2025 Volkswagen Taos Review and Test Drive

Volkswagen's smallest SUV gets a mild refresh and more power to keep it relevant in a crowded field.

Ron Sessions | 

Feb 6, 2025 | 6 min read

Ron Sessions

Aimed at first-time SUV buyers, young professionals, small families, and empty nesters, the refreshed 2025 Volkswagen Taos blends surprising roominess and a generous level of standard equipment with design pizazz that belies its entry-level status in the German automaker's SUV lineup.

The 2025 Taos is available in S, SE, SE Black, and SEL trim levels. This year, base prices range from the mid-$20,000s to the mid-$30,000s, including the destination charge for shipping the SUV from the Puebla, Mexico, factory that builds it to your local dealership.

For this Taos review, I test-drove the SE Black in and around San Antonio, Texas. The optional 4Motion all-wheel-drive (AWD) system and Bright Moss Green exterior paint with a Deep Black roof brought the manufacturer's suggested retail price to $33,725, including the $1,425 destination charge. Volkswagen provided the vehicle for this Taos review and paid for airfare, lodging, and meals during the evaluation period.

Ron Sessions

Is the 2025 Volkswagen Taos a Good SUV?

If you are looking for a small and affordable SUV with numerous standard driver-assistance features, surprisingly generous rear-seat room, and plenty of cargo space, then the Volkswagen Taos checks those boxes.

However, this segment has several appealing models, including the Buick Envista, Chevrolet Trax, Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30, Subaru Crosstrek, and Toyota Corolla Cross.

Ron Sessions

What's New for the 2025 Volkswagen Taos

Volkswagen introduced the Taos to its U.S. customers in 2022. Three years later, the subcompact SUV is getting its first refresh to keep it appealing in a competitive segment.

Revised styling is the first clue you're looking at the updated 2025 Taos. Up front, a bolder bumper, a bottom-breather grille, and new LED projector headlights give the SUV a fresh appearance.

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A light bar joins the headlights on the Taos SE Black and SEL, adding a modern touch and a visual connection to other Volkswagen models. On all but the base Taos S, an adaptive front lighting system automatically adjusts the headlamps' angle for driving conditions.

In the back, the 2025 Taos sports new full-width taillights that bracket a fist-sized illuminated Volkswagen emblem. In addition, the 2025 Taos rolls on new 17-, 18-, and 19-inch alloy wheel designs. Its color palette also gets a boost with jazzy exterior hues, including Bright Moss Green, Monument Gray, and Monterey Blue Pearl.

Ron Sessions

Inside, the new Taos has a revised dashboard, improved interior materials, and a fresh presentation for the infotainment system. Controversial touch-sensing climate controls also debut. Under the hood, increased engine power scoots the Taos with more authority while VW cancels the previous dual-clutch transmission (DCT) in favor of a smoother-shifting traditional automatic.

Ron Sessions

2025 Volkswagen Taos: Upgrading the Cabin Experience

My SE Black test vehicle had less hard interior plastic and more premium-looking, soft-touch surfaces running the dashboard's width into the front door panels. This enhancement adds a quality look and feel uncommon among small, entry-priced SUVs.

The revised dashboard also gets a free-standing rather than embedded infotainment screen. This year, it measures 8.0 inches for all Taos trim levels, replacing the 6.5-inch screen in the base 2024 Taos S. It complements the standard digital driver display measuring 8.0 inches in the Taos S and 10.3 inches in the Taos SE, SE Black, and SEL.

Ron Sessions

Switchgear is a blend of the old and the new. I'm a fan of the meaty rotary knobs VW used in its older designs due to their easy-to-find-and-use utility and tactile response to inputs. The 2025 Taos retains them for the headlamp controls, driving mode selector, infotainment system volume and tuning knobs, side-mirror controls, and the base Taos S model's climate system.

When you upgrade to the Taos SE, SE Black, and SEL, you'll get touch-sensing controls for the dual-zone climate system. While driving over anything less than a glass-smooth road surface, it is hard to get the desired results on the first try. In addition, they're located low on the dashboard, so looking down to ensure you place your finger in the right spot is distracting and potentially dangerous.

The new 2025 Taos offers premium features including an available panoramic moonroof. Heated and ventilated front seats and leather seating surfaces are exclusive to the SEL trim level.

Ron Sessions

Front and rear seat comfort is satisfying, with good support and generous room for passengers. My 6-foot frame fit comfortably in the rear seat without any issues. Cargo space is also unexpectedly ample for a small SUV, expanding from 27.9 cubic-feet to 65.9 cu-ft with the rear seat folded down. (With 4Motion, the Taos holds 24.9 to 60.2 cu-ft.)

Ron Sessions

Driving the Updated 2025 Volkswagen Taos

For 2025, the Taos' turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine makes more power. Torque remains the same as last year at a healthy 184 pound-feet, but courtesy of a revised turbocharger and a larger intercooler, horsepower jumps to 174 from last year's 158. In addition, models with 4Motion AWD switch from last year's occasionally harsh-shifting seven-speed DCT to a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission.

While the added horses are nice, the engine's healthy low-end torque contributes significantly to the turbo four's ample response around town and ensures you can keep up with the ebb and flow of traffic. There's no discernable turbo lag, either, but freeway merging and passing slower traffic on two-lane roads still requires careful planning.

By my stopwatch, the Taos 4Motion ambled from zero to 60 mph in about 7.5 seconds, quick enough for most people. The SUV also delivered decent gas mileage over a 160-mile route in and around San Antonio, averaging an indicated 29.6 mpg. That aligns with Volkswagen's estimates of 25/33/28 mpg in city/highway/combined driving for a Taos 4Motion.

Ron Sessions

My test vehicle offered selectable driving modes via a pushbutton on a console-mounted rotary dial. Normal mode delivered adequate throttle response, light-effort steering, and smooth transmission shifts. Switching to Sport mode quickened throttle response, firmed up the steering effort, and made for snappier shifts.

Opting for a 4Motion-equipped Taos brings the added benefit of a more sophisticated multilink independent rear suspension. On the road, it delivered a comfortable ride and satisfying body control over imperfect surfaces. In addition, the Taos demonstrated crisp top-of-pedal brake response and reassuring stopping power.

Although off-roading wasn't in the cards for this drive, the AWD test vehicle's 7.6 inches of ground clearance proved helpful when traversing a steep driveway ramp after missing a turn on the planned route. Taos front-wheel-drive models, equipped with a basic torsion-beam rear suspension, offer just 6.5 inches of ground clearance.

Ron Sessions

The updated 2025 Volkswagen Taos offers a satisfying and composed driving experience, competent handling, comfortable ride motions, ample torque, and decent fuel economy. Even without its German-brand pedigree, the Taos' impressive passenger and cargo space and generous list of standard advanced driver-assistance features make it a standout value among small SUVs.

All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.

Ron Sessions

When Ron was just the tender age of three, his dad would bring home a different car each night from a Lincoln Mercury dealership he managed for a "test drive." That set the hook, and years later, Ron's search for a repair manual for his rusty — but running — Alfa Romeo Spider led him to Chilton Book Company, which coincidentally was looking to hire a repair-manual editor. Enthusiasm for the written word served him well at subsequent senior staff positions at Road & Track, Motor Trend, and Car and Driver. In recent times, Ron has been a content creator at Auto Trader, the New York Daily News, J.D. Power, Wards Auto, and others. He has contributed to Capital One Auto Navigator since 2023, and makes his abode in Arizona along with his wife, cat, 2003 Nissan 350Z, 2012 GMC Canyon Work Truck, and 2023 Toyota RAV4 Prime.