Volkswagen is becoming your one-stop shop destination if you want an SUV.

It already has a varied line of such vehicles ranging from small (Tiguan) to fairly large (Atlas). Now the company is going smaller with the 2022 Taos, a small but comfy SUV for a relatively good price.

I say relatively because it depends on which Taos you opt for. My test car was the top-of-the-line SEL 4Motion, which has Volkswagen’s all-wheel drive system. You can go a lot cheaper with the base model and get good equipment or select the SE version that seems to be the best dollar for dollar value.

All Taos models come with a 1.5-liter turbo engine that makes 158 horsepower with 184 pounds-feet of torque. Front wheel drive models have an eight-speed transmission while all-wheel drive models get a seven-speed double clutch transmission with a more sophisticated rear suspension. Each model also comes with a configurable digital dash which can display lots of different stuff including navigation info from the vehicle or your phone.

The Taos is handsome in a boxier way than its competition which includes Honda’s HR-V, Mazda CX-30 and Toyota’s C-HR. It has more room than any of those vehicles and is as fast or faster than most of them.

The Taos’s interior is nicely done. The finish is more upscale than entry level with feel-good front seats that are ventilated. The Taos is also easy to enter or exit. Once in you find there is lots of room for a vehicle this size. The rear is certainly able to hold three adults and there is still plenty of cargo space.

A eight speaker entertainment system with Beats speakers is standard on the SEL. There’s plenty of bass, of course but I would have like a bit more balanced sound with higher treble and midrange levels. Satellite radio is also included.

You can push the Taos to 60 miles per hour in 7.8 seconds. The seven-speed transmission gets confused at times so that time could vary. When the transmission is on point, the Taos feels spry. You can move easily in and out of traffic and merging into oncoming traffic isn’t scary. The little engine is willing. Wonder if a manual would make things better?

The Taos handles sharply for an entry level SUV. It can handle curves with little body role and can zip down straightaways with rock-solid stability. You may hear some engine and road noise but not more than anything else in the class. The ride is fairly comfortable, leaning toward harsh if the roads get really bad. The suspension is firm but in that typical German way.

The SEL Taos comes with every driver’s aid available including adaptive cruise control that can bring the vehicle to a complete stop if traffic does so and continue once traffic starts to move. Just a few years ago that feature was only available on luxury cars. There is also rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, lane keeping assist and forward collision mitigation.

The Taos SEL offers a lot of equipment in a neat, smallish package with a surprising amount of room. The base price is $31,490.

Pure grey paint was an additional $395. The panoramic sunroof was $1,200.

If you add $1,195 to those options, the as-tested price came to $34,280.

That’s not cheap for an entry-level vehicle but you can opt for the lesser models and forgo some equipment. The Taos seems to be worth the money outfitted in any fashion.

Pros:

• New for 2022

• Plenty of passenger room

• Good cargo space

• Well-appointed interior

• Plethora of standard equipment

• Sharp handling

• Willing small engine

Cons:

• So-so transmission

• Can be noisy

Email Winfred Cross at cross@alldaytech.com.