Volkswagen ID.4 and Taos SUVs win 2022 MotorWeek Driver's Choice awards

Feb 10, 2022

• ID.4 takes honors for Best EV
• Taos named Best Small Utility

Herndon, VA — Volkswagen of America, Inc. is pleased to announce that two of the brand’s SUVs, the 2021 ID.4 EV and 2021 Taos, have received 2022 MotorWeek Driver’s Choice Awards. The ID.4 was named Best EV, while the Taos received the title of Best Small Utility.

“These are great individual wins for our ID.4 and Taos, as well as for Volkswagen SUV strategy,” said Hein Schafer, Senior Vice President, Product Marketing & Strategy, Volkswagen of America, Inc. “These vehicles are great examples of how we have grown and diversified our lineup to meet the market with quality, value-packed offerings.”

“The Volkswagen ID.4 checks all the boxes that make a small utility successful and then some,” said John Davis, host and creator of MotorWeek. “It’s attractive, comfortable, loaded with technology, has generous space for people and cargo, and is available in two or four-wheel drive. Add to that a highly accessible price, it is the first ‘everyman’s EV.’”

On Taos, Davis remarked “Everyone knows that Volkswagen has a legacy of building great small cars. Now the same can be said of a new chapter, their smallest utility, the Taos. The Taos delivers a mix of spaciousness, standard features, functionality, and driving prowess that is more than enough to shake up this very crowded segment.”

In selecting the annual Drivers’ Choice Awards, MotorWeek’s editorial staff evaluates more than 150 cars, trucks, and sport utility vehicles every year. Winners are chosen based on driving performance, technology, practicality, fuel efficiency, and value for the dollar.

The ID.4 is Volkswagen’s first all-electric SUV and the brand’s first global EV. Built on Volkswagen’s MEB electric vehicle architecture—the modular electric drive matrix—it marries the strengths of a purpose-built EV with performance, packaging and value, features that have marked the brand for decades. The compact SUV is equipped with an 82 kWh battery and is offered in 201-horsepower rear-wheel drive and 295-hp all-wheel-drive configurations. Modern design pairs with high-tech features, like standard IQ.DRIVE® advanced driver assistance technology and a smart infotainment system, using voice and touch. For 2022, Volkswagen expects an EPA-estimated range improvement over MY21, and will be adding Auto Hold, 135 kW DC fast charging, and Plug & Charge throughout the model year. Three years of 30-minute fast charging sessions with Electrify America is included at no additional cost.

MSRP for the ID.4 Pro with rear-wheel drive starts at $40,760, before a potential Federal tax credit of up to $7,500. The all-wheel-drive ID.4 Pro starts at $44,440. Destination charges for all ID.4 models is $1,195.

The 2022 Volkswagen Taos compact SUV debuts with a bold exterior design, practical but refined interior, advanced technology, and available 4Motion® all-wheel drive. Slotting below the Tiguan, Taos offers Volkswagen’s signature driving dynamics, high quality, and smart packaging in a smaller package with a lower price tag. Taos boasts a tech-forward package, including standard Volkswagen Digital Cockpit and Car-Net® telematics, offering in-car Wi-Fi capability when you subscribe to a data plan. Available technology includes Volkswagen’s MIB3 infotainment system, as well as IQ.DRIVE® driver assistance technology, Light Assist, and Dynamic Road Sign Display. All versions of the Taos are powered by a 1.5-liter turbocharged and direct-injection EA211 TSI engine making 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque.

MSRP for the Taos S with front-wheel drive starts at $22,995. The Taos S 4Motion starts at $25,040. Destination charges for all ID.4 models is $1,195.

An episode of MotorWeek featuring all 2022 winners is currently scheduled to air beginning February 12th (check local listings) on PBS and on MAVTV, February 27th.