The new Volkswagen (VW) Tayron is now on sale in SA, and we’ve had our first impression of what it’s like to drive.
The high-riding VW SUV is available as a five- or seven-seater and replaces the seven-seat Tiguan Allspace, which is now retired.
It’s noticeably longer and larger, and built on the same scalable MQB platform that underpins the Tiguan and others. It measures 4,790mm in length and 1,852mm in width, equating to a 42mm increase in length while it’s 13mm wider than the outgoing car. It has a 2,791mm wheelbase, which is a negligible 2mm more than in the Tiguan Allspace.
Front and second row passengers in the seven-seat model get plenty of leg, head and shoulder room compared to third row passengers. The last row is a children’s haven with shallow footwells, but all three seating rows have their own climate controls.
In five-seat shape the Tayron offers 885l of loading space and 1,900l with the rear seats flattened. The seven-seat model has 345l with all the seats propped up, and a 26mm lower roof height than the preceding model. This doesn’t impede access or comfort, but adds to the sleek silhouette.
The styling aligns with VW’s modern corporate suit but new cues such as bulged wheel arches and an elongated footprint give it an exclusive and attractive appearance.
Three specification trims are available: the five-seat Base and seven-seat Life and range-topping R Line models.
The Base and Life get less showy front and rear bumpers and 18-inch Bologna alloy wheels as standard. The cabin styling reflects modern VW products with slight variations, but it’s just as digitised.
Luxuries in the Life model include LED headlights, digital instrumentation, a 12.9-inch infotainment radio with App-Connect Wireless for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 10-colour background lighting, park assist, rear traffic alert, cruise control, nine airbags and illuminated Volkswagen logos at the front and rear.
In sporty R-Line guise the Tayron gets a specific and more aggressive honeycomb grille and aluminium-look decorative trim, and it’s perched on 19-inch Coventry alloy wheels. It also gets 3D LED tail clusters with dynamic turn signal.
🚘 Tayron SA Pricing
The Black Style package featuring decorative body trim in high-gloss black and interior decorative trim in dark chrome including black 20-inch alloy wheels is also available to the Tayron R-Line exclusively.
Standard amenities in the R-Line include Varenna leather upholstery. The comfy and well-padded front seats also have a massage function and there’s a navigation infotainment package, 30-colour mood lighting, navigation, IQ package including travel assist with active cruise control, and LED matrix headlights. More options include a tilting and sliding sunroof, 700W Harman Kardon system, steering wheel warmer, heated and ventilated seats.
All models are powered by a four-cylinder 1.4l petrol TSI engine developing 110kW and 250Nm, paired exclusively with seven-speed automatic transmissions driving the front wheels. Diesels, hybrids and 4 Motion all-wheel drive will be introduced to the range later.
The small capacity engine that has driving modes of Normal, Eco, Comfort, Sport, Off-road, and Individual felt adequately powerful, refined and tractable. It never struggled with overtaking or tackling steep incline roads, nor did it strive to haul the long body with two passengers on-board.
It also impressed with poise through the bends, and a low 6.9l/100km fuel consumption average.
Good damping qualities are part of the package.
It’s a plush ride and the car isn’t fazed by bumpy surfaces or gravel roads. Standard driver assist systems include lane change, lane keeping assists, automatic emergency braking system with pedestrian and cyclist monitoring, park assist, rear-view camera and an exit warning system, the latter preventing a door from being opened if a vehicle approaches from behind.
The first drive verdict says the new VW Tayron is an accomplished SUV that enters into the busy SUV market with positives and negatives.
The starting price that’s R100K more than the previous generation entry-level Tiguan Allspace is contentious, as is the potential savings of about R300,000 on Chinese seven-seaters with similar tech and luxury such as the Chery Tiggo 8 Pro and Jetour X70.
Volkswagen will pin its hopes on the newer technical upgrades ahead of the older-generation Tiguan Allspace, and how it all comes together as a comfy, well-built and driving family SUV to justify the premium to customers.
All models are sold standard with a three-year/120,000km warranty and five-year/90,000km service plan.
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