2025 Volkswagen Tayron review
A ‘cavernous’ new SUV has just landed in Australia and chances are you could soon be seeing it everywhere.
Until you’re in the trenches, you’ve no idea how expensive it is having kids.
Think daycare/school fees, food they won’t eat, clothes they grow out of, and extra gin for mum and dad’s sanity.
Which makes Volkswagen’s Tayron, a new seven-seater chockers with safety and kit, something of a Godsend for cash-strapped parents.
An entry-level Tayron 110TSI Life costs $48,290, or roughly $53,000 drive away.
Still a good chunk of change, but next to large family SUV rivals, it’s around five grand under a Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento or Mazda CX-80, and $14,000 below the cheapest Toyota Kluger.
Tayron (pronounced tie-ron) is an all-new nameplate, and sits between the Tiguan and Touareg in VW’s busy SUV line-up.
It replaces the retiring three-row Tiguan Allspace.
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Positively, this new German-built Volksie is cavernous and a bit fancy inside; offers a refined and peaceful drive experience, and those seven chairs should prove popular with soccer mums.
At the same time, and despite cool touches like front and rear light strips and illuminated logos, it looks altogether mumsy. If an edgy-styled Santa Fe is a daring party dress, the Tayron’s more ankle-length floral smock.
Especially in our price leader. The 110TSI Life uses the same 110kW/250Nm 1.4L turbo petrol engine found in VW’s Golf; it’s a solid old faithful, but must work hard to lug this big SUV.
Things get a dash sexier in higher grades. A 150TSI Life ($53,990) is the range’s only five-seater, adds all-wheel-drive, adaptive suspension and a 150kW/320Nm 2.0L turbo petrol.
The same powertrain moves the 150TSI Elegance ($59,490); the luxo pick with leather upholstery and front seats which are power, memory, heated, ventilated and massaging.
Flagship’s a 195TSI R-Line ($73,490) with 20-inch alloys, fancier lights, whopping 15-inch infotainment and a Golf GTI’s engine.
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I’d swerve it. Why you need the family bus to keep up with hot hatches hitting 100km/h in 6.1 seconds is beyond me.
Let’s don the sensible hat and return to the sub-$50k Life. It’s the most fuel efficient, cheapest to service and has the same high-spec safety as the rest, including really useful stuff like airbags to the third row, rear traffic alert and 360-degree camera.
Clamber in and doors shut with a solid thunk, robust cloth seats have faux leather sides and there’s a clean, no-nonsense wide cockpit greeting you.
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Serious goodies for an entry-level too: 12.9-inch touchscreen, digital dash, tri-zone climate control, ambient lighting, wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, and cooled wireless charging for two phones.
Small pleasures include carpeted door storage and a power tailgate, but grumbles are fiddly temperature controls and a cheap bit of plastic in front of the passenger.
The second row’s vast and kid-smart. There are window blinds, USB-C ports and a tablet holder in the central armrest.
Middle seats slide on runners to give better third row space. It’s needed. Like the Tiguan Allspace, the Tayron’s more of a 5+2, meaning these chairs are good for kids, but a squeeze for adults. Rivals like the Santa Fe and Sorento win for space, and unlike the VW, have third row ISOFIX.
But the Tayron’s boot’s a monster. Even with seven chairs in use there’s more cargo space than a Mazda3 hatch, and with five up there’s 850L – some 20 per cent above those aforementioned Koreans.
Unsurprisingly, the Tayron’s 110kW petrol engine delivers few thrills. It’s eager and smooth, but sweats on hills with just a driver on board, so fully loaded it’d be puffing.
But who cares? You’ll be stuck in school traffic anyway. And if you really must, paddle shifters for the dual-clutch auto lets keener drivers dictate how revvy things get, and spicier engines are available.
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The rest of the 110TSI’s drive’s rather lovely. Mature, refined, markedly quiet and with solid cornering poise for a biggie. For town, country and highway duties it excels, and you only wish for the higher grades’ smart adaptive damping on big road lumps.
I was ready to condemn its economy after seeing 10L/100km on a back road fling, then it shut me up doing 6L/100km on the motorway home. Five services for almost $3k is too much however.
Those itching for something electrified must wait until the first half of 2026, when Tayron plug-ins arrive with up to 120km pure electric range.
VERDICT 4/5
VW’s arguably at its best when delivering practical, smart and good value family vehicles. The Tayron 110TSI epitomises that, shining in its sensibleness.
Originally published as 2025 Volkswagen Tayron review
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