Should you buy a Volkswagen Tayron?

Yes. If you’re looking for a well-built, spacious, and comfortable seven-seater family SUV, the Volkswagen Tayron is an excellent choice. While it lacks driver engagement, it excels in practicality and refinement. But despite those brickbats, it looks set to challenge the Skoda Kodiaq as the best option in this class – depending on finance.

The Tayron’s very anonymity and crushing competence is why it appeals so much – here at last is a VW that feels well developed and crafted to be exactly what it needs to be and nothing more. It’s a car that honours all those Volkswagens that have gone before, channelling its inner seventh-generation Golf (an all-time great).

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What’s new?

The Volkswagen Tayron arrives in one of the busiest and most competitive corners of the car market – the seven-seat SUV sector. With families looking for space, flexibility and affordability, the Tayron steps into a segment where some of the most popular and capable cars of recent years reside. From hybrid favourites like the Kia Sorento to newer electric rivals such as the Peugeot e-5008, this is a tough crowd to impress.

It replaces the outgoing Tiguan Allspace and slots in between the standard five-seat Tiguan and the larger Touareg, and that makes it a natural choice for growing families. It’s a design that’s neat and modern without being flashy, and it brings the sort of understated quality that Volkswagen buyers expect. With a broad engine range, the Tayron is a solid new option for anyone looking for a comfortable, practical family car with room to grow.

The Tayron faces stiff competition in the seven-seat SUV market, going up against the class-leading Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Sorento, Peugeot 5008, and Land Rover Discovery Sport. It shares much of its underpinnings with the Tiguan but has a 11cm between the front and rear axles for more interior space and distinct exterior styling, including full-width LED lighting at the rear and illuminated Volkswagen badges.

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What’s it like inside?

The Tayron is brilliantly practical, as you’d hope, but also more subtly upmarket than some recent VWs. Volkswagen even dropped the dreaded ‘premium’ word into some of its marketing, but in this case, there’s merit to the claim. The materials, layout and overall vibe inside the Tayron mark a return to the more traditionally high-quality feel that long-time VW customers have come to expect. In truth, Skoda had been outshining VW here for a while, but the Tayron and Kodiaq now feel very evenly matched.

The Volkswagen Tayron offers spacious accommodation, with both five- and seven-seat layouts on the price list. The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) is only available as a five-seater because the batteries eat into the boot space.

There’s plenty of legroom and headroom for passengers in the front two rows. The middle-row seats slide and recline. That gives flexibility depending on whether you need extra passenger room or more space for luggage. Entry and exit are straightforward, thanks to large door openings and a relatively high seating position.

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The seven-seat variant includes a third row that’s best reserved for children, though teenagers might just about fit for shorter journeys. Adults will struggle with both leg- and headroom. That said, we did manage to slot a six-footer behind another six-footer – but only just, and not without a degree of negotiation.

Comfort

Seat comfort is excellent, and it plays a big role in making the Tayron feel like a relaxing place to spend time. Long journeys are handled with ease thanks to supportive seats that strike a good balance between cushioning and posture support.

The Tayron is available with both heated and cooled front seats, making it a pleasant companion whatever the season. An upgraded massage function is also available, which Volkswagen says is designed to be more gentle and less intrusive than in previous models. It’s a welcome addition that adds a genuine long-distance ability.

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Boot space and practicality

The boot offers up to 2,090 litres of space with all seats folded flat into the floor – a figure that puts it ahead of the Kia Sorento and similar to many rivals. The PHEV sees that drop to 1,915 litres, but that’s still a very usable volume for most families. The central seats also have a one-thirds/two-thirds split, while the rearmost make that 50:50 for additional practicality.

Even with all three rows of seats in use, there’s still 177 litres available – enough for a few shopping bags or a folded pushchair. The Volkswagen Tayron’s load space is usefully square, and the low boot lip makes it easy to slide in heavier items. Folding the second and third rows down opens up a long, flat floor that’s ideal for bulkier loads.

Inside the cabin, storage is well thought out. There are plenty of cubbies up front, a large central bin and generously sized door pockets. That said, it doesn’t quite match the flexibility or hidden storage tricks offered by some electric SUV rivals. Rear-seat passengers get USB ports and a clever fold-down armrest with an integrated iPad stand – a neat and family-friendly touch first seen on the Renault Scenic E-Tech.

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Safety

The Tayron comes with a comprehensive suite of safety systems. These include autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, and adaptive cruise control. The double-glazed windows enhance refinement, while blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert add extra security. It’s not yet been Euro NCAP tested, but it’s safe to assume that it will score highly.

One of the standout features is its oncoming vehicle braking when turning function – a clever bit of tech that helps prevent accidents when crossing oncoming traffic at junctions. There’s also pedestrian and cyclist detection (Front Assist), along with Park Assist Plus for semi-automated parking. Finally, VW’s new exit warning system alerts occupants to approaching vehicles or cyclists when opening the door – a particularly helpful touch in tight urban environments.

Volkswagen Tayron engines

UK buyers get a choice of six engines: a 1.5-litre mild-hybrid petrol with 148hp, a 2.0-litre petrol with either 204 or 265hp, a 2.0-litre diesel with 148hp, and two 1.5-litre plug-in hybrids producing 204 or 272hp. All Tayrons come with a DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox – a six-speed for the PHEVs, and a seven-speed for all others.

The plug-in hybrids claim up to 62 miles of electric-only range and fall into the 2% Benefit-in-Kind tax band, making them highly attractive to company car drivers. CO₂ emissions range from just 10g/km for the PHEVs to 198g/km for the more powerful petrol models.

Standard tech includes a more usable infotainment system with either a 12.9 or 15.1-inch touchscreen depending on trim, integrated ChatGPT voice control, and a full suite of driver assistance systems.

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What’s it like to drive?

We came away from the international launch feeling the Tayron behaved in a safe and predictable way, but that arguably sold it short. On the smooth continental roads we initially tested it on, its composure was clear. But it was only after spending time on UK roads that the Tayron’s underlying dynamic ability really shone through.

We’ve now driven the 150hp diesel (50.9mpg WLTP Combined consumption), the more powerful 272hp plug-in hybrid (625mpg WLTP), the 204hp hybrid (614mpg WLTP), and the 1.5 eTSI petrol (150hp, 42.9mpg WLTP) here in the UK. The picture is more rounded – and more positive.

The Volkswagen Tayron is calm, well-sorted and composed. What stands out most is how agile it feels to drive with low levels of bodyroll, reponsive steering – and despite a reasonably firm ride, comfort is excellent thanks to the twin-valve, adaptive dampers fitted to the car. We hit a mid-corner expansion joint at one point, but the wheel control was so good it barely registered in the cabin.

The steering deserves a mention too. It’s sharp and responsive, giving the Tayron an unexpected level of agility for a car of this size. While it lacks true road feel through the wheel, it adds to the car’s sense of control and ease, particularly in urban manoeuvres and twistier roads.

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One unusual feature is the sheer number of damper settings – 15 in total. While it offers plenty of adjustability, most drivers will likely set it once and forget about it. Unsurprisingly, the middle setting strikes the best balance. Two-wheel-drive versions offer four different drive modes – Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Individual. These tweak elements like steering and throttle response, but for most people, Comfort will be the go-to.

Of the versions we drove, the PHEV stands out as the nicest to drive. It’s smooth, quiet and offers brisk acceleration in electric mode. The diesel remains the best choice for long-distance travel, with its relaxed torque delivery and strong fuel economy. The entry-level 1.5 eTSI puts in a surprisingly eager performance too – it’s the least powerful, but also the most involving if you like to work your engine a bit. You have to drive it harder to get the most out of it, which gives it a slightly sporting character.

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What models and trims are available?

Plenty. There are five trims available – Life, Match, Elegance, R-Line and R-Line Edition. Not all engines are available in all trims, so if you want the choice of any of the six engines, you’ll need to be looking at the R-Line.

Volkswagen expects the PHEVs to be the big sellers, thanks to their low running costs and 2% tax band rating. Claimed fuel economy figures for both power variants are 625mpg (WLTP – though real-world figures will vary significantly depending on usage and charging habits), and each produces just 10g/km of CO2. They also offer more than 60 miles of electric-only driving range.

So, how does this new model fit in? Read on for our verdict and ratings for the new Volkswagen Tayron, what we like and don’t, and to find out what processes we go through to get to these conclusions, read our how we test cars page.