What is it?

Volkswagen has further extended its already extensive SUV line-up with the new Tayron, sitting between the existing Tiguan and Touareg and available in either five or seven-seat form.

Pronounced Tie-ron, the a in the name being silent, the newcomer reflects the changing direction in the automotive market which until very recently was committed to a complete and rapid switch to electric. The Tayron will be available with six powertrain options – two plain petrol engines, one mild hybrid, a pair of plug-in hybrids and even a diesel.

The Tayron replaces the extended version of the Tiguan that was dubbed the Tiguan Allspace, and being 7cm longer than the Allspace immediately becomes the second largest option in a VW SUV line-up that comprises six combustion/hybrid models and the ID.4 and ID.5 electric vehicles. Measuring almost 4.8 metres in length, the new model only just falls shy of the Touareg’s 4.9 metres.

Volkswagen is keen to emphasise the fact that this is a model designed and built in Europe (at the German giant’s Wolfsburg headquarters) for European buyers. The SUV is also the largest car to employ the Volkswagen MQB Evo platform, which also underpins the current Golf, Passat and Tiguan.

Engine options comprise turbocharged petrol (TSI) 2.0-litre units with 204 or 265hp, a 2-litre turbodiesel (TDI) with 150hp, mild hybrid of 150hp and the two PHEVS matching the 1.5 engine to an electric motor for a total of either 204 or 272hp. All are paired with a six- or seven-speed direct-shift gearbox (DSG) as standard. Most versions of the car are front-wheel-drive but the two petrol models are supplied with VW’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive.

The plug-in hybrid variants offer an all-electric range of up to 75 miles and using a 40kW public charger can be recharged from 10 to 80% in 26 minutes. However the Tayron is currently only available in five-seat form with these engines – in other seven seats are an option.

Those who need to tow on the regular basis, perhaps a large caravan or horse box, could also be drawn to the Tayron as its 2.5-tonne towing capacity is up with the best.

Prices range from £40,130 to £47,490 through five trim levels, plus a host of options available.

The interior will be familiar to anyone that has sat in the current VW Tiguan, the dash layout effectively lifted wholesale from that model. As is typical the central infotainment touchscreen dominates matters, of 12.9 inches in standard form and optionally available at a more gigantuan 15 inches. The driver gets their own 10-inch digital display which as well as the essential information (repeated on a head-up display), can also display such aspects as the sat nav map.

Volkswagen says it has listened to customer feedback and there are now more physical buttons for major controls than has previously been the case, notably a large rotary control at the base of the centre console which can serve multiple functions from adjusting driving modes to the volume of the audio. Selection of the auto gearbox is via a stalk at the right of the steering wheel, putting the wiper controls on the same stalk as the indicators.

Rear-seat passengers, or in the case of the seven-seater variants middle-row passengers, can have various features available to them, including USB-C ports, cup holders and a tablet stand in the fold-down centre armrest, reclining seats and even the option of heating if one selects the winter pack on the options list. Options available to those up front even include massaging seats.

More basic requirements ticked include the boot space. In seven-seat form the Tayron still offers a 350-litre luggage compartment. Drop the rear seats and it extends to 850 litres, with the middle row down as well a huge 1915 litres. Curiously the five-seat version offers a little less, 705 litres.

In terms of safety, the Tayron has yet to be subjected to the Euro NCAP crash-test programme but as is typical with today’s Volkswagen range it does come with a full menu of safety features including plenty of ADAS electronic driver aids, among them Volkswagen’s latest exit warning system.

What do we think of it?

The Tayron is without doubt one of the better-looking SUVs for its size, its visual profile leaning far more towards large estate cars than the giant box on wheels that it is all to easy to fall into at this end of the market.

Inside this is a machine easy to get comfortable in, with more than adequate room, though as with all seven-seaters the rear pair of seats are really only suitable for younger or smaller travellers – headroom in particular is a little cosy in these. However the option of sliding the middle row backwards and forwards does add to the versatility. The various niceties available to second-row passengers, particularly in the fold-down armrest, also add to the car’s general appeal.

Being a Volkswagen it’s of little surprise that the interior is of universally high quality, comfortably outscoring rivals with excellent surfaces and all well put together. The driver’s controls are generally user-friendly but while there has been an effort to restore physical buttons, rather a lot of them are clustered on the steering wheel. The climate control adjustment is on the touchscreen and while it’s reasonably easy to change temperature, a physical dial would be even easier.

Business Motoring was able to test Tayrons with the mild hybrid petrol 1.5-litre engine and the plug-in hybrid variant. In terms of refinement the plug-in hybrid definitely wins, while offering an all-electric range of up to 75 miles.

The car feels more planted on the road while the electric motor’s involvement, particularly in lower-speed situations makes for a more refined, audibly quieter performance.

While not lacking in pace, the petrol unit always feels like it is working hard for its living with a clearly audible and somewhat coarse engine note despite the acoustic measures employed by Volkswagen – these extend to sandwiching a layer of sound-deadening film between the two layers of glass in the windows.

We have mentioned that this is a large SUV but it certainly does not feel so to drive – everything is accomplished with a light touch and the steering well weighted producing confident cornering. We did manage to discover some nasty pot holes on our Worcestershire test route but the car’s chassis did a good job of smothering their effects before they reached the cabin occupants.

One aspect that was slightly annoying were the driver alerts, or in particular the ‘pay attention to the road’ command. While such things are a mandatory element of all new cars today, this particular alert was too sensitive, cutting in to a degree more akin to recent Asian vehicle releases – for example when looking along a road before pulling out into it, just two minutes after getting into the car…

Overall, however, the Volkswagen Tayron will suit many a buyer wanting either the flexibility of seven seats or a large boot space (or both together), especially those who tow things behind their car.

It’s not the cheapest vehicle out there, all versions costing above £40,000 and therefore into expensive car supplement territory. On the basis of our first drive we would recommend the plug-in hybrid models – particularly for Business Motoring readers as the combination of low CO₂ emissions and high all-electric mileage will keep the Benefit in kind tax low.

For those requiring a quality vehicle that will be very easy to live with, the Tayron will rate above many a rival.

Business Motoring First Drives are the initial test of a new vehicle, of usually between 50 and 100 miles. Business Motoring Full Reviews are usually conducted over a full week, completing several hundred miles.