07/02/2022
Today's lunchbreak test drive was with Matt Robinson, Sales Exec at Volkswagen in Ashford and new member of staff at The JCB Group.
I chose the Taigo, (pronounced 'tie, go') which launches officially on Saturday 19th February and has only just opened for order. We have a demonstrator and a showroom vehicle to view. The showroom vehicle is the entry level 'Life' and the demonstrator is the sportier 'R-Line'.
Read on - I've taken some pictures to show you all about it. The images incorporate photos taken on my phone with the official pics we receive from Volkswagen.
My honest opinion? S-m-o-o-t-h....
Looks-wise my first instinct was to try to compare the Taigo to other models in the Volkswagen range. I guess it looks like a Golf size, but with higher ride height, an SUV coupé body style and larger wheels - a Golf with greater road presence and a bit of attitude! Similar to the T-Cross and T-Roc but with a more streamlined profile. (See the photo below with the Taigo and Golf parked next to each other.)
Inside - ooh, that lovely new car smell! - the dashboard is fully digital, with the instrument cluster directly behind the multi-function steering wheel with all the current driving information and a screen in the centre of the cockpit with options on driver assistance feature control, sat nav display and connectivity features.
The seating is comfortable and the R-Line has trim detailing such as the embroidered 'R' upholstery on the front seats - subtle, yet stylish. Although the Taigo has seating for 5 adults, I would say the middle rear seat is for those who didn't eat all the pies! On a long journey 4 adults could travel extremely comfortably. There are 2 data/charging sockets in the rear of the front, centre armrest, so the rear passengers can plug in their phones or tablets, or the kids can get on with gaming on the move. There are 2 rear passenger lights too, which is handy.
The digital infotainment screen comes on before you switch the ignition, it displays all the information you need to select driver assistance features, control them and connect to your phone. You can customise the dash displays to your own requirements. It even says 'Goodbye, have you got everything?' when you switch off the ignition!
Individual front passenger climate control sits mid-way down the centre dash. You can synch this for the same temperature or change to individual requirements via the touchscreen.
The R-Line has chrome pedals which look striking and stylish.
The front centre dash has an open storage compartment with a non slip mat where you can place your smartphone whilst travelling and it will charge as you go 'inductively' ie. without cables. You can keep connected via the standard AppConnect and optional Discover Media and Discover Pro systems. You can also have the optional BeatsAudio sound system if tunes is your thing.
The park assist feature (which is available across the Volkswagen range) is amazing to see in action. Controlled by a push button on the centre console, using the reverse gear and indicator, the Taigo understands to take over and reverse into the space you've identified. It's quite spooky seeing the steering wheel turning by itself! You can control the speed with the foot brake. We used bay parking, but it works with parallel parking too.
Standard equipment includes proactive passenger protection in combination with Front Assist, which, in the event of a potential collision being detected, closes all windows and pre-tensions the seatbelts.
We were driving the R-Line automatic DSG petrol version of the Taigo. I'm used to driving a traditional hatchback, but the higher ride height of an SUV style car felt as though I had much more presence and therefore safety on the road, especially overtaking large lorries. The rear, coupé style windscreen looked narrow and sloping from the outside, however the visibility was good when driving.
The blind spot reduction and warning mirrors are a handy feature. When a vehicle comes into the outer dotted lined section of the wing mirror, an amber light flashes on the inside edge of the wing mirror, alerting you to check your blind spot.
The semi-automatic function of the Taigo means that you can drive it in fully automatic mode, or you can override it with paddle shift gears on the steering wheel. The digital display, easily visible behind the steering wheel, tells you whether you are in automatic drive mode, or manual numbered gears - D1 or M2 for example. As Matt pointed out, leaving the Taigo in automatic mode is useful for energy efficient driving - the car will select the most appropriate and energy efficient gear to be in, automatically.
Matt drove using the adaptive cruise control which also has autonomous emergency braking, that is, the car will start braking if the car in front slows or stops and will keep a safe distance behind to avoid collision. The Taigo also has a lane keeping system as standard, to stop you veering into the adjacent lane. This is best switched off on country lanes with only one lane in each direction.
I commented on the smoothness of the automatic gear change. Matt explained that the Volkswagen 7-speed DSG has 2 clutches with alternating gears, one in the driving gear and the other already in the next gear waiting to change up or down, giving a very smooth transition.
The front passenger seats are really very comfortable and there is a small, unobtrusive armrest between the front seats which has a storage box inside.
The rear headrests adjust down so that, if you have no rear passengers, they are not blocking your view. The 60:40 split rear seats allow you to have 3 passengers and a larger luggage area when you fold down the 2 seat rear bench.
The boot is deep and spacious with a substantial cover over the spare wheel cavity. There is an option to have a spare wheel fitted. A handy storage cubby allows for an emergency kit to be stashed.
Automatically folding wing mirrors are great when parking in the street - less chance of a twang from closely passing vehicles.
Ambient lighting - fancy but fun! You can control the brightness and it lights up parts of the dashboard, door trim and footwell.
Connect to Volkswagen's 'WeConnect' and you can opt for voice controls, lock the car remotely from your mobile and check the fuel level.
The Taigo is available from launch in the Life, Style and R-Line trims.
MPG depends on driving style and accessories/trim level, but the vehicle status stats on the digital dash monitor your fuel efficiency. The demonstrator was showing just under 38 mpg.
The Taigo needs servicing every 2 years, with an oil change inspection in the interim year.
This car is s-m-o-o-t-h! It is incredibly quiet and smooth to drive. The automatic mode has no clunkiness on gear change and the interior sound insulation means the ride is very quiet. I found it very comfortable too. I sat both in the driver's seat and tried the rear passenger seats and both were very cosy. Acceleration was very responsive and the car felt easy to drive.
I was worried that it would be 'chunky' and feel heavy to manoeuvre, but that was not the case at all. There felt to be plenty of power.
If you're currently a Golf driver, looking for the higher ride height and feel of an SUV, but don't want to go completely SUV, then a coupé SUV is a good compromise, due to its sleek profile. The Taigo doesn't feel too wide and heavy to drive, but the down side could be that the amount of room, width-wise, for your rear seat passengers is snug.
Remember if, after handover, you feel you would like another drive with our Sales staff to get the hang of features that are new to you, our staff would be more than happy to do this on any of our vehicles.
Thank you to Matt for an informative and safe test drive. I thoroughly recommend that you give the Taigo a try too, you'll be pleasantly surprised!
View the slideshow/video below.
If you would like to ask a question, ask Laura to find out further details on this vehicle or suggest another model that you would like Laura to test drive and review, please get in touch!
