Volkswagens latest offering to the market comes in the form of the Taigo. This compact crossover has gotten many feathers raffled in the motoring sector with its striking looks, feature packed interior and its great performance. Based on the popular T-CROSS, the Taigo shares the same chassis and engine but with the swooping coupe like design. The car is really eye catching as we'll discuss in detail further on in the review, but with its sibling the T-CROSS already in the market and doing so well, what exactly would be the purpose of this model now? I spent some time with both offerings in the Taigo range, the R-Line and the Life models and here are my impressions on this new model from the German giant.
DESIGN
The Tiago is a looker of note, from every angle the dynamic design of the car has something to be admired about. My personal favourite has to be the rear though, take styling cues from its brother the T-Cross with that solid rear light, the sharp slanting sport back tailgate just amplifies the cars sexy appeal. Unlike the T-Cross though, this solid rear light is a solid bar which at night takes the car to another dimension in terms of looks. The high back line is angled perfectly as it slopes down to the front for a clean and neat finish. The headlights which are just slightly offset from the grille, stand out with their design. This model came fitted with VW’s new IQ headlights which apart from its core functionality, has a very elegant and modular look to them. The VW logo is prominently featured at the centre with a solid chrome extending from it to the headlamps. The front bumper has a hexagonal grille finish for radiator venting with trapezoidal inserts on either side for the leg fog lamps. Side profile on the Tiago is very sleek but muscular, emphasizing the SUV/Crossover look with large profile tyres and 17-inch bi-colour rims. The interior design is inline with the current VW Polo design, with certain optional extras being the key differentiator. Overall, a very visually pleasing look for the car.
PERFORMANCE
The Taigo is currently only offering in the 1.0-litre TSI engine but as this proved over the years in the Polo and most recently the T-Cross that it’s more than capable of powering a car this size. Producing 85kW and 200Nm of torque, and controlled by the 7-speed automatic gearbox , the Taigo proved to be a pleasure to drive both on the freeway and urban commutes. While there was the option to use the paddle shift, I never really found the need to engage it as if extra power was required, shifting gear into Sports was more than adequate response that was required. The handle handles extremely well and at high speeds with hardly any body roll when taking sharp bends. Fuel economy is great on this car, this is where that 1-litre TSI motor shines but if you, like me, engages into Sport mode a bit too much you will see that average figure increases from time to time.
COMFORT
While being a compact crossover the Taigo still remains very spacious on the inside with great ergonomic design which enables a decent amount of space for all occupants. However I am taller than the average person, with my driver seat being quite back, it was a slightly uncomfortable for anyone that sat behind me. Ride quality on the car is great with it being very smooth on the roads, there is some cabin noise as you would expect in a car like this but nothing too bad to annoy you with. The car comes with normal air conditioning with climate control available as an extra or on the R-Line model. The car comes with a large infotainment screen that has built-in mobile apps with wireless connectivity. There are two USB C charging ports both in the front and back of the car with wireless charging tray being an optional extra. Other extras the car came fitted with is a glass sunroof, reverse camera and the IQ lights which really are another level on this car compared to the Polo. They’re really responsive and quality spread is amazing when driving in really dark roads. The lights also are triggered when turning your steering so when taking turns extra wide beams switch on to light up the area you’re tuning into, letting you see if there’s any nasty surprises that you can avoid.
VERDICT
I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the new VW Taigo, having driven both the R-Line and Life variants of the range, both giving me a similar feel and take for the car with the crunch between the two being the minor styling enhancements. VW have equipped the car well in the standard guise which is why the standard price is a bit steep but given what other competitors offer in the similar segments, the Taigo still comes out trumps overall. Apart from the VW name, the quality of product you getting from the Taigo is miles ahead of what anyone else has to offer and with its funky design and options to customise your car to your preferences, it would make the ideal option for a first time buyer, student or someone who’s looking to make the transaction from a compact hatchback to a SUV/ Crossover.
SPECIFICATIONS
No comments:
Post a Comment