2026 Volkswagen Taigun Facelift Short Review: What We Liked & What Needs To Improve

While most cars with their facelifts get so many changes that the vehicle becomes unrecognisable, the Volkswagen Taigun has evolved just enough to keep up with the market trends. It is still the driver-focused SUV it used to be, but maybe the updates in the design and cabin needed to be more extensive.

Volkswagen Taigun Facelift Design

This is where most of the changes have happened, but to some they’ll still seem less than adequate. To keep up with the rapidly evolving segment, the Taigun’s face has been updated with a connected LED DRL strip, and to add their own little touch, Volkswagen has added an illuminated logo.

Just above the DRL, the nose now gets a gloss black strip, and below the DRLs, the grille’s design has been changed as well and that too comes with gloss black elements (chrome if you pick the Chrome variants). To top it off, the bumper has also been redesigned, and VW has completely redesigned the face while keeping the essence alive of the older version.

However, there have been no changes to the side profile save for slightly tweaked 17-inch alloy wheels. Even at the back, the connected tail lamp is still present and the tailgate remains unchanged. But to make some changes that are not limited to the face, VW has redesigned the bumper and added an illuminated logo at the back as well.

Unlike many other cars in the market, the Taigun facelift doesn’t look much different from its outgoing version, but with some careful tweaks and the new lighting elements, it does look up-to-date while retaining its sporty personality.

Volkswagen Taigun Facelift Space & Quality

Not a single thing has changed in Taigun’s cabin design and quality, and the space remains the same as well. Before we get into the details of the space, you should know that even with a middle headrest present, the Taigun’s rear seat is only suitable for two passengers, and the Taigun is not a car which can seat five people comfortably.

However, for four people, the Taigun offers surprisingly good space. At the back a 6-footer can sit easily behind another 6-footer with knee room to spare. The seats have been angled well for a relaxed seating position and that also leaves you with enough headroom to not complain. Also, while the underthigh support is only decent, the legroom and footroom is more than enough for most people.

Do not seat three in the back as there is not enough space for them to get even decent shoulderroom, and you’ll end up with passengers fighting each other over who gets to rest their back. But with just two people, the seats hold them in place with great side support and the centre armrest adds a bit more comfort to long drives. Still, there are two things missing that would have made the rear seats better for a chauffeur driven experience, and these things are rear massage seats (offered with the Kushaq) and rear window sunblinds.

At the front, both the seats are 6-way power adjustable, they offer great space and hold you in place as well. The driver also gets tilt and telescopic adjustment in the steering wheel to easily find the ideal driving position, and the driver seat itself goes pretty low, resulting in a very sporty driving position.

In terms of cabin quality, while there is nothing to complain about, there is nothing special either. You get leatherette seats along with soft touch padding on most surfaces, and the plastics feel smooth not rough. But, the segment has gone much ahead in terms of materials, textures, and quality, and I feel the Taigun needs to level up its cabin.

Volkswagen Taigun Facelift Tech

It will be very easy to draw comparisons with the segment and say that the Taigun is extremely underequipped, and while it's true that it doesn’t come with the flashy features new compact SUVs are boasting, the package it actually offers is good enough for most people.

First are the new additions. A 10.25-inch digital driver’s display which relays drive information neatly, it has different views to choose from, and the settings are easy to navigate. The graphics used here are also neat and fit well with the car’s sporty appeal. You also get a panoramic sunroof, which is a fan favorite feature, and the touchscreen now gets an AI from Google Cloud, which adds features like YouTube and the voice assistance sounds less like a chatbot.

The 10.1-inch touchscreen runs smoothly, its responses are quick, its graphics suit the sporty nature of the car, and with its large icons, it is easy to navigate. It also supports wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, both of which run seamlessly.

And the remaining features are what you’ll need for your daily drives like 6-way powered front seats, ventilated front seats, a wireless phone charger, electrically adjustable and foldable ORVMs, cruise control, and push button start stop.

The feature list here is still small but it gets all the necessary features which you will use most of the time, and in most cases, these are the only features that you’ll use. However, there is one thing that needed an update, and that’s the climate control panel.

The Taigun comes with auto AC but the climate control panel is still the same touch sensitive unit, and you should know that it is not easy to operate while driving. This should have been replaced with physical controls, and it's upsetting that VW did not change it with this facelift.

Volkswagen Taigun Facelift Boot

With the Taigun you get 385-litres of boot space, and while this may seem low on paper, in reality the space is more than enough. The boot is deep, long, and wide, which not only allows you to keep large suitcases, it also means that you can stack one suitcase over another, and this lets you utilize the space better. 

You can keep an entire suitcase set (small, medium, and large) along with a few small bags, or you can keep four to five cabin-sized suitcases, which is enough for a family’s weekend getaway. If you still need more space, the rear-seats offer a 60:40 split, which you can fold to keep larger items.

Volkswagen Taigun Facelift Drive & Ride

If you end up buying the new Taigun, it will be because of its drive experience, and that’s something that hasn't changed much. It still comes with the same engine options: a 1-litre turbo-petrol and a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol, but the smaller engine gets an 8-speed automatic instead of the 6-speed one. The smaller engine also gets a 6-speed manual and the bigger engine is available only with a 7-speed automatic.

For most of your drives, the 1-litre engine has more than enough power to keep you satisfied. Being a 3-cylinder motor, it does have some vibrations, but only while idling. It can easily get you through city traffic with quick overtakes, and even on the highways, getting to the speed limits will feel like a piece of cake.

The new 8-speed automatic has made gear shifts even smoother. It stays in the right gear all the time, doesn’t keep shuffling between them, upshifts quickly, and drops a couple of gears in an instant when you want to overtake someone.

The bigger engine takes this experience to a whole new level. The acceleration is instant, you get pushed back in your seat when you floor the pedal, and you will never have to plan a single overtake. This engine takes the car to triple digits speeds instantly and it can also reach illegal speeds without breaking a sweat.

Paired with a 7-speed DCT, the drive becomes even sportier. This transmission offers quick shifts between gears, even with the paddle shifters, and you’ll always be in the right gear to keep up the momentum.

As I said above, the 1-litre engine can take care of most of your needs, but if you want the thrill of driving and don’t want to waste even a millisecond while getting to your destination, the 1.5-litre engine is the one to choose.

Now comes the ride quality, which can be a little annoying, especially if you drive more in the city. The suspension is set up on the stiffer side, which limits body roll, but at the same time, it makes you feel the cracks and potholes even more. You won’t find it uncomfortable in most cases, unless you drive over a rough patch at high speed, but you will feel every small crack and unevenness inside the cabin.

However, once you get on the highway, this setup actually makes you drive more comfortably. Due to limited body roll, driving over uneven patches, expansion joints, and undulations do not result in side to side or vertical passenger movement, and the ride feels cushioned.

It also handles like a pro since the body roll is controlled well. Sudden lane changes result in negligible cabin movement and the car feels planted and stuck to the road while taking sharp corners at high speeds, giving you the confidence to keep going. 

This might be an SUV, but it has the handling of a performance sedan, and its drive experience can never disappoint.

Volkswagen Taigun Facelift Safety

While the facelifted Taigun hasn’t been crash tested yet, the pre-facelift one had a 5-star crash test safety rating, and since the platform remains unchanged, we expect the same rating to be carry forwarded.

In terms of features, it gets 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control (ESC), a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), all-wheel disc brakes, front and rear parking sensors, and ISOFIX child seat anchors.

It also gets a rearview camera, which has poor camera quality, especially under low light conditions as the feed becomes grainy and unreadable. There are also no dynamic guidelines and the feed in itself is very small to see anything properly. VW should have offered a better camera system, or they should have added a 360-degree camera, which most cars in the segment already offer.

There is no ADAS on offer either, which may seem like a miss to some, but ADAS is India only makes sense if you drive on the highways a lot, and here the absence of it does not feel like a big miss.

To Summarise

There are only a few cars in the market that don’t need to change much to still be relevant. Don’t get me wrong, the Taigun has its misses as it does not get a new cabin, the features additions are limited to a handful of equipment, it looks small next to its rivals, and it is not the best family car out there in terms of space and comfort.

But what it excels in is its drive experience which is just sheer driving pleasure. It excites you, makes you enjoy the drive no matter how small it is, and to an enthusiast who wants a fun-to-drive car that also looks after his or her family’s needs, the Volkswagen Taigun is a great choice.