The Tayron is a sharper-looking kind of Volkswagen seven-seat family SUV. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Background

'The Tayron is a bona fide Volkswagen'. This slightly strange statement from the brand's CEO conceals a veiled reference that perhaps its predecessor wasn't. That car, the Tiguan Allspace (which sold for seven years from 2017) was nothing more than a slightly stretched Tiguan with an extra seating row; in a segment where customers expect seven-seat mid-sized SUVs to be bespoke designs. Like the Peugeot 5008, the Nissan X-Trail and the Skoda Kodiaq. The Tayron shares virtually all of its engineering with the Kodiaq - and of course with the Tiguan. But is, Volkswagen assures us, very much its own car with a unique, quite premium look inside and out that supposed to better fill the brand's SUV segment gap between the Tiguan and the Touareg. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

As we'll tell you throughout this review, Volkswagen's tried its hardest to make this Tayron very much a stand-alone product, but one area where this SUV couldn't be any different from its Tiguan stablemate was in terms of engineering. The drivetrains, all paired of course to DSG auto transmission, are pretty much exactly as you'll find them in that sister model - and very similar to those in that Volkswagen's Skoda Kodiaq close cousin. Which means a defiant diesel offering - or if you really want to move on from that, the latest in petrol Plug-in Hybrid tech. Unfortunately, like its VW Group segment stablemates, the Tayron lacks the self-charging full-Hybrid technology that you'd find in this sector with rivals from Kia, Hyundai, Lexus and Toyota - and to some extent from Peugeot too. Why the Wolfsburg conglomerate has never developed such an engine for mid-sized models in this era is difficult to understand. Your dealer might tell you that the entry-level 150PS 48V mild hybrid 1.5 eTSI petrol engine offers much the same sort of thing as a proper self charging full-Hybrid, but it doesn't, as an efficiency figure comparison will demonstrate. As usual with a mild hybrid, the eTSI engine works with a 48V belt starter generator and a 48V lithium-ion battery that gets charged through regenerative braking energy delivered when coasting or off-throttle. 0-62mph takes 9.4s en route to 127mph. What this engine really needs is a bit more mid-range pulling power - which is possibly why Volkswagen has decided to ignore the current anti-black pump fuel zeitgeist and continue to offer its 2.0-litre TDI 150PS diesel unit in this segment. This unit's benchmark performance figures (62mph in 9.7s en route to 129mph) are much like those of the eTSI, but the 360Nm torque figure that accompanies TDI progress is nearly 50% gutsier than this petrol model can manage. Hence this engine's improvement in braked towing capacity from 1.8 to 2.0-tonnes. If you need to tug along something heavier, you'll be pointed towards the top 2.0 TSI petrol powerplant, offered in 204PS and 265PS forms and (for our market) the only unit in the range that's paired with 4MOTION 4WD - which explains the much higher 2,400kg braked towing weight capability. In this form, the Tayron's quite a rapid thing too, the 265PS 2.0-litre model able to make 62mph in 6.1s en route to 149mph. We mentioned 4WD; that's something you still can't have in a Plug-in Hybrid Volkswagen SUV of any kind - which is odd because partner brand Audi standardises 4WD with basically the same PHEV technology. As with the Tiguan, eHybrid versions of this Tayron are based around the 1.5-litre petrol engine and come in two versions, with either 204PS or 272PS. Both feature a large 19.7kWh battery and offer respective EV range figures of either 75 or 71 miles. Enough, Volkswagen reckons, to allow most families to use a Tayron eHybrid much like an EV. You won't get anywhere close to those EV range figures of course if you use all the performance on offer: the 204PS version makes 62mph in 8.6s en route to 130mph; for the 272PS variant it's 7.2s and 134mph. As with the Tiguan eHybrid, the Tayron PHEVs use a 6-speed DSG auto gearbox, replacing the 7-speed DSG auto used in the conventionally-engined models.

Design and Build

Unlike its Tiguan Allspace predecessor, the Tayron shares nothing visually with the Tiguan it's based on. At 4,792mm in length (7cms longer than the old Tiguan Allspace), it's significantly bigger too, though still a size smaller than the Touareg. The overall look is very recognisably Volkswagen, with sharp LED lighting front and rear and a full-width illuminating bar across the tailgate. Predictably, the big black plastic- clad wheel arches house large rims - of up to 20-inches in size. Plus there are subtle roof rails and the upper glasshouse trim flows into interesting silver fin on the D-pillar. Top 'R Line' trim gives a much sportier look. Indoors, you might be expecting a dashboard carried over from the Tiguan or maybe customised from the Kodiaq but refreshingly it's neither, bespoke to the Tayron. There's a curved wing feature under the usual Volkswagen black panel dashboard, a 10.25-inch digital instrument display and a single knob on the lower centre console for the control of everything from audio volume to interior lighting and drive modes. There's a huge 15-inch centre touchscreen with of course the latest much improved VW Group operating system and ChatGTP integration built into the voice command functioning, plus wireless 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto'. Rear seat space in the sliding and reclining second row is generous and there's a choice of five or seven-seat models. With the third row fitted, there's a one-touch sliding feature for access to the very back of the car. Once there, you're find that space in the very rear-most pews is child-friendly but tight for adults - as usual in this class. The PHEV version can't be had with seven seats. As for boot space, well in the seven-seat model there's 850-litres with the third seating row folded.

Market and Model

At the time of this review in early 2026, Volkswagen's pricing for this car was starting from around £42,000 and most Tayrons will be sold in the £45,000-£50,000 bracket, which is pretty par for the course when it comes to upwardly mobile mid-sized seven-seat SUVs these days. Expect the usual trim choice of 'Life', 'Match', 'Style', 'Elegance' or 'R Line' specs, plus a top 'R-Line Edition' variant. Volkswagen expects 20% of Tayron sales to be of the eHybrid PHEV versions (priced from around £45,000 as we filmed), despite the fact that those, you have to have five seats. All the other engine choices come with seven seats. To get 4MOTION 4WD in a Tayron, you have to have the 2.0 TSI petrol engine, only offered with the two 'R-Line' spec levels and priced as we compiled this Review from just over £50,000. If having considered all of that, you conclude that it is a Tayron that you really want, then you'll need to know just how generous Volkswagen has been with standard spec, so let's take a look at that now. Even base 'Life' trim gets you 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights with High Beam Assist, 3D tail light clusters, all-round parking sensors, keyless entry and an alarm. There's also roof rails, an illuminated Volkswagen logo at the front and rear and power-folding mirrors with puddle lights. Drive stuff includes adaptive cruise control, a Park Assist Plus system to steer you into spaces, Hill Start Assist and the Driving Profile Selection drive mode system. Inside, all models get a 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro digital instrument screen, a multi-functional driving experience controller, a three-zone Air Care Climatronic automatic air conditioner and a rear view camera. Plus sun blinds in the rear doors, a wireless charging mat and a First Aid kit. As for media stuff, well the 12.9-inch centre infotainment screen measures 32 centimetres across the diagonal with an activatable navigation function and Wireless App-Connect for 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto'. Most potential customers will want to pay the relatively small amount that Volkswagen wants to upgrade to 'Match' trim, which adds a tilting/sliding panoramic glass roof, tinted rear laminated safety glass, silver roof rails, a powered tailgate with foot activation and a more striking 'Bologna' design for the 18-inch wheels.

Cost of Ownership

The economy figures aren't too much different from those of a Tiguan. Which means that if you opt for the eTSI petrol 1.5-litre mild hybrid petrol variant in base 'Life' trim, you're looking at up to 46.5mpg on the combined cycle and up to 139g/km of CO2. That's helped by active Cylinder Management, which sees two of the engine's four cylinders switch off as often as possible to conserve fuel. The base 2.0 TDI diesel does without this feature but still manages to improve the efficiency returns - to as much as 50.9mpg and up to 145g/km. For the top 2.0 TSI 4MOTION petrol 4WD 204PS model, you're looking at up to 35.8mpg and 180g/km of CO2. The same engine in 265PS 4MOTION form returns 33.0mpg and 195g/km. As we told you in our 'Driving' section, the eHybrid PHEV models are capable of a significant level of EV range before you need to use fossil fuel - 75 miles for the 204PS model and 71 miles for the 272PS version. Volkswagen reckons that will allow many families to use this car as an EV, given German market research suggesting that 95% of journeys are less than 31 miles long and 99% are shorter than 62 miles. The 204PS eHybrid returns up to 9g/km of CO2 and is rated at up to 696.0mpg on the combined cycle. For the eHybrid 272PS version, the figures are 10g/km of CO2 and 625.9mpg. Either way, think in terms of around 560 miles between refuelling stops, a duration which would be even longer if the PHEV model didn't suffer a 10-litre reduction in the standard Tayron's already rather small 55-litre fuel tank size. A Tayron eHybrid can be charged with up to 11 kW AC and 40 kW DC, the latter of which means the car can be topped up from 10 to 80 per cent in just 26 minutes. As for servicing across the range, well as usual with Volkswagen models, there's a choice of either 'Fixed' or 'Flexible' maintenance packages. You'll choose the 'Fixed' approach if you cover less than 10,000 miles a year and with this, the car will typically be looked at every twelve months. If your daily commute is more than 25 miles and your Tayron will regularly be driven on longer distance journeys, you'll be able to work with a 'Flexible' regime that can see you travelling up to 18,000 miles between garage visits - or every two years, whichever is sooner. And warranties? Well the standard package is three years and 60,000 miles.

Summary

Don't expect the Tayron to be a common sight on our roads, but there are grounds for Volkswagen to hope that it will do rather better than its quickly forgotten Tiguan Allspace predecessor. For a start, unlike that old car you don't have to have a third seating row for this model to make sense - though customers are probably going to mostly want it. If you've ever wished you could have the posh premium feel of, say, a BMW X3, an Audi Q5 or Mercedes GLC but with the added convenience of seven seats, the Tayron could well be your car. It's efficient to run, easy to live with and practical to own. Other segment alternatives make similar claims, but after trying them following a Tayron test drive, you might end up feeling you'd be prepared to pay just a touch more for Volkswagen ownership. And we'd understand it if you did.