2024 Taos SUV Offers Style, Performance, and Value in Kansas City

The Taos is the VW sport utility vehicle you need to consider if you’re in the market for a compact SUV that is fun to drive, packed with advanced technologies, and offers smart equipment packaging at a quite affordable price point.

Let’s take a look at what the Taos brings to customers on both sides of the MO / KS border:

Who and What Fit in the Volkswagen Taos?

The Taos is a 5-passenger SUV with plenty of space for your family and their cargo. There’s 40.1 inches of legroom for front seat passengers and a comfy 37.9 inches available to passengers in the back seat. (Those second row seats fold flat if you need to focus on carrying boxes instead of people for a while.) There’s a total of 99.5 cubic feet of passenger space in the 2024 Taos, which is just 1.6 cubic feet less than the larger Tiguan SUV.

Cargo space is also readily available in the Taos. There’s room for 24.9 cubic feet of space when the second-row seats are upright, but that cargo capacity balloons to 65.9 cubic feet when you fold down both second row seats.

Curious about how well you’ll fit in a Taos, and how comfortable you’ll be in this SUV? Wondering if your dog crates, family luggage, or some other cargo will fit? Explore and test drive the Taos today!

Can I Buy a Taos with All Wheel Drive?

The Taos is a capable vehicle both on and off road because it can be purchased with either its standard front wheel drive (FWD) or with optional 4Motion all-wheel drive (AWD). 4Motion can be added to all trim levels of the Taos and features Driving Mode Selection to help eliminate traction losses in the majority of driving situations.

A Taos with front wheel drive will feature an 8-speed automatic transmission while those optioned to include 4Motion feature a 7-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic transmission.

4Motion equipped Taos models benefit from VW’s Active Control feature which allows KC drivers to select driving profiles based on our constantly shifting weather. Here’s the breakdown of how the four settings work:

1. Onroad is the default setting and automatically splits power between the two axles as appropriate. You’ll be able to select from Normal, Sport, Eco, and Individual in those modes.

2. Snow Mode will avoid wheelspin by upshifting earlier, reducing engine power when necessary, and mellowing acceleration, and tightening limits when turning and cornering. Eco mode is enabled by default in Snow Mode.

3. Offroad Mode offers manual control of the transmission, temporarily disables Start / Stop, relaxes the electronic stability control, activates Hill Descent Control on gradients of 10% or more, and can uniquely activate the ABS system.

4. Custom Offroad is an enhanced Offroad Mode that allows the driver to control the behavior of the Taos’ steering, engine, and gearbox as well how Hill Descent Assist and Hill Start Assist operate.

The All Wheel Drive Taos is all you need – and far more – for the shifting seasons we all love here in the Midwest.

What Type of Engine is in the VW Taos?

Volkswagen would occasionally power its vehicles with a high-output W12 engine, but that would be a form of massive overkill in a compact SUV. The Taos is instead equipped with a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine that is boosted by an EA211 turbocharger to produce a quite suitable 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque.

This engine scoots the Taos from 0 to 60 MPH in around 7.5 seconds which will let you easily keep up with Kansas City traffic.

Check one out at the best VW dealership near you – Molle Volkswagen!

How Fuel Efficient is the Volkswagen Taos?

The compact Taos returns admirable fuel milage thanks to its small displacement (but powerful) motor and the choice of two transmissions.

The FWD Taos is rated at an estimated 28 city / 36 high / 31 combined MPG.

The Taos AWD SUV with 4Motion is rated at an estimated 24 city / 32 highway / 27 combined MPG.

The EPA estimates the FWD Taos will save as much as $1,000 in fuel costs over 5 years compared to the average vehicle, while the AWD model will perform at a level shockingly close to the average vehicle.

The engine in the Taos uses a plethora of technologies to achieve its power while returning great fuel efficiency, and those include:

· Lower friction between the cylinder liner and piston rings thanks to APS coated cylinder liners. This involves plasma coating iron powder to the cylinder block – cool, right?

· An engine which warms more quickly thanks to a map-controlled cooling module

· A more efficient turbocharger featuring Variable Turbine Geometry which provides higher boost pressure with lessened wastegate mass flow

· 350 bar of high-pressure fuel injection which better atomizes the necessary mixture of fuel and air, generates a shorter injection time, optimizes fuel / air mixture, and produces lower particular emissions.

What Safety Equipment Does the VW Taos Have?

Safety equipment is critical for SUV shoppers around Grandview and Raymore, and the 2024 Taos delivers with a combo of active and passive safety systems. There is a standard rearview camera, 6 airbags, anti-lock brakes, and Electronic Stability Control.

Your Taos will also feature standard VW IQ.DRIVE which gives it semi-automated capabilities both on the highway and when driving around downtown. Features in the IQ.DRIVE system include:

· Front Assist (Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Monitoring)

· Active Blind Spot Monitor

· Rear Traffic Alert

· Adaptive Cruise Control Stop and Go

· Lane Assist (Lane Keeping System)

· Emergency Assist

The Taos also offers its lucky owners the Travel Assist system that enables semi-automated hands-on driving from 0 to 95 mph. This system will steer, accelerate and brake, and center the vehicle within its lane markings when it’s activated with a button on the steering wheel. You’ll still need to pay attention to driving tasks and keep your hands on the steering wheel, but the Taos provides a great level of assistance to make long road trips more comfortable for the driver.

A damage reducing safety feature of the Taos is the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System. Why post-collision? The system works to prevent secondary impacts that occur after an unfortunate first collision and works to avoid additional damage in certain crash scenarios.

Optional safety features on the 2024 Taos include Park Distance Control which can help in tight parking situations, Dynamic Road Sign Display which can detect road signs and provide updates to the driver, and Light Assist which automatically controls operation of the bright headlamps.

Test Drive the 2024 VW Taos Near Kansas City

Molle VW is the VW dealership of choice Shawnee, and our team is happy to show you our inventory of new Taos. We also have a giant pre-owned inventory and will have no problem finding the best small SUV for your family.

Do you already have a Volkswagen SUV or other vehicle and need a certified VW Service Department in Kansas City? Contact our service team at (816) 941-9500 or schedule your VW service online.

Ready for a test drive in the perfect VW SUV? Come visit us in our Volkswagen showroom located at 10401 Summit Street right here in Kansas City, MO 64114.

We’re delighted to meet you!