Volkswagen Tayron: seven seats and hybrid power for Kodiaq rival
Up to seven seats, petrol, diesel and PHEV power for VW's new family SUV - and we've already seen it...
On sale Early 2025 | Price from £38,000 (est)
Globalisation is, whether we like it or not, transforming our lives. But one benefit of this is that British buyers are now gaining access to cars that would otherwise be denied to us.
Case in point: the Volkswagen Tayron. It’s a name familiar to family SUV buyers in China, where it’s been on sale for the last six years. But now, this German-built, second-generation model – pronounced ‘Tie-ron’ –- will come to British shores.
The Tayron rivals the Kia Sorento, Peugeot 5008 and Skoda Kodiaq and replaces the Volkswagen Tiguan Allspace. Like that model, it can be had with either five or seven seats and a range of petrol, diesel and mild-hybrid engines.
Two plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models are available, with 19.7kWh (usable) batteries. They produce 201bhp or 268bhp and should be capable of travelling around 62 miles using electric power alone which, combined with a full tank of petrol, should provide around 527 miles of motoring. They can accept up to 50kW from a public charger, or up to 11kW from a home wallbox.
There’s also a 1.5-litre petrol engine with mild hybrid tech to help reduce fuel bills, although if it shares the same characteristics with the Skoda Kodiaq, it will need to be worked quite hard, especially with seven occupants on board.
The Tayron’s mainstays are likely to be the 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines, of which there are two of each. They’re also shared with the Kodiaq, and are smooth and punchy, although official economy figures are yet to be confirmed. Both are capable of towing 2500kg – more than the Nissan X-Trail e-Power 213 e-4orce, but only 200kg less than a BMW X5 xDrive50e and four-wheel drive models can be fitted with a stability-improving Trailer driving mode.
Inside there’s a 10.25in instrument screen and a 12.9in central infotainment screen – which can be increased to 15.0in as an option. The system is shared across a number of VW models, including the Volkswagen ID 7, and is reasonably responsive, although can be a little clunky in use. It is feature-packed, though, with voice control, ChatGPT AI integration and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.
As with other VW’s, you’ll need to use the touchscreen to alter the heater controls, which makes the decision to provide a click wheel to change rarely-used drive modes or lighting effects rather strange.
When we saw the seven-seat Tayron recently, we found its large rear doors open reasonably wide and offer enough space to slide the middle row forwards and then clamber into the third row easily.
Our tester's average-height frame was just about able to fit in the third row of seats, but we found sliding the middle row all the way back robs legroom. Sliding the middle bench forwards slightly makes it possible for an adult to fit with another tall adult sitting comfortably in the middle row ahead.
You’ll need to slouch a bit in the third row, because headroom is fairly limited, and there are no climate controls, USB chargers or Isofix child seat mounts there, either. If you regularly carry seven adults, the Kia Sorento may be more suitable. Nevertheless, the boot is huge, and closely mirrors the cavernous Kodiaq. It should be able to carry a couple of pushchairs or two large suitcases.
Three trims will be available at launch. Life comes with three-zone climate control, LED headlights and sunblinds in the rear doors. Elegance is more luxurious, with open-pore wood trims, noise-insulating glass and self-parking, while R-Line has a sportier look and feel.
Prices are yet to be confirmed, but are likely to be set slightly north of the Kodiaq – meaning a starting price of around £38,000, which would place it between the cheaper Peugeot 5008 and pricier Kia Sorento.
Read more: Best 7-seaters
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