Compare the2023 Volkswagen TaosVS 2022 Chevrolet Trax

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

Safety

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Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Taos deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Taos’ side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Trax’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Taos has standard Automatic Emergency Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The Trax doesn't offer collision warning or crash mitigation brakes.

The Taos has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Trax doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Taos offers optional Maneuver Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Trax doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Taos’ standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Trax doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Taos’ optional 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. The Trax doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Taos 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. A system to reveal vehicles in the Trax’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Taos 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. Only the Trax LT offers a rear cross-path warning system and it costs extra.

Both the Taos and the Trax have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

Warranty

The Taos comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Trax’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Taos’ corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Trax’s (7/100,000 vs. 6/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Taos for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Trax.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Taos has a standard 640-amp battery. The Trax’s 525-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 3 more horsepower (158 vs. 155) and 7 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 177) than the Trax’s 1.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Taos
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/36 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy
Trax
	FWD	1.4 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/32 hwy
	AWD	1.4 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Taos’ engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Trax doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Volkswagen Taos FWD, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Trax.

The Taos offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Trax doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Taos’ brake rotors are larger than those on the Trax:

	Taos	Trax
Front Rotors	12.3 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	10.7 inches	9” drums
Opt Rear Rotors		10.6 inches

The Volkswagen Taos has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Rear drums are standard on the Trax. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

The Taos stops shorter than the Trax:

	Taos	Trax
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Taos has larger standard tires than the Trax (215/50R18 vs. 205/70R16). The Taos SEL 4Motion’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Trax (225/45R19 vs. 215/55R18).

The Taos S’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Trax’s standard 70 series tires. The Taos SEL 4Motion’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Trax LT’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Taos S has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Trax. The Taos SEL 4Motion’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels optional on the Trax LT.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Taos 4Motion 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 Chevrolet Trax has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Taos 4Motion has front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Taos 4Motion flat and controlled during cornering. The Trax’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Taos’ wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Trax (105.5 inches vs. 100.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Taos is 1.2 inches wider in the front and 0 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Trax.

The Taos SEL handles at .83 G’s, while the Trax LT AWD pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Taos SEL executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Trax LT AWD (28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 29.2 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Taos has a 1.4 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Trax (7.6 vs. 6.2 inches), allowing the Taos to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Taos has 6.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Trax (99.5 vs. 92.8).

The Taos has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom and 2.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Trax.

Cargo Capacity

The Taos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Trax with its rear seat up (27.9 vs. 18.7 cubic feet). The Taos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Trax with its rear seat folded (65.9 vs. 48.4 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Taos easier. The Taos’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 27 inches, while the Trax’s liftover is 28.8 inches.

The Taos’ cargo area is larger than the Trax’s in every dimension:

	Taos	Trax
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	34.3”/65.2”	29.3”/57”
Max Width	48.5”	39.5”
Min Width	40”	36”
Height	37”	31.8”

Ergonomics

The Taos’ power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Trax has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Taos’ front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Trax’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

On a hot day the Taos’ driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Trax can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Taos has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Trax doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Taos’ optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Trax’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Taos to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Trax doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Taos’ available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Trax’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors available for the Taos detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Trax doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Taos SEL has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Trax doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Taos SEL also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

To shield the driver’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side window, the Taos has a standard extendable sun visor. The Trax doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Taos SEL’s standard rear view mirror has an automatic dimming feature. This mirror can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on it, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Trax doesn’t offer the luxury of an automatic dimming rear view mirror.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Taos SEL keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Trax doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Taos’ optional heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Trax doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Taos SEL’s 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. The Trax doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

The Taos SEL’s standard automatic temperature control maintains the temperature you set, automatically controlling fan speed, vents and temperature to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment. The Trax doesn’t offer automatic air conditioning.

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

To keep a safe, consistent following distance, the Taos offers an optional Adaptive Cruise Control, which alters the speed of the vehicle without driver intervention. This allows the driver to use cruise control more safely without constantly having to disengage it when approaching slower traffic. The Trax doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

The Taos SEL’s standard GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Trax’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

With standard voice command, the Taos SE/SEL offers the driver hands free control of the radio and the navigation computer by simply speaking. The Trax doesn’t offer a voice control system.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Taos SE/SEL has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Trax doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.