All-new VW Taos VS Kia Seltos comparison
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มิ.ย. 2024
- #KiaSeltos
#VWTaos
#CoupleCarReview
This is a Motormouth couple car comparison of the all-new VW Taos versus the Kia Seltos subcompact SUVs. The Taos has a 1.5L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with 158 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. All FWD models get an 8-speed automatic transmission and AWD models come with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. Why the difference? Volkswagen felt driving enthusiasts would prefer a DCT option for a more engaging and lively drive. The Kia Seltos offers two 4-cyliner engines, a 2L with a CVT, 146 horsepower and 132 lb-ft of torque and a 1.6L turbo with a 7-speed dual clutch transmission. The 1.6T has more power than the Taos with 175 horsepower and 195 lb-ft of torque. The top SX trim, which we tested is the only trim that gets the 1.6T. We will be focusing on this engine and trim in our comparison, it is the best match up to the Taos. Both the Seltos and Taos run on regular fuel. The Kia Seltos offers a comfortable drive with a higher ride height, which creates quite a open feeling in the cabin as you sit up and over the dash. The Turbo comes standard with AWD, it has an independent multi-link rear suspension and the steering is responsive and precise. It offers 7.3 inches of ground clearance, which is more than the Taos as 6.6 inches. The Taos comes with both FWD and AWD options. In Canada, FWD is only available on the base trim. All FWD models have a torsion beam rear suspension. AWD models get an independent rear suspension, which creates a smoother ride, absorbs the bumps in the road and the dual clutch transmission is very responsive creating an engaging driver experience. The Seltos SX model has a stylish exterior with a chrome-patterned grille, chrome accents throughout, a sunroof, 18” wheels and a spare tire. It also comes standard with LED headlights, LED taillights plus LED fog lights. The Taos may be the smallest SUV in the VW lineup but it fits an impressive amount of space and versatility in this smaller footprint. It has a stylish yet rugged exterior with a sport bumper, chrome window surrounds, available dynamic headlights with cornering lights, standard 17” wheels, 18” and 19” wheels are available on the higher trims. A panoramic sunroof comes standard on the top trim, but is available on the middle trim. The Seltos offers a comfortable, spacious and open cabin, the SX turbo comes loaded with features and offers a lot of value for the price. There is some hard plastic throughout the cabin as you would expect for this class. It has a standard 10.25” touchscreen which is large for this category, leatherette seats, a 6-speaker Bose sound system, Apple Carplay and Android Auto, a wireless charger, head-up display, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, a leather wrapped heated steering wheel, ambient lighting and a 7” LCD instrument cluster. The Taos offers a clean and simple interior design, there is some piano black and high gloss grey trim, hard plastic thoughout and leatherette on the dash and door panels. The different textures in the cabin work well together, creating a modern design. This top trim has everything you’ll need including, a wireless charger, an 8” touchscreen, 10.25” digital driver display, an 8-speaker BeatsAudio system, heated and ventilated front seats, ambient lighting and leather seating surfaces. The Taos does not come with heated rear seats like the Seltos and both vehicles do not offer a power liftgate.
At Canada Drives you can buy your car 100% online and have it delivered straight to your doorstep. Once delivered, you have a full 7 days to love it or return it.
Shop hundreds of certified used vehicles: cdriv.ca/motormouth
Andrea Instagram / motormouth_andrea
Zack Instagram / motormouth_auto - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
Just bought my wife a top of the line Taos and we are in love. Travel assist is amazing, the seats are very comfortable, the handling is delightful and the light bar up front is a very nice touch! TAOS all the way!!! Thanks guys 🙏🏼
Got one for my wife too and I absolutely love the way it drives. 👍
Give it a year and it will start falling apart! I recently jumped ship and bought a new KIA 2022 SX Turbo with a new logo. I was so happy to get rid of my VW!!! I jumped with joy when I traded it in. My mechanic said get rid of it. I recently ran into five KIA owners that use to own VW’s & were so glad they got rid of there VW. They will never go back. Nothing but problems. My foreign car repair mechanic said the VW’s in North America are built bad go buy a KIA. I was considering a Mazda CX-5 he said KIA! Good luck!!! I know from experience. I love my new KIA, it’s so modern. KIA has so much more to offer then VW. VW has lost there design sense, so boring and there quality has gone down hill!
@@TT-wz6wp funny. Good luck to you and the othe 5 that got the new Kia with the new logo :👍. We’ve had our Taos for a few months and 11k miles I guess it’s only about six more months before it falls apart. Then we better get rid of it.
@@powertools2375 it’s a money pit. Thank God I had warranty for 80,000 km. Under warranty they replaced my power window and it still gridded. My heat seat died and was replaced, catalytic converter had a hole in it within 2 yrs etc…. The dealership didn’t fill up my power steering properly and it would if caused me a whole new one. They also didn’t fill up my coolant properly and made it look like I had a coolant leak. I won’t go on about the other users I had with a brand new vehicle! I just met someone that works at the Audi dealership and they said ppl that bought VW’s come to get serviced at are dealership because the VW dealership is horrible. I know someone who just bought a 2022 Atlas and it’s been at the dealership with electrical problems and they can’t find the problem. Other ppl told them not to buy a VW because they have gone down hill. Good luck! I say no more.
@@powertools2375 there made in Mexico so was my other VW. I was told never buy a vehicle manufactured in Mexico. I should of listened. Well good luck with your vehicle maybe you will have better luck with your VW. The only thing that matters is if you like it!
Excellent review..I noticed 1 thing.. that same guy is always cutting the grass in your reviews..😆😆
Thank you, glad you liked it. They have the same gardener every week. lol!
@@andreaspencer9813 and you guys just happens to make your videos on the same days. 😂😂 Go figure.. be safe and healthy..
The mower is different each week even though the guy is the same🤣
Thank you for doing these comparison videos. You all are very thorough and I appreciate the reviews
Thanks for watching!
Well done, Mr & Mrs Motormouth(s) 👏🏻👏🏻
Taos pour moi, too.
Best "size" quote/reference...Ron Jeremy: "I've got 2 inches....from the Floor!!" 🥁
Just discovered your channel. Really enjoy the male/female combo and perspective. Andrea definitely knows her stuff. Look forward to more reviews.
Awesome, thank you, welcome aboard - Andrea
Thanks you for a great, practical compro. I'd love see you do a compro between the Subaru Outback and the Hyundai Santa Fe.
Both are ok. They are missing a few things like a power lift gate and heating back seat for a family members comfortably. Great video Andrea! 👍🏻👊🏻
What would you rather get?
Seltos higher ground clearance better mpg more cargo space and cheaper
This is the 2021 Kia Seltos looking at the Brand Logo on the grill, do any of the changes with the 2022 Kia Seltos alter your comparisons with the Taos?
Everybody saying vw isn’t reliable probably hasn’t never own a vw.
I owned a Taos and had to get rid of it. Vw as a whole might be ok but the Taos is the problem child
This is a really relevant review for me as just a few months ago I was faced with this exact decision. I ended up going with the Seltos SX Turbo for many of the same reasons identified in the review. I live in central Alberta, and during the winter the street in front of my house is just a set of two ruts cut into the snow. So even though I don't "off road", ground clearance is actually important for me. I didn't find the driving dynamics to be that much different between the two vehicles- maybe I would give a small edge to the Taos, but not much. The difference was even less when the Seltos was put in "Sport" driving mode. And my 2 kids, who do ride in the back, are enjoying the heated rear seats as the mornings get colder and winter approaches. For what it is worth, my real-world fuel economy is a fair bit better than the published numbers- I am regularly in the 7 - 7.2 litres/ 100km range after about 14,500 kms.
In the end, for me, the Seltos was a better vehicle and, given that the price was less than the Taos, the value proposition of the Seltos couldn't be beat.
I’m torn between these two cars right now. The extra ground clearance is nice but the panoramic sunroof on the Taos is amazing. And I’m also a VW fan so it’ll be hard to leave for Kia
@@Jiggy609 I just bought a 2022 KIA Seltos, SX turbo and I love it. After my crappy experience with VW I’ll never buy a VW in North America. They use cheap parts that break down faster these days. It’s not cheap to fix. Run, don’t look back back or you will be sorry in the end. I know a lot of people that are so disappointed with VW these days.
I think if you want a punchier drive with better handling, more safety tech, a car that holds value Better, than the Taos is good. For me I haven’t seen enough of Kia yet. When I was looking at one the build quality disgusted me. When I opened the door it broke and a ton of screw fell out lol.
@@Jiggy609 and rn vw is super controversial, because it is on the best car brands but it gets bashed Bc some years they weren’t good. It’s the same with Hyundai and Kia though. They had a huge recall. You really just have to test drive it to see what u like. The Taos visibility is way better than the Kia though
Your latest Taos video convinced me that Volkswagen did their research in trying to introduce a compelling, yet competitive, product to their lineup. It is a clear winner. Besides, I doubt the KIA will age as well. Thanks for the comparison.
The VW will in Fact age better ,because, it will sit by the side of the road an be far more rested than the Hard working Kia...
Maybe.... either way, I appreciate the wit. Cheers!
Kia seltos topped the suv chart in India as soon as the brand make their first debut in August 20l9 .
wheareas Volkswagen made their production a long time ago but still haven't had a successful model yet .
@@lairenlakpammotilalsingh5199 ???? There’s been plenty
Good review. My only issue is the JD Power rating. Not the most reliable source for an assessment of quality. Thanks for the leg work.
That is a Tiguan so it could be different. That said, the number wasn't much less than the Seltos
The Taos with the 7 speed DCT can also launch control, it can do 0 to 60 in 6.9 secons, not sure why it's advertised as an 8.4 second vehicle.
I just tried this today and it works well
Cannot wait for Taos VS Q3
You've gotta love the way the Germans send a car down the road.
Thanks for the comparison Andrea and Zack! Wow, almost a $4000 CDN price difference between the Kia and the VW... more power, better ground clearance and a better warranty. The majority of buyers aren't going to be conscious of the 'drive' . Kia wins this one.
Excellent value!
@@andreaspencer9813 don't know about canada, but under normal market conditions, you are far more likely to get a bigger discount from a Kia dealer than a VW dealer here in the states.
I don't like that you pretty much get only AWD on all trims levels of Seltos.
Great comparison! I was pressed for time to replace my beloved 2002 Ford Escape (4WD, inline 6) rather than have it fixed yet again. I went with the Taos (base model) after looking briefly at the Kona and Crosstrek (none were available with the options I wanted). I found the Taos to be a great value and well built. It's a great car with awesome features in the IQ package, but I don't like the soft car-like ride coming from a more traditional SUV. Also, I really dislike that the rear seats don't fold level with the cargo area (or that there's not an adjustable platform for the cargo area like in the Kona) and that you have to pry a piece of plastic off the driver's door handle to use the mechanical key -- things that are important to sports/water enthusiasts! Lastly, it is really built for tall/large drivers! At 5'2" the driver's seat is really uncomfortable and I can't get it high enough without adding a small pad. The window visors are also too narrow and don't come down low enough for short drivers. But ... overall it is super nice and I was very lucky to even get a new car given the inventory shortages here in Hawaii!
Curious why you didn't get a new Escape, they seem like a very nice package.
@@danhall3450 In hindsight I wish I had repaired my 2002 one more time so I would have had more time (and a ride!) to shop and check reviews. The new Escapes just looked so car-like to me, but then all the crossovers do too. If I had had more time, I would have looked at more options for sure. My old Escape had a boxy rear and you could open just the glass or the whole tailgate. When the whole tailgate was raised it provided good shade and shelter from the rain, unlike the tailgates on the new crossovers with sloping rears.
I see the Kia Seltos all over Montreal. Seems to be a very popular buy.
Not surprised at picking the Taos ;-) But the low ground clearance, spotty VW reliability, and the cheap interiors VW has put in their vehicles lately (GTI used to be a high standard for the industry) - I’ll wait to see it in person. I wouldn’t waste my money on the Audi either. I agree with the comment in the review, I’d just get the Mazda.
10:24 what car are you sitting in? The style of the interior is something I’m looking for. Thank you in advance!
Taos for VW’s proven AWD and engine. Both are currently praised for their great interior quality, but Hyundai/KIA have been having engine fire issues lately…I’d wait another generation just to be sure. Also, the Seltos’s tranny will overheat over a light/medium unpaved incline…I wonder if the Taos will do the same given that they both use a DCT.
Love it!
So glad! - Andrea
"I never sit in the back." LMAO!!!! Wow!!!
I'm not stuck on suvs. For me there's not much on the market in this price range that'll get me out of my Camry. Certainly not these two cars.
I honestly think the low engine output of the taos at even the top trim is crazy at that price point and there are other vehicles with much better looking interiors for the money. You could get the kuro edition of the cx-5 for the same as the top trim of taos, that is insanity. Nice exterior but overpriced and chintzy interior. :(
the dct in the taos would be more engaging to drive if it werent tuned to be so soft. it shifts up for you in manual mode and way too early, commonly doesnt respond to manual shifts. you end up leaving it in auto all the time. vw should have kept the 1.8t around. liked being able to go and buy a base jetta and get 250hp with an engine tune
My concern is engine fires. There are multiple on line videos of Kia product, burning to the ground. Can they be trusted? Have they fixed this issue?... and if so,,, why are there so many recalls and why isn't Kia talking about this openly as this is very real. Never seen a VW burn yet.
I traded my Kia (Sportage) for the taos. The Kia did me well for over 100000. But... Be careful of leaking oil and the transmission. Me at 6 3 sits comfortably in The Taos. However getting in the Sportage I hit my head more than I can count
The Seltos is a great value but I found the seats hard. Got a CX5 - that my wife reclaimed...
I love my 2022 KIA Seltos SX turbo with a new logo. The seats are amazing! Heated and air conditioned seats. So comfy!!! My friend Tanya & I took a road trip in October and the seats were great. I know a person that just bought a new Mazda CX-5 and there having electoral problems. The Mazda CX-5 is made in Mexico. My Jetta was made in Mexico & was brand new. It started falling apart after a year. I’ll never get a vehicle made in Mexico. I was told never buy a vehicle made in Mexico you will be sorry. I learned the hard way.
@@TT-wz6wp my CX5 is made in Japan, Hiroshima.
Reading the comments, along with other observations regarding other VW products I've come to the conclusion that there isn't much middle ground. You either love VW or you loath VW. Personally, I've never owned a VW although I have driven some. Love what they offer from a driving experience and space efficiency, but loath them for what I perceive as overpriced vehicles lacking the reliability to warrant the premiums it charges for its vehicles. At the end of the day, there isn't enough about a VW product at this time and in the past to translate my like of the vehicle into purchasing one that is overpriced relative to the competition and has suspect reliability. If VW truly offers vehicles with competitive prices and proven reliability than it is close to having a winner. All the Taos needs at that point is more power (try as you might you really can't sugarcoat this). If I want anemic acceleration than I'll buy the Corolla based SUV. Peppy doesn't equal quick or even adequate acceleration. It's simply a feeling that can be tuned in by the manufacturer. For example, old diesel vehicles that felt peppy but were quite a bit slower in accelerating that their petrol versions.
I own a 2021 Kia seltos but there is way more interior room in a VW taos by comparison.
VW definitely 💪
Another great comparison. My take is definitely Seltos, although both handle and ride like what an "appliance" than fun subcompact SUVs like CX-30 and Kona. Seltos exceeds when it comes to reliability and value, while Taos is more spacious and have a German "badge". As cheesy as the interior of the Seltos, Taos feels even cheaper inside.
Oriental cars aren’t as reliable as they used to be. You shouldn’t buy a car based on obsolete stereotypes, just because it’s German it’s unreliable. Kia is poaching a lot of target from Germany including their designer. Rusty frames, bad transmissions, etc are common with Asian cars now. Not sure why you quoted “badge”. Kia dealers are trashy and cater to subprime customers with bad credit.
The Taos drives the best tbo
What's with the driver air vents at your knees? Why can't they put the air vents near the dash? I don't want an ipad staring at me, I want an air vent!
led headlights not standard on kia seltos
I wish Taos had a GTI engine in there
I’d trade my GTI in instantly
Taos all the way. The Kia will depreciate faster than a used condom.
My 2020 is worth more than it cost when new…
🤣 love the reference to not sitting in the back again
Yes, same guy mowing but he uses a different mower each week !
Taos 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I like the driving dynamics that VW typically incorporates into their vehicles however reliability and pricing are concerns. They have addressed the reliability concern with a 4 year warranty however the pricing of the top trim model opens the door to other alternatives perhaps a Mazda CX-5 or Nissan Rogue ...
Offering a 4 year warranty doesn't guarantee better reliability. VWs aren't know for their reliability. Notice how the ratings referenced indicate a better predicted reliability for the Kia. Refer to Consumer Reports for VW's reliability for the Tiguan and Atlas as an indication of what to expect with the Taos.
All these compact SUVs and NOBODY talks about a pass through for skis! You guys live in BC for crying out loud. PLEASE I beg you to cover which vehicles have a pass through! If I've got 4 people I want to go skiing with I can't put the rear seats down so a pass through is the perfect solution without dropping $1500 for roof rails and a roof rack! It looks like the Taos does have one but would be nice to know for sure.
Oh, look a pass for skis. Feel better?
I think the Seltos looks better.
VW at Audi price. Makes little sense . Then the reliability question? I would take the Kia
I'd take the Seltos, but will be going for a Toyota Corolla Cross as IMO it will be a better vehicle than either of these! And from Scotty Kilmer saying that Volkswagen fleeces it's customers, I'll never buy anything from their brand because of that!
We are going to be driving the new Corolla Cross next week, can't wait.
I also make most of my major financial decisions based on Scotty Kilmer's opinions since I'm incapable of using my own judgement.
Sorry, but Scotty Doesn't Know
Who is Scotty Kilmore? Some hick hillbilly mechanic working out of his backyard garage?
@@jillthompson6110 Pretty much
You says Taos when meaning the Kia
99 LIKE 99 👍👍👍👍👍
I knew they'd pick the Volkswagen how did I know this? Because they're automotive enthusiasts it's a no-brainer.
Taos no cvt!!!!
The 2024 Seltos has numb steering and a cheap feeling interior.
Taos to much$$$
Seltos is just hideous inside & out