As Good as the Best: The 2026 Volkswagen Taos SEL
Before you clicked on the link to open this page, if I had asked you to name five subcompact SUVs, would the Volkswagen Taos have been one of them?
It's a serious, legitimate, relevant question. Sixteen vehicles compete in that segment. Only one places in the top 20 in sales volume so far this year---the Chevrolet Trax. The Subaru Crosstrek is in the top 25, the Ford Bronco Sport and Honda HR-V are in the top 35, the Toyota Corolla Cross and Nissan Kicks squeak into the top 50.
I'll cut to the chase. The Volkswagen Taos is number 110. There are three direct competitors inbetween it and the top 50.
And here's the surprising part: It's not a reflection on the Taos at all. While Volkswagen was once the king of small cars in America, that was a long time ago. Chevrolet is on a roll and the Trax is an exceptionally good, remarkably reasonably-priced vehicle, and Subaru, Ford, Honda, Toyota and Nissan have either marketing prowess or market segment longevity that, at the moment, VW, at least here in the USA, does not.
And that is a shame, because the Taos is good enough to be not only in that group of the five best-selling vehicles in this segment, it's good enough to be atop it.
The Taos is an attractively-styled, well-equipped subcompact SUV with a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Its 174 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque won't set the world on fire, but it's more than enough to move this vehicle with authority.
As always, the payoff for patience at the stoplight comes at the gas pump, with an EPA-estimate 25 mpg city/33 mpg highway. That's for the rear-wheel drive version, which our tester was. All-wheel drive is standard on the top-of-the-line Taos SEL, which is what I drove, and available at extra cost on other trims.
Cargo space is very good for the size class---27.9 cubic feet (AWD versions lose a little to accommodate AWD hardware---they hold 24.9) behind the second-row seat. Fold that flat and there's 65.9 cubic feet (60.2 in AWD models). Those are some of the best numbers in the segment.
For people, the cabin is a comfortable place. There's 37 inches of rear-seat legroom, which is remarkable given the cargo capacity. The front seats are solid chairs that are comfortable for long drives. Ours was the top-of-the-line SEL model, so the interior was as nice as you can get in a Taos, but the overall design is well thought-out and I'd expect lower trim levels to be of good quality, if not quite as posh.
The Taos SEL has a base price of $35,900 ($37,375 including destination. That money buys a lengthy list of standard equipment (see the window sticker at the end of the review).
The SEL is so well-equipped that ours had only two extra-cost options---the Cornflower Blue paint ($455) and the 19-inch black-painted alloy wheels ($395), brining the as-tested price to $38,225.
That price might raise an eyebrow. For a subcompact SUV? It is absolutely more expensive than the Chevy Trax I reviewed last week, but the Trax is an outlier.
Still, the last non-hybrid Subaru Crosstrek I reviewed (two and a half years ago) stickered at $34,635. A 2026 equivalent would be $35,440. The 2026 Honda HR-V I reveiewed in February landed at $33,400. That would put the Taos on the high side of normal.
But my most recent Ford Bronco Sport, two years ago, had an as-tested price of $37,695. It was a special edition that's no longer available, but a top-of-the-line 2026 Bronco Sport Badlands starts at $38,260, so it would, after destination and before any options be more expensive than the Taos SEL.
My take? We are spoiled by choice in this segment. None of those vehicles are a bad pick, and I'd aruge that the Taos SEL is as good as they are. Whether you'd rather have the Subaru or the Honda and a few grand in the bank is up to you. But in absolute terms, the VW feels like it's worth the price.
The 2026 Volkswagen Taos SEL at a glance:
Price: $35,900 base/$38,225 as tested
Engine: 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder
Horsepower: 174
Torque: 184 lb-ft.
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Curb Weight: 3,430 lbs
0-60 Acceleration (Car and Driver data): 8.2 seconds
EPA Fuel Economy Estimate: 25 mpg city/33 mpg highway
Fuel tank capacity: 13.2 gallons
EPA Range Estimate: 406 miles
Class competitors: Mazda CX-30, Hyundai Kona, Ford Bronco Sport, Kia Seltos, Nissan Kicks, Honda HR-V, Subaru Crosstrek, Chevrolet Trax, Buick Envista, Buick Encore GX, Hyundai Venue, Chevrolet Trailblazer, Toyota Corolla Cross, Jeep Compass, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
