Compare the2022 GMC TerrainVS 2022 Volkswagen Taos

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the GMC Terrain’s rear seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Volkswagen Taos doesn’t offer comfort guides on its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Terrain are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Taos doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Terrain’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Taos.

The Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Taos only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

Both the Terrain and the Taos have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all-wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Terrain the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 213 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Taos has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

GMC’s powertrain warranty covers the Terrain 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Taos. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Taos ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many GMC dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Terrain’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Terrain has a standard 700-amp battery. The Taos’ 640-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC 17th in initial quality. With 49 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC 25th in reliability. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks GMC 8 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 12 more horsepower (170 vs. 158) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (203 vs. 184) than the Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Taos FWD’s standard fuel tank (14.9 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Terrain AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Taos AWD’s standard fuel tank (15.6 vs. 14.5 gallons).

The Terrain has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Taos doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the GMC Terrain, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Taos.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Terrain has larger standard tires than the Taos (225/65R17 vs. 215/50R18). The Terrain’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Taos (235/50R19 vs. 225/45R19).

The Terrain has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Taos doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the GMC Terrain has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Volkswagen Taos has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Terrain’s wheelbase is 1.4 inches longer than on the Taos (107.3 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Terrain is .4 inches wider in the front and 1.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Taos.

For greater off-road capability the Terrain SLE has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Taos (6.9 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the Terrain to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali’s minimum ground clearance is 1.3 inches higher than on the Taos (7.9 vs. 6.6 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the Terrain offers available electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Taos doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Terrain uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Taos doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Terrain has 3.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Taos (103.2 vs. 99.5).

The Terrain has .8 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.8 inches more rear legroom and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Taos.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Terrain’s rear seats recline. The Taos’ rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Terrain has a larger cargo volume than the Taos with its rear seat up (29.6 vs. 27.9 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Terrain’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Taos doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Terrain offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or on the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali, by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Taos doesn’t offer a power liftgate.

Towing

The Terrain has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Taos has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Terrain uses the StabiliTrak® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Taos doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

When two different drivers share the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali, the memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Taos doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Taos doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Terrain’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Taos does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Terrain (except SLE) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed and tachometer readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Taos doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Terrain’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Taos’ passenger power window switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Terrain has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Taos only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Terrain’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Volkswagen charges extra for heated mirrors on the Taos.

When the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Taos’ mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Terrain’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Taos offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Terrain and the Taos offer optional heated front seats. The Terrain Denali also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Taos.

Both the Terrain and the Taos offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Terrain has standard rear air-conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Taos doesn’t offer rear air-conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Terrain offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Taos doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Terrain Denali’s optional Automatic Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Taos doesn’t offer an automated parking system.