NO LONGER WOLFSBURG IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

The Tayron is a sharper-looking kind of Volkswagen seven-seat family SUV. Jonathan Crouch checks it out.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 40

Filling the gap in Volkswagen's SUV range between the Tiguan and the Touareg, the Tayron is a much more convincing seven-seat family crossover than its Tiguan Allspace predecessor. And brings a premium feel to the mainstream brand seven-seat crossover segment.

Backgroundword count: 131

'The Tayron is a bona fide Volkswagen'. This slightly strange statement from the brand's CEO conceals a veiled reference that perhaps its predecessor wasn't. That car, the Tiguan Allspace (which sold for seven years from 2017) was nothing more than a slightly stretched Tiguan with an extra seating row; in a segment where customers expect seven-seat mid-sized SUVs to be bespoke designs. Like the Peugeot 5008, the Nissan X-Trail and the Skoda Kodiaq. The Tayron shares virtually all of its engineering with the Kodiaq - and of course with the Tiguan. But is, Volkswagen assures us, very much its own car with a unique, quite premium look inside and out that supposed to better fill the brand's SUV segment gap between the Tiguan and the Touareg. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 228

One area where the Tayron couldn't be any different from its Tiguan stablemate was in terms of engineering. The drivetrains, all paired of course to DSG auto transmission, are pretty much exactly as you'll find them in that sister model - and very similar to those in that Volkswagen's Skoda Kodiaq close cousin. That means a defiant diesel offering - or if you really want to move on from that, the latest in Plug-in Hybrid tech. But like its VW Group stablemates, the Tayron lacks the self-charging full-Hybrid tech that you'd find in this sector with rivals from Kia, Hyundai, Peugeot and Toyota. Your dealer might tell you that the entry-level 150PS 48V mild hybrid 1.5 eTSI petrol-powered Tayron model offers much the same sort of thing, but it doesn't, as an efficiency figure comparison will demonstrate. We'd prefer the 2.0 TDI 150PS diesel - a unit also available in 193PS form with 4MOTION 4WD. 4MOTION is standard too on the 2.0 TSI petrol variant. All Tayron 4MOTION models are designed for maximum trailer weights of up to 2,500kg. 4MOTION can't be had on the PHEVs, which pair a 1.5-litre petrol engine to a 19.7kWh battery and offer a choice of 204PS or 272PS outputs, with a range of around 62 miles. The PHEV Kodiaq has a slightly higher range because it uses a significantly larger 25.7kWh battery.

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227