New Volkswagen Tayron 7-seater SUV sneaks under £40k

• All-new large SUV to replace the Tiguan Allspace
• Five-seater and seven-seater versions available
• Prices start from £39,850

UK pricing has been announced for the new Volkswagen Tayron, the German brand’s niche-filling, seven-seater SUV. Slotting between the Tiguan and the Touareg, the Tayron will cost from £39,850 when it goes on sale from January 9th, with range-topping models costing from just over £50,000.

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The introduction of the Tayron ups VW’s SUV tally to nine, ranging from the tiny Taigo to the electric ID.5 and quirky T-Roc Cabriolet. While that might seem like an excessive number, the Tayron has an important role to play. Since the Tiguan Allspace was discontinued last year, it’s the only seven-seater SUV that VW sells, competing with rivals like the Peugeot 5008, Kia Sorento and Skoda Kodiaq.

What do I need to know about the Volkswagen Tayron?

The new Volkswagen Tayron has been designed to fill the void left by the old Tiguan Allspace, which wasn’t renewed when the new Tiguan launched in 2024. While the latter is only available with five seats, the Tayron packs up to seven, thanks to new bodywork that’s 70mm longer than the old Allspace.

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Just how big is the Tayron? At 4,770mm long, it's even bigger than the Skoda Kodiaq, but still a tad smaller than the flagship Touareg. Unlike the old Tiguan Allspace, the Tayron gets a unique body of its own to differentiate it from the smaller Tiguan, but it's still a familiar design with a gaping front grille and a slim light bar between the LED headlights.

The family resemblance continues at the rear with a similar full-width light bar, although the VW emblem now illuminates. Standing side-on, the Tayron is noticeably longer than the Tiguan, sporting a boxier profile with wider doors and a more substantial rear overhang, presumably to make room for the optional third row of seats.

Even with that pair of extra seats, boot space looks to be pretty impressive. With all seven seats in place you’ll have 345 litres of space to play with, while dropping the third row increases that figure to 850 litres – both figures up on the seven-seater Kodiaq. Five-seater Tayrons get up to 2,090 litres of space with all the seats folded, making it one of the most cavernous cars on sale this side of an MPV. The second row features ISOFIX points for the outer two seats, while the bench itself can slide forward in a 60:40 split to increase legroom for the third row.

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Up front, Volkswagen has treated the Tayron to a unique dashboard of its own, complete with a 10.25-inch driver’s display and a 15-inch infotainment touchscreen. The latter sits on a horizontal shelf that spans the width of the dashboard, while a single rotary dial occupies the centre console for controlling volume, driving modes and other features. There are no physical controls for the climate system – you’ll have to paw at the touchscreen instead.

What engines does the Volkswagen Tayron have?

The engine lineup won’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the Tiguan and Kodiaq. The 1.5-litre petrol mild hybrid is carried over, delivering an identical 148bhp, along with a single 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel option. A pair of 201bhp and 262bhp 2.0-litre petrol engines are offered, too, both exclusively available with four-wheel drive. All models use a dual-clutch DSG automatic gearbox.

For the best fuel economy, two plug-in hybrid models will be available. Both use the same 19.7kWh battery pack, but deliver different power outputs of 201bhp or 268bhp. However, these models are strictly five-seaters only, with that battery pack taking up too much space for the extra pair of rear seats.

How much does the Volkswagen Tayron cost and when can I buy one?

Volkswagen has provided some initial UK pricing for the Tayron, including the £39,850 starting price for the entry-level ‘Life’ model. This gets the 1.5-litre mild hybrid engine with seven seats.

Above the Life model will be Match, Elegance, R-Line and R-Line Edition trims. Each will pack more kit than the last, but specific pricing is still to be confirmed. VW has stated that the “top-of-the-range R-Line and R-Line Edition variants are available for just over £50,000”, so Match and Elegance models should fall between £40k and £50k.

Diesel, mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid Tayrons will go on sale from January 9th, while the two powerful petrol models are scheduled to reach dealerships on February 20th.

Check out the Tayron’s competition by reading our list of the best seven-seaters on sale…