Falling in love with the sexy coupe-styled VW Taigo is easy

The media launch of the VW Taigo was held early last year. Almost 18 months later, I got a chance to spend time with the top-of-the-range 1.0 TSI R-Line DSG model as a bit of a refresher.

When I say “I”, I mean my wife. She loves the styling of the Volkswagen Tiago, and that was all that mattered to her when it arrived. She promptly disappeared with the keys.

I think this is the same mindset those who go shopping for a niche coupe SUV like this have. Sure, they will look at the technical specs and things like power and fuel consumption. But they will have fallen in love with the car long before they start nit-picking through the details or look at the price.

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VW Taigo comes at a premium

Talking of price, style always comes at a cost. The VW Taigo R-Line DSG will set you back a cool R537 100 before you begin to dive into the options bin. For that kind of money, you do get some seriously good standard kit.

Up front, you have the brilliant IQ.Light LED matrix headlights with dynamic light assist and LED tail lights. And park distance control, front and rear.

Inside the VW Taigo is a tech fest. It has the likes of a 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro, active info display, eight-inch Composition Media infotainment system, app connect, We Connect Go, centre armrest with a USB C interface and multi-function leather steering wheel.

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Loaded with goodies

The options fitted added R60 000 to the bill. It came in the form of a panoramic sunroof, Beats sound system, comfort package: rear-view camera, keyless access and park assist plus mobile inductive charging.

Being an R-Line, you also get a black headliner, stainless steel pedals, privacy glass for the rear side and rear windows and distinctive R-Line front and rear bumpers that feature gloss black air intakes and accents which convey a sense of dynamism.

Dynamism in VW speak for the Taigo comes in the form of an 85 kW/200 Nm 1.0-litre TSI engine driving down to the front wheels through a seven-speed double-clutch gearbox.

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Nod of approval

Despite being claimed as a 200 km/h car, a boy racer it is not. But my wife felt this was more than enough for everyday driving.

Consuming 6.5-litres of fuel per 100km in the real world added to the smile on her face. This meant the Taigo got her overall stamp of approval.

The VW Taigo R-Line comes standard with a three-year/120 000 km warranty, a three-year/45 000 km EasyDrive service plan and a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty.

Customers have the option to extend the maintenance and service plans up to 10 years or 300 000 km.