The front door pockets are generously sized, cupholders have an anti-tip design to keep your drinks upright, and the squarish cubby under the center armrest has some depth to it to make up for its shorter length.īecause the Taos is on the larger side of the segment, there's more space for car seats. Storage options in the passenger section of the cabin are pretty good. The release levers are on the seats but are close enough to reach if you're standing at the rear hatch. The rear seats have a center pass-through and the usual 60/40 split, and they fold down mostly flat, leaving about a 2-inch level change from the cargo floor. With 27.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, the Taos is class-leading. How’s the storage? The shape and size of the Taos mean it's able to maximize interior space. Power surges and gear shifts can often feel delayed or clunky, making it difficult to enjoy driving at slow stop-and-go speeds. The combination of that high-strung engine and moderately unresponsive seven-speed transmission makes for a jerky affair. In fact, the Taos scores high marks in every driving aspect except what's possibly the most important for this class: drivability. The Taos handles around corners quite impressively as well, with well-controlled body roll and accurate steering. We were equally surprised by how stable and confident the Taos felt under hard panic braking, yet it cruises easily to a smooth stop in less hectic situations. Launch control is a feature typically reserved for sports cars, so naturally it's a bit out of place here. That speed, however, is only really achievable if you use the Taos' launch control, which we imagine few owners will. Credit goes to a fairly high-strung turbocharged four-cylinder engine that whooshes and hisses its way to 60 mph in a respectable 7.8 seconds. How does the Taos drive? We were surprised to find the Taos, one of the larger SUVs in this diminutive class, is also one of the quickest.

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