Compare the2022 Hyundai Tucson HybridVS 2022 Volkswagen Taos

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 Tucson Hybrid 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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Tucson Hybrid. But it costs extra on the Taos.

The Tucson Hybrid’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 Tucson Hybrid Limited has a standard Around View Monitor 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.

The Tucson Hybrid has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Taos’ blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Tucson Hybrid has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Taos.

The Tucson Hybrid’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Taos doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Tucson Hybrid and the Taos have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tucson Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Taos has not been tested, yet.

The Tucson Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Taos’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Tucson Hybrid 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Taos. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Taos ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Tucson Hybrid’s 7 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Taos runs out after 100,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tucson Hybrid for 1 year and 16000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the Taos (3/36,000 vs. 2/20,000).

There are over 29 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Tucson Hybrid’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Tucson Hybrid’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Taos’ camshafts. If the Taos’ belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Tucson Hybrid second among compact suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Taos isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 64 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 62 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 18 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Tucson Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 68 more horsepower (226 vs. 158) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 184) than the Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid is faster than the Volkswagen Taos:

On the EPA test cycle the Tucson Hybrid gets better mileage than the Taos:

Regenerative brakes improve the Tucson Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Taos doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

For better stopping power the Tucson Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Taos:

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

For superior ride and handling, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid 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.

The Tucson Hybrid has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Tucson Hybrid flat and controlled during cornering. The Taos 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tucson Hybrid’s wheelbase is 2.6 inches longer than on the Taos (108.5 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Tucson Hybrid is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 3.4 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Taos.

The Tucson Hybrid Limited handles at .82 G’s, while the Taos SEL pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Tucson Hybrid Limited executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Taos SEL (27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Tucson Hybrid has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Taos (8.3 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the Tucson Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Tucson Hybrid uses 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 Tucson Hybrid has 8.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Taos (107.9 vs. 99.5).

The Tucson Hybrid has 1.3 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 3.4 inches more rear legroom and .8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Taos.

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

The Tucson Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Taos with its rear seat up (38.8 vs. 27.9 cubic feet). The Tucson Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Taos with its rear seat folded (74.5 vs. 65.9 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Tucson Hybrid’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 when your hands are full, the Tucson Hybrid SEL Convenience/Limited’s power liftgate can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Tucson Hybrid’s power liftgate can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The Taos doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening liftgate.

The Tucson Hybrid has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Taos has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Tucson Hybrid uses the Electronic Stability Control 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.

When two different drivers share the Tucson Hybrid Limited, the memory seats make it convenient for both. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position. The Taos doesn’t offer memory seats.

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

The Tucson Hybrid has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Taos. The Tucson Hybrid Limited also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Taos.

The Tucson Hybrid has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Taos SEL.

Both the Tucson Hybrid and the Taos offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Tucson Hybrid 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 Tucson Hybrid Limited’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Park Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Taos doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.