There’s a drug commercial on TV featuring a group of people singing a catchy jingle about a pill while doing some great dancing. To my mind it’s very entertaining, except they’re putting a happy-go-lucky spin on diabetes.
I can make better use of the jingle by applying it to the 2025 Volkswagen Taos: “It’s a little SUV with a big story to tell.”
Taos is the smallest SUV in the Volkswagen lineup, competing in the compact and subcompact markets. Interior space defies the SUV’s small size, providing plenty of room for five passengers along with a generous cargo area.
There are four Taos trim levels: S, SE, SE Black, and SEL. Front-wheel drive is standard and VW’s 4Motion AWD system is optional on all but the SEL, which comes standard with 4Motion. Base pricing starts at $26,420 for a front-drive S model.
I drove a Taos SE Black ($33,270). Its roof, roof rails, spoiler and scuff plates are black. Front and rear trim and exhaust tips are gunmetal. Inside, the dash is finished with gloss-black accents. The wild Bright Moss Green exterior paint color was a $455 upgrade over the standard white.
Taos is significantly updated for 2025 with styling revisions, higher-grade interior materials, and a peppier engine. An 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display and LED projector headlights are now standard on all models. The unloved seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission the 4Motion models were previously burdened with has been withdrawn, and all models now carry the same sophisticated eight-speed automatic.
My Taos tester was equipped with a gluttonous amount of standard features in every category: Exterior, Interior, Safety and Driver Assistance, and Technology and Convenience. I liked its cruelty-free CloudTex and cloth upholstery. Even the steering wheel was synthetic leather.
The updated version of VW’s 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine raises output to 174 horsepower, up from the outgoing model’s 158 hp. The torque rating of 184 pound feet is unchanged. The 2025 Taos won’t be blowing any doors off, but that’s cool. It’s still fun to drive, and buyers seeking high performance won’t have Taos on their list anyway.
What Taos excels at is the immensely more practical concepts of ride comfort, vehicle maneuverability in confined spaces, functionality, value, and good gas mileage.
Taos front-wheel-drive models have EPA-estimated ratings of 28 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, and 31 mpg combined. Taos 4Motion all-wheel-drive models have EPA-estimated ratings of 25 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 28 mpg combined. All ratings are based on regular unleaded fuel.
2025 VOLKSWAGEN TAOS SE BLACK 4MOTION
Base price, including destination charge: $33,270
Price as driven: $33,725
Mary Lowry is a member of the Motor Press Guild and a member and past president of the Northwest Automotive Press Association. She lives in Snohomish County. Vehicles are provided by automotive manufacturers as a one-week loan for evaluation purposes only. Manufacturers do not control content of the reviews.
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