Volkswagen Tayron arrives in Portugal: space, toll class and engines

With pre-orders open since the start of the year, the first units of the Volkswagen Tayron are now beginning to arrive in the Portuguese market.

Volkswagen’s new, more family-focused SUV stands apart from the Tiguan-whose platform it shares-thanks to the option of a roomier cabin and a maximum capacity of seven seats, although that isn’t offered across every version.

This new Tayron is positioned as a worthy successor to the Tiguan Allspace, while being aimed more squarely at European customers. Unlike its predecessor-built in Mexico-the Volkswagen Tayron is assembled at the German brand’s main plant in Wolfsburg.

The entry-level model comes with the 1.5 eTSI petrol engine producing 150 hp, paired with a DSG automatic gearbox and front-wheel drive. For the rest of the line-up, you can refer to the following table:

Class 1 or Class 2?

According to the manufacturer, the new Volkswagen Tayron is not simply a stretched Tiguan. Looking at the measurements, the Tayron is 25 cm longer than its more compact relative, with 11 cm of that increase coming from the wheelbase. Width and height differ only slightly.

Visually, however, changes are subtle. They mainly come down to the styling of the bumpers and the alloy wheels, as well as the bonnet. In the bonnet’s case, the difference is small but important: on the Tiguan, the bonnet sits lower, ending up 1 cm below the threshold that separates Class 1 from Class 2 for toll charges.

On the Tayron, the bonnet is higher, sitting 1 cm above that limit, which means Class 2-although if you use Via Verde it is treated as Class 1.

Seven seats, but not for everyone

One of the Volkswagen Tayron’s biggest advantages (compared with the Tiguan) is the possibility of seating up to seven inside. That said, this layout isn’t available on every version.

Tayron models with a plug-in hybrid system cannot be fitted with the third row because of where the system’s batteries are installed-beneath the boot floor. In other words, maximum capacity is always five seats, as on the Tiguan, but with noticeably more room for both passengers and luggage.

Depending on how the seats are configured, the Tayron’s boot capacity ranges from 345 litres to 1915 litres. What’s more, folding the second row and the front passenger seatback creates space to carry items around three metres long.

Engines for (almost) every preference

The Volkswagen Tayron engine range includes both petrol and Diesel options. These can be paired either with plug-in hybrid systems or with a simpler 48 V mild-hybrid set-up. There is no fully electric version, and none is expected.

Outputs span from 150 hp (1.5 eTSI and 2.0 TDI) up to 272 hp for the most powerful plug-in hybrid system in the range. The other plug-in hybrid variant delivers 204 hp. Both use a 25.7 kWh battery, enabling up to 120 km of electric-only driving, or nearly 850 km of combined range.