Volkswagen Taigo 1.0, to fashion or not to fashion? That’s the question!
The car industry is just like every other industry that lives on new things, the fashionable stuff. You could already see that with the rise of the SUV and then the cross-over, after that the SUV coupé and yes, now the cross-over coupé. Car brands keep making up new segments and keep dropping in new cars to fill them. Without further introduction: the Volkswagen Taigo.
T-Cross coupé
The Volkswagen T-Cross came to life in the middle of 2019 and with that, the smallest cross-over was born in the stables of Volkswagen. It was a big success and that success will probably radiate on the Volkswagen Taigo too, which in essence is a T-Cross coupé. They share the same MQBA0 platform -also sharing it with the Polo- but the Taigo is 13 cm longer and 3 cm lower so you can call it a new car! Right?
I’m personally not a big fan of the styling of the Taigo. But it’s not only with the Taigo, it’s with the general SUV/Cross-over coupé thingy. It reminds me of a 15-year-old boy that is starting to work out in the local gym and instantly starts taking steroïds to look bigger, but deep down you -and he- knows it’s just for show. It looks fake and bloated. In this specific case, everything starts well upfront. The car looks cute and harmless even though it is styled to look a bit mean. Like you have a girlfriend that’s 1m55 -a little over 5’- and when she’s mad at you, it’s hard not to laugh at that cute face.
At the back, everything is fine as well. When you look at the car straight from the back the light gives you some Audi Q8-vibes and I’m really diggin’ that. But then the side view, the transverse line that ends up in that ass, it doesn’t work for me. The car is too small, which forces the line in the car to do something unnatural. Perhaps a different paint would change that.
1.0-liter TFSI
Nine-hundred ninety-nine cc! And it ain’t in a bike! I’m just messing around because the 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine is a pretty nice one. It only produces 95 hp and 175 Nm of torque, therefore 100 km/h will appear after only 11 seconds and you’re hitting its limits at a respectable 183 km/h. But I swear, it feels faster than that! There’s a crazy sensation this engine brings to the playground. The 5-speed manual in combination with the grumpy three-cylinder gives a weird satisfaction. But I think that satisfaction would be even more present in a car like the Polo. Something a little bit more agile. Something a bit lower, despite this, being lower than the T-Cross it is based on.
The Taigo will probably never be bought by someone who will mess around with it and therefore could use a more suitable (read: potent) engine, a little bit more grown-up. The VW-Group 1.5-liter TFSI with 150 hp and a 7-speed DSG for example. It fits the character of the car just that tad better. The chassis and suspension aren’t put together to have a sporty, trow-it-in-the-corner car, but more as an “I’m young and heading to my hip workplace” -a type of car.
I still owe you the consumption figures of our 1.0 TFSI Taigo. I managed to average 6,4 liters/100km -thanks to only a few kilometers on the highway- where Volkswagen promises 5,4 liters per 100 kilometers at 120 kmh. With the 5-speed manual in combination with the 999cc, this Volkswagen Taigo is happier on B-roads than on a highway. Or in the city for that matter.
This looks familiar
Buying a car in a big group like Volkswagen means you will find bits and pieces you have seen and touched somewhere else. The Volkswagen Taigo ain’t an exception to that rule! The interior looks like an exact copy of the one in the Volkswagen Polo. But it ain’t a shame, uniformity can be blissful. The materials are more than OK, the navigation is fast, the infotainment system is easy to use and nothing is over complicated. And in this specific car, nothing is probably gone brake, because there isn’t much to brake.
You (can) get the stuff you need in this car, all the creature comforts. Parking sensors (in the front and rear), a backup camera, adaptive cruise control, lane assist and navigation. All of that in just 2 optional packs (drive pack and comfort pack). If you want the more fancy stuff like leather electric seats, electric boot lid or an improved digital dashboard and infotainment system (you have a basic one as standard) then you need to pay up of course.
Conclusion
In most of my reviews, I’m taking this moment to complain about how expensive the car is, but it’s pretty hard to do this time. In Belgium, you can pick up a Volkswagen Taigo for just something above 24.000 euros. Our Volkswagen Taigo is a little bit more thanks to the options, but will only set you back 27.000 euros (BE) and that’s pretty okay for a new car. But then the question remains: would I pay an additional 2.000 euros above the Polo to get 90 liters more boot space (in total 440 liters)?
