Volkswagen Tayron (2025 - )

The all-new Tayron fits perfectly between the Tiguan and Touareg in Volkswagen’s SUV line-up and it offers the versatility of up to seven seats.

First things first though, the Tayron replaces the Tiguan Allspace and its actually pronounced “Tie-ron” and not “Tay-ron” despite the spelling.

As is the VW way, customers are offered a wealth of trim and powertrain choices with prices starting from £40,130. Five trims are available in the UK called Life, Match, Elegance, R-Line and R-Line Edition, with both Match and R-Line Edition only sold with eHybrid technology.

Elsewhere there is the full range of engine options with a 1.5-litre petrol unit with varying power outputs along with a 2.0-litre diesel, delivering 150PS, 204PS or 265PS. There are six or seven-speed gearboxes and while most models boast seven seats, the eHybrid cars are only available with five seats. These plug-in hybrid models can deliver an electric-only driving range of up to 75 miles.

We opted for the Tayron R-Line with the 1.5-litre eTSI petrol engine matched to a seven-speed automatic transmission, costing £43,105 before any options were added to the mix.

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Seven-seaters seem to be exceptionally popular in recent times with fabulous models coming to market such as the Hyundai Santa Fe, Skoda Kodiaq and Kia Sorento to name just a few. But unlike people-movers of bygone years, modern-day SUVs with room for seven actually look quite dynamic in their styling.

And the same goes for the VW Tayron with its strong road presence resulting in plenty of kerb appeal. Despite its SUV dimensions, its boasts dynamic styling with muscular haunches, a black grille, privacy glass, silver roof rails, illuminated VW logos at the front and rear, body-coloured door mirrors and handles, R-Line sports style bumpers, air intakes with chrome trim, 3D tail light clusters connected by a full-length light bar and the look is completed with 20-inch black and grey alloys.

Moving inside, the interior is upmarket with high-end fixtures and fittings throughout. The manually adjustable seats offer ample support and even have a massage function. Additionally, along with the leather-wrapped steering wheel, they can be heated against the winter chill.

On-board technology is both high-end and plentiful with our Tayron featuring an upgraded 15-inch infotainment screen and head-up display. Creature comforts include a navigation set-up, eight-speaker sound system with DAB radio, full smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice control with ChatGPT AI technology and plenty more besides.
There are USB ports for all occupants to stay connected on the move and the second-row passengers benefit from window blinds if they fancy forty winks.

Behind the steering wheel is a 10.25-inch digital instrument display where all the vital driving data is clearly shown and this can be personalised to taste. And a centrally-positioned dial can be used to control the audio volume or to switch through the various drive modes without having to rely on the touchscreen.

VW has come under fire in recent years for somewhat sub-standard infotainment systems, but this one really hits the mark – it’s fast, intuitive and very easy to navigate.
 

Powering our front-wheel drive Tayron R-Line test car was a 1.5-litre petrol engine delivering 150PS and 250Nm of torque. It could sprint to 62mph from a standing start in 9.4 seconds and has a top speed of 127mph. 

While those performance stats are not blisteringly quick, it’s worth remembering this is a seven-seat family SUV with emphasis on practicality rather than sheer pace. That said; the sprint time is not bad for a vehicle weighing 1.7 tonnes that can tow a trailer or caravan of up to 1.8 tonnes.

It's a content motorway cruiser sitting effortlessly at 70mph and eating away at those miles. Then when faced with more testing twisty country lanes, it’s well grounded and demonstrates impressive grip with minimal body sway.

In busier town centres, the steering is perfectly weighted with ample driver feedback and special mention to the excellent all-round driver visibility which a ‘must’ on any family vehicle.
Acceleration through the seven-speed automatic transmission is smooth and nicely timed with steering wheel-mounted paddles for extra driver involvement.

Drive modes called Eco, Comfort, Sport and Individual alter the dynamics and responses of the car and there are also Atmosphere settings that change the digital displays to suit your mood – these are called Lounge, Joy, Energetic, Minimal, Me and Inactive. The Minimal was my favourite.

Comfort and refinement are additional points worth noting within the Tayron as the cabin is well insulated so protects occupants from engine and road surface noise, while the seats offer ample support for the longest of journeys.

The VW Tayron is a full-sized SUV with space for up to seven occupants. It stretches 4,792mm in length, is 1,866mm across (excluding mirrors), 1,668mm tall and has a wheelbase measuring 2,788mm.

Up front, there is bundles of room for two six footers to sit comfortably and there is enough head, leg and elbow space for a further two more adults in the second row (three at a squeeze). Drop those split-folding seats and there are two further seats which are ideally suited to youngsters due to limited legroom and the need to clamber in and out without too much fuss. When not in use, these third row seats fold flat to the boot floor.

The boot itself is accessed via a wide-opening, powered tailgate and the storage room also impresses with capacities ranging from 345, 850 and 1,905 litres dependent upon the seating configurations. Our car featured a Comfort Package costing £1,140 and this introduced the powered tailgate with a virtual pedal activation so it can be opened by waving your foot beneath the rear bumper. This is really handy if you are carrying lots of shopping bags. The pack also included keyless entry and a memory function for Park Assist Plus.

Additionally, there are numerous storage compartments scattered throughout the cabin, including a glovebox, door bins, a deep central cubby, a sunglasses compartment, front and second row cup holders, a wireless charging pad, seat back pockets, a concealed lower dashboard compartment next to the driver’s door and some trays.
 

The VW Tayron is competitively priced with the entry-level Life version with the 1.5 eTSI powertrain costing from £40,130. Prices increase to £50,210 for the high-end R-Line Edition with the eHybrid technology.

Our test car started out with a £41,655 price-tag, but a number of optional extras saw the final cost rise to £47,755. These included IQ.LIGHT HD matrix headlights, an Infotainment Package Plus with a 15-inch screen and head-up display, a Comfort Package that added a powered tailgate, and Driver Assistance Package with a number of extra safety features. The Dolphin Grey metallic paintwork with upgraded interior upholstery also cost an additional £810.

While the plug-in hybrid models will deliver superior day-to-day running costs, especially if you can make full use of the EV-only range, our test car could achieve a WLTP-tested 42.9mpg on a combined run with carbon emissions of 150g/km.

This CO2 figure results in a first-year car tax fee of £540, dropping to the standard fee of £195 after the first 12 months.

However, there are extra costs to factor in because the Tayron costs in excess of £40k. That means it will be subject to an Expensive Car Supplement that adds an extra £425 from years two to six. And for anyone thinking about the Tayron as a company car, it has a BiK tax rating of 36 per cent.

For peace of mind, the vehicle comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty package and the VW Tayron R-Line, as tested, sits in insurance group 25.
 

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SUV designers face with one of the most challenging tasks in the industry in our opinion as they constantly need to evolve their models in a fiercely competitive sector. 

And hats off to the VW design team for the development of the Tayron. It’s one of those cars that delivers on all counts without being too flashy in the process. It looks great, drives really well and covers all the practicality bases too, without completely emptying the bank account.
 

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