Compare the2024 Subaru CrosstrekVS 2023 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 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’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 Crosstrek offers available 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’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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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’ 2023 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 above average in initial quality. With 64 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 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.

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 has a standard 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.

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 Taos 4x2 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.

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 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Taos (8.7 vs. 7.6 inches), allowing the Crosstrek to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Crosstrek 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 Crosstrek has 2.8 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room and .1 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.

The Crosstrek’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 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.

The Crosstrek 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.

The Subaru Crosstrek outsold the Volkswagen Taos by almost three to one during 2022.