[Mad Max]

I voted no mostly because it's all inefficient petrol engines in their portfolio now. They had a fantastic diesel line up and suddenly taking this route isn't for me. My Vento TDi runs like a gem even now and giving 18-20 kmpl even on highway cruises. I think I may be the minority who don't understand the attraction towards petrol cars especially in this high-inflation scenario.

[nutcracker]

As an owner of both 2014 Polo and Vento (1.5), and extrememly happy iwht my ownership experience, I'd give the VAG 2.0 cars a pass.

I was expecting good things from the Virtus but the touch-AC-controls were enough for me to discard it.

Disappointing to see the Taigun, the interiors really feels 2 classes lower. And having a 3-cylinder option, IMHO, is a strict no-no at that price point. Also, no diesel options?!?!? Both my VWs are diesels, and their engines are hoot to drive.

However, I am really excited to see how the Mahindra-VW partnership ends up culminating in its upcoming electric vehicles. That could make things exciting.

[arvishnu]

I voted NO, mainly because of DQ200 gearbox for 1.5. VW knows there is a issue but still launched it.

[t3ofil4us]

I own a VW ameo TDI and I voted no, because the quality has gone down on their plastics lately. I drive the Skoda rapid TSI recently and it felt underwhelming on the interior front.

The ameo returns 15 kmpl in city and 20kmpl plus on highways even now. The rapid on the other hand is efficient only if driven like a miser.

VW/Skoda have dropped seriously in terms of quality and reliability in their India 2.0 quest.

[McLaren Rulez]

No chance! It's the small things but I find it symptomatic of the general attitude VW have towards their 2.0 cars. Here's the Virtus' boot



Here's the Vento's boot



This picture doesn't show the fully extent of it but the Vento doesn't suffer from the Virtus' half hearted carpeting job, ugly exposed rear seatbelt mechanism and no luggage intrusion protection. All of these are clear steps backwards. Now, VW might ask who cares about details of the boot when you have a great engine? I very much do, VW. Because if they're cutting costs there, you can bet your bottom dollar there's a lot more cost cutting in places you can't see.

Add in the rattles, cheap headliners, creaky dashboards and so on and I simply can't see why you'd compromise like that.

[Wanderer]

Recently test-drove a 1.5 Taigun with DSG. Engine and gearbox did not have much impact on me, as I am always a diesel-manual person. However the quality of materials inside as well as the handling characteristics was not a match to the old VWs. The confidence at highway speeds I am having since 1.21L kilometers on my 2014 Polo 1.2 TDI was missing in Taigun (even after discounting the high CoG factor). It is a fun car to drive but not satisfying.

To me out of the current VW stable, the only car worth being considered as a VW is Tiguan. Test drove it too, felt at home.

[redohabitat]

Originally Posted by GBX

IMO, I'd rather have a 2.0 batch with squeaks and rattles than the company shut shop after 1.0 itself. We've lost Ford, Fiat, GM (and maybe Honda too)

Honda sells many more units than VW and Skoda total combined, so no chance of Honda shutting shop . The kind of sales figures that Europeans can only dream of, those figures Honda is doing without any stress. Just a matter of another year at the maximum until their new crossover / pseudo SUV is launched (4X4 is mandatory for it being called a SUV)

Also, its not only squeaks and rattles when users are getting stranded in the middle of an isolated road in this terrible weather waiting for tow truck to pick up their few days old vehicle

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by redohabitat

Honda sells much more units than VW and Skoda total combined, so no chance of Honda shutting shop . The kind of sales figures that Europeans can only dream of, those figures Honda is doing without any stress. Just a matter of another year at the maximum until their new crossover / pseudo SUV is launched (4X4 is mandatory for it being called a SUV)

Fact check: Honda is selling lesser numbers per month than VW and Skoda combined. In April Honda sold 7874 units while VAG sold 8699 units (Skoda - 5152 and VW - 3547). Not including other VAGs. So Honda figures are nothing for Europeans to dream about. All numbers are from Team BHP.

And Honda is in the downward trajectory. With Virtus coming in VAG numbers will further go up. And Honda is doing that numbers mainly because of Amaze.

But I do honestly wish Honda gets their SUV and numbers increase. We need all major global players in the market - whether it’s Honda, Toyota, VAG or anything else.

[roadlover1705]

Coming from Ford's TdCi engine that leaves you addicted to a certain driving dynamic, I was lost with no choices in the market. After thoroughly test driving the Kushaq, today I am a proud owner of a 1.5 MT and have not faced any issues as such - maybe I am one of the lucky ones.

With all the complaints about the car out there (I can only talk about Kushaq here being an owner of one), I am incredibly impressed with its dynamic experience. It has the features I want and use, handling is extremely good, and the passive safety features that Skoda did not do a good job talking about can be felt and inspire a sense of confidence. All said and done, there are misses for sure and a long way to go from where VAG is with its 2.0 strategy, but will I completely outcast them - definitely not!

Quite honestly, we are in times when momentum has shifted from owning small cars to slightly larger ones but there are not many good options that could form a well-rounded package. Hopefully, we are spoilt for choices soon.

[Altocumulus]

Yes I would and would recommend as well.

Yes, compared to the previous generations the quality has gone down, but the key part is 'compared to previous generations'. It is still way better built than most of it's counterparts.

Add to that the Tsi engines and their engineering are class apart. Super fun to drive and brings a smile to your face everytime you are behind the wheel.

You want good quality, you need to pay for it. Indians didn't want to. So when you can't beat them, join them. To reduce cost they had to localize and compromise on quality.

I am a previous owner of a 2009 Laura Tsi, currently own a 2020 Rapid 1.0 Tsi and if I had the spare cash, would have traded it in for a Virtus GT for sure.

Bottom Line : Cost, Quality and Performance. Choose any 2.

[Night Raven]

Voted for the 4th option.

I think the answer depends a lot on what car you are upgrading from. For me, when it was time to upgrade from my beloved Punto I had lots of hopes on Taigun and Kushaq. 7 years with Punto had set the bar quite high with regard to built quality and drive experience. I wanted an automatic with paddle shifters so that I can have the best of both worlds along with the European build and safety. Went to test drive the Taigun, came out pretty unimpressed. The DSG and the paddle shifts were the only things I liked. No other way it felt like a worthy replacement to the Punto. On the other hand my wife who uses a Grand i10 Nios AMT as her daily drive thought the Taigun was a good upgrade option. If we were replacing her car, we probably would have happily bought a Taigun/Kushaq.

[shal255]

For me Skoda/VW is a no. Have had awful experience with the Skoda Laura TDi L&K - had to sell it off in 3.5years. Even mentioning the name gets you frowns in my home. I may convince them to try out the Tiguan but frankly their aftersales is just not up to the mark.

[kaushikduttajsr]

Voted no. I have never owned a VAG car and will never buy their 2.0 cars.

I own a Ford Freestyle T+ Petrol and have had a wonderful niggle free experience so far. Their low service costs and dynamics, coupled with the sheer reliability give me peace of mind as well as driving pleasure. It's a shame they shut shop in India. Our loss.

Why would I not buy a VAG 2.0 car?
My 1st love was the Ford Figo 1st gen only matched in it's capability by the mighty Polo 1.2 tsi. But horror stories for DQ200 coupled with unaffordable service costs pushed me to Ford - I only missed the convenience of an auto tranny.

I'd always thought my next purchase would be a VAG provided they sorted above issues. Alas! Not only did they decide to continue with the same DQ200, they downgraded the existing driving experience with their India 2.0 strategy. Now I'll need to worry about being stranded at any point of time, at any place - rattling doors, fuel pump failures along with "saar, you'll need to pay for a gearbox replacement".

No saar. I'm good. I'll drive my freestyle to grave before purchasing a new car to fill government coffers and drive home a lemon.

[manjubp]

Voted Yes. Presently owning second VW car (earlier Vento and now Jetta). Never had any issue, except recent water pump leak in my Jetta (about to turn 8years) and headliner falling down (not yet). Together covered more than 1.2L KMs without any issue, some of the roads can be covered only by MUVs/SUVs, but we are able to take them, without any issues.

Big question is will VAG2.0's build and ride quality, along with FE will it be on par with VAG 1.0? if it is yes, then my vote makes sense, else not sure.

What is surprising is that, more than 60% people those who never owned a VAG voting NO, ha ha ha.

[AutoConsultant]

If you ask me right now, it is a big NO for me.

• What was their biggest USP? - Solid Built - That advantage is almost gone
• What was their biggest issue in the indian market? - Reliability - That has actually gone worse with all these niggles (EPC, door rubber seal noise, rear wheel hub replacement and what not)
• How were they priced earlier? - at a premium. How are they priced now (considering the variant wise features) - still at a premium
• Would you consider Skoda/VW as even a mildly premium brand right now? NO!
• Feature deletion after launch - a big turn-off for a buyer

The overall product offering as a whole has gone down in terms of value. The engine (1L TSI) is good and the driving dynamics are excellent but how many customers are willing to buy a car only because of those reasons?

[The 1.5 TSI are in a segment of their own so don't consider them as mass market cars]

My BIL who got the Kushaq 1L Style Manual less than a year back and has had the following issues :
1. Fuel Pump change for EPC
2. Rear Wheel hub with bearing replacement
3. Door squeaking noise - Not yet resolved
4. Erroneous TPMS warnings
5. Battery Drain issues - not resolved
6. Couldn't get mud guards separately from Skoda (even the top variant does not come with mud guards), was being forced to buy the 18k "Basic Kit", had to wait and then got the cheaper 8k kit

He says that he'll sell it off after 4-5 years and is really disappointed with this 17 lac car. It was his first time moving to a non-mainstream brand (owns a 12 year old i10).

He wanted to get an SUV and I had suggested him to get Kushaq (obviously tried to convince him to get the City first ). I am not sure I am going to suggest WAG cars to anyone at least for an year. Let's see how the WAG group sorts out all these issues.

Still believe Kushaq is the best in its segment and can't get over Virtus's looks but we have to wait and watch for some time I guess.