Fleet World Fleet: Volkswagen Taigo

Can the Taigo coupé-SUV hold its own in an increasingly crowded Volkswagen line-up and wider new car market? Julian Kirk looks at its merits.

Volkswagen Taigo 1.0 TSI 110 R-Line DSG

P11d: £28,870 BiK: 31% Economy: 47.8mpg CO2: 134g/km Test mpg: 39.5mpg

The Taigo is one of the most readily available Volkswagens currently

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If you were compiling a list of the most impressive cars Volkswagen offers, I’m afraid the Taigo wouldn’t feature near the top – it offers too little over the Polo to justify its extra front-end cost, while not having the chunky SUV appeal of the slightly larger T-Roc.

The Taigo does, however, appear in a list of the most readily available Volkswagens currently – with supply still limited due to parts shortages, the Taigo is one of the few Volkswagens you can actually buy at present.

The question is, should you choose one? On paper, it stacks up well thanks to its economical 1.0-litre petrol engine, returning a claimed 47.8mpg (I’m currently averaging nearly 40mpg while is mainly down to much of my commute being stop-start driving in built-up areas).

CO2 emissions are on a par with the rest of the small SUV class – 134g/km equates to a 31% Benefit-in-Kind banding for 2023/24 and a monthly bill of £151 for a base rate taxpayer. For a business, this Taigo will cost around £330 a month on a three-year/30,000-mile deal.

By comparison, a Ford Puma 1.0 EcoBoost 125 ST-Line automatic undercuts the Volkswagen – a Ford Finance lease deal on the same parameters costs £299 a month, while BiK tax for the same tax payer is £141.

In many ways, the Taigo is getting its chance to shine because the lights have been dimmed on its more impressive stablemates. While it’s not a bad car, there are better Volkswagens out there (if you can find them).

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It’s a mark of how much we in this country love SUVs that Volkswagen now offers eight in its line-up, ranging from the city-sized T-Cross up to the full-fat four-wheel drive Touareg (plus a pair of EV variants too).

Our new long termer, the Taigo, joins the line-up in second-from-bottom form, being slightly bigger than the T-Cross and slightly smaller than the T-Roc. Where the Taigo differs from its stablemates is in its style – a bit more coupé-like with a sloping rear hatchback – and some quirky personalisation options such as bright colours, various interior trim options and differing roof colours.

Our test model, however, hasn’t been too near the personalisation button on the configurator – it’s finished in a restrained grey metallic (a £630 option) and inside is grey upholstery and grey alloy wheels. It’s fairly subdued and I’m sure younger drivers – the key market here – will be far more flamboyant with their choices.

Other than the metallic paint, we’ve ticked the heated front seats box (£310), a rear-view camera at £265, keyless access and start at £350, plus a ‘beats audio’ package at £635, which improves the stereo system and adds a space-saver spare wheel (presumably to make room for the uprated amplifier and sub-woofer).

All-in, this Taigo costs more than £31,000 in top-spec R-line trim fitted with the DSG automatic gearbox, which seems somewhat hefty for a 1.0-litre model. However, versions start at £23,000 which is where I think this model makes more sense.

Despite the price, initial impressions are positive – the lively three-cylinder 1.0-litre TSI engine is a cracker, delivering nippy acceleration, while interior space is ample for a family of four (plus there’s a decent sized boot, too).

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