Volkswagen Taigo review

If you’ve driven a T-Cross, you won’t find too many differences behind the wheel of a Taigo. So far we’ve tested both forms of the 1.0-litre three-cylinder, the 94bhp paired with the five-speed manual, and the powerful 108bhp paired with the seven-speed DSG gearbox.

WHAT’S THAT ENGINE LIKE THEN?

The little three-cylinder isn’t the most refined of units, clattery on start-up and when idling, while sounding a little strained at higher revs.

The 94bhp unit can only be had in base-spec Life trim, combined with the five-speed manual. It’s quiet enough on the move but is pretty sluggish – 0-62mph takes a heady 11.1 seconds – fine around town, but less so at motorway speed.

Mind you, the more powerful 108bhp unit doesn’t exactly provide too much ‘go’ either. Paired with the six-speed manual 0-62mph takes 10.4 seconds, with the auto half a second slower – and you’ll have to pay an extra £1.5k for the privilege. Still, it’s not like you’ll be hitting the drag strip any time soon.

The 148bhp 1.5-litre turbo four-pot manages the same sprint in a far more respectable 8.3 seconds despite only being available with the seven-speed DSG.

WHAT’S THE DSG LIKE?

It’s business as usual with regards to VW gearboxes, hesitant when pulling away and a little slow to change down at times, such as when overtaking. Flick it into manual mode though and the changes are super smooth. Worth noting that you get a manual handbrake in the Taigo too – useful for all those handbrake turns you’ll be doing in your brand-new coupe. Or not. 

CAN IT GO ROUND CORNERS?

Like the T-Cross, it’s level and composed through the twisty stuff. It helps that you’re not actually too high up, of course. The suspension is on the firm side, but it never feels crashy and actually copes with potholes remarkably well, especially on the entry-level 16-inch alloys. The brakes are good too, with decent feel to the pedal.

ANYTHING ELSE I NEED TO KNOW?

Big-ish wheels mean that, like engine noise, road noise is an issue – especially as you move up the trim levels onto bigger alloys. Stick to the smaller rims, we’d say. The steering is super light, especially at low speeds.

VW’s Travel Assist cruise control system works impressively, but the rest of the active safety kit (lane keep assist, emergency braking etc) is far too intrusive. The parking sensors were particularly over-zealous, jumping into life even in slow moving traffic and beeping incessantly at cars driving past.