Video: 2023 Volkswagen Taos Review: Plucky Power, Clumsy Controls

Yeah, I just, I really didn't like using this screen. I thought the graphics were very, very dated. I thought the controls were a little bit clumsy too. It just, everything else in this class seems to have updated and VW seems to be falling behind a little bit. Yeah, it's a similar system that I have in my personal 2021 Volkswagen Atlas. And the capacity of controls on the side can definitely be accidentally brushed and it's just not a great overall experience. It is familiar, but again, versus everything else in the class, it's a little behind. I struggled with that tuning knob that only worked for some functions, like AM and FM radio but not satellite radio. It just seems like kind of an odd setup. <v Both>Yeah. The other thing that it didn't do well in is interior quality and Joe, you rated that pretty low. Tell me what stood out. Yeah, I mean, if you're looking at subcompact SUVs and you have this perception that it's not gonna be a nice car, this delivers on that expectation, but that's not the case, knowing what else is in the class. Some of the textures were just really bland and there wasn't anything that stood out as, "wow, that's nice." Everything in the backseat is totally hard plastic except for the slightly padded armrest. But again, there are others in the class that do it much better. Yeah, Brian, you and I were talking about how they just threw a pop of blue plastic in there. Yes. "Hey, look at this." Exactly. I mean, it is more fun than not having it. That's true. a throwaway sort of appeasement to I think, younger buyers, but yeah, the drop off in the backseat from the front is massive. Everything's just firm even when it is padded. Yeah. the steering wheel stitching a little bit annoying, like just irritating on my hands as I used it. Yeah. Kind of a cross between quality and user interface, was the digital dashboard. It's not like normal Volkswagen digital dashboards that are done really well, it's different. It's a little smaller, it has different graphics, and it's really low quality. It looks blurry, it's not crisp and clear. It is like, "are my glasses smudged?" No, no, no, it's just how it is. Which is disappointing 'cause it is done well in other Volkswagens. Another big disappointment for this vehicle was in value. It came in last in value. And while, you know not the most expensive, not the least expensive, it still was missing some key things that other vehicles had at around this price. Like all wheel drive, automatic climate control, a moon roof, some kind of strange omissions. Yeah, the lack of automatic climate control was painful in the heat and just confusing. It's so common these days that not seeing it was sort of a throwback to like my 1997 4Runner. Yeah. 'cause everything else had automatic climate control. Absolutely. I mean, but it wasn't all bad, it did earn some, you know, higher scores in some other areas. One really important area was powertrain. We all really liked this powertrain. What stood out to you, Joe? It's interesting 'cause our previous experience with the Taos and the all-wheel drive version and its engine and transmission has not been great because the transmission experience, it was a bit wonky. The shifts were strange. And the front-wheel drive version addresses that because it has a different transmission. Right. a standard 8-speed automatic transmission versus the dual clutch automatic transmission. Which, you know, it was just a very inconsistent accelerating vehicle. And acceleration is done really well in this. <v Jennifer Geiger>Really great. It was in addition to just feeling good and feeling like you have a lot of power for all maneuvers, it was the third fastest 0 to 60 time and the second fastest 0 to 30 time. And it moved, it's quick. <v Jennifer Geiger>A lot more responsive than a lot of these other SUVs. Oh yeah, for sure. I don't necessarily like the way the front wheel drive handles. Yes. that's probably worth the trade off to avoid the dual clutch. Another area that we all really liked was rear seat comfort. Car seats fit really well in this. Really accessible easy access latch anchors. A lot of room for car seats. A lot of room for adults and adult comfort. Brian, I think you rated it really highly for that. Yeah, I am not a small person and I fit great back there. It feels like a class larger inside, even with a large tunnel separating the floor in the backseat. Still had a lot of footwell room. I had a lot of leg room, had a lot of head room. It was just comfortable all around. Yeah, head room gave you that feeling that you're just in an expansive vehicle. Like this is a traditionally shaped SUV. And you've got a lot of headroom, there's not a short roof. Yeah, and it feels wide too. I felt the seat was positioned a little lower than some of the others, which elevated my knees, but otherwise like you have so much space in the back. It won the cargo measurement test. And we performed cargo testing on all of these cars. And it's got a lot of cargo space for its small size. <v Both>Yeah. <v Brian Normile>And I know I complained about the lack of automatic climate control, but one comfort feature that this does have, that nothing else in this test has, is a multi-level heated steering wheel. So you can set the amount of heat that's delivered. Which is really interesting for a car at this price level. That's a nice feature, absolutely. If you'd like to see the full results or read my full review, you can find it all on cars.com. (upbeat music)