Volkswagen will bring a little more appeal to the compact SUV segment with the update. Taoism. Baby intersection will benefit from the usual nip-and-tuck treatment we expect from a mid-cycle update—with an interesting twist: The 1.5-liter engine is carried over, but there are some clever upgrades that bump output to 174 horsepower. That’s a 16-horsepower jump over the 2024—not bad at all for a mere refresh. Car All-wheel drive models now come with a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission; the old seven-speed DSG is being phased out.
The new face loses the jaw-dropping air dams that dominated the lower bumper ends. That clean look is accentuated by a body-colored grille. Don’t worry, though; there’s still plenty of plastic mesh on the lower half of the bumper. Just kidding, we’d call it a facelift. There’s also good news at the back. While the new continuous taillight design may not be original, it works well here.
Inside, there’s good news and bad news, though your personal preferences may have an impact here. Let’s start with the bad news: the HVAC knobs are gone. Instead, we have the touch-sensitive sliders that VW has incorporated into many of its new interiors. They don’t do a better job than what they replace, but for better or worse, they match the gloss black trim around the new 8-inch infotainment setup. VW has also given the seats some love; the new contrasting arrangement suits them well.
VW doesn’t have pricing information for the 2025 Taos to share yet. Expect more details (and delivery dates) before the end of the year.
