Curb weight is 3,206 pounds with front-wheel drive and 3,441 pounds with 4MOTION. The 235-pound difference covers the rear differential, the driveshaft and the multilink rear suspension the all-wheel-drive car uses in place of a torsion beam. Volkswagen quotes weight by drivetrain rather than by trim, so there is no separate figure for a loaded SEL.

Gross vehicle weight rating rises alongside it, from 4,365 pounds to 4,608. Payload is quoted at 937 pounds on both drivetrains, and that is the figure to plan around when you are loading passengers, luggage and gear together. Volkswagen of America does not publish a towing capacity for the Taos in any 2027 document.

• 3,206 lb curb weight, front-wheel drive
• 3,441 lb curb weight, 4MOTION
• GVWR 4,365 lb front-wheel drive
• GVWR 4,608 lb with 4MOTION
• 937 lb payload on both drivetrains
• Curb weight quoted by drivetrain, not trim

At 175.9 inches long and 72.5 inches wide, the 2027 Taos takes up the same road space whichever drivetrain you order. That is compact enough for a standard garage bay with room to open a door, which is a bigger consideration than the spec sheet suggests.

Wheelbase splits the two, and not in the direction you would guess. Front-wheel-drive cars measure 105.9 inches between the axles and 4MOTION cars 105.5. That shorter wheelbase gives the all-wheel-drive Taos the tighter turning circle of the pair at 34.8 feet curb to curb against 35.1, so it is marginally easier to swing around in a parking aisle.

• 175.9 inches long, either drivetrain
• 72.5 inches wide, either drivetrain
• 105.9-inch wheelbase, front-wheel drive
• 105.5-inch wheelbase, 4MOTION
• 34.8 ft turning circle with 4MOTION
• 35.1 ft turning circle, front-wheel drive

The 4MOTION Taos rides higher, and it shows up in two places. Overall height goes from 64.5 inches to 65.1, and ground clearance from 6.5 inches to 7.6, a gain of 1.1 inches. That is a substantial change on a vehicle this size and the sort of thing that matters on an unplowed side street.

The approach, departure and breakover angles improve with it: 17.5, 25.0 and 18.2 degrees on front-wheel drive against 19.7, 25.8 and 20.4 with 4MOTION. Both drivetrains share 12.3-inch vented front brake discs and 10.7-inch solid rear discs, an electro-mechanical parking brake and standard electronic stability control, all on Volkswagen's MQB platform.

• 64.5 inches tall, front-wheel drive
• 65.1 inches tall with 4MOTION
• 6.5 inches of ground clearance, front-wheel drive
• 7.6 inches of ground clearance with 4MOTION
• 19.7-degree approach angle with 4MOTION
• 12.3-inch vented front brake discs

Cargo is the figure most worth checking against the drivetrain you intend to buy. A front-wheel-drive 2027 Taos holds 27.9 cubic feet behind the second row and 65.9 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. With 4MOTION, the rear differential shares that space and the figures become 24.9 and 60.2.

Volkswagen advertises 65.9 cubic feet without always naming the drivetrain, so it is worth being specific when you compare the Taos against something else. Passenger volume is 99.5 cubic feet on both, seating is for five, and interior room is unchanged between the two: 40.1 inches of front legroom, 37.9 in the second row, and 56.5 inches of front shoulder room.

• 27.9 cu ft behind the rear seats, front-wheel drive
• 65.9 cu ft with the rear seats folded, front-wheel drive
• 24.9 cu ft behind the rear seats with 4MOTION
• 60.2 cu ft with the rear seats folded, 4MOTION
• 99.5 cu ft of passenger volume on both
• Seats five