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And there is one more along the way. The MG Astor! Just imagine it's apparently got the safety of VW(even more with ADAS level 2), Features of the Hyundai, after sales of Hyundai, a manageable size (for cities) that is still the largest in C-Suvs (below harrier range), and is probably going to do another XUV700 in terms of pricing. Not to mention the segment leading specs of 1.3 Turbo. I seriously don't understand why one should consider the VW twins with the new competition available in the segment?

Taigun is no doubt a VW no denying that. VAG cars are fun to drive & very comfortable & Secure. The Icing of VAG car’s is its DSG, which is just awesome & fun to drive, the DSG works so well during both upshift and downshift you just can’t ignore it. You will never realize which gear you are in if you do not pay attention to the dash indicator. Also, the way the DSG responds to the way you are driving, relaxed, racy, or just cruising is amazing once you are used to the DSG you wont like any other gear box, period.
While there are concerns on DSG, which I can confirm as both my VW cars had issues with DSG under 30K. The Passat cc had shudders when pushed in 4th gear near the redline, and my Tiguan shuddered in 3rd and 4th gear at the redline. While this is a concern, I found a way to drive around it. I lift the throttle just for a microsec and throttle again, which results in the DSG moving quickly to 5th Gear in my Tiguan and would also not loose speed. While it’s not ideal it’s not an issue that will stop me from loving the DSG. After the first instance of shudder on my Tiguan I have driven another 20k without any inconvenience.
What I learnt from other DSG users is that its better to move the gear to park mode in all signals or natural and use the electronic breaks, which can be activated by long press of the break leaver. This way you won’t damage the DSG in stop start traffic.

Based on my experience driving the Hector, think this is very unlikely. The Hector was (pardon the strong words) terrible to drive. Unless MG is able to change its DNA completely, driving pleasure is not going to be the Astor’s strong point (happy to be proven wrong).

One thing which is likely to play into VW’s hands is the chip shortage. If Mahindra and Hyundai / Kia were able to deliver as many cars as customers want, VW / Skoda would have been in serious trouble. The number of people who value driving pleasure is probably too few for them to succeed. But with no visibility on XUV700 deliveries, 8-10 month wait lists on the Creta and 3-4 month wait lists on the Seltos, there will be enough buyers who pick the Kushaq and Taigun at least over the next 12-18 months. And if they can deliver a decent ownership experience, they are in with a chance to build on that momentum.

Thanks for sharing. Did VW not resolve these issues for your car ?

I feel both are completely different cars. Hector is aimed at families with Space & Size to Price ratio being the priorities.

On the other hand, whatever reviews I could find about the ZST which is sold abroad, the reviewers do praise the ride and handling of the car. Even the ZS EV is praised for the same (although not in the leagues of VAG cars). I believe with it's smaller dimensions, and a suspension that's not overtly soft tuned, the ZS should be much more fun than a Hector.

The launch date announced of 23rd Sep is almost a month away. I guess VAG group is waiting for Kushaq numbers to close for this month and see the volume in 1st half of Sep. If the decline in volume is evident, they may price Taigun more competitively.

At same time, Astor may also get launched, which most likely can offer competitive pricing (proved via Hector / nullified via Gloster to an extent), if launches at 17Lakhs max, then Taigun and Kushaq will be left out further behind Astor and XUV700; given how limited space, size and features it offers at this price point.

People I know who are in market for upgrade (includes mostly casual buyers and not like BHPians) - prefer compact size, but not as small as Kushaq for 15 Lakhs+ price. The confusion prevailing is - (1) Seltos - not safe (2) Creta - ugly (3) Hector - FE (4) Harrier - Diesel engine (5) Taigun/Kushaq - Too small & expensive for whats of offer (+) Perception of expensive service and low resale value (6) Others - Nexon EV and MG ZS in 15-25Lakhs range - future ready?!. Over this - upcoming Astor and XUV adds to confusion.

I just think VW has been too slow in launching Taigun and in the meantime competitors have stolen their march. For a car that was near production ready when showcased in the Feb 2020 Auto Expo, they should have launched it at least in the beginning of this year. Its even more ironic that they launched a marketing campaign calling it the 'year of the Taigun' and yet wait for a good part of the year to even showcase the car.

Indian customers are extremely value conscious and very few actually appreciate the driving dynamics of a car compared to features and size. VW should at least now move fast and capitalize on the higher waiting period for its competitors. After the XUV 700 shock, they have no choice but to price this competitively if they are serious about increasing their market share.

Got these product brochures from my dealership today.

There are two things that gets talked about DSG, first it's fun to drive and second it's not reliable.

VAG should come up with something like DSG specific assurance/warranty for eight years(like we have EV batteries).This could be add-on package and Cars under this package should get repairs/replacement of the DSG under no cost.

My Passat CC it was changed under warranty, but for Tiguan i decided to ignore it as its is rare when i redline it.

Strange to see a product presentation that does not help the dealer differentiate the Taigun from other competitive cars in the market! I would have expected at least one chart comparing with Seltos, Creta etc. highlighting the added power, the engine start/stop tech, the longer wheelbase and other distinguishing features

Add to those - Kicks/Duster / SCross / Scorpio and some people may also go towards the sub 4M "SUVs"

PS: I am also in the same situation. For now, I have booked Seltos with a waiting period of 5 months & despite being aware of the rating & less than desirable driving experience (IVT isn't so great).

[quote=aayusht;5134226]Add to those - Kicks/Duster / SCross / Scorpio and some people may also go towards the sub 4M "SUVs"

PS: I am also in the same situation. For now, I have booked Seltos with a waiting period of 5 months & despite being aware of the rat

5 months :Shockked::Shockked:. By any chance have you booked White color?
Because from what I have heard the longest waiting is for White and metallic colors are getting delivered early.
This is what I heard from my friend who got a Seltos iMT variant(White color) assigned after 2 months yesterday. He is located in NCR.

Absolutely! This tells me they aren't hungry enough to pursue this game. They are probably just relying on the VW badge to do the selling. They're going to be in a lot of pain if they don't want to get down-and-dirty with the competitors.

These lacklustre products put them in no-man's-land. The only thing going for VAG at the moment is their driving experience. How many people in this price range would favour 'Driving Experience' over anything else is anybodys guess.
The 12-20L price range could be assumed to be a second time car owners market, who are looking for a well-rounded upgrade in terms of features and safety.

Yes absolutely. Volkswagen extended the warranty for 7-speed DQ200 and 6-speed DQ250 to 10 years in China - link. But this was 9 years ago. The current claim is that the bugs are resolved and India is a much smaller market.
Skoda Kushaq warranty can be extended up to 6 years but 8-year DSG specific warranty even if chargeable will be ideal.