Volkswagen triples the number of urban SUVs on the market. After the T-Cross and T-Roc, the German manufacturer offers the Taigo, a coupe-style crossover developed in Brazil. Only offered with gasoline engines, it will arrive in dealerships at the end of the year.
One year after the revelation of the Nivus in Brazil, Volkswagen presents its counterpart for the European continent. His name: Taigo. The model is placed on the urban SUV-coupe market of which it is, for the time being, the only representative.
Nivus in Brazil, Taigo in Europe
From Nivus, the Taigo has kept everything: the dynamic silhouette, the smiling grille framed by well-proportioned optics, the slightly modeled sides and the black strip running the entire width of the tailgate. The differences are formed on points of detail. So, the Taigo has a light strip that crosses almost the entire grille and tailgate (from the third level, Style). These two elements are only interrupted by the VW logo. Note that the light signature on the back is specific to the European model.
The Style finish is placed as a more adventurous offer with its additional protective plastics on the sills, as well as on the front and rear bumpers. Finally, the R-Line version is more sporty and only retains the plastic elements around the wheel arches. The different finishes are distinguished by specific shields.
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The Taigo is longer than the T-Cross
Developed on the MQB-A0 platform, the Taigo belongs to the urban vehicle market. However, it displays generous dimensions, especially in length, which points to 4.27 m. It’s 20cm better than the Polo and 16cm longer than the T-Cross. Its wheelbase is also larger at 2.57 m. The newcomer is indeed positioned as the cut counterpart of the T-Cross. It displays a lower height (1.49 m against 1.56 m) because of the elusive roof line ending on a very inclined bezel. But the ground clearance of the two models is similar. Compared to the T-Roc, the Taigo is 4cm longer, but the latter has a longer wheelbase.
The interior of the Polo
On board, if you know the layout of the recently restyled Polo, you will not be at all disoriented since the Taigo takes over all of the city car’s furniture. The physical buttons have disappeared in favor of sensitive controls, in particular for adjusting the automatic air conditioning. From the entry level (Taigo), the instrumentation is based on an 8-inch digital panel, and the touchscreen of the infotainment system displays a diagonal of 6.5 inches. On the high-end versions, the counters rise to 10.25 inches, and the central screen goes to 9.2 inches.
Note that it will be possible to opt for a colorful interior, as was the case on the Polo during its first months of marketing. A presentation that now seems to be the hallmark of small SUVs from Volkswagen, the T-Cross also offering this possibility. In back, the Taigo does not retain the sliding seat of the T-Cross, but it has a large boot volume (438 l) with a double floor.
Taigo only runs on gasoline
For the mechanical part, Volkswagen’s new SUV only has petrol units:
- the 3-cylinder TSI offered in 95 and 110 hp;
- the 4-cylinder TSI 150 hp.
The DSG7 dual-clutch gearbox supplants the five- or six-speed manual offer depending on the engine. No plug-in hybrid version is planned, even if Volkswagen assures us that it is technically possible. All-wheel drive is absent, as on the T-Cross.
Extensive safety equipment
The MQB-A0 platform induces constraints, such as the inability to have an electric parking brake or an electric control for the DSG box. However, the Taigo can accommodate a variety of modern equipment, such as matrix headlights, level 2 semi-autonomous driving system (adaptive cruise control and lane keeping aid) with capacitive steering wheel, predictive cruise control (associated with navigation and DSG gearbox), blind spot detectors, lane change assistant or even automatic emergency braking in town with detection of pedestrians and cyclists. The range will consist of four finishes: Taigo, Life, Style and R-Line.
Launch end of 2021
The Taigo will be produced at the Pamplona plant in Spain, on the same assembly lines as the Polo and T-Cross. Its arrival on the market is expected by end of 2021, beginning of 2022, and its price should start around € 20,000.
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