 What is up you guys, we'll go back to another one. If you're new to the channel, I am Gold Pony, I do new car truck SUV reviews on YouTube. And today, we're in the brand new 2023 Volkswagen TALS courtesy of Fultner Volkswagen and Mechanics Merc PA for more information on their inventory. Please feel free to check out the link in the description box below. And so today we're in this one because you get the four year, 50,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. It's gonna be the same for the powertrain, but that's better than the typical three year, 36,000 mile warranty. They usually find the most other manufacturers. And this is a relatively affordable SUV by Volkswagen. So that is pretty cool as well. So ultimately in this video, we will be testing out and going over everything about this one from acceleration to braking, steering full ride quality, sound system exhaust clip, all that fun stuff. So having said all of that, what do you guys say? Let's just go ahead and jump right into it. And as always, let's start with pricing. And so as you can imagine, there are a few different trim levels for the 2023 TALS. As trim levels gonna start at $24,155 SE for $28,925. And lastly, the SEL being the one we have today, starting at $34,535. But that was actually all pricing for the front wheel drive configuration. If you wanted to go all wheel drive, you can do that simply add $2,340 then to any of those prices. But I will say regardless of trim level that you go with, power plant on this one is going to be the same. Powering the TALS is a 1.5 liter turbo charged inline four cylinder, putting out 158 horsepower at 5,500 RPM, 184 pound feet of torque coming in at right around 1,700 RPM. Power sent to front wheels or all wheels through either an eight speed automatic for the front wheel drive variant or a seven speed dual clutch for the all wheel drive. So that is a pretty substantial difference there. And we actually have that dual clutch with us here today. So I'll let you know how that turns out. Zero to 60 time approximately 8.5 seconds with MPG numbers coming in at 28 in the city, 36 highway for the front wheel drive, 25 in the city, 32 then on the highway for the all wheel drive taking regular unleaded fuel. And so before we do any kind of fun acceleration test here in the TALS, I wanted to mention to you guys the drive modes. There's actually a circular dial located directly behind the shifter. There's going to be off road drive modes and on road drive modes. And typically Volkswagen will do this in some of their other SUVs as well. But essentially you turn it to the left and to the right for the off road drive modes and then you press in for the on road drive modes. And so essentially I'm going to press it in right now and just put it in sport and it wants to take off on me but eco normal sport and custom will be the on road drive modes at least. And that's going to adjust things like the shift points the throttle response and actually steering sensitivity got a little bit weightier as well. So that is pretty cool. So now having got all of that out of the way what do you guys say? Let's go ahead and find a straightaway. Let's put the TALS here to the test and let's see how quickly we can get our new 2023 Volkswagen TALS here up to speed. All right, sport driving man. There we go. Three, two, one, go baby. Oh, a little bit of turbo lag there at the beginning. Oh, you can tell it's a dual clutch. It definitely throws you when it shifts gears. So that is pretty darn cool. Honestly, I like the dual clutch. Let me first start by saying that. Secondly, not the quickest thing in the world. You can definitely tell, I don't know. It's just not the quickest thing in the world. I'll just leave it at that. But you shouldn't have any issues emerging out to the highway, but wouldn't have minded if this thing came just a little bit more power. But anyways, to go along with that acceleration, as always, braking is equally important. So upfront, you will find 12.3 inch ventilated front discs in the back, 10.7 inch solid rear discs. As far as that's six easier stopping distance goes, they're just going to come in at 129 feet, which quite honestly is a little bit on the higher side. But having said that, I don't mind the braking. It's actually a quite nice braking feel here in the Volkswagen TALS. It's definitely not going to have any issues with the braking feel, but the number's not the best. And that's according to Motor Showing, by the way. So then touching on suspension and handling, upfront, you're going to get to make fierce and strut front suspension. In the back, independent multi-link rear suspension for the all-wheel drive, but then torsion beam rear axle for the front-wheel drive. So suspension setup is going to differ pretty substantially. Dependent upon if you go with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, if you want a better ride quality, if you want a better handling, definitely go with the all-wheel drive configuration because that is the setup that is quick to give you that, but front and rear stabilizer bars will also come standard as far as ride quality goes. It's actually been perfectly fine. I've had absolutely no issues in my short test drive here today. Steering feel does adjust substantially, dependent upon the drive mode that you put it in. So I'll just leave it at that. If you want a heavier steering feel, put it in that sport mode. If you want kind of a looser steering feel, go with maybe an eco or a normal driving mode. So it does adjust pretty substantially. And there is that custom mode where you can put it in a heavier steering feel. If you wanted to, but not necessarily that crazy acceleration that you would get all the time. So that's going to be there for you as well. As far as cabin noise goes, we're going 42 miles per hour right now. Little bit of road noise, absolutely no wind noise whatsoever. So a very serene cabin. So 100% on point there. Touching of visibility, smaller SUVs you typically will not have any issues. And that is definitely the case with the Taos. I can see 100% perfectly fine out the back. So I am absolutely loving that. And on top of that, rain sensing windshield wipers will come on the SE trim level end up, which actually is new for the 2023 Taos because previously it just came on the SE L trim level. So the fact that it's now on the SE trim level and up, that's pretty dark coal. I like that. And there's plenty of new little updates for 2023 as well. I'll be touching on them throughout the video. But that pretty much rounds out the performance segment of this review guys. So now go ahead and take a look at the exterior of our brand new 2023 Volkswagen Taos. All right. So here she is. You guys see new 2023 Volkswagen Taos finished in deep black pearl. In case you were curious of our exact exterior color name, but this one I'm going to show you guys the window sticker here real quick. It is a 2023. And you can tell by the VIN number, starting with a three. This one is made in Mexico because all vehicles are made somewhere different even if it's the same manufacturer. So always want to mention that from now on, but let's go ahead and start up front on this one. LED headlights will come standard on every single trim level across the board. Automatic feature coming with that as well, meaning when it starts to get dark in a night, headlights will turn on automatically for you there. LED daytime running lights also coming standard, but I did want to go back to the headlights for a second here. The headlight type is going to differ amongst the trim level. So reflector style coming with the S and SE trims, but the SEL that we have today, we're actually going to get LED projector headlights. So it's going to give you a little better illumination there at night projecting the headlights out a little bit further. So that is definitely pretty cool. Adaptive front lighting system also coming with the SEL trim level. Essentially what that is is when you're going around a bend at night, those headlights are going to swivel based on the direction of your steering angle, better help illuminating what is around that bend. So that is a safety feature in itself. So you don't end up hitting any deer or any cyclist or anything like that. Front air currents, you can find them down to the sides there helping direct air around the wheel and tire combination. And one of the coolest parts about the SEL trim level, you get that LED backlit horizontal illumination on the grill. So I'm going to kind of get up closer so you guys know what I'm talking about. But the center bar right here, going through the Volkswagen emblem, that is going to be illuminated at night. Well, at least it's going to look a lot better at night. It'll be illuminated during the day if you turn the headlights on, but still that is pretty darn cool. But anyways, that pretty much rounds out the front end of the towels here. Let's now go ahead and make our way to the back. All right. And so now since you are around to the side of this one, every single trim level will get roof rails. The S trim is going to get black roof rails. SE and SEL are going to get silver roof rails then. Brew privacy glass is going to come in the SE and SEL as well, silver belt line molding coming with the SE and SEL. You do have some towels lettering found on the front fenders there. That's going to come for every single trim level across the board. I think that's pretty cool. Matte black side skirts also for all trim levels across the board. But I will say, it looks pretty darn good on our black exterior. So I don't mind the black side skirts for that particular reason. Take a look at the side mirrors. They are body colored for the SE and SEL trims, but they will come in black for the S trim level. So do want to mention that. And they will be heated actually for the SE and SEL trim levels then as well. Then take a look down at the wheel configuration, 17 inch alloys for that S trim level, 18 inch alloys for the SE, and lastly 19 inch alloys, the ones you were currently looking at right now for our SEL trim level. But that pretty much rounds out the side profile. Let's not go ahead and make our way to the back. All right, so now since we are around to the back of this one rear spoiler with an integrated brake light all the way to the top, rear window wiper just below that. LED tail lights are going to come standard on every single trim level across the board. That is definitely nice. Got the towel sledding spelled out horizontally towards the bottom portion of that lift gate there for motion badging. That is going to be what Volkswagen of course calls their all wheel drive system because every manufacturer gives it a name of course. You do have kind of that fake exhaust look with the chrome surrounds towards the bottom corners. They are not a huge fan of that because honestly there is a single exhaust outlet tucked away down below hidden. So having said that, I do believe you guys know what we have to do next as always here is that exhaust clip. All right, so now since we are around to the back of the towel. So when it comes to opening that rear tailgate it is a manual tailgate for all trim levels across the board there. Once opened up cargo capacity comes in at 28 cubic feet even if that was not enough space. Of course the rear seats do fold down. There is a 6040 split bumping that up to 66 cubic feet which quite honestly is a ton of space for its class. So well done Volkswagen there. Cargo lighting can be found back there. There are grocery bag hooks including a massive thick grocery bag hook on the passenger side of the back there. Tie-down anchors also come standard. There is a 12-volt power outlet back there. I don't remember seeing that in last year's model. So that's pretty cool. And if you were to lift up underneath of that cargo floor you will find a spare tire down there as well. But then making our way up to the rear legroom that comes in at 37.9 inches. So for reference I mean even six feet tall. This is how much space I have back there. Rear center armrest with cup holders does come standard. There is some rear ventilation back there and there is a rear charging port available then as well. So then make your way up to the front seats manually adjustable cloth seating coming with the S trim level. Eight-way power driver seat with two-way power lumbar for the SE and SE L trims. Heated front seats for the SE and SE L trims yet again and leather seating coming with the SE L trim level. Overall though, seating was pretty darn comfy and so usually I knock power lumbar for only being two-way power lumbar because I prefer the four-way because my back's not the best but these seats, they're really comfortable. Actually, you don't need the four-way power lumbar in the house. These are pretty darn comfortable seats. So let me just say that. But now let's go ahead and take a look at the steering wheel it is in telescoping. It is leatherette wrapped for the SE and SE L. So that is what you guys are looking at and it would actually be heated as well for that SE L trim level. So I like that. Now let's go ahead and make our way to the startup. Let me start by showing you guys the key. You got your Volkswagen logo on the one side. Then when you flip it over lock unlock that button to pop the rear hatch and the times two button that is going to be a remote start coming standard on the SE and SE L trims. But it is all keyless entry with a push button start for all trim levels actually across the board. So all I'm going to do here is simply put my front of the brake and press that silver engine start button located just to the left of the shifter. And so once started up, Volkswagen digital cockpit coming for all trim levels but it will different size depending upon the trim level that you go with. You will get eight-inch digital gauges for the S and SE trims and then 10 and a quarter inch digital gauge cluster for the SE L that we have with us here today. But my favorite button is going to be the view button located on the right side of the steering wheel. That's going to completely change the look of those gauges up there. So that is what I like playing around with but pretty much everything could possibly one up there from how many miles you have left until you hit empty outside temperature, speed limit of any given road. I see that up there as well. That is pretty darn cool. And it would actually change color depending upon the drive mode that you put it in as well. So I just put it in sport driving mode. It's going to change to red, but if I put it back to eco or normal for that matter, it's going to change back to blue. So that is pretty darn cool. I always love digital gauges and Volkswagen did the digital gauges pretty darn good here in the Tows. But now let's go ahead and make our way to overall interior quality. Panoramic sunroof now standard on the SE L trim level. Previously that was optional on the SE L but it's now standard. So another change for 2023 there. Audit Deming Review Mirror for the SE L and climate control for the SE L ambient lighting for the SE L trim level. SE L really gives you quite a bit but wireless phone chargers just in front of the shifter for the SE trim level and the SE L of course. Previously I was just on the SE L by the way for last year, but now it's also on the SE. So SE actually it's gotten good bit of upgrades for 2023 I'll put it that way. Overall I do like the gray and the black contrast that we have here today like the contrast stitching as well. Just in front of the shifter again, you got that rubberized wireless phone charger. You got 12 volt power outlet up there. Couple phone charging ports. There's an electromechanical parking brake just to the left of the shifter. Little bit of rubberized storage behind the shifter and dual cup holders of course and tiny bit of storage then within the center armrest as well. So overall interior quality is perfectly fine for me honestly don't see any issues here. I actually like it so big fan of that. But now let's go ahead and make our way to the tech. Couple different screens here as well. S trim level is gonna give you a 6.5 inch color touchscreen display but the SE and SEL are gonna give you an eight inch color touchscreen display. That's what you guys are looking at right now. Bluetooth and audio streaming of course Android Auto Apple CarPlay factory navigation system coming with the SEL trim level. You can check out your fuel information, your weather information up there and of course your radio information. And so when it comes to the sound systems there are two of them. You will get a six speaker sound system for the S and SE trims but in the SEL that we have today we actually have an eight speaker beat sound system. So that's exciting. Let's go ahead and turn on the radio see what we got playing today and let's test out the clarity of this one. That was a lot of bass for a Christian contemporary song. I love it. Sound system is really darn good. I love the bass like I said crystal clear beats. Well done. You did a good job with the TALS. I'll just say that. That was a good sound system. But anyways, last thing I wanna mention to you guys on the infotainment screen is when you do put the TALS in reverse you will find a rear view camera coming standard across the board letting you know what is completely behind you which is always is going to lead us into safety. So front side, side curtain airbags do come standard. In the back you're gonna have latch AKA they'll wear anchors and tethers to children for the rear car seats. Rear child door locks, tire pressure monitoring system but also coming standard blind spot monitoring system with rear cross traffic alert that usually doesn't come standard on base trim levels of other manufacturers. So wanna emphasize that for collision warning with autonomous emergency braking then as well which is very nice. SEL trim level however is going to add basically everything else including adaptive cruise control, road sign recognition that I mentioned on the gauges there, high beam control which is the automatic high beams when you have your high beams on night since the vehicle coming in the opposite direction is gonna dim it back to low beams and then jump them back up to high beams when that vehicle is gone. Rear parking sensors, pedestrian monitoring and lane keep assist then as well. So overall when it comes to my final thoughts here of the TALS, lots of space for its class. That's one of the areas where the TALS really shines. Digital gauges are wonderful. That's probably my personal favorite part because in its class you don't get digital gauges that come standard so that's pretty darn cool. I absolutely love that. They're very customizable. Very nice exterior design as well. Although the fake exhaust outlets in the back still bother me. They should just delete those chrome accents just to make it not as obvious that they're trying to hide that. It's not really exposed. But anyways, I love it. It's just one of my pet peeves. Another positive though that kinda surprised me that I wasn't expecting the seats are pretty darn comfortable. So that's a big thing for me. Like I said, so I love the seats and the beat sound system is definitely on point in this thing as well. But anyways, let me know what you guys think in the new TALS in the comments section below and that is about it for this one you guys. Thank you so much for watching. Feel free to follow me on social media at the bottom of the screen if you wanna see what's coming next on the channel. Be sure to hit the subscribe and the bell notification button if you're into new car reviews. That is what we do here on this channel after all. Do appreciate you guys watching more than you know and I will see you guys all in the next video. Stay Gold.