Compare the2022 Subaru CrosstrekVS 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 Crosstrek CVT 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 Subaru Crosstrek has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Taos doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Crosstrek has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Taos doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

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

The Crosstrek offers optional parking sensors to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Taos doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

The Crosstrek CVT’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 Crosstrek 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, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Crosstrek the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 137 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Taos has not been tested, yet.

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Crosstrek 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.

The Crosstrek’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Taos’ (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Crosstrek’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’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 24th in initial quality. With 31 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 Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 17th in reliability. With 38 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 16 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder produces 24 more horsepower (182 vs. 158) than the Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Crosstrek Sport/Limited 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder is faster than the Volkswagen Taos (automatics tested):

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Crosstrek lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Taos doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

On the EPA test cycle the Crosstrek gets better mileage than the Taos:

The Crosstrek has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Taos FWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 13.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Crosstrek has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Taos AWD’s standard fuel tank (16.6 vs. 14.5 gallons).

The Crosstrek offers an optional continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Taos doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Crosstrek stops shorter than the Taos:

For better traction, the Crosstrek has larger tires than the Taos (225/60R17 vs. 215/50R18).

For superior ride and handling, the Subaru Crosstrek 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 Crosstrek has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Crosstrek flat and controlled during cornering. The Taos 4x2 suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Crosstrek Premium handles at .81 G’s, while the Taos SEL pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Crosstrek Premium executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Taos SEL (27.3 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Crosstrek’s turning circle is 2.2 feet tighter than the Taos’ (35.4 feet vs. 37.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Crosstrek has a 2.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Taos (8.7 vs. 6.6 inches), allowing the Crosstrek to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Crosstrek has 3 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front shoulder room and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Taos.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Crosstrek. The Taos doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

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

The engine in the Crosstrek is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Taos. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Crosstrek’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Crosstrek Base). The Taos doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Crosstrek 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 Crosstrek’s optional 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.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Crosstrek, based on reliability, safety and performance.