2022 VW Taos Engine Specs, Size Details Revealed

Volkswagen's new small SUV, to be revealed October 13, will have a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four with 158 horsepower.

• Volkswagen has released a few specs for the upcoming 2022 Taos small SUV.
• It'll have a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four with 158 horsepower.
• The Taos will be revealed October 13 and will go on sale in the U.S. in summer 2021.

Volkswagen is doing things in an unconventional order and releasing some specs for the new Taos SUV before its official debut. The new small SUV model won't be revealed for a few more weeks, but we now know about its powertrain and dimensions, confirming that it'll be a subcompact crossover offering slotting in below the compact Tiguan.

The standard engine is a turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four with 158 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. Codenamed EA211, it's a modified version of the 1.4-liter unit found in the Jetta but has an extra 11 horsepower and 0.1 liter of displacement. Front-wheel-drive models have an eight-speed automatic, while the optional all-wheel-drive system brings on a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

At 174.2 inches long, the Taos is significantly smaller than the Tiguan and measures up against rivals such as the Subaru Crosstrek and Jeep Compass. It does ride on a version of the VW Group's MQB architecture, like all other Volkswagen models. We expect it to have a two-row, five-seat layout like its closest competitors, leaving the Tiguan and Atlas as VW's three-row offerings.

When we see it in full soon, we expect the Taos to look similar to the Tarek and Tharu crossovers that are sold in China, although it may possess some styling tweaks specific to the U.S. market. Volkswagen will reveal this new model October 13, and it's scheduled to go on sale in America next summer.