With a busy city life, it’s always a pleasure to escape day-to- day demands and relax on a cruise out of Auckland. You never have to go far to find a distinct change of landscape.
It’s just this desire that provided the perfect opportunity to stretch the legs of the all-new, 7-seater Volkswagen Tayron. The roomy new arrival replaces the Tiguan Allspace, slotting in between the five-seat Tiguan and the larger, more expensive Touareg in Volkswagen’s line-up.
On paper the Tayron’s drawcards are clear – a spacious seven-seater made for all the demands of an SUV: kid- and extended family-friendly, plus room for the dog, the golf clubs, several suitcases and the boat behind. But when you spend time living with it, you realise the car’s true draw is like selecting walking shoes from a luxury designer boutique: everyone claims they’re shopping for comfort, yet somehow they still gravitate towards the stylish ones that look best in the mirror.
Yes, its size and the logistical drawcards are apparent stepping into the car, but it’s the sleek, elevated feel and ease of driving style of the Tayron that quickly won me over.
We take the top of the line R-Line Touring Pack on a zip up the motorway north to the beach then through the city to the eastern beaches over the weekend. Features like a panoramic sunroof, Harman Kardon sound system and massage seat features in the front were so good they made us consider extending the journey!
The Tayron is extremely graceful and smooth to drive, with minimal disturbance in rougher terrain. I loved the open space between the front two seats, streamlined with only a start button in the central console making the front seating area feel very spacious and for taller folks there’s no worries about head room. The very quiet, comfortable ride makes conversation easy, so longer distances are even more enjoyable shared with others. For safety, automatic front assist, side assist and rear cross traffic alerts and self-correcting features provided peace of mind and helped with making the large vehicle feel manageable.
Moving around Auckland city for work, a car of this size is useful for helping transport business necessities, and as a married mother of two with twin 18-month-old grandsons, its size and safety features are right on the money. But other practical details make getting from A to B even smoother. The large 12.9” touch screen console size was a winner, easy to navigate the touch screen activation functions while in changeable traffic, and despite the Tayron’s size was a breeze to park in smaller areas thanks to the entire vehicle camera and park assist functionality.
It may be sensible, but like those sought-after shoes, there’s plenty of cachet to boot.
To learn more about the all-new Volkswagen Tayron, visit volkswagen.co.nz
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