The refreshed VW Taos gets a performance boost with a new powertrain that fixes the jerky acceleration issues found in previous models. We purchased the 2025 Volkswagen Taos SE for our test program to evaluate how these changes affect real-world performance—and to see whether the Taos is a strong contender in the small SUV segment against rivals like the Subaru Crosstrek, Toyota Corolla Cross, and more.
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great review, I like this guys attitude
Gave a stellar review but website still does not recommend? I guess because of VW bad reliability.
Most likely. Doesn’t matter what brand or model these days if I were to buy and not lease I would get a factory extended warranty anyways🎉
That’s correct; it has long been an established rule that a given vehicle has to have an average reliability or above (and a good crashworthiness score) to be recommended by CR. The old Taos was among the least reliable cars CR have reviewed, so we’ll see if this refreshed version will do any better (the new 8-speed transmission is already good news since the old DCT was the source of many of the old model’s issues)
You are really good at doing reviews. Hope to see more from you. And being a Subaru guy I find myself strangely liking this VW. If only reliability matched the Japanese. Time will tell. But great job!
I like the towels but for 2 to 3k more I would get a Tiguan SE R line black…. way nicer inside and out, more features. Extremely refined
It’s not much more expensive either. The base model Tiguan is for sale near me at 29k
Nice review and I love VW Audi products. I think this is a little too small and the Tiguan seems perfect
VW needs to have a standard extended warranty (like Hyundai, Kia) to prove that they have upped their quality and will stand behind it. Especially for those of us who loved VW’s but have been burned. A hybrid option would be nice also to increase MPG. Thanks for the review.
The apology tour 72k mile warranty post dieselgate should not have been rolled back. That would have shown a company willing to stand behind its products.
Not mentioned in the review, but great to see physical buttons on the steering wheel again.
I really hope this Taos will do much better in reliability compared to the model it replaces, because I like everything else about the car and, like the reviewer, would probably pick over any other subcompact SUV on the market (if it proves reliable). Speaking of the reviewer, it’s the first time I see this gentleman and I like his reviewing style, so he’s a great addition to the team!
More likely to be another money pit. I’d avoid. The repairs, parts, and reliability will drain your sanity and wallet. I will never buy another VW, BMW, or Mini Cooper.
No cargo cover though?
I like it, now if only VW has improved its reliability it will be a great buy.