- On the road in the new VW Tayron
- It's a seven seater - but there's a catch
- Sits between Tiguan and Touareg
- Our writer Steve Fowler gives his verdict
Volkswagen’s SUV line-up is looking pretty crowded these days, and with the arrival of the Tayron, things have got even busier.
VW currently has nine SUVs to choose from, covering everything from compact crossovers to full-blown seven-seaters. The Tayron slots in between the Tiguan and the range-topping Touareg, effectively replacing the old seven-seat Tiguan Allspace.
Now, here’s the catch: in petrol and diesel form, the Tayron can be had with seven seats. But in plug-in hybrid (PHEV) guise – the one I’m testing here – that option disappears because the battery lives under the boot floor where the third row of seats would usually be. So, if seven seats are a must, you’ll have to look elsewhere if you want a plug on your car. But if you’re after a large, comfortable, and spacious five-seater with an impressive electric range, the Tayron PHEV might be worth considering.
The Tayron looks every bit the modern Volkswagen SUV with sharp, clean lines, a big grille, and those fancy illuminated VW badges front and rear that some may find just a little bit naff!
However, its biggest selling point is space; there’s bags of rear legroom and the boot is enormous at 705 litres, a big step up from the 490 litres you get in the Tiguan. It’s not all good news, though. With the Tayron starting at nearly £44,000, you have to ask yourself whether you really need that extra room or whether the smaller, cheaper Tiguan would do just fine. In the petrol hybrid or diesel models the Tayron’s extra seats – which are surprisingly spacious, too – give the Tayron a real USP over the Tiguan. That’s not the case with this PHEV model.
If you do want the plug-in hybrid variety, the Tayron comes in two flavours, both using a 1.5-litre petrol engine paired with a 19.7kWh battery with an electric motor. Power outputs are either 201bhp or 268bhp, and I tested the lower-powered version.
In electric mode, it’s smooth, silent, and quick enough for everyday driving. More importantly, with a claimed 75-mile EV range, this is one of the longest-running plug-in hybrids out there. With most people driving fewer than 30 miles per day, you could easily do most of your driving without using a drop of petrol and just plug in every couple of days.
When the petrol engine does kick in, it’s a bit more vocal than expected, especially under hard acceleration. But on a cruise, things settle down nicely, and the Tayron proves to be a comfortable long-distance machine. Charging speeds are solid for a PHEV – 11kW on AC and up to 50kW on a fast charger – though, realistically, most owners will be topping up at home overnight.
On the road, the Tayron feels like a proper SUV. It’s big – 231mm longer than a Tiguan – and you notice that in town, where it feels a bit cumbersome. The high bonnet adds to the sense that you’re driving something substantial, but thankfully, visibility is good, and the cameras help when parking.
Despite its size, the Tayron is easy to drive, with nicely weighted steering and a comfortable, composed ride. Adaptive dampers come as standard, keeping things settled even on rough roads. It doesn’t have the sharpest handling in the world, but for family SUV duties, it does the job perfectly well.
Inside, it’s classic Volkswagen: solid, functional, but not exactly exciting. There are some a few flourishes that try hard to brighten things up, like ambient lighting and a back-lit pattern running across the dash and doors, but overall, it’s typically VW and a bit business-like. The build quality is excellent and materials feel premium, which is where VW still has an edge over some of the newer, budget-friendly PHEVs from China.
The front seats are available with heating, ventilation, and massage functions, and they’ve even been given the thumbs up by German back specialists. Acoustic glass keeps the cabin quiet, and rear passengers get a good deal too, with heated seats, sun blinds, and loads of legroom. And the boot is vast with 705 litres of space, expanding to a whopping 2,090 litres with the seats folded flat. If practicality is your top priority, the Tayron delivers.
Volkswagen has rightly taken a lot of flak for its infotainment systems recently, and while the Tayron’s is better than some of its predecessors, it’s still not perfect. The touchscreen is improved with new software, and the previously unlit temperature and volume sliders are now illuminated (a small but important fix). But they’re still fiddly and those volume and temperature controls are exactly where you’d want to rest your thumb when prodding the touchscreen. If you’re comfy with tech, you’ll probably end up using voice control more often than not.
If you do use voice control ChatGPT is now integrated into the system to answer questions that the car’s own voice system can’t – the car’s system will look after things like changing the temperature, while ChatGPT will give you the football results.
VW’s digital driver display remains one of the best in the business, while there’s also a crisp head-up display, twin wireless phone chargers, and a decent Harman Kardon stereo available on some specs.
One thing you won’t miss is chrome. In keeping with modern trends, VW has gone all-in on illumination instead. The badges at the front and rear light up, which is a bit glitzy for some, but it certainly makes a statement. The Tayron also gets high-tech HD Matrix headlights, and if you’re feeling particularly lazy, you can even park it remotely using the VW app.
As for running costs, the Tayron isn’t exactly cheap. With prices starting at just under £44k and going beyond £50k for higher trims, it’s expensive compared to some of the new wave of plug-in hybrid SUVs from the Far East. However, it does justify some of that price tag with its high-quality interior, impressive EV range, and refined driving experience. If you make full use of its electric capabilities, running costs could be very low, and for company car drivers, the Benefit-in-Kind (BIK) tax savings will be a big plus.
The problem is that the Tayron sits in a bit of a grey area. If you don’t need all that space, the cheaper Tiguan PHEV makes more sense. And if you do need more seats, you’ll have to look at a different model altogether since the plug-in hybrid Tayron ditches the third row you can get in petrol and diesel models. It’s another high-quality, easy to live with Volkswagen SUV, but whether it has a clear place in the brand’s already packed SUV line-up is another question.
- Model tested: Volkswagen Tayron PHEV (201bhp)
- Price to buy outright/rough cost to lease: £43,905 - £50,100 / TBC
- Powertrain/battery size: 1.5-litre petrol with 19.7kWh battery
- Power output/torque/top speed: 201bhp or 268bhp/ 250NM / 130mph
- Range/charging speed if electric: 75 miles electric / max 50kW fast charging Fuel economy/CO2 emissions: 608mpg / 11g/km
- Boot space in litres: 705 litres (2,090 litres with seats folded)
- BIK/road tax: 8% / £10
- Standard-issue kit: Adaptive dampers, heated/ventilated/massaging seats, ambient lighting, digital driver display, head-up display, wireless phone charging, ChatGPT voice control, HD Matrix headlights, Harman Kardon sound system
- Main rivals: Volkswagen Tiguan PHEV, Jaecoo 7, BYD Seal U DM-i
** Steve Fowler is one of the UK’s best-known automotive journalists and currently EV Editor of The Independent and a regular contributor to The Guardian. He’s the only person to have edited three of the UK’s biggest car titles – Auto Express, Autocar and What Car? – and has interviewed the biggest names in the car world from Tesla’s Elon Musk to Ford’s Jim Farley. Steve has also presented documentaries for BBC Radio Four and is used as a resident ‘car guru’ on TV and Radio. He’s a World Car of the Year juror and a judge on both Germany’s and India’s Car of the Year Awards. Read more of Steve's work at stevefowler.co.uk.
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