Compare the2026 Volkswagen TaosVS 2026 Subaru Crosstrek

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability

Safety

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Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Taos deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Taos’ side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Crosstrek’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Volkswagen Taos achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Subaru Crosstrek has not been tested.

The Taos has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Taos has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Crosstrek’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Taos has standard Rear Traffic Alert and automatically engage the brakes. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Crosstrek and its not available on the Base and the Crosstrek’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Compared to metal, the Taos’ plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Crosstrek has a metal gas tank.

Both the Taos and the Crosstrek have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volkswagen Taos is safer than the Subaru Crosstrek:

	Taos	Crosstrek
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	111	113
Abdominal Force	115 lbs.	148 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	13 inches
Spine Acceleration	46 G’s	47 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Volkswagen Taos is safer than the Crosstrek:

	Taos	Crosstrek
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	1.57 in	1.65 in
Shoulder Force	357 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.18 in	1.3 in
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	134 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.65 in	2.17 in
Shoulder Force	312 lbs.	714 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.54 in	1.97 in
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	781 lbs.	1182 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

The Taos comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Crosstrek’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Taos’ corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Crosstrek’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Taos for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Crosstrek.

Engine

The Taos’ 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (184 vs. 178) than the Crosstrek’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Taos gets better mileage than the Crosstrek:

			MPG
Taos
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/36 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
Crosstrek
	AWD	Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	24 city/29 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen Taos higher (7 out of 10) than the Subaru Crosstrek (6). This means the Taos produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Crosstrek every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Taos stops much shorter than the Crosstrek:

	Taos	Crosstrek
60 to 0 MPH	127 feet	140 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Taos 4Motion®’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Crosstrek (235/45R19 vs. 225/60R17).

The Taos 4Motion®’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Crosstrek’s standard 60 series tires. The Taos 4Motion®’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Crosstrek Sport/Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Taos 4Motion® offers optional 19-inch wheels. The Crosstrek’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The Taos has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Taos’ front to rear weight distribution is more even (57% to 43%) than the Crosstrek’s (60% to 40%). This gives the Taos more stable handling and braking.

The Taos SEL 4Motion® handles at .85 G’s, while the Crosstrek Limited pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Taos SEL 4Motion® executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Crosstrek Limited (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Taos has .9 inches more front headroom, 1.8 inches more rear headroom and 1.4 inches more rear legroom than the Crosstrek.

The front step up height for the Taos is 1 inches lower than the Crosstrek (16.5” vs. 17.5”). The Taos’ rear step up height is 1.3 inches lower than the Crosstrek’s (16.7” vs. 18”).

Cargo Capacity

The Taos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Crosstrek with its rear seat up (27.9 vs. 19.9 cubic feet). The Taos has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Crosstrek with its rear seat folded (65.9 vs. 54.7 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Taos easier. The Taos’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 27 inches, while the Crosstrek’s liftover is 30.7 inches.

The Taos’ cargo area is larger than the Crosstrek’s in almost every dimension:

	Taos	Crosstrek
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	34.3”/65.2”	32.1”/63.9”
Max Width	48.5”	53”
Min Width	40”	43”
Height	37”	29.3”

Ergonomics

The Taos SE/SEL has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The power windows standard on both the Taos and the Crosstrek have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Taos is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Crosstrek prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Taos’ front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Crosstrek’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

On a hot day the Taos’ driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Crosstrek can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Taos’ rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Crosstrek’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Taos to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Taos SEL keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Taos has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Crosstrek Limited/Wilderness.

Both the Taos and the Crosstrek offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Taos offers optional rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Model Availability

The Taos is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Crosstrek doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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