazda CX-30, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, Nissan Kicks, Subaru Crosstrek and Toyota Corolla Cross.
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Story and photos by John Faulkner.
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 other efficient powertrains. 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.
