Those who know Chinese cars will recognise the Volkswagen Tayron name. The first generation car was introduced to the Chinese market in 2018, while the second generation landed in 2024, the latter making it to British shores. The Tayron replaces the Tiguan Allspace, filling the gap between the current Tiguan and the Touareg.
Volkswagen Tayron Design and Interior
Its design may mirror the brand’s electrified ID line-up but the Tayron is only available in petrol, diesel and hybrid form, and although it sits on the same MQB Evo platform as the Tiguan and shares similar styling, Volkswagen claims it has no shared bodywork.
Buyers can choose from five trims: Life, Match, Elegance, R-Line and R-Line Edition and depending on what trim’s chosen, they can also choose from mild and plug-in hybrid engines.
All trims get electrically adjustable lumbar support for the front seats and there’s lots of steering wheel adjustment, meaning it’s easy to get comfortable in the Volkswagen Tayron. Full electric adjustment costs extra while Elegance and R-Line trims add massaging front seats.
All Tayrons get 10.25-inch digital instrument and 12.9-inch touchscreen displays, Volkswagen Connect, wireless smartphone charging, and USB-C charging ports. The touchscreen is responsive to finger dabs and you can customise up to five shortcut icons, keeping menu navigation faff to a minimum.
Physical buttons are scarce although Volkswagen’s included a rotary dial for the radio volume. Adjusting the ventilation is also done via touchpads, which I found quite frustrating.
The Volkswagen Tayron is filled with soft leather-like materials, while silver trim and faux wood add luxurious flair. Hard plastics can still be found, but these are lower on the dashboard.
Volkswagen Tayron Space
The Volkswagen Tayron has heaps of leg and headroom. Likewise, deep door pockets and armrest bins amplify storage space. If you’re after a seven-seater, you’ll need to opt for one of the ICE options as Volkswagen doesn’t offer this with its PHEV versions. If this is important, consider the Skoda Kodiaq, Kia Sorento and Mazda CX-80 instead.
I’m 5″11 and struggled to squeeze into the Tayron’s third row. Luckily, the second-row bench moves forward increasing legroom. Still, this is suited for children or shorter journeys.
Popping the boot reveals a cavernous load area, which is 345 litres with all seven seats in place, but with the third row folded flat, it extends to 850 litres. This decreases to 705 litres in five-seat PHEV models because of the battery.
How Does The Volkswagen Tayron Drive?
A 148bhp 1.5-litre mild hybrid kicks off the range. This means a 0-to-62mph time of 9.4 seconds and a 127mph top speed, in theory. In reality, it needs worked to extract performance, and the engine sounds coarse when doing so. Over a 21-mile backroad run, it returned a reasonable 33.5mpg.
The PHEV powertrain is well-suited to the Volkswagen Tayron. Buyers can choose from 201 and 268bhp eHybrid variants, the former being my test vehicle.
The 1.5-litre engine is mated to an electric motor for more oomph while a 19.7kWh battery gives a 76-mile electric range. The 201bhp model takes 8.6 seconds to reach 62mph, while the 268bhp version reduces this to 7.3 seconds. The former feels quick enough for real-world tasks.
Over a 43-mile backroad trip, the PHEV returned 81.2mpg and 12kWh/100km. Impressive, considering its performance and economic balance. Charging the battery from empty to 80% takes 26 minutes via a 40kW public charger, although it’ll accept 11kW home charging.
My test cars were fitted with adaptive suspension, a standard feature on PHEVs and the 2.0-litre petrol cars. This allows you to firm and soften the suspension via different drive modes. In its softer setting, the Tayron is slightly firmer than the Nissan X-Trail, although the car I tested was an R-Line with 20-inch alloys. The ride was smoother after moving to a Tayron Elegance with 19-inch alloys.
On straight sections at 60mph, each Volkswagen Tayron recorded 65 dB while the PHEV returned 64 dB. This means it’s whisper quiet with very little wind noise.
Volkswagen Tayron Verdict
The entry-level Life trim is priced from £40,130, £1,990 more than a Skoda Kodiaq, and that means luxury car tax is payable. Entry-level Life cars come with adaptive cruise control, a rear camera, Park Assist Plus, sat-nav, LED headlights, ambient lighting and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.
Match trims include a panoramic roof, powered tailgate and keyless entry, while Elegance adds further luxury like heated front seats. Range-topping R-Line cars include sporty bodywork, larger 20-inch wheels, and a bigger panoramic roof.
If you’re looking to buy a Volkswagen Tayron, I’d recommend the PHEV as it offers a fine blend of performance and economy.