The Volkswagen ID.4 is now on sale.
The regular Golf hatchback, Passat sedan and Canadian-market Arteon are gone.
New-generation Golf GTI and Golf R arrive, so does subcompact Taos crossover.
Volkswagen is hard at work establishing its vehicle electrification strategy, and although the microchip shortage slowed things down a little, we should soon see more EVs from the German brand.
Meanwhile, its lineup of gasoline-powered vehicles is evolving, at least in North America. As is the current trend across the industry, passenger cars are slowly being replaced by crossovers. Here’s what to expect from the Volkswagen brand in 2022.
The Volkswagen ID.4 arrived in North America as the first of many new-generation EVs to come. Rear-wheel drive variants arrived first in 2021, equipped with a 201-horsepower electric motor and an 82 kWh battery pack, but AWD units with a 295-hp, two-motor setup have followed. The 2022 model year beings fast charging speeds of up to 135 kW and an Auto Hold feature. Official numbers aren’t available yet, but VW is promising improved driving range over the 2021 model, whose range varied from 240 to 260 miles depending on the trim level and drivetrain.
The long-awaited Volkswagen ID. BUZZ microvan should be revealed on March 9th, 2022 in production form. However, the North American might not get it before the 2023 calendar year as a 2024 model.
On the internal-combustion engine side of things, the 2022 Volkswagen Taos is the brand’s new—actually, first—subcompact crossover entry in the U.S. and Canada. It features a turbocharged 1.5L inline-four with 158 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, matched to a front-wheel drivetrain and eight-speed automatic combo, or AWD and a dual-clutch seven-speed DSG automatic.
The regular Volkswagen Golf is dead in Canada and the United States, but the Golf GTI and Golf R live on and are thoroughly redesigned for 2022. The Golf GTI gets a turbocharged 2.0L inline-four that develops 241 horsepower 273 pound-feet of torque, matched to either a six-speed manual transmission or a seven-speed DSG automatic. It benefits from a revised suspension, while a limited-slip differential is fitted as standard, and its cockpit features a 10.25-inch fully digital driver instrument panel, touch-sensitive interfaces, ambient lighting and an IQ.Drive suite of advanced safety technologies on DSG-equipped models. Meanwhile, the new Golf R ups the ante with a boosted version of VW’s 2.0T, putting 315 horsepower and up to 295 pound-feet of torque to the ground through an all-wheel drivetrain and either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG.
The Volkswagen Jetta gets some changes for the 2022 model year. It adopts the Taos’ turbo 1.5L inline-four engine, which develops 158 hp and can be connected to either a six-speed manual transmission or an eight-speed automatic. The Jetta GLI keeps its turbo 2.0L engine that produces 228 hp and 258 pound-feet, managed by either a six-speed manual or a seven-speed DSG automatic. Revised exterior styling, new alloy wheels and paint colours as well as a standard digital instrument panel are part of the changes as well, while more features become standard and the IQ.Drive suite of advanced safety gizmos is optional on the Jetta, standard on the GLI.
The Volkswagen Tiguan also gets a refresh for 2022. It benefits from a revised exterior design with standard LED headlights along with new paint colours and alloy wheels. A fully digital eight-inch driver instrument panel is now standard, while a bigger 10.25-inch display is available on uplevel trims. The Tiguan gets some equipment changes, too, and the IQ.Drive suite of advanced safety systems is now more widely available across the lineup. A turbo 2.0L four producing 184 hp and 221 pound-feet of torque is standard on all trims, matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission and available 4MOTION all-wheel drive.
After a mid-cycle refresh during the course of 2021, the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas gets an eight-inch Digital Cockpit display as standard, while a 10.25-inch digital display is optional. The midsize three-row crossover is equipped with either a 235-horsepower turbo 2.0L four or a 276-horsepower 3.6L V6, and both can be matched to AWD as desired.
The two-row midsize model is called the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, and it was introduced in early 2020. It receives a couple of new features for the 2022 model year, such as a standard eight-inch Digital Cockpit driver display, while a tow hitch is standard on more trim levels. Like the regular Atlas, the Cross Sport offers a choice between 2.0L and 3.6L engines, matched to either FWD or AWD.
The North-American variant of the Volkswagen Passat is no more. The last unit was produced in December after a run of 2022 model year units that included a new Limited Edition variant. The latter features unique 18-inch alloy wheels, black mirror caps and serialized design touches inside—marking the Limited Edition’s 1,973-unit production. The assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee will use the capacity to build the ID.4.
Finally, the Volkswagen Arteon premium fastback moves into the 2022 model year with some cosmetic updates, a new turbo 2.0L four that increases output from 268 to 300 horsepower and from 258 to 295 pound-feet of torque, and a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission that replaces the previous eight-speed unit. The lineup includes SE R-Line, SEL R-Line and SEL Premium R-Line, each getting the brand’s sporty appearance package. However, the Arteon is no longer available in Canada.
