The Volkswagen Taigo was designed to fill the gap between the compact Polo and the T-Cross SUV, bringing a blend of hatchback practicality with crossover looks. In typical Volkswagen fashion, it’s well built and accompanied by a good range of efficient engines too. It takes the fight to popular small SUVs such as the Ford Puma, Renault Captur, and the Skoda Kamiq.
The Taigo might be a way for Volkswagen to plug a gap in its range, but it’s actually a very good car in its own right thanks to lots of space and a ride quality that helps to make this model very comfortable.
Jack is an experienced motoring journalist who has been covering the latest new-car releases for the last 10 years.
Read bioPrices for the Volkswagen Taigo start from £24,970 in entry-level Life trim, rising to £30,190 for the range-topping Black Edition. However, at these upper trim levels, the Taigo starts to feel a little too expensive for what it is, so we’d recommend going for a slightly lower specification to keep the Taigo’s price in check.
There’s plenty of choice on the used market, mind you. Head to AA Cars and you’ll find a good spread of Taigo cars at a variety of prices. Cars with the more powerful 1.5-litre engine command a premium and come in at just under £30,000 for a nearly-new R-Line car with a high level of standard equipment, though we also found 1.0-litre-powered R-Line cars with just 10 miles on the clock for just under £24,000 which is a considerable saving on what you’d spend for a brand new version.
There’s just petrol power available on the Taigo, but there are a few engines to choose from. Things kick off with a basic 1.0-litre petrol linked to a five-speed gearbox, which is a good choice for around-town drivers though those who often travel on the motorway may find it lacks the high-speed refinement that they need. There’s also a more powerful 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine which is available with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed automatic gearbox - it’s our pick of the bunch.
If you need some extra performance, however, then there is a turbocharged 1.5-litre petrol engine which adds some zip to the Taigo experience. It’s only available on R-Line cars and above, however, but will get the Taigo from 0-60mph in under eight seconds which isn’t bad for a car of this type.
With its reasonably compact design and square shape, the Taigo is the kind of car that feels at home around town. Each engine provides peppy performance at low speed and the manual gearboxes on offer are smooth and easy to use. The automatic, meanwhile, will be a go-to choice for drivers doing longer miles, but it can feel slow to respond at times and sometimes struggle to get the Taigo moving when you’re in a hurry.
Though the Taigo is pitched as something of a crossover, it doesn’t bring the high seating position that you’d get from a full SUV. That’s great for people who like to sit low, but may disappoint those who wanted to have a more elevated view of the road ahead.
Volkswagen has done a great job of making the Taigo comfortable and easy to drive. The ride quality is great and the car never struggles to deal with potholes or other road imperfections. At speed, the Taigo remains very hushed and even when you’re travelling along the motorway, there’s very little wind or road noise to speak of. It helps to make the Taigo feel a little more grown-up than your typical hatchback.
The small-capacity engines can be quite vocal when pushed hard, however, and so the 1.5-litre setup may be a better choice for drivers who are often on the motorway. Forward visibility is pretty good, though, thanks to its tiny rear window, your view out of the back is quite restricted. All cars get front and rear parking sensors, thankfully.
Volkswagen has adopted its usual no-nonsense approach with the interior of the Taigo. In places, the material quality isn’t up to the usual standard of this German brand, though everything is well put together and feels solid. While there are some flashes of silver here and there, it’s quite a dark place to be inside the Taigo and you can’t help this by choosing a lighter upholstery since there isn’t one available.
There’s a large central screen on all models, too, and there’s a handy row of shortcut buttons at either side. This means you can get quick access to features such as navigation, media or even just the main home screen without needing to take your eyes away from the road for long.
The Taigo has been designed to offer the best of both worlds between hatchback and crossover and it certainly does that in terms of space. Both up front and in the back there’s a lot of room, and despite the Taigo’s sloping roofline there’s a decent amount of headspace, too. All cars come with sliding rear seats, too, meaning that you get the flexibility to choose between additional legspace for those sitting in the back or a little extra boot room should you need it.
Speaking of boot space, the Taigo offers a respectable 440 litres which is beyond what many rival compact cars can offer. It’s square and easy to access, too, though there’s a slight drop to contend with over the load lip. This could make getting heavier items such as buggies, out of the boot a bit tricky.
While the Taigo may sit at the more value-focused end of the spectrum, it still gets all of the bells and whistles that most drivers could want. There’s the eight-inch central infotainment system, for instance, which incorporates all your main media functions, as well as smartphone mirroring software. Base specifications do without satellite navigation built-in, mind you, though we’d imagine that most people will use their phones for this anyway.
All cars also get adaptive cruise control as standard which will certainly help on those long-distance trips. In fact, for what is a more entry-level car, the Taigo comes with a very impressive amount of standard equipment.
There’s a great range of trim levels available with the Taigo, with Life, Match, Style, R-Line and Black Edition there to choose from.
Life brings a great level of equipment for what is an entry-level trim level, with a large touchscreen, front and rear parking sensors and 16-inch alloy wheels included on this grade. You also get an eight-inch digital cockpit ahead of the driver.
Match, meanwhile, adds in larger 17-inch alloy wheels and a rear-view camera which can be a big help when you’re reversing into tighter spaces. Keyless entry is another handy feature which comes as part of the Match trim, too.
Style marks the midway point in the Taigo’s list of trims and bundles in two-zone climate control for a more comfortable cabin, a full navigation system and rear tinted glass.
R-Line is one of the most popular Volkswagen trim levels and adds a sportier nature to the Taigo. Black, 17-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels are the most notable addition, while a variety of R-Line logos help to differentiate this car from the rest of the range.
Finally, Black Edition - as the name suggests - introduces a range of gloss black elements in areas such as the wing mirrors, wheels and roof rails for a stealthier look.
Volkswagen offers a broad range of colourways for the Taigo, including an eye-catching two-tone which gives this car a slightly old-school look.
There’s plenty of safety equipment fitted to the Taigo as standard, helping to make this a very secure car overall. You’ll find features such as a full Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system included to help keep the car on the straight and narrow even during poor conditions, while an integrated ‘e-call’ system can automatically contact the emergency services if the vehicle detects that it has been involved in a collision. There’s an advanced driver attention monitor, too, while autonomous emergency braking and lane change assist are included on the Taigo’s comprehensive list of assistance equipment.
In terms of reliability, the Taigo should prove to be quite strong. Its engine have been widely used across the Volkswagen line-up without much issue, so we can’t see older models causing too many issues. However, given that the Taigo could be popular with urban drivers and those who have just passed their tests, we’d check any used model for damaged bumpers or scraped alloys.
Whichever Taigo model you choose, you’ll be getting a car which should prove cheap to run. Nearly all models will achieve over 50mpg during mixed driving, so trips to the petrol station should be few and far between. Even the more powerful 1.5-litre cars can return just over 49mpg, so there really is little trade-off when going for this version instead of one of the 1.0-litre cars.
Emissions-wise, things range between 121 and 126g/km CO2, so whichever model you go for it’ll come with the standard £195 yearly rate of road tax. All cars come under £40,000, too, so there’s no need to worry about the Expensive Car Supplement, either.
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