Volkswagen Tayron review

It’s the new Tiguan Allspace. Except, it isn’t. To keep a long boardroom story mercifully short, the bigwigs at VW decided the seven-seat version of the latest Tiguan needed a place of its own outside of the main SUV’s sphere of influence. Hence this: the Volkswagen Tayron.

If that name rings a bell, it’s because Tayron isn’t actually new – the badge made its debut as a China-only SUV in 2018. So this is technically the second generation of that car, but the first you’ve been able to buy without a wallet full of Yuan.

Oh and before we get too far down the rabbit hole, it’s pronounced tie-ron not tay-ron. So why not spell it Tairon like the Taigo?

Typical. Give me the essential background info.

The Tayron is built upon the same undergubbins as the regular Tiguan but it’s marginally taller and wider. And a good bit longer, by about 25cm. Not quite half of that is in the wheelbase, which means more room for legs and feet and thigh bones.

And yes, boot space swells as well. For the full skinny, head over to the Interior section of this review.

One caveat: the Tayron is notionally a seven-seater as standard… except in either of the plug-in hybrids. Gotta put the battery somewhere.

Wait, plug-in hybrids? As in plural?!

That’s right, with the Tayron you’ve the choice of two different PHEVs. Both get a 19.7kWh battery for a smidge over 70 miles of range, but one combines a 1.5-litre petrol and e-motor for 201bhp and the other ups that to 268bhp. 8.6 seconds plays 7.3s in the 0-62mph stakes. Yeah, seems a bit silly to us too.

There are four other powertrain options on the table: things kick off with a 1.5-litre mild hybrid that generates 148bhp and 184lb ft sent through a seven-speed auto ‘box, followed by two versions of a 2.0-litre petrol that kick out 201 and 261bhp apiece through a six-speed auto. No hybrid assistance in those and both come with AWD – the rest of the line-up is FWD only. The latter petrol is the quickest Tayron of all, hitting 62mph from rest in 6.1s. Not that you’ll ever attempt that.

Finally there’s a 2.0-litre diesel that’ll churn out 148bhp and 266lb ft. On paper it’s easily the most economical of the lot at 50.9mpg WLTP, save for the plug-ins which are flattered by the lab test to a hilarious degree (700mpg ish). Head to the Driving tab for more info.

What’s the main thing I should know about the Tayron?

It’s quiet. Like, wake-held-in-a-village-library quiet. VW has deployed stuff like double-glazed acoustic glass to great effect in here, and the engines are mostly hushed with gentle use of the throttle. The net result is an imperious sense of isolation from the outside world that in years gone by has been a USP for the Land Rover Discovery. Not any more.

It’s also remarkably controlled for such a whopper of an SUV, resisting roll and chamfering out bumps with relentless competence. But then we’ve only driven Tayrons with the most sophisticated DCC adaptive suspension (hello independent valves and hydraulic bushings) so far – the real test with the entry set-up on our own pockmarked roads is yet to come. Stay tuned for the final verdict.

I’ll be honest, I’m not loving the looks.

Nor are we. To be honest, you have to give VW some leeway for sticking to the brand cues that make you go ‘that’s a Volkswagen’ whenever one slides through your field of vision. All mainstream carmakers are bound by that. But in isolation the Tayron comes across as a bit gopping. We reckon it’s the front and rear grills; tapering down like a sad clown whose jolly painted smile isn’t fooling anyone.

Playing it safe is probably what VW’s customers want. But when you’ve got the Hyundai Santa Fe turning heads and an impressive new Volvo XC90 bearing down on the segment, shouldn’t you be working harder for your slice of the semi-luxury pie?

What’s the damage?

The entry-level Tayron in Life trim opens the bidding at £39,850 – that’s an important number, because it just barely squeaks under the £40,000 limbo pole that’ll cost you an extra £410 per year in VED from April 2025. Then there are four other trim levels (and all those powertrains) that push the top end up to £50k before options. Sheesh.

The elephant in the room is that the (related) Skoda Kodiaq undercuts it across the board. Not by much, but enough to make you think twice.

In many ways the Volkswagen Tayron is a deeply impressive thing. The way it goes about its business belies its size, and the flexibility of those extra two jump seats will give you a real headache if you’ve gone into the dealership with your heart set on a Tiguan. The hastily reworked infotainment system is no longer an utter disaster either, so a huge reason to not buy a VW has largely been fixed now. About time too.

The real question is who’s it for: a Merc GLB buyer lowering their expectations or a Kodiaq customer raising theirs? Your outlook will shift dramatically depending on which of those camps you fall into, because the interior isn’t quite special enough to earn its place in the (buzzword incoming) premium club, but if you’re minded towards the Skoda surely you just stick with that?

That’s the danger with trying to fill a gap… there’s a risk you might fall into it.