This was perhaps the most chill car event I have ever attended. Chiller than most any cars and coffee, in fact. Come when you want, park where you want. No parkers, no check in.
Plus loved seeing Chris’ Super Beetle out there.
Bugs and Ghias, Busses and Rabbits. And in the middle–well, off to the side–sat a bright-blue, brand-new Volkswagen Taos.
That was me.
The event: No Dough Weekend, an annual Central Florida gathering for VW enthusiasts.
It attracts hundreds of Volkswagens to the greater Daytona Beach area with multiple shows and get-togethers. The big show takes place on Sunday in Port Orange. Picture some 500 Volkswagens parked beneath the trees.
No charge and no one at the gate. Drive up, kick back and show your ride. Cars are grouped by who happened to park where they wanted to park.
It works, and the vibe is relaxed and chill. No one’s on the PA because there isn’t one.
Chris was going with his ’71 Super Beetle. Of course, I wanted in. I’ve been before as a spectator, and once they waved me in with the 911, but I wanted to arrive in a VW.
My reality: Our Mk 7 Volkswagen GTI left us a year or so ago, and sadly, my driveway has been VW-free since.
The solution: Hey, VW, can we borrow something from the press fleet?
They hooked me up with new Taos SE, the brand’s compact crossover SUV. It’s not the latest and greatest, though, as it made its first U.S. showing in late 2020 as a 2022 model. The Taos then got a facelift for 2025. Ours was a 2026 SE model. Out the door, it’s $31,510. The line starts at $26,500, and they all feature the same turbocharged 1.5-liter engine that makes 174 horsepower along with 184 lb.-ft. of torque.
I don’t care if it’s not new for this year. It’s one of the best small SUVs in the class.
It’s quick, it’s roomy and it looks good. Back seat is open and airy. You can easily get in and out of it. The buttons and knobs make sense. CarPlay quickly engages.
Meaty steering wheel. Seats feel a little flat, but they didn’t get uncomfortable.
It also has a real transmission: an eight-speed automatic. No CVT. No CVT with simulated gears. No CVT that doesn’t seem to know if it’s coming or going. Both front- and all-wheel-drive models get that eight-speed automatic.
Honda CR-V? CVT.
Subaru Crosstrek? CVT.
Hyundai Kona? CVT on the lower specs.
Nissan whatever? You know the answer to that one: CVT.
I’d buy the Taos for the transmission alone. That eight-speed automatic delivers crisp, confident shifts.
And there’s VW’s usual sport mode, too. No buttons required, either, just pull the level back to engage. Oh yeah, it has a real shift lever, too, not buttons, a knob or whatever else can be dreamed up.
Call this one a bit of a throwback. Remember Mazda’s old Zoom-Zoom campaign? VW has picked up that ball and run with it.
This was perhaps the most chill car event I have ever attended. Chiller than most any cars and coffee, in fact. Come when you want, park where you want. No parkers, no check in.
Plus loved seeing Chris’ Super Beetle out there.
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Wait, what are you saying? You mean people weren't doing smokey burnouts and driving their out-of-control cars into crowds of onlookers?
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
I must have missed it.
So, a thought:
Since the show takes place around a lake, show up with this Rabbit pickup recently pulled from a lake?
As a slightly lifted hatchback, these seem to do routine car things reasonably well and are reasonably uncomplicated for a modern vehicle.
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