Volkswagen Taigo Review (2021-present)
Volkswagen Taigo cars for sale
3.0
Expert review
Pros
Top-spec engine impresses
Generous standard equipment levels
Spacious, with a particularly large boot
Cons
Some interior quality issues
Expensive compared with more practical T-Cross
Not that much fun to drive
The CarGurus verdict
So is the Taigo a worthwhile addition to the seemingly endless ranks of small crossover SUVs? Maybe. If you want a spacious and comfortable car with reasonably striking looks and the undoubted appeal of the VW badge on the nose, then the Taigo ticks a lot of boxes. But it’s also expensive, less fun to drive than a Ford Puma, and the interior quality doesn’t quite feel up to scratch.
The problem, ultimately, is that the Taigo feels like a bit of a box-ticking exercise, a way for VW to conveniently fill an extra niche in its line-up, but without putting too much creative or engineering effort in. It’s somehow a car that feels a little bit less than the sum of its parts and, to be honest, our money would still go on a Ford Puma. Especially when you consider that the brilliant high-performance ST model is about the same price as the top-spec Taigo.
What is the Volkswagen Taigo?
Technically speaking, the new Volkswagen Taigo is not a totally new car – it’s really a light redesign of the Brazilian-developed VW Nivus that was launched in 2020, but that has never been offered for sale in the UK market.
Under the skin, it’s equally familiar, as the Taigo also uses the same mechanical bits as the Volkswagen Polo, which means there’s a pair of three-cylinder turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol engines to choose from, with either 95bhp or 109bhp. There’s also a top-spec 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with 148bhp that you won’t find in the Polo, but that you will find in a Golf or the T-Cross small SUV.
Gearbox options include a five-speed manual (for the lower-powered 1.0-litre car), a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG automatic (the 1.5 is only available with the automatic gearbox option).
In terms of its actual physical size, the Taigo is a bit longer, taller and a wider than a Polo. But if you called it basically Polo sized, you wouldn’t be far wrong. It’s also got an awful lot in common with the dinky and boxy T-Cross small SUV, but that swoopy coupe styling means VW feels it can charge that little bit more for the Taigo than it does for the more workaday (and more practical) T-Cross.
How practical is it?
Well, if you do a lot of four-up (or even five-up) driving, the legroom and general space in the rear seats is greater than you’ll find in the slightly more cramped Ford Puma.
Thanks to a roofline that doesn’t plunge too dramatically, there’s actually plenty of space in the back of the Taigo for a relatively low-slung car, with almost as much headroom as those up front get, and more than enough for your knees and legs. You wouldn’t want to go three abreast for too long in one, but that’s what you’d expect of any car of this type and size.
Front-seat occupants of any shape or size should be pretty content, as there’s loads of adjustment in the seats and steering wheel positions, as well as ample shoulder room.
Boot space is equally impressive: the Taigo makes the most of its extra length over the Polo with a useful 440-litre load capacity. It’s not quite up there with the Ford Puma, but it’s only a few litres short.
What's it like to drive?
Fitted with the top-of-the-range 1.5 TSI Evo engine (also to be found in multiple other VW products), the Taigo is immediately impressive. The engine is sweet and smooth-revving, with a linear delivery of power across the rev range. It also makes the Taigo genuinely quick. Combined with a standard seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, it can get from 0-62mph in 8.3 seconds, and feels genuinely lively at any speed and in any gear.
Cars with the 1.0-litre three-cylinder engines will most likely be a little less beguiling. We’re yet to try them in the Taigo, but experience of these engines in the Polo suggests they might feel slightly underpowered for anybody wanting a sportier drive.
But whatever engine your Taigo has, it should be comfortable. Even on the large 17-inch alloy wheels fitted to the R Line model, it rides smoothly, cushioning you well from lumps and bumps. The rear suspension can shudder through particularly challenging potholes, but overall this is a comfortable car.
It’s not that much fun on a twisty road, though: the light steering means you don’t get much feedback about what the car’s doing, which doesn’t inspire confidence. Here, a Ford Puma will put a much bigger smile on your face. In the real world, though, aside from the rare empty country road, you’ll find a Taigo is a competent, comfortable and easygoing companion. A typical VW, really.
It should be noted, too, that all Taigos are front-wheel drive, despite the SUV styling.
Technology, equipment & infotainment
VW pretty much built its modern reputation on high-quality interior materials. However, the latest batch of VW interiors aren’t quite as smart as those in VWs of old. And If you poke around the cabin of the Taigo, you will find plenty of cheap-feeling, scratchy plastics and other materials. Now, that’s okay in a Polo – which is around £3,000 cheaper than the equivalent Taigo. It’s even acceptable in the T-Cross, as that’s around £1,000 less than the Taigo. But in this top-spec car, at almost £29,000, it seems a touch disappointing.
Aside from the disappointing sense of build quality, the Taigo’s cabin is otherwise very impressive. The seats are comfortable and supportive, the driving position offers a broad range of adjustment, and the cabin layout is sensible.
Fortunately for the Taigo, it also manages to avoid the touchpad-only set-up that’s so infuriating in the latest Golf and the ID range of electric VWs. That means you get proper buttons on the steering wheel and even a knob for the stereo volume. But there are still fiddly and distracting touch-sensitive pads for the climate control and heated seats.
The Taigo is also well equipped. The top-spec Taigo R Line model comes with dual-zone climate control, built-in satnav and various other goodies, but even the most basic cars get the same eight-inch touchscreen, wireless phone charging, adaptive cruise control, and automatic LED headlights.
Volkswagen Taigo running costs
Although the most powerful 1.5-litre engine is easily the best to drive, its fuel economy is a little disappointing. Officially, you’re supposed to get 46.3mpg, but unless you drive it really rather carefully, you’ll be more likely to get closer to 40mpg in the real world. The three-cylinder units should be capable of closer to 50mpg.
In terms of pricing, it sits part-way between the T-Cross SUV and larger T-Roc, and costs about the same as its rivals such as the Ford Puma, Skoda Kamiq or Toyota Yaris Cross. Yet it is notably more expensive than the Polo, with which it shares so much – although it is at least more spacious in the rear and boot.
But despite the relatively high pricing, you can expect the Taigo to hold on to its value relatively well – which will be good news if you’re a cash buyer when it comes to resale time, as well as if you’re getting your car via PCP finance, as it’ll most likely lead to more attractive monthly payments.
This is partly because the small SUV segment is a popular one, but also because – paradoxically – VW is unlikely to sell all that many Taigos in the UK, so the used market is unlikely to be flooded with examples.
When it comes to servicing, you can either opt for a ‘fixed service’ or a ‘flexible service’. A fixed service effectively means a service every 10,000 miles or 12 months, while the flexible version – designed for higher daily mileages – can mean up to two years and up to 20,000 miles between garage visits.
Volkswagen Taigo reliability
The Taigo itself is too new for us to be able to provide any model-specific reliability data, but there’s no reason to think any modern Volkswagen should be so troublesome as to leave you stranded at the roadside. However, the brand only fared moderately well in the 2024 WhatCar? Reliability surveyed, coming in 18th out of 31 manufacturers.
The things that are most likely to be an issue are electrical niggles, and software glitches with the infotainment system.
As for warranty coverage, you get three years’ coverage, limited to 60,000 miles. That’s fairly standard fare, but Toyota and Hyundai will offer a five-year warranty, while you can get a seven-year warranty from the likes of Kia and MG.
You do get a 12-month breakdown cover policy as standard, though, which includes European continental cover.
- If you want your Taigo to stand out, there are various personalisation options, including a choice of seven alloy wheel designs and five interior upholstery options. There are also eight exterior colours, including one – the oddly named ‘Visual Green’ – that’s unique to the Taigo
- The Taigo is fitted with a full suite of hi-tech safety kit, including automatic emergency braking. As well as detecting potential collisions with cars, the system also looks out for pedestrians and cyclists and is operation between 3mph and 53mph.
- As well as the safety systems designed to avoid a crash, the Taigo has some innovative stuff to help you should one happen. This includes an innovative centre airbag, which is located in the side of the driver’s seat backrest. In the event of an impact, it helps prevent the shoulders of the driver and front passenger colliding with one another.
- The most popular Taigo in the UK market is likely to be the more powerful of the two 1.0-litre three-cylinder engines (109bhp) in the entry-level Life trim combined with the six-speed manual gearbox. This has the advantages of an extra gear ratio over the five-speed 95bhp car, and the Life trim is sufficiently well equipped that you’re unlikely to feel shortchanged in terms of equipment.
- In the absence of a full-blooded ‘R’ performance model (as the Volkswagen T-Roc has) or a GTI model (as you’ll find in the Polo), the fastest, sportiest Taigo is the 148bhp 1.5, with its standard seven-speed twin-clutch automatic. It’s neither as fast nor as involving as the Ford Puma ST, but it is reasonably swift, with very flexible performance.
- If you want all the bells and whistles on your Taigo, it’s a straight coin toss between the Style model and the R-Line trim, since the VW Taigo trim range is set up in a ‘Y’ shape (as is the case with much of the VW range). This means that the ‘Style’ car is the one to go for if you have more comfort-oriented tastes, while the R-Line model will be the one to have if you want a sportier design aesthetic.
