Home> New Volkswagen Inventory> New Volkswagen Taos> Volkswagen Taos Vs. Hyundai Kona

If you're trying to decide on a stylish and modern compact SUV to call your own, our Volkswagen Taos vs. Hyundai Kona comparison is a great resource. These two feature-rich SUVs bring the heat, offering turbocharged power and a selection of well-equipped trim levels. However, here at Tom Wood Volkswagen, we believe the Taos takes the crown and reigns supreme when pitted against the Kona.

Learn how each vehicle measures up in trims, features, performance, dimensions, and more below. Contact our VW specialists when you're ready to experience the 2025 Taos with a test drive.

Volkswagen Taos vs. Hyundai Kona: Trims

The first stop in our competition between these two contemporary SUVs is the trim levels. The Volkswagen Taos keeps things simple with its four trim-level lineup:

• Taos S
• Taos SE
• Taos SE Black
• Taos SEL

The 2025 VW Taos explores variety in each model, providing a unique landscape of convenience, comfort, and technology. A first look at the Volkswagen Taos shows us a feature-rich SUV crafted to appeal to those embracing versatile, spirited driving. With a standard heated steering wheel, App-Connect smartphone integration, and plenty more, every model in our new Volkswagen Taos inventory is sleek and sophisticated.

The 2025 Hyundai Kona keeps pace with the Volkswagen Taos regarding trims, offering a few more for a total of six – and two with the same name. The trim options for the Kona include the following:

• Kona SE
• Kona SEL
• Kona SEL Convenience
• Kona N Line S
• Kona N Line
• Kona Limited

The two vehicles in our toss-up have some overlap in perks and features, but the Taos outpaces the Kona by offering more than a few amenities that its competitor forgoes – we'll cover these later. Continue reading our guide to see what is available for each and how the Volkswagen Taos comes out on top.

Hyundai Kona Specs vs. Volkswagen Taos Specs

In pursuing power, a range of perks exists among the two vehicles in our Taos vs. Kona matchup. The Volkswagen Taos delivers consistency across the lineup with one engine option available, offering more standard power than the Hyundai Kona. The Volkswagen Taos engine puts 174 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque at your fingertips every time you take the wheel, all from its 1.5-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine.

Meanwhile, the Hyundai Kona operates on a standard 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that delivers a less powerful 147 horsepower and 132 pound-feet of torque. This Hyundai Kona engine is standard in the first two trims but gets swapped out for a higher-powered 1.6-liter four-cylinder turbocharged unit in the top three trims.

Fuel efficiency is comparable between both compact SUVs, but the Volkswagen Taos MPG boasts better city and highway ratings than the Hyundai Kona MPG values when comparing FWD and AWD models.

Speaking of which, every trim of the 2025 Volkswagen Taos offers 4MOTION AWD as available, with the highest tier coming standard with it. The Hyundai Kona also has HTRAC AWD as available on every trim, but none come standard with it like in the Taos.

Hyundai Kona vs. Volkswagen Taos: Exterior

When it comes to the Kona vs. Taos exteriors, the VW Taos arguably has the upper hand in terms of features. As standard, it boasts LED headlights and Daytime Running Lights, roof rails, rain-sensing windshield wipers, and a unique Coming/Leaving Home function.

The Kona struggles to keep up. While it also has standard LED headlights and taillights, its roof rails are only available in higher trims. Plus, the 2025 Kona doesn't offer rain-sensing windshield wipers or a similar Coming/Leaving Home feature in any trim.

Available exterior features of the Taos include an integrated light bar in the front grille, heated washer nozzles, and an Adaptive Front Lighting System with dynamic cornering lights. The Hyundai Kona simply cannot hold a candle to the Taos in this category, as it does not have any of these features available in its lineup.

Volkswagen Taos vs. Hyundai Kona: Comfort

SUVs are famous for their family-friendly, adventure-ready interiors, and the two vehicles in our comparison are not exempt. While the Hyundai Kona and Volkswagen Taos are feature-rich, the VW Taos stands out more.

Both models come standard with cloth seating, elevating to a CloudTex and cloth mixture at the second-tier trim. The Hyundai Kona doesn't offer a CloudTex and cloth mixture at all – just cloth and leatherette. The VW model also offers CloudTex and leather upholstery options in higher trims; the Hyundai Kona fails to offer a leather upholstery option at all.

A heated steering wheel is standard equipment in the 2025 Taos, another feature the Kona doesn't have available in any trim level. Both models possess dual-zone automatic climate control, but the Taos takes it one step further with an integrated advanced air filter. Simply put, the Volkswagen Taos interior offers greater sophistication and equipment than the Hyundai Kona interior.

Hyundai Kona vs. Volkswagen Taos: Technology

Part of the appeal of searching for the perfect SUV is deciding which model has the technological foresight to keep you and your passengers happy. The Volkswagen Taos has many advanced tech features, like push button start, a standard 8-inch touchscreen display, and available wireless charging. It also comes standard with the 8-inch Volkswagen Digital Cockpit instrument display and upgrades to the Volkswagen Digital Cockpit Pro in its top trim, which consists of a configurable 10.25-inch digital instrument display.

The Hyundai Kona offers similar features with a couple of more enticing options. For starters, it also has push button start and available wireless device charging but comes with a larger 12.3-inch touchscreen. The model has a standard 4.2-inch digital gauge cluster, but in top trims, it gets upgraded to a 12.3-inch display.

Volkswagen Taos vs. Hyundai Kona: Safety

Like many modern SUVs, these two models come with tons of safety and driver-assist features. The Volkswagen Taos gives you peace of mind through the standard IQ.DRIVE suite, which consists of the following systems:

• Travel Assist
• Lane Assist
• Emergency Assist
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Active Blind Spot Monitor
• Rear Traffic Alert
• Front Assist

The Hyundai Kona offers some of the same or similar features as standard, but its Blind-Spot View Monitor is only equipped in the top trim. The Kona also only has Cruise Control as standard; its Smart Cruise and Curve Control is available in top trims.

Volkswagen Taos vs. Hyundai Kona: Exterior Dimensions

Along with consistent performance and higher standard power, the Volkswagen Taos dimensions show that it is a longer, taller, and broader vehicle than the Hyundai Kona. The VW Taos measures 175.9 inches in length, while the Hyundai Kona measures 171.3 inches in length on most trims.

The only variation in length for the Kona is for the N Line and N Line S, which changes the value to 172.6 inches. The VW Taos can easily pull into tight parking spots but maintains a commanding presence with its 72.5 inches in width. The width segment of the Hyundai Kona dimensions is comparable, with 71.9 inches.

The Volkswagen Taos also offers a more elevated height, with it being up to 64.5 inches tall, while the Kona height tops out at 63.6 inches on AWD models and 62.6 inches on FWD models.

Hyundai Kona vs. Volkswagen Taos: Interior Dimensions

The exterior dimensions aren't the only appealing values we examine in our Kona vs. Taos matchup. Both the Volkswagen Taos cargo space behind the rear row and the Hyundai Kona cargo space in the same area are expansive, but the Volkswagen Taos has just a bit more to offer. The Taos boasts up to 27.9 cubic feet, and the Hyundai Kona features just 25.5 cubic feet behind the second-row seating. If you fold the rear seat, you can access a maximum of 65.9 cubic feet of cargo volume inside the VW Taos. The Kona, on the other hand, has only 63.7 cubic feet with its second row folded.

In terms of passenger volume, the two SUVs in our Taos vs. Kona rivalry yield similar measurements. The Volkswagen Taos offers up to 99.5 cubic feet of passenger volume, while the Hyundai Kona competes with up to 101.2 cubic feet of passenger volume.

Explore the 2025 Volkswagen Taos at Tom Wood Volkswagen Today

Both models in our 2025 Volkswagen Taos vs. Hyundai Kona comparison are excellent contenders for your next compact SUV purchase, but we hold fast to the VW Taos. With more standard amenities, more standard power, and a cauldron of other advantages, the new Volkswagen Taos is worth a look. Contact us to get a personalized tour and take it for a test drive.

We also invite you to browse our new Volkswagen specials to see if you can save on your new 2025 Taos purchase or lease.

Once you take home your new Taos, our team is dedicated to caring for it through preventative maintenance and occasional repair. You can count on our Volkswagen service center for your routine oil changes, tire rotations, brake repairs, and so much more.

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