Ladies and gentlemen, meet the new VW Taigo, VW’s first-ever coupe SUV. The Taigo completes the South African T-SUV range and slots in between the T-Cross and T-Roc.
Styling
Let’s kick off this review and speak about the design of the Taigo. It takes on a coupe-like design which looks quite athletic. The entry-level Life model comes standard with LED headlamps, black roof rails, welcome lights and 16-inch alloy wheels. Our test model however is fitted with niceties such as 16-inch Everett alloy wheels which look quite good on the Taigo. Overall, we love the look and as you go higher up the model range, you have options like bigger wheels and sportier styling.
Interior
We will not lie, inside the Taigo looks the same as a Polo, which is not a bad thing as the Polo has a well-sought-after cabin. With that being said, there is a fair usage of plastics which most likely won’t be a deal breaker for some. In front of the driver lies a digital instrument cluster, and to the side a touch-screen infotainment that supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. One thing we appreciate about the Taigo Life is that it features actual dials for the air-conditioning controls, instead of the finicky touch panels on the Style and R-Line models. With a 440 litre boot (1222 litres with the rear seats folded) it has plenty of room for a small family.
Powerplant
Powering the Taigo Life is a 1.0-litre TSI engine that produces 85kW/200Nm and sends its power to the front wheels via a 7-speed DSG transmission. We have to admit that low down it does suffer from turbo but once you get up to speed, overtaking and cruising is a breeze. Whilst VW claims 5.4 L/100 km, we were able to get close with an average of 5.6 L/100km during a 600 km trip from Johannesburg to Durban and vice versa. One of the highlights of driving this car is how comfortable it is. It irons out most road surfaces and it’s quite fun to drive hurriedly. Fitted with optional IQ.LIGHT – LED matrix headlamps made driving at night much easier.
The Taigo is a neat package from Volkswagen as it’s spacious, has great tech and drives very comfortably. Our chariot, the Taigo Life 1.0 TSI starts from R444,900.00 and you get a lot of car with your money. Extras like a Panoramic sunroof, heated seats, Comfort Package, Driver Assistance Package, Discover media infotainment system and 16-inch Everett alloy wheels drove the price of our tester to just over R520,000.00. With that being said, you only ever add extras that you need. A great car from VW.
