First Look : 2022 Volkswagen Taos
November 06 2020, Graeme Fletcher
Volkswagen has a penchant for naming its models somewhat differently when compared to other automakers. The Touareg was named after a nomadic tribe from North Africa, while Tiguan arrives by blending tiger and iguana. Now comes the five-seat Taos — named after an artsy town in New Mexico — a new crossover adapted in North America for the North American market, and built in Mexico. It will arrive in 2021 as a 2022 model, and will be offered in Trendline, Comfortline, and Highline trims.
The launch speaks to the fact VW is transitioning from cars to more of a crossover purveyor; when the Taos arrives, VW will have five crossovers, including the two Atlas variants, the all-electric ID.4, and the Tiguan. With the demise of the Golf in North America for next year (the GTI and R will remain), the Taos is set to fill in. And given roughly 50 per cent of all sales coming from SUVs and crossovers, this move makes sense.
The Taos puts a more youthful and vibrant spin on the traditional two-box design with available adaptive headlights and LED daytime running lights. Around at the back, there are more LEDs and a new design treatment for the Taos’ badging. The latter will roll out to other VW crossovers.
Slotting below the Tiguan, the Taos is based on VW‘s MQB platform, but at 4,466 millimetres long overall, it’s 236 mm shorter than the Tiguan and it rides on a 2,689-mm wheelbase. The plus is the wide stance gives the Taos a purposeful look; the fact the front lights are linked by a cross-grille light bar serves to underscore the width.
Full specifications and pricing will be revealed closer to launch, but Volkswagen did say the Taos will match its key rivals in terms of the pricing ladder. For instance, there’s a roughly $5,200 difference between the base Subaru Crosstrek and base Forester, a $4,500 jump between the Toyota C-HR and RAV4, and a similar delta between the Honda HR-V and CR-V. If the Taos mirrors this pricing strategy, it would put the entry point around $25,000.
