2025 Volkswagen Taos SEL 4Motion First Test: Still Stuck in the Middle
The Taos isn’t a bad SUV, but it doesn’t stand out in a super competitive segment, either.
Pros
- Decent price
- Solid driver assistance and safety features
- Comfortable cabin
Cons
- Slow in a straight line
- Average handling
- Smallish cargo area
For decades, the Volkswagen Golf stood out as an affordable, entry-level compact car with decent utility that could also be somewhat fun to drive. But in the age of SUVs, the subcompact 2025 Volkswagen Taos has now effectively replaced the dearly departed Golf in VW’s U.S. lineup. Like the Golf was, the Taos is an entry-level model, and like the Golf, it also has a decent amount of space for the segment. But does it do enough to stand out in a super-hot segment?
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In terms of being an SUV, the uplevel Taos SEL 4Motion we recently tested does a solid job of holding your stuff and compares favorably to two of its primary rivals in its segment, the Ford Bronco Sport and the Subaru Crosstrek. At 24.9 cubic feet of cargo space with the second row up, it doesn’t approach the Bronco Sport’s 32.5 cubic feet, but it bests the Crosstrek by 4.9 cubes. Total cargo space for the SEL 4Motion Taos is 60.2 cubic feet when the second row is folded, which splits the difference between the Bronco Sport’s 65.2 and the Crosstrek’s 54.9. (Those numbers increase slightly when you opt for the FWD Taos, which adds another 3.0 cubes with the seats up and 5.7 with the seats down.)
No one will mistake the Taos for a rugged SUV, even when equipped with its 4Motion AWD system, and both the Crosstrek and Bronco Sport outclass it when it comes to off-pavement work. It does have off-road mode settings you can use, but it lacks the ground clearance of the Ford and Subaru. Power wise, the 1.5-liter turbo inline-four under the hood of the 2025 Taos makes 174 hp (up from 158 hp) and 184 lb-ft of torque. The VW’s output suffers by comparison with the Bronco Sport’s base 1.5-liter turbo three-cylinder's 181 hp and 190 lb-ft (the Bronco Sport is also available with a far more powerful 2.0-liter turbo-four with 250 hp), but it’s more or less on par with the 182 hp and 178 lb-ft generated by the Crosstrek’s uplevel, naturally aspirated 2.5-liter flat-four.
Slow Going Off the Line, Decent Otherwise
Despite the power bump, it took the 2025 Taos we tested a full 8.9 seconds to stroll from 0 to 60 mph, and it barely broke 85 mph in a quarter-mile run that took 16.7 seconds. Both the Crosstrek and Bronco Sport are quicker (8.6 seconds for the Bronco Sport we tested back in 2021 with the 1.5-liter three-cylinder, 7.9 for a 2024 Crosstrek with the 2.5, and 7.3 for a 2023 Bronco Sport with the 2.0-liter).
It doesn’t exactly wow in the grip department, either. Despite being equipped with low-profile, highway-friendly tires (Goodyear Assurance 215/45R19), we expected its figure-eight run of 27.4 seconds at 0.61 g (avg) to be better. That said, it’s a number that bests both the 2024 Crosstrek’s 28.4 seconds at 0.60 g as well as a 2023 Bronco Sport Heritage with the optional 2.0-liter engine we tested at 28.5 seconds at 0.57 g.
When we hit the brakes hard on the 2025 Taos SEL 4Motion we tested, its best stop from 60 mph came in 127 feet, slightly better than the 131 feet of the 2023 Bronco Sport but not as short as the Subaru’s 123 feet. That might also be down to the Taos having a bit less mass than the Ford and more than the Subaru. At 3,503 pounds, it weighed 117 pounds heavier than the 2024 Crosstrek we tested but was 273 pounds lighter than the 2023 Bronco Sport. We also experienced some vibrations during our emergency stops in the Taos as the tires chattered and the ABS dealt with the lack of bite.
In the fuel economy and range departments, once again the 2025 Volkswagen Taos SEL 4Motion splits the difference between the Bronco Sport and the Crosstrek. At 25/33/28 mpg city/highway/combined and capable of traveling up to 406 miles on a single tank of regular fuel, the Taos bests the Ford regardless of powertrain (both Ford engines and the VW utilize an eight-speed automatic) save the range for the base Bronco Sport engine (25/29/265 and 416 miles for the 1.5 and 21/26/23 and 368 for the 2.0).
The story changes when you compare it to the Subaru and its CVT-equipped AWD drivetrain. At 26/33/29 for the 2.5-liter Crosstrek (at 27/34/29, the base 2.0-liter equipped model is even better), the Subaru is up slightly on the Taos, and it can travel an extra 75 miles (481 miles) to a single tank.
Still Stuck in the Middle
If you don’t mind giving up some cargo room, the Crosstrek offers better fuel economy and more range, it can do more things off-road, and on balance it costs less than an equivalent Taos. As for the Bronco Sport, it can be either more or less expensive than the Taos depending on the powertrain and trim you choose. And while neither of the Ford’s engines is as efficient as the ones powering the VW and the Subaru, the Broncos are arguably the most impressive of the trio off pavement and are far and away the tops in cargo space.
In the end, the 2025 Volkswagen Taos SEL 4Motion is the definition of a middle-of-the-road, entry-level SUV. It doesn’t excel at anything, but it doesn’t necessarily do anything all that badly, either. It just trudges along. There’s little excitement behind the wheel on- or off-road, and its cargo capacity, power, and price don’t really wow you. But if you’re in the market for an affordable and attractive small SUV equipped with multiple advanced driver assist and safety systems standard and an uplevel-feeling cabin, or if you’re a hardcore VW fan seeking a modicum of what the Golf used to provide in a modern SUV package, you could do worse than the Taos. That’s getting harder to say, however, in a segment where the competition is getting better and cheaper than the VW all the time.
Having experience in many forms of the automotive industry, Justin Banner has done more than just write about cars. For more than 15 years, he's had experience working as an automotive service technician—including a stint as a Virginia State Inspector—service advisor, parts sales, and aftermarket parts technical advisor (a fancy way of saying he helped you on the phone when you had trouble fitting your brakes over your aftermarket wheels and the like). Prior to his tenure as a full-time editor, Justin worked as a freelance writer and photographer for various publications and as an automotive content creator on YouTube. He’s also covered multiple forms of motorsports ranging from Formula Drift, drag racing, and time attack, to NASCAR, short course off-roading, and open desert racing. He's best known for breaking down complex technical concepts so a layperson can more easily understand why technologies, repairs, and parts should matter to them. At MotorTrend, Justin is part of the news team covering breaking news and topics while also working as a judge for MotorTrend Of the Year events and other major comparison tests.
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