Volkswagen Taigo Review & Prices

The Taigo is one of Volkswagen’s vast range of SUVs, offering a unique coupe-styled rear end as its USP and slotting in just above the T-Cross in both size and pricing. The basic design is rather similar, sharing much with both the smaller SUV and the one-size-up T-Roc. Think of the Taigo as the nearly identical twin with the cooler haircut.

You get the same face as the Polo hatchback alongside some additional trim pieces to make it more aggressive and crossover-like, while there’s now a lightbar connecting the headlights like most newer VW models. 

It’s got a sleek side profile, ending with a small spoiler on the roofline. You also get some SUV-style cladding around the wheel arches and additional detailing around the back. ‘Taigo’ is also written out under the number plate and rear lightbar, and the roof bars add to its SUV feel. You can also choose from multiple two-tone paint options on the mid- and top-spec models. 

It doesn’t have the most exciting cabin, but you’re able to get a 10.0-inch touchscreen alongside a digital instrument display – the latter of which comes as standard. You also get climate controls with proper easy-to-use dials right out of the box, but higher-spec models get the annoying sliding touchbar setup introduced in the latest Golf. This doesn’t work very well.

Still, there’s decent space up front and visibility is okay – even if the rear window is a bit small. That said, adult passengers will find the second row a bit tight for space. The roof slopes slightly so taller people will struggle to get completely comfortable, while legroom is also a bit limited. 

You get 438 litres of storage capacity in the boot and the load lip is quite small. The Taigo’s boot is larger than what you'll find in the Kia XCeed, SEAT Arona and Peugeot 2008, but the Ford Puma is a bit more spacious. You can also fold the rear seats down to be almost flat and open up even more storage space.

VW has changed its trim line-up across its models, so with the Taigo there’s only three you need to choose from – Life, Style and R-Line. You get decent equipment levels across all three, with R-Line giving you the sportiest finish both inside and out.

You get a choice of two engines, both of which are petrol. The 1.0-litre three-cylinder comes with two power options – 95hp or 110hp – while the four-cylinder 1.5-litre is only offered with 150hp. You can have manual or automatic transmissions across the line-up, apart from the top-end power option that can only be had with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. 

Choosing the 110hp will give you more than enough power to work with, while the six-speed manual transmission is smooth and easy to use. The automatic is okay, but just be wary of it being jerky on getaway. 

When you get out on the road, the Taigo feels stable and secure – but if you’re after an exciting and invigorating experience, you may want to look elsewhere. The suspension soaks up the majority of bumps on the road well, with only the largest ones making an impact on the cabin, especially on the 17-inch wheels. 

Around town, the Taigo has light steering to make skipping in and out of traffic very easy. It’s compact enough for most spaces too, even the smallest ones in car parks. Then out on the motorway, it’s very easy to live with, as there’s only a slight wind whistle from the roof rails and wing mirrors. Tyre noise can be intrusive on larger wheels though.

Even though it isn’t the most exciting, the Volkswagen Taigo is a capable compact crossover at the more affordable end of the market. Some of the interior finish might not be the best, but the overall quality is more than good enough for most. 

If you’re interested in this affordable coupe-styled SUV, why not check out the latest Volkswagen Taigo deals on carwow, where you can see how much you can save on a new car. You can also check out the latest used VW Taigo stock as well as browsing other used Volkswagen deals. You can also sell your car online through carwow.

The small SUV class is packed with options, many of them VW Group products. The VW Taigo is placed like an SUV-shaped Tetris block in-between the slightly cheaper T-Cross and marginally pricier T-Roc, each one offering incrementally more kit and engine options than the last. The Skoda Kamiq and SEAT Arona (two more VW Group products) undercut the Taigo, although they are slightly less well-equipped as standard.

Offerings from other manufacturers include the stylish Mini Countryman and striking Toyota C-HR, both cost a fair bit more than the Taigo but are pitched as more upmarket alternatives. The Ford Puma and Peugeot 2008 are similarly specced and come within a few hundred pounds of the Taigo’s base price.

Clearly, there’s no shortage of choice here, the Taigo differentiates itself with its unique (at this price) coupe-like styling and its decent spec sheet. Pick the base Life trim with the 108hp engine for the best value, or the Style trim for a bit of extra kit. 

The Taigo is easy to drive in town and feels composed on winding roads, just don’t expect an exciting driving experience

In town

Thanks to its compact dimensions and good visibility, the Taigo feels perfectly at home zipping into gaps in the traffic. The firm suspension doesn’t harm the ride quality, with the Taigo taking most bumps and dips into its stride.

The small rear window can make it tricky to gauge the distance of obstacles during parking, but standard surround parking sensors and park assist will help you avoid any parking scrapes. You also get traffic jam assist and autonomous emergency braking on all trims, with hill start assist taking the stress out of pulling off on sharp inclines.

On the motorway

The Taigo is a consummate cruiser, offering a good view out for the driver and coming standard with adaptive cruise control, lane change assist and a driver fatigue alert system. There is also a semi-automated Travel Assist system which works in conjunction with a lane keeping system.

There’s not much wind or road noise, although the larger 18-inch wheels (optional on Style and R-Line trims) do transmit a bit of tyre noise into the cabin.

On a twisty road

The Taigo feels safe and planted around a twisty road. The firm suspension limits body roll, and there’s plenty of grip from the tyres around corners. But even in the sportiest R-Line trim, this  doesn’t translate into a particularly exciting driving experience. The Ford Puma and Peugeot 2008 offer a lot more driving enjoyment down a country road.

Passenger space is impressive considering the Volkswagen Taigo's small size, though that cool sloping rear roofline does impinge on rear headroom

The Taigo feels spacious in the front; the steering wheel and driver’s seat offer plenty of tweaking so you can get your driving position just right. Both front seats have height adjustment and lumbar support, and there’s a decent amount of storage space as well.

The door bins will take larger water bottles, and there’s space for two coffee cups in the centre console, although the movable armrest can block access to them in its forwardmost setting. A slot in the dashboard ahead of the gear lever offers wireless charging for your phone, and there’s a smallish glove box for items you would like to keep out of sight.

Space in the back seats

Space in the rear is decent if you aren’t particularly tall, but that sloping roofline will have loftier heads rubbing the headlining. The centre rear seat is also narrower than the outer two, with a pronounced bump in the footwell hindering leg room.

A couple of teenagers or shorter adults should fit fine, but there are more spacious small SUVs out there if you need to transport a trio of adults in the rear on a regular basis. Passengers in the back row get access to a set of USB ports to charge their devices and two small door bins as well as front seatback pockets for tablets or books.

Boot space

The Taigo may sacrifice a bit of space in the name of style, but it’s not as much as you’d think. Its 440 litres of boot space is actually quite competitive here. The more conventionally-styled VW T-Cross has just 15 litres more, and the T-Roc offers only five litres of additional luggage room.

It edges out the Peugeot 2008 (434 litres), Kia XCeed (426 litres) and the SEAT Arona (400 litres), and if you fold the seats down you get a flat load space. It's only beaten by the Ford Puma, which has 456 litres to offer thanks to an additional section under the floor. There’s no adjustable boot floor, but there’s only a very minimal load lip so it isn’t really missed.

The Taigo has a well laid-out interior, although it’s more functional than stylish and some trim could be of a higher quality

The VW Taigo is offered in Life, Style and R-Line trims; there are some variations in seat coverings but the majority of finishes are in black and dark grey, with a few silver flashes on the steering-wheel and door handles to lift the sombre mood.

All trims are offered with an 8.0-inch infotainment screen which comes with DAB digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, as well as sat nav on the top two trims. There are a few touch-sensitive shortcut buttons running along either side of the screen. It’s a responsive system, with clear graphics, although some functions can be hard to access while on the move.

The base Life model makes do with physical rotary controllers for the climate control, where higher trims get a touch-sensitive panel with a sliding touchbar that is actually more frustrating to use. The base trim also gets an 8.0-inch digital driver display, while the other versions get a larger 10.25-inch version. Both offer decent configurability and give the cabin an upmarket feel that helps to distract from the sections of hard and cheap-looking plastics dotted around the cabin. There is a brace of USB-C sockets in the front, allowing you to charge mobile devices while on the move.

The Taigo is offered with two petrol engines in three power outputs. The base offering is a 94hp 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol that is paired with a five-speed manual and is good for a claimed consumption figure of 51.4mpg and 123g/km of CO2 emissions. It is nippy enough around town and will get from 0-62mph in 11.1-seconds, matching the Peugeot 2008 as well as other VW Group products equipped with the same engine, such as the SEAT Arona and VW T-Cross.

The 109hp 1.0-litre engine is the sweet-spot in the range. It can be had with a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and will deliver up to 52.3mpg in manual guise. It is a bit quicker to the 62mph mark, but its main appeal is that it feels stronger during overtaking and on the motorway. The automatic uses a bit more fuel at 47.9mpg but is worth it if you spend a lot of your commute in traffic. These figures once again match the Arona and T-Cross with the same engine, although the punchy 129hp 1.2-litre engine in the Peugeot 2008 is slightly quicker and more frugal.

The Style and R-Line trims can also be specified with the 148hp 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine. Paired exclusively with the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, it gets from 0-62mph in a quick 8.3 seconds, which is faster than the 153hp Ford Puma, although its 46.3mpg figure is marginally worse.

All models are front-wheel-drive here; VW’s T-Roc is available with all-wheel-drive but that trim costs significantly more than even the priciest Taigo. There aren’t any hybrid options in the Taigo range, although the lower initial cost and still decent fuel economy of the entry-level petrol engines should still result in affordable running costs.

The VW Taigo received a full five-star rating when it underwent Euro NCAP testing in 2022. It did very well in the adult occupant test, scoring 94%, as well as the child occupant test where it achieved 84%. These results put it among the safest small SUVs on sale today.

Standard equipment on all Taigo trims includes adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, park assist with surround parking sensors, lane change assist and travel assist – a semi-automated driving assistance system.

The VW Taigo is a relatively new model, however it shares a lot of its componentry with other VW Group products, so long term reliability should be good. It comes with a rather average three-year/60,000-mile warranty, this can be extended from around £140 for the two smaller engine options.

Fixed and flexible service packages are available, with the fixed option suiting those that frequently do short journeys, and the flexible schedule more suitable for those that do longer distances at low engine loads.

The fixed servicing plan will require a service to be carried out every 9,300 miles or 12 months, whichever occurs first. The flexible plan requires a minor service every 12 months or 10,000 miles, and a major service every 24 months or 20,000 miles. Prices vary depending on the model.