[mandarpotdar]

I have been waiting for Kushaq and Taigun for a really long time. They seemed to fulfil all my requirements for upgrading from my 2011 Figo (Intro: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/intro...ello-pune.html (Hello from Pune)). My requirements were simple:
1. Safe car, with 6 airbags
2. AT (wife is not comfortable with manual)
3. High ground clearance - to allow my ventures to dark skies
4. Should be fun-to-drive, I don't want to get bored when driving it
5. Budget: ~20L

Before the GNCAP crash test for Seltos came out, it seemed the perfect car. But it and Creta were crossed out immediately after these results.

But even Kushaq did not meet the requirements by not giving 6 airbags in the AT.
Now Taigun is giving the full safety suite in 1.5 DSG variant. Still doubtful if they will give 6-airbags in 1.0 AT.

Asking the experts:
Given this background, does it make sense for me to pre-book the Taigun? Would I get chance to switch variant if 1.0 AT gets 6 airbags? This would save some money and give peace of mind as it is not DQ200. Would I loose options like switch to different dealer, try grab some freebies, etc?

As I had registered by interest for Taigun on VW website, I got call yesterday from a dealer. I told I want to drive 1.5 DSG before making any decision and he promptly offered T-Roc for test drive. I will be taking the test drive this Saturday. Hope it does not spoil me by making Taigun look too bad..

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Originally Posted by NevGin

The date as told to me by the dealer is 23-Sep. A few limited early deliveries will commence right after that.

Almost 1.5 months between opening of bookings and the launch. A bit too much, considering the reviews are already out and the excitement will only reduce from here on!

That too, at a time when MG Astor is coming in at the lower end and XUV 7OO at the higher end of the pricing band.

[vishegde]

Excellent review! A big shout-out to the team here.

I am looking at Nexon for a replacement for my Celerio AMT. Now as things stand, with few reveals and launches next month (Taigun, Citroën C3), I think I would wait for some more time.

I love Peugeot 2008 from Stellantis/PSA, drove that quite a lot. So I am hoping the Citroën C3 carries some of the DNA from its sibling.

Coming to the Taigun, The 1.0 TSI AT option is what interests me. If it's priced right (11-13L ex), I think it would get decent sales for VW. I know the pricing is a bit aggressive. Wishful thinking.

[crazyro]

Mod Note : Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by mandarpotdar

I have been waiting for Kushaq and Taigun for a really long time. They seemed to fulfil all my requirements for upgrading from my 2011 Figo (Intro:

Me too taking the test drive of the T-Roc on Saturday at BU Bhandari Shivaji Nagar. Will see if there are any discounts on the T-Roc or go ahead and book the Taigun

[mandarpotdar]

Originally Posted by crazyro

Me too taking the test drive of the T-Roc on Saturday at BU Bhandari Shivaji Nagar. Will see if there are any discounts on the T-Roc or go ahead and book the Taigun

I am taking test drive from them only .

[84.monsoon]

Autocar is reporting that the Taigun GT manual variant is expected to be priced aggressively.

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...pricing-421683

This makes total sense to me. Why? I see a couple of broad segments VW will go after with the Taigun:

1. The aspirational SUV buyer who is new to the segment, upgrading from a hatchback or a compact sedan, who is proud to graduate into this segment, wants a nice car, with all basic features in place, wants a safe car, good service, and is quite interested the brand value. This person is going to be highly price sensitive, will probably go for lower variants in the 1.0 TSI range.
   
2. The Compact SUV owner wanting to upgrade into the mid-size SUV segment. Wants good features and probably is also upgrading to go from an MT to an AT. This buyer wants features, safety, drive experience, good service and is willing to pay a reasonable premium, although still be somewhat budget-limited. Not an enthusiast type of person and is unlikely to prioritize engine performance or drive experience above all else. This buyer is most likely go for the higher trims of the 1.0 TSI.
   
3. The existing mid-size sedan or SUV owner who is changing cars after several years. This segment is not new to the game and are willing to pay top bucks and want all the bells and whistles. They also care about the driving experience. They will gravitate towards the top end offering (GT DSG), and may have trouble deciding between the Taigun/Kushaq versus the Creta/Seltos. Those who want every bell and every whistle will go to the latter and those who want the best driving as well as safest machine out there will pick the former.
   
4. Now comes the last segment - The one USP of the Taigun that all reviewers unequivocally agree is that it is the best driver's car in the segment, well ahead of the Creta and Seltos. It is also snazzy and stylish. VW is definitely targeting the segment of up and coming corporate executives in their late 20s/early 30s who crave global products and love driving and are particular about style and design elegance. This is evident from the advertisements and personas therein that VW have been putting out for the Taigun. Now, the GT DSG is going to end up too expensive for this segment of young first/second car owners, who prioritize driving experience over bells and whistles and are already stretching their rupees to get into the 15 lakh+ segment. VW has a good opportunity to drive volumes with this segment in addition to the mainstream segments is aiming for good volumes across variants, it needs to include this segment for sure. This is where the GT manual comes in and can pull in decent volumes from this segment if priced aggressively.

[cloudno19]

Originally Posted by mandarpotdar

Asking the experts:
Given this background, does it make sense for me to pre-book the Taigun? Would I get chance to switch variant if 1.0 AT gets 6 airbags? This would save some money and give peace of mind as it is not DQ200. Would I loose options like switch to different dealer, try grab some freebies, etc?

Generally, there should be no problem changing bookings or even cancelling it altogether (at times it might only be a dealership specific issue), the only challenge comes is you may be put to back of the line in terms of vehicle allocation increasing your waiting period in case its a high demand variant/color combination.

From what I have understood, VW and Skoda are playing a smart game of slotting each others variants allowing customers to choose between their variants basis their feature priorities. Hence, I expect, VW would offer top of the line 1.0 AT variant with 6 airbags, but we should only know about this when VW releases variant wise specifications.

If you are happy with 1.0 AT and only worried about 6 airbags availability, I would suggest you rather book the 1.0 AT variant and in case it misses out on 6 airbags, you ask dealer to change it to 1.5 AT variant. In this case the dealer may be more flexible as you are going for a higher variant allowing them to make more money

[shibujp]

Great review guys!! As usual.

Interesting to note that while Skoda played up the 1.0L variant, Volkswagen is pushing on the 1.5L variant in it's GT guise. I for one think that the stripped out GT Manual version is a interesting approach especially for someone who is looking for performance more than anything.

I would also have loved to see a full fat digital speedo cluster rather than the half baked version provided. They should remember that the Creta and Alcazar provided much better versions. As it stands the clean, neat analog dials of the GT Manual does it better for me.

Another aspect is the chrome. Instead of this perhaps Volkswagen should have tried with a brushed chrome or matt silver finish. I am sure their CMF teams could have come up with a much better option given their global expertise. But perhaps sourcing a local supplier might have been the challenge. That said masking the chrome on the front bumper leaves an expanse of boring black that needs something to break the monotony.

What I am waiting for is a 1.5 manual TSI option in their upcoming C segment sedan. That should be something.

Drive on,
Shibu.

[vishegde]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

The aspirational SUV buyer who is new to the segment, upgrading from a hatchback or a compact sedan, who is proud to graduate into this segment, wants a nice car, with all basic features in place, wants a safe car, good service, and is quite interested the brand value. This person is going to be highly price sensitive, will probably go for lower variants in the 1.0 TSI range.

Spot on! This segment of buyers is on the rise, myself included.

Would really make or break the car for a lot of people.

Do the experts here think the 1.0 TSI AT would be positioned below the equivalent version of the Kushaq 1.0 TSI Style AT currently priced at 14.19 if I am not mistaken?

[drivingmelody]

Originally Posted by vishegde

Do the experts here think the 1.0 TSI AT would be positioned below the equivalent version of the Kushaq 1.0 TSI Style AT currently priced at 14.19 if I am not mistaken?

14.19 is the ex-showroom price for the mid variant of 1.0 TSI AT called Ambition. the top variant called style is priced at 15.79.

[vishegde]

Originally Posted by drivingmelody

14.19 is the ex-showroom price for the mid variant of 1.0 TSI AT called Ambition. the top variant called style is priced at 15.79.

Oops my bad. Apologies. Yeah I guess I quoted the cheapest AT variant.

[ranjitht87]

Received call from VW dealer in bangalore.
AS per him an event is planned to showcase taigun at Taj hotel on 21st/22nd Aug and all who books the car before that will get the invite.

Price and variant details to be officially announced by 2nd week of September.

[Guite]

A very good review as usual, even though it reads like the Kushaq review at few places. On the doubts expressed on VW service and the DQ transmission, I would like to share my own experience.

In five years and 88,000 km of running the Vento TSI, we have serviced it five times. Cost per service is high but balances out with lower cost of brands whose service interval is 10k km, if you calculate per km. By whatever margin it is more, I have no complaints. If I need to pay slightly more for the experience of driving a better designed and built car, so be it.

Service experience has been good overall. No experience of shoddy work. At one time the service engineer tried to bill an item twice, which I immediately complained.

The DQ transmission has been trouble free this far.

In conclusion, I am not averse to going in for another VW, with DQ transmission!

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by vishegde

.

Do the experts here think the 1.0 TSI AT would be positioned below the equivalent version of the Kushaq 1.0 TSI Style AT currently priced at 14.19 if I am not mistaken?

My guess is VW would go with the following variant and pricing spread for the Taigun:

• 1.0 TSI MT Trendline - ~10.5 L
• 1.0 TSI MT Comfortline : ~11.75 L
• 1.0 TSI AT Comfortline: ~13.5 L
• 1.0 TSI MT Highline : ~13.75L
• 1.0 TSI AT Highline : ~14.99L
• 1. 5 TSI MT GT : ~14.99 L
• 1.5 TSI DSG GT: ~17.5L

The spread in price would be about 1.25 - 1.5 lakhs between variants starting at 10.5 lakhs. I do hope they pull a surprise and price the 1.0 TSI Trendlne at 9.99 lakhs and also launch a surprise 1.0 TSI AT Trendline at about 12 lakhs! That would be a coup and finally bring a good AT SUV with all the basics covered at around 14 lakhs on road to the market. I bet there would be a lot of prospective buyers for such a car.

[drivingmelody]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

I do hope they pull a surprise and price the 1.0 TSI Trendlne at 9.99 lakhs and also launch a surprise 1.0 TSI AT Trendline at about 12 lakhs! That would be a coup and finally bring a good AT SUV with all the basics covered at around 14 lakhs on road to the market. I bet there would be a lot of prospective buyers for such a car.

Pricing of 1.0 TSI Trendline at 9.99 lakhs may not happen. Zac Hollis had mentioned in one of the interviews and on twitter, " If you price a car under 10 lac, you have to heavily restrict the volume on this model and this causes long waiting lists and customer dissatisfaction".

If VW is able to price below 10 lakhs, then it would imply that they are fine with customer dissatisfaction.