If you’ve set sights on driving home a new Volkswagen Taos today, best cool your jets. According to a report by Automotive News, the model is under a stop-sale order by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Well, all-wheel-drive models are, anyway.
Apparently, there have been reports of 4Motion-equipped Taos vehicles shutting down its engine when rolling to a halt, a trait few drivers would appreciate. And, before you ask, this isn’t the standard start-stop system simply doing its thing to save fuel. Reports say the manufacturer is ‘researching a repair’, suggesting the company doesn’t currently have a fix for affected vehicles. In the meantime, we’re sure dealers will be more than happy to plug customers into a front-wheel drive trim.
It’s worth noting that Taos models running with 4Motion are equipped with a 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox instead of the more conventional 8-speed automatic found on front-wheel drive models. Could the DSG be stumbling when downshifting to a lower gear as the driver eases the machine to a halt? For what it’s worth, the engine remains the same across both trims – a 1.5L turbocharged four-cylinder making 158 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque.
Taos is an important model for Volkswagen, permitting it to play in the competitive subcompact crossover class. Having gone on sale in Q2 of this calendar year, the new trucklet has already racked up almost 5,000 sales in America through to the end of June, the only month it’s been on dealer lots. Since it is a fresh vehicle in the lineup, an argument can be made that every copy sold is an incremental sale.
For comparison, the Atlas and its Cross Sport cousin combined to shift nearly 70,000 units in the same time period, so Taos has a ways to go yet before it can even remotely claim superiority in the Volkswagen lineup. The brand also sold about 65,000 Tiguan SUVs in Q2 2021, by the way. If the Taos performed as well in the other five months of the year as it did in June, it would have still only sold about half as well as the Tiguan.
[Image: Volkswagen]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
158hp and stalling at stoplights. VW wants you to party like it’s 1980.
Sage comment of the day!
Just an FYI – a 1982 VW Rabbit had 75bhp. The diesel had 52. 158 bhp was a rocket ship in 1982. A Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham had 125.
“158 bhp was a rocket ship in 1982.”
That’s as much hyperbole as my comment (an ’80 Caprice 5.0L made 155hp), but still, I give you high marks for your capitousness.
I think this is the Almighty weighing in on the merit of Crossover All The Things.
youtube.com/watch?v=W40VJqedv-U
Five thousand customers vow to not make the same mistake again.
That is the punishment dispensed by fate to the people who have made the mortal sin of trusting VW’s reliability.
“trusting VW’s reliability”
Es ist nicht nur Zuverlässigkeit. Ja, es gibt Gründe, VW auch in anderen Aspekten des Automobildesigns zu misstrauen Herr Schmidtt.
VW reliability issues is an old trope that really needs to be retired. Just because some college girl you knew had a 1999 Mexican-Built Jetta and was shocked when the car died after 60,000 miles because she never had the oil changed isn’t a reason to condemn the brand. I’ve owned only VW and Audi products since 2007 and have had no problems with any of them. YMMV but really, it’s time to update your hate.
I feel bad for the 5 or 6 people who were disappointed by this piece of news.
But the adverts keep telling me that life is easier with a VW and that I’ll have lower maintenance costs in a Taos than I would in a CR-V or Rav-4.
I wonder if that’s because all of its time will be spent in the warranty bay.
As for the CRV, at least in terms of initial quality Honda is now between VW and Volvo.
Headline: “Honda’s CEO seizes the wheel as quality crisis hits profits”
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/foreign/2019/12/10/honda-quality-crisis-hits-profits/4389232002/
In spite of the problem, they seem to be off to a fast start with this one. I’ve already seen 3 or 4 of them on the road, not sure FWD or AWD.