[AdamE]

I live in an urban area, with tight parking spaces, annoying underground garages, etc. So I’m interested in the Taos for its space efficiency - carry a decent amount of people and gear while taking up little space.

One thing I’m a bit surprised by is that the Taos’s turning circle seems unusually large for such a small vehicle. VW lists the turning circle as 37.6 ft (so 18.8 ft for the turning radius). It’s not too bad, but many larger CUVs have smaller turning circles. The almost identically sized Kia Sportage is 34.8 ft, the CX-5 is 36.0 ft, the LE and XLE trims of the RAV4 are 36.1 ft. Heck, the big 3-row Toyota Highlander is 37.4 ft. And the VW Passat I just sold was 36.4 ft. (I loved that Passat and felt horrible when I scraped its side in a pillar in an underground garage, hence my slight obsession with this issue). The Golf is 35.8 ft, which is what I thought the Taos would be.

Strangely, the very few reviewers who’ve commented on the Taos’s turning radius describe it as very tight. 37.6 ft for a small CUV is not tight. The slightly larger ID.4 has a turning circle of 33.6 ft. Now that’s very tight.

Does anyone know if the 37.6 ft figure is actually accurate? Is it the same across all trims? (VW’s website says so, from what I can see).

Thanks,
Adam

 

[TaosTime]

Welcome to the forum @AdamE. Here are the steering specs from the Taos' technical specs sheet on VW's website. It does say the turning circle is 37.6 feet.

https://media.vw.com/assets/documents/original/13552-2022TaosTechnicalSpecsFinal.pdf

 

[AdamE]

Welcome to the forum @AdamE. Here are the steering specs from the Taos' technical specs sheet on VW's website. It does say the turning circle is 37.6 feet.

https://media.vw.com/assets/documents/original/13552-2022TaosTechnicalSpecsFinal.pdf

View attachment 167

Thanks @TaosTime.

I like the Taos. I just find it puzzling that VW would put in the effort to make a new CUV with great space efficiency, size it one level under the Tiguan to help appeal to urban shoppers and others who prize this space efficiency, and then give it almost exactly the same turning circle (37.6 for the Taos vs 37.7 for the Tiguan).

None of this matters, of course, for people who live in the suburbs or out in the countryside with lots of room. But in urban centers, things like size, space efficiency, and turning radius matter more than horsepower and 0 to 60 times that reviewers usually focus on.

Well, it is what it is, I guess. Will drive it when the local dealers have it and see.

 

[CorradoG60]

Thanks @TaosTime.

I like the Taos. I just find it puzzling that VW would put in the effort to make a new CUV with great space efficiency, size it one level under the Tiguan to help appeal to urban shoppers and others who prize this space efficiency, and then give it almost exactly the same turning circle (37.6 for the Taos vs 37.7 for the Tiguan).

None of this matters, of course, for people who live in the suburbs or out in the countryside with lots of room. But in urban centers, things like size, space efficiency, and turning radius matter more than horsepower and 0 to 60 times that reviewers usually focus on.

Well, it is what it is, I guess. Will drive it when the local dealers have it and see.

My guess is the long wheelbase and wide track has something to do with it. You can’t get all that interior space without spreading out your wheels.

There may also be some suspension and drivetrain reasons.And the front wheel wells may be slightly less deep than competitors to allow for more room in the small engine bay.

 

[AdamE]

My guess is the long wheelbase and wide track has something to do with it. You can’t get all that interior space without spreading out your wheels.

There may also be some suspension and drivetrain reasons.And the front wheel wells may be slightly less deep than competitors to allow for more room in the small engine bay.

Well, I went and test drove one. FWD SE.

Short story: I am very impressed. I liked it perhaps more than I expected.

The simplest way to describe it is “light”. The vehicle feels light, as in light on its feet. The steering feels VERY light, almost dangerously so if you are not careful. This vehicle is really tossable. It wants to go fast, almost like it’s saying “Hey, let’s take this corner fast!” It is fun, to the point of almost enticing you to overdo it. It’s not a GTI and can’t actually corner like one, but it’s almost like it thinks it can.

The interior is quite sizable and comfortable, for a small CUV. I noticed that the back seat has lots of legroom, but they did it by lowering the seat bench, so if you are short and sitting back there, you’ll struggle to see out a bit. The front seats were decently sized and comfortable, but my left foot felt a little bit pushed in by the front left wheel well; a minor annoyance.

My original worry, about the turning radius being large turned out to not be a significant issue. The steering is so light and fast, turns are easy. And it felt smaller than 37.6 ft, though that might be because this thing just wants to be tossed around turns.

The cargo space is 27.9 cubic ft in the FWD models like the one I drove, 24.9 in the AWD. If I buy one, it would almost certainly be a FWD because the cargo space looked barely adequate. Losing 3 cubic ft to get AWD might feel too much of a sacrifice, especially since you also pay more and lose fuel economy. Might make sense if you live in Vermont or Minnesota and can’t live without AWD.

Drive was fine, it didn’t crash around, despite the torsion beam rear suspension. Didn’t drive an AWD to see what the independent rear suspension was like.

The infotainment gizmos were fine, logical and easy to use. I’d probably actually go for an SEL to get dual zone climate control and a few other features.

And those are my impressions after one test drive. It’s not a sports car. It’s not super powerful or anything. But it is quick, agile, light and just plain fun for a reasonably sized vehicle that can comfortably carry 4 people and their stuff. I’m seriously considering buying one (but first must check out the ID.4).

 

[CorradoG60]

Well, I went and test drove one. FWD SE.

Short story: I am very impressed. I liked it perhaps more than I expected.

The simplest way to describe it is “light”. The vehicle feels light, as in light on its feet. The steering feels VERY light, almost dangerously so if you are not careful. This vehicle is really tossable. It wants to go fast, almost like it’s saying “Hey, let’s take this corner fast!” It is fun, to the point of almost enticing you to overdo it. It’s not a GTI and can’t actually corner like one, but it’s almost like it thinks it can.

The interior is quite sizable and comfortable, for a small CUV. I noticed that the back seat has lots of legroom, but they did it by lowering the seat bench, so if you are short and sitting back there, you’ll struggle to see out a bit. The front seats were decently sized and comfortable, but my left foot felt a little bit pushed in by the front left wheel well; a minor annoyance.

My original worry, about the turning radius being large turned out to not be a significant issue. The steering is so light and fast, turns are easy. And it felt smaller than 37.6 ft, though that might be because this thing just wants to be tossed around turns.

The cargo space is 27.9 cubic ft in the FWD models like the one I drove, 24.9 in the AWD. If I buy one, it would almost certainly be a FWD because the cargo space looked barely adequate. Losing 3 cubic ft to get AWD might feel too much of a sacrifice, especially since you also pay more and lose fuel economy. Might make sense if you live in Vermont or Minnesota and can’t live without AWD.

Drive was fine, it didn’t crash around, despite the torsion beam rear suspension. Didn’t drive an AWD to see what the independent rear suspension was like.

The infotainment gizmos were fine, logical and easy to use. I’d probably actually go for an SEL to get dual zone climate control and a few other features.

And those are my impressions after one test drive. It’s not a sports car. It’s not super powerful or anything. But it is quick, agile, light and just plain fun for a reasonably sized vehicle that can comfortably carry 4 people and their stuff. I’m seriously considering buying one (but first must check out the ID.4).

Thanks. Good feedback. Sounds like the way the Mk7 Jetta responds. Light and peppy and feels like you should toss it, except the suspension isn’t necessarily up to the task of lots of cornering. 2023 Taos GT please!!!

As someone who was very against manual AC as I always found the fan speed choices too limited, and who always had to have Auto CC, I changed my tune after having the Alltrack with Manual AC.

I found it infinitely adjustable with a combination of fan speed and which zone you split between, and very easy to get comfortable, and it was quieter. Compared to the CC on our Tiguan, the AC wins hands down. It’s a constant battle with the Tiguan CC to be comfortable, and if you have to fiddle with it all day, why have it be Automatic? On my new Mk7 Jetta SEL (have had it for 4 days), the same CC is a bit better behaved than in the Tiguan, but still, I miss the manual AC.

Considering the dash of the Taos is basically a Mk7 Jetta Dash with an interesting knee bolster strip, and the engine is a Jetta engine with more displacement, the transmission is a Jetta transmission, the rear suspension is a Jetta setup, etc. I am assuming the the HVAC system is also aped from the Jetta.