Compare the2024 Volkswagen TaosVS 2023 Jeep Renegade

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

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 Renegade’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

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 Renegade 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.

Both the Taos and Renegade have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Taos has Rear Traffic Alert (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Renegade’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Taos and the Renegade have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volkswagen Taos is safer than the Jeep Renegade:

	Taos	Renegade
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	103/74 lbs.	343/366 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	224	363
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.7 inches
Neck Stress	135 lbs.	221 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volkswagen Taos is safer than the Jeep Renegade:

	Taos	Renegade
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	111	161
Chest Movement	.6 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	115 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
Spine Acceleration	69 G’s	73 G’s
Hip Force	673 lbs.	1157 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Taos is .5% to 8.1% less likely to roll over than the Renegade.

Warranty

The Taos comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Renegade’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 Renegade’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Taos has a standard 640-amp battery. The Renegade’s 500-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Volkswagen Taos is faster than the Jeep Renegade:

	Taos	Renegade
Zero to 60 MPH	8.5 sec	9.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.5 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	83.9 MPH	78.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Taos
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/36 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/32 hwy
Renegade
	AWD	1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
		Trailhawk 1.3 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Taos uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Renegade requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Taos AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Renegade (14.5 vs. 12.7 gallons).

The Taos has a standard locking fuel door with a power remote release convenient to the driver. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Renegade. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

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 Jeep Renegade (6). This means the Taos produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Renegade every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

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 Renegade doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Taos	Renegade
Front Rotors	12.3 inches	12 inches

The Taos stops shorter than the Renegade:

	Taos	Renegade
70 to 0 MPH	176 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	129 feet	133 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

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 Renegade Trailhawk’s standard 65 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Taos has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Renegade’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

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 Renegade doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Taos’ wheelbase is 4.3 inches longer than on the Renegade (105.5 inches vs. 101.2 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 Renegade.

The Taos SEL 4Motion handles at .85 G’s, while the Renegade Latitude pulls only .74 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 Renegade Trailhawk (28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Taos’ turning circle is .2 feet tighter than the Renegade Trailhawk’s (35.1 feet vs. 35.3 feet). The Taos’ turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the Renegade’s (35.1 feet vs. 36.3 feet).

Chassis

The design of the Volkswagen Taos amounts to more than styling. The Taos has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .31 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Renegade (.36 to .37) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Taos get better fuel mileage.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Taos has standard flush composite headlights. The Renegade has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Passenger Space

The Taos has .6 inches more front shoulder room, 2.8 inches more rear legroom and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Renegade.

The front step up height for the Taos is 2.9 inches lower than the Renegade (16.5” vs. 19.4”). The Taos’ rear step up height is 2.9 inches lower than the Renegade’s (16.7” vs. 19.6”).

Cargo Capacity

The Taos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Renegade with its rear seat up (27.9 vs. 18.5 cubic feet). The Taos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Renegade with its rear seat folded (65.9 vs. 50.8 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 Renegade’s liftover is 30.2 inches.

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

	Taos	Renegade
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	34.3”/65.2”	28.9”/59”
Max Width	48.5”	40.1”
Min Width	40”	37.6”
Height	37”	33.7”

Ergonomics

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 Renegade’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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

The Taos’ rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Renegade Latitude/Altitude/(Red)’s standard 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 Renegade doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Taos’ LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Renegade’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

Consumer Reports rated the Taos’ headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Renegade’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

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 Renegade’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

The Taos has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The Renegade only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

The Renegade’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Taos SE Black/SEL’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

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

The Taos has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Renegade.

The Taos has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Renegade doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

Both the Taos and the Renegade 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 Renegade doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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 Renegade doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Model Availability

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

Recommendations

The Volkswagen Taos outsold the Jeep Renegade by over two to one during 2022.