![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/05\/28\/PDTN\/859e34dc-6a13-4013-bcba-ddf8be48a1da-VWTaos_awd-fr3-4.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
<\/p>\nSo dominant are SUVs in the U.S. marketplace that VW has ditched its iconic Golf. Sure, the Golf GTI and R performance variants will live on, but as small-volume\u00a0halo cars. That\u2019s right, the Golf is now the VW brand equivalent of a Mazda Miata. How the world has changed.<\/p>\n
In the Golf\u2019s place now as VW\u2019s entry-level compact vehicle is the Taos. Same MQB platform. Same four door-hatchback layout. Same 1.5-liter turbo-4. Same premium price over the Jetta sedan (which survives as VW\u2019s entry-level vehicle …\u00a0for now). Same $24,190 starting price. But, boy, has the brand focus changed.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s important in a U.S. market where giant SUVs stalk the earth and a new generation of Americans demand that their transportation rides high like a Conestoga wagon. Still, it\u2019s jarring for us VW vets who grew up ducking into low-slung Golfs and taking the back roads to our destination.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t so much duck into the Taos as slide in. Like jumping on a bar stool instead of stooping into a diner booth. SUV hip points are about half-a-foot higher than a car but it feels like much more. Barreling into a sweeper on Hadley Road north of Chelsea, I stabbed the Taos\u2019 brake pedal to stabilize the Conestoga wagon on turn-in.<\/p>\n I\u2019d never do that in a nimble Golf. That\u2019s when it hits you. This isn\u2019t a big Golf \u2014 it\u2019s a mini-Atlas.<\/p>\n Atlas, of course, is the brand\u2019s humongous\u00a0three-row SUV. Made in Tennessee. All-wheel drive. Bold\u00a0truck-like grille. Oh, yes, VW understands us Yankees now. It wasn\u2019t always so.<\/p>\n VW resisted the SUV trend in early days with its first\u00a0too-small Tiguan compact ute sampling the U.S. market like a Bratwurst maker forced\u00a0into making \u2014 Gott on Himmel! \u2014 hot dogs!<\/p>\n But with the second-generation\u00a0long-wheel-base\u00a0three-row Tiggy, VW got it. Then came the Atlas, which (true to its namesake) put the brand on its back and carried it to new heights. Together with its sister, the two-row Atlas Cross Sport, it has outsold Tiguan to start 2021. Speaking of sisters, my own sis bought one and declared it the best V-dub she\u2019s ever had (she\u2019s owned several). She even gave it a nickname: Lassie. Remember when folks use to do that with Golfs? Gott in Himmel.<\/p>\n My nickname for Taos is Son of Atlas.<\/p>\n The rear seat is yuuuge. I sat behind myself with ease. Not only did my 6\u20195\u201d knees have room behind the backseat,\u00a0I had inches to spare. The Golf used to be roomy among its class peers (think Corolla and Mazda hatches) thanks to its squared-off styling. Taos benefits from the same design.<\/p>\n My expectations were that Taos would be a Hyundai Venue or Nissan Kicks-fighter. Small, cheap. I was wrong. VW leaves the $19K\u00a0space to Jetta. The Taos starts a class higher, with my front-wheel-drive SE and all-wheel-drive SEL testers soaring as high as $34K. Want a VW hatchback that costs south of $20,000? Buy a used Golf.<\/p>\n The Taos niche on the menu has grown quickly in recently years to slake Americans\u2019 insatiable appetite for all things ute. It\u2019s aimed squarely at the Jeep Compass, Subaru Crosstrek, Chevy Trailblazer, Mazda CX-30 and Kia Seltos.<\/p>\n Think of it as the pasta serving at an upscale Italian Bistro between appetizer and entr\u00e9e. These dishes are spicy meatballs. Much of that spice is communicated via outdoor ruggedness,\u00a0like the all-new Crosstrek I cooed over last year with its tough mug and running-shoe-like cladding.<\/p>\n Interestingly, VW went after the Crosstrek five years ago with the Golf Alltrack \u2014 a raised (by 0.6 inches) Golf. Like the Crosstrek (essentially a raised Impreza hatchback), it seemed an easy solution. I loved it. Consumers didn\u2019t. They passed over it as an SUV pretender. Tough crowd.<\/p>\n Golf Alltrack died quietly after the 2019 model year, clearing the way for Taos.<\/p>\n Upright Taos dresses up nicely in hiking garb. Further proof that Atlas\u2019 size \u2014 not Golf athleticism \u2014 sets the tone for V-dub these days, the Taos offers only a 1.5-liter, 148-horse engine compared to the Alltrack\u2019s 170-horse, 1.8-liter turbo-4. And Taos doesn\u2019t even offer an engine upgrade like, say, the 250-horse Mazda CX-30 Turbo, which stands out as class athlete.<\/p>\n Indeed, I was particularly taken by the Taos SE with black trim and 18-inch black wheels. Like its targeted millennial demographic, Taos is also determined to accessorize outdoors chic with digital tech. Think an Apple Watch to go with your hiking boots.<\/p>\n A digital cockpit and infotainment screen come standard on Taos, with larger displays available. Tech such as rear camera, smartphone connectivity\u00a0and auto headlights are standard as expected in this class \u2014 but then VW steps out of the rigid trim walk and offers the content-rich\u00a0$995 IQ.Drive on even its base SE model: blindspot assist, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, rear traffic alert, rain-sensing wipers, the works.<\/p>\n Winter-weary Michiganians will also appreciate that AWD is offered at entry trim (for $2,045) \u2014 another dramatic departure from the Golf class that only offered AWD as a performance accessory on the rambunctious, track-tastic\u00a0$40K-something Golf R.<\/p>\n Ergonomics are quite good \u2014 with the caveat that V-dub continues to resist an audio mute button. Want to turn off your radio without shutting down the entire infotainment display? Ya\u2019 gotta\u2019 turn the knob aaaaaall. The. Way. Down. Gaaaargh!<\/p>\n Ahem. Otherwise, there are big knobs everywhere and information-rich digital screens so your eyes won\u2019t be long diverted from the road.<\/p>\n Or off-road. Taos\u2019 sheer interior size (its rear seat and cargo dimensions are only slightly smaller than Tiguan) will encourage families to pile in for long adventures. As such, Taos is another gas-powered threat to VW\u2019s claimed electric future. With 410 miles of get-away-from-it-all range from its sippy, torquey\u00a01.5-liter engine versus 250 miles for a much pricier ID.4, the Taos begs the question: Why EV?<\/p>\n Grunting along Unadilla Township\u2019s back roads in the AWD Taos, my eyes began to wander looking for dirt roads to play on. A decidedly un-Golf-like thought.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next VW? A pickup?<\/p>\n![\"Detroit](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/05\/28\/PDTN\/a3667552-976f-4429-9037-05c6f2b27fc7-VWTaos_awd-rr-3-4.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
<\/p>\n![\"Detroit](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/05\/28\/PDTN\/2250cac2-d2ec-4997-8810-7c7d49e2fc8f-VWTaos_rr-seat.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2021\/05\/28\/PDTN\/5efb0cb0-6dc5-45fe-b025-55f9c1d55f61-VWTaos_driver-view.jpg?width=660&height=372&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
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