Established nearly 70 years ago, Volkswagen do Brasil has produced over 20 million vehicles, including many market-specific models such as the Brasilia, the SP2, the Gol family (including the Saveiro pickup) and the Fox family.
Over this period, some Brazilian developed models, like the Gol, were made available under different nameplates in markets such as the US, Canada, Nigeria, Iran, Russia, Taiwan and China – but never in Europe. Until now.
Under Volkswagen’s new regionalisation strategy, about R25.2 billion has been invested in Brazil since 2016, leading to the introduction of the Polo and T-Cross, and the development of the Virtus, the Taos, the Jetta and the Nivus crossover-coupé – all based on the automaker’s modular transverse MQB platform – in Brazil.
Now, in much the same way Ford internationalised the South American developed EcoSport 20 years ago, the Virtus sedan is produced in India, the Taos SUV is built in Mexico for the US market (and in China as the Tharu), and the Nivus, unveiled in 2020 in Brazil and released in Europe last year as the Taigo, is built in Spain.
Twin Siblings, Twin Models
Interestingly, the tale of the Nivus and Taigo SUV coupés also involves the story of Brazilian-born twin brothers and world-class designers José Carlos (JC) and Marco Pavone.
As Head of Volkswagen Design Center (South America Region) in Sao Paulo, JC led the design of the Nivus (and the Virtus), while twin brother Marco, as Head of Exterior Design for the Volkswagen brand in Wolfsburg (he also designed the Taos), was responsible for the design overall.
As students, the two were already determined to work in the Volkswagen design team, and, at the time, they submitted their application with their first design sketches for future cars. Today, around 35 years later, the brothers are in consistent communication about the brand’s latest design developments, so the decision to introduce the coupé-like crossover in Europe was perhaps not purely coincidental.
The Nivus is also the first Volkswagen model designed and engineered entirely in a virtual environment. No conventional, full-scale prototype was built, and the longer-rear module of a Skoda Rapid was used to stretch the vehicle and give it its coupé-like look.
In Taigo form, it is slightly longer than the local T-Cross (4,266 mm vs 4,235 mm) with a longer wheelbase (2,566 mm compared to 2,551 mm), wider track front and rear, and more ground clearance (137 mm), but a lower roofline (1,515 mm versus 1,584 mm for the T-Cross).
Positioned between the T-Cross and the T-Roc, the Taigo is available in three reconfigured equipment lines – Life, Style and R-Line – with individual features, including standard LED headlights and Digital Cockpit, but only one drivetrain option: The three-cylinder 1.0 TSI engine delivering 85 kW and 200 Nm of torque, paired with a seven-speed DSG transmission.
Polo-like Qualities
Aimed at trendy customers, the young at heart and those with an active leisure lifestyle, the Taigo’s sporty coupé-like silhouette is inspired by SUV coupés from higher vehicle classes. The front and rear styling have distinctive T-Cross and Polo traits, but the side view, with large wheels and offset wheel arch cladding, emphasises its crossover character.
All lights feature LED technology, and IQ.Light LED matrix headlights are available from the Style equipment line onwards, along with an illuminated radiator grille crossbar and a continuous light strip at the rear. Inside, the horizontal dash design, the multifunction steering wheel, the MIB3 infotainment system and other controls are all copied from the Polo.
Only top-of-the-range R-Line models were made available for the launch drive on a variety of roads in the Gauteng Province area. These models feature sportier bumpers and air intakes, LED fog lights, high gloss black diffuser and 17” Valencia alloy wheels (some had the optional Black Style Package with darkened windows and 18” Misano alloys in black).
Besides standard Digital Cockpit Pro, two-zone Climatronic air-conditioning and dark grey fabric seats, the R-Lines were kitted with luxury options such as an 8.0” Discover Media display with navigation, a panoramic sunroof and a full complement of assistance packages (IQ.Drive Travel Assist Package, Comfort Package and Driver Assistance Package) adding an extra R67,200 to the retail price.
Despite its coupé-like silhouette, the Taigo offers nearly as much luggage space (438ℓ) as the T-Cross (385 to 455ℓ) and is pretty comfortable in the rear. Functions of the IQ.Drive system can be intrusive at times, but many can be turned off if you have the patience to search for them in the menu.
Last Word
As expected, the Taigo felt like a big Polo on the road, yet it was slightly more composed over ruts and marginally better balanced in sweeps, thanks to its longer wheelbase and lower centre of gravity. The small engine suffered from some turbo lag but was willing and malleable when on song… and frugal too.
The twin sibling of the Nivus is an attractive crossover with a quality ambience and good road traits, but it is expensive, priced higher in top trim (without extras) than bigger coupé-like crossovers such as the Toyota CH-R 1.2T Plus CVT (R474,400) and Hyundai Kona 2.0 Exec AT (R471,500). The Taigo will appeal to the trendy, but at the price, it will be an emotive purchase.
Report by Ferdi de Vos | Images Volkswagen South Africa
