Power is the one thing the drivetrain choice does not change. Every 2027 Taos runs a turbocharged 1.5-liter TSI four rated at 174 horsepower and 184 lb-ft, feeding an eight-speed automatic with a Sport shift program. Volkswagen builds it with variable valve timing, variable intake-valve lift and a modified Miller cycle, and it asks only for regular unleaded.

4MOTION is where the mechanical differences live. An electro-hydraulic clutch can route as much as half the engine torque rearward, and the rear suspension changes from a torsion beam to a multilink arrangement with an anti-roll bar. Driving Mode Selection comes with it, and every 4MOTION Taos also gets Active Control, which adds Snow, On-Road and Off-Road settings, the last of which brings in Hill Descent Control on grades steeper than 10 percent.

• 1.5L turbocharged TSI: 174 hp and 184 lb-ft
• Eight-speed automatic with Sport program
• 4MOTION sends up to 50% of torque rearward
• Multilink rear suspension with 4MOTION
• Driving Mode Selection on all 4MOTION models
• Hill Descent Control in Off-Road mode

Volkswagen has settled on one screen size for the Taos center stack: eight inches, floating above the dash, on all five trims. The difference is what runs on it. Composition Media covers the S, Sport, SE and SE Black, and the SEL gets Discover Media with navigation built in.

The cluster is where the money shows. S and Sport drivers look at an eight-inch Volkswagen Digital Cockpit; SE, SE Black and SEL drivers get the 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro, which will put a full-screen map directly ahead of you. Wireless App-Connect is standard on every trim, SiriusXM with 360L comes with a three-month trial, and wireless charging arrives at the SE.

• Eight-inch floating touchscreen on every trim
• Discover Media navigation on the SEL
• 10.25-inch Digital Cockpit Pro from SE up
• Wireless App-Connect standard
• SiriusXM with 360L and a three-month trial
• Wireless charging from SE up

Volkswagen does not make you climb the range for driver assistance. IQ.DRIVE is standard on the S and the SEL alike, and it is a genuinely full package: Front Assist with Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Emergency Braking, Active Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Traffic Alert, Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go, Lane Assist, Travel Assist and Emergency Assist.

Front and rear radars, a forward camera and ultrasonic sensors feed it, and Light Assist handles the high beams on every trim. Also standard: six airbags, a rearview camera, the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System and the Intelligent Crash Response System. Park Distance Control joins at the SE, and Dynamic Road Sign Display is the SEL's.

• IQ.DRIVE standard from the S upward
• Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop and Go
• Travel Assist hands-on assisted driving
• Emergency Assist standard on every trim
• Six airbags and Intelligent Crash Response
• Dynamic Road Sign Display on the SEL

Lighting is standard-fit territory here. Premium LED projector headlights, LED taillights and automatic headlights with Coming Home and Leaving Home functions come on every 2027 Taos. Adaptive front lighting starts at the SE, and the illuminated light bar is fitted to SE Black and SEL.

Wheel diameter tracks trim and drivetrain, so a front-drive S wears 17-inch alloys while a 4MOTION SE Black wears 19-inch black wheels. Roof rails are black on the S, Sport and SE Black and silver on the SE and SEL. The panoramic sunroof is standard on SE Black and SEL and a $1,200 option on the SE.

• Premium LED projector headlights on every trim
• Automatic Coming Home and Leaving Home lighting
• Adaptive front lighting from SE up
• 17- to 19-inch wheels by trim and drivetrain
• $1,200 panoramic sunroof option on the SE
• Eight exterior colors for 2027

Winter equipment is the practical story inside a Taos here. Heated front seats, heated mirrors and heated washer nozzles are standard from the SE up, and on the S and Sport they arrive as part of ordering 4MOTION. A heated leatherette-wrapped steering wheel and full KESSY keyless access are fitted to all five trims.

Beyond that, the cabin steps up in the usual places. Manual climate control gives way to dual-zone Climatronic at the SE, the driver's seat goes from six-way manual to eight-way power with lumbar support, and remote start and an auto-dimming mirror join the list. The SEL adds ventilated front seats and ten-color ambient lighting.

• Heated front seats standard from SE up
• Heated mirrors and washer nozzles with 4MOTION on S and Sport
• Heated steering wheel on all five trims
• Dual-zone Climatronic from SE up
• Eight-way power driver seat with lumbar
• Ventilated front seats on the SEL