The 2025 Volkswagen Taos isn't a next-generation vehicle, but it's not a simple refresh of last year's model, either. The SUV gets a modest redesign on the outside, bringing it more in line with other VW vehicles. The interior also receives some upgrades, and there's a more powerful engine under the hood, among other things.

Let's start with the exterior, where you'll find a new front fascia and grille. Actually, the grille is now relegated to the lower fascia, with the upper portion adopting the thin light strip similar to vehicles like the GTI, Jetta, and ID. Buzz. It connects to smaller LED headlights—now standard across the Taos line—at the corners, leaving the lower fascia to carry a new, larger grille. A similar theme exists at the back, namely with a light bar connecting taillights that are still the same size, but now have redesigned housings. The rest carries over.

Meanwhile on the inside, a new dash looks similar-yet-different thanks to a floating 8.0-inch center touchscreen. It's standard across the lineup, replacing the integrated 6.5-inch screen that came before. The upper dash panel was modified as a result, and VW adds a new climate control setup for good measure. As for tech, Park Distance Control and the Adaptive Front Light System are now available on SE trims.

Arguably of greater interest to potential buyers are changes to the small SUV's powertrain. It still uses a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine, but engineers give it new piston rings, injectors, a larger intercooler, and a new turbo housing. The result is 174 horsepower, an increase of 16 hp from the old model. And it now goes to the ground through an eight-speed automatic transmission regardless of the driveline. It replaces the seven-speed DSG box used in 4Motion all-wheel-drive models, a change VW says is an improvement that customers asked for.

And the Taos does have customers. In the US market, VW's smallest SUV has averaged about 60,000 sales per year since its debut for the 2022 model year. To help entice new buyers, 2025 brings more wheel choices and three new exterior colors to the Taos: Bright Moss Green, Monterey Blue Pearl, and Monument Gray.

Pricing for the 2025 VW Taos will be announced closer to its on-sale date later this year. It will likely cost more than the outgoing model, which starts at $25,420 for a base-model Taos S with front-wheel drive.