Compare the2023 Volkswagen TaosVS 2022 Ford EcoSport

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability

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 EcoSport’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 EcoSport 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 EcoSport 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 EcoSport doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 EcoSport doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

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. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the EcoSport and isn't available on the not available.

Both the Taos and the EcoSport 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 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 EcoSport’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Taos’ corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the EcoSport’s (7 vs. 5 years).

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. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the EcoSport.

Engine

The Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 35 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 149) than the EcoSport’s 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Volkswagen Taos is faster than the Ford EcoSport:

	Taos	EcoSport
Zero to 60 MPH	8.5 sec	9.9 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	17.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	83.9 MPH	77 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Taos
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/36 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy
EcoSport
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen Taos higher (7 out of 10) than the Ford EcoSport (5). This means the Taos produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the EcoSport every 15,000 miles.

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 EcoSport.

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 EcoSport 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 EcoSport:

	Taos	EcoSport
Front Rotors	12.3 inches	11.8 inches

The Taos stops much shorter than the EcoSport:

	Taos	EcoSport
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	186 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	129 feet	132 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Taos has larger standard tires than the EcoSport (215/50R18 vs. 205/60R16). The Taos SEL 4Motion’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the EcoSport (225/45R19 vs. 205/60R16).

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 EcoSport’s standard 60 series tires. The Taos SEL 4Motion’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the EcoSport’s optional 50 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 EcoSport. The Taos SEL 4Motion’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 17-inch wheels optional on the EcoSport.

The Volkswagen Taos’ wheels have 5 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Ford EcoSport only has 4 wheel lugs per wheel.

Suspension and Handling

The Taos has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The EcoSport doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Taos’ wheelbase is 6.3 inches longer than on the EcoSport (105.5 inches vs. 99.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Taos is 2 inches wider in the front and .9 inches wider in the rear than the track on the EcoSport.

The Taos SEL handles at .83 G’s, while the EcoSport Titanium pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Taos SEL executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the EcoSport SE (28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 29.3 seconds @ .54 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Taos has 8.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the EcoSport (99.5 vs. 91.1).

The Taos has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 3.2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear headroom, 1.2 inches more rear legroom and 3.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the EcoSport.

Cargo Capacity

The Taos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the EcoSport with its rear seat up (27.9 vs. 20.9 cubic feet). The Taos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the EcoSport with its rear seat folded (65.9 vs. 50 cubic feet).

The Taos’ liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The EcoSport’s swing out door blocks loading from the driver’s side.

Ergonomics

The Taos’ power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The EcoSport 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 fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The EcoSport’s passenger windows don’t open or 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 EcoSport 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 EcoSport doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

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 EcoSport doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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 EcoSport 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 EcoSport 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.

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 EcoSport doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 EcoSport doesn’t offer dual zone air conditioning.

Both the Taos and the EcoSport 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 EcoSport 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 EcoSport doesn’t offer an adaptive cruise control.

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 EcoSport doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Model Availability

The Taos is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The EcoSport doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.