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Got the news from my regular VW sales rep on 14-sep-21 that the Taigun GT has arrived at the dealership and I'm welcome to check it out.

Today had some leisure time, so visited the showroom and checked out the vehicle extensively along with a short drive.

Since most of the points were already discussed here I'll brief up my observations and they are in comparison with my 2019 Vento & 2021 Seltos GTX+.


Interior:

- Leg room is good in both front & rear.

- Loved the new steering wheel controls compared to the vento.

- Ingress and Egress will be easier compared to Seltos for older people.

- I'm a bit heavy and to me taigun is Strictly a 4-seater no 2-ways about it, for a moment I felt it like polo with larger legroom.

- Boot space is decent but high loading lip can be cumbersome at-least for me.

- The spare wheel is a size smaller and you don't get a sub-woofer.

- Virtual cockpit is sharp and easily readable but the way the things are laid out it needs a little getting used to.

- Ambient lighting is good compared to seltos.

- Sunroof is a bit larger than seltos but as mentioned by someone earlier, it is a bit exposed.

- The roof liner doesn't seem well put in some places and the dummy in place of sunglass holder isn't pleasing to look at.

- The AC vents seem like they are made of recycled plastic and no were close to VW's quality.

- The AC controls are very slick & sensitive, it's so sensitive that you might mess with it while shifting gears(loved it though).

- The cabin light switches are hard to press and disappointing with a creak noise every time you operate.

- The sliding armrest cover is fully usable compared to seltos.


Exterior:

- The doors require some effort to fully open, typical VW.

- The design is subjective and minus the chrome on the bumper I loved the Front look(same in case of my Seltos).

- The headlights look like they'll do a pretty good job in non-rain drives.

- The empty barrel on the headlight is confusing even the VW guys don't have any idea about it's purpose.

- The fog lights are halogens and will serve the purpose & live up to it's name.

- The rear looks very good with the continuous led strip.

- Lack of front parking cannot be excused.

- The engine bay is pretty full.


The Drive:

- Steering is light n nimble(almost like my seltos, but definitely way lighter than my vento 1.6 MPi) boon in city drives, doubt if it'd weigh up well enough at highway speeds.

- The engine feels eager and doesn't hesitate at crawling speeds.

- As always DSG is seemless in shifts.

- Paddle shifter is spot on, tap it and manual mode is engaged.

- Cabin feels well insulated but you can feel the engine running(I visited the showroom in my friend's 2009 Civic so I did hear the 1.5 TSI) :p.

- The auto start/stop works really well, Can be annoying at times when shifting from D to R the engine sleeps when you cross N and comes back giving a jerk when you reach R.

- To me taigun was very predictable in tight spots compared to seltos, but seltos makes up for it with 360' camera to some level.

- Can't really comment on the suspension but it seemed a tad firmer(maybe due to incorrect tyre pressure also).



Overall, the vehicle seems decently put with good amount of places with cost cuttings.

Taigun looks small'ish even for a C-SUV.

Pricing will play a humongous role in sales figures or at the least an "introductory price" will aid IMHO.

I might book the 1.5 AT if the price is right.

Did the dealer give any idea as to when the deliveries will be starting?

First week of october they are expecting stocks.
I was told that delivery of GT variant will be limited by 3-5 per month(on purpose to make it look exclusive).
He also added that the Trendline will be omitted & variant lineup may go like this.

• Comfortline

• Highline

• Topline

• GT

A bit disappointed to see this even in production spec car that too in a VW car. I remember in one the of Kushaq reviews, the reviewer mentioned that Skoda are working on poor roof lining. Just hope the VAG twins sort this out at the earliest.

Will add one more point. These buttons don’t feel premium. Felt like coming from some few segments below.This was atleast the case in the display model for preview event.

Also why omit sunglasses holder? There is already a provision. So what’s next GT+ plus variant to provide a proper kit.

As much I want to keep my booking going, by each passing day i am actively looking for alternatives. One half of brain says wait for 1-2 years before you give away 21lakhs, but other half is not able to find right alternatives apart from cars a segment above. You win some and you loose some.

What is Topline? Never heard of that variant in Volkswagen cars.
Also, seems counter-intuitive to limit the number of GT variants being sold. If there is enough demand, they should plan accordingly and fulfill that demand!

Don't think his info is true.

VW management made it clear during the media drives that they are looking to push the sales of the GT more, to democratize the 1.5 rather than keep it as a niche variant.

This was also the reason why the GT is offered in a mid-spec trim as well, as against Skoda's original policy of restricting the 1.5 engine only to the top variant.

Volkswagen Bags Over 10,000 Pre-Bookings For Taigun; Aims To Sell 6,000 Units Every Month.

Lets see in reality how this pans out. I am sure it will have cancellations when the competition reveals its pricing in days to come.


Klaus Zellmer, Board Member for Sales, Marketing and After Sales, Volkswagen Brand:


Link

Good part is that Volkswagen has achieved this milestone a week before launch, whereas Skoda just reached this milestone two days back - almost three months after bookings opened.

Taigun, clearly, is turning out to be the more popular option between the two cousins. :)

1000-5000/- for booking Taigun vs 10,000-25,000 for Skoda that is the difference here. I just wondered why not accept booking for 500 rs.

Yes I have booked for RS 1000/- at one of the dealership. lol: There is nothing to lose.

Unofficially MG Astor booking were at 50,000/-. Dealer was not ready to accept any less amount. 1000 bucks was lot easier to digest.

It is a very popular option for cancellation also. There will be lot of fence sitters who are waiting for prices and take a call between Taigun vs Astor vs XUV700.

Hope you got the mail confirmation for the booking from Volkswagen?

I'm just surprised because when I pre-booked, the website only had a minimum amount of 25,000/-

PS: Received a cheque for the cancellation yesterday and just waiting for the amount to be credited in the account. Must say - cancellation was handled very professionally by the dealership. :D

Dealership issue a receipt voucher for managing bookings. It’s the same experience i had for past bookings. Attached is receipt voucher for reference.

Direct booking through Volkswagen website is different. You get a automated mail with booking reference.

Query: As you had done cancellation for the booking done via website. Who is handling the refund process? Volkswagen or dealership you opted during booking?

Dealership. This was mentioned in the terms and conditions on the website too -

Precisely, but maybe they say that to create a hype for GT and earn more bookings for there is a contest prevailing amidst VW sales team in India on who & which dealership gets the maximum booking.


Again, VW sales team is trying almost everything (even somersault, if required) to receive bookings.

Checked out the Taigun today at PPS Motors, Thanisandra. Basically standstill at the parking yard but with the engine on, I could spend time with a GT variant. Mr Krishna from sales was not intrusive at all but responsive when required

The cross hatch height makes ingress and egress just right both at front and rear. Excellent packaging with comfortable seating all round, this aspect seemed superior to even the T-Roc notwithstanding the latter's larger footprint. Rear door aperture is wide and two 6 footers back to back have more than adequate room.

The Taigun's infotainment screen is just awesome with even the bright mid day sun directly falling on the screen not affecting the contrast/visibility. The (so called) digital instrument cluster sadly doesn't seem to have an option to replicate both speedo and tacho dials at the same time. Loved the perforated leather steering wheel which felt premium. Headlamp cluster is baffling with a dummy reflector next to the outer LED projectors, just doesn't agree with one's OCD. Wonder if twin LED projectors are reserved for special/export models

The 1.5 TSI + DSG drivetrain while it tugs one's heart, the interior packaging just appeals to one's sensibilities