[audioholic]

Originally Posted by nkonk

That said, doesn't the whole 'supporting start-stop' post spirited run, be negated by the fact that at high oil temps(which again the manual doesn't directly talk about, it just says overheating in general, and the coolant can cool the engine even after shutoff, just like it operates V188 post engine shutdown), there was no need to ask users to idle at all if all of that was handled. .

There is a huge amount of self study material present in various websites. They are called "Self-Study Programmes" and published for all VAG group new technology thats implemented.

Coming back to the idling related issue, the coolant cannot cool the engine after shut off. The V188 only cools the turbo and intercooler and is not connected to the main cooling circuit. Hence an overheated engine(if its really the case) is a different problem than an overheated turbo.

[Katryks]

Great Choice,

I purchased mine in Nov 2023 and has been a great ownership till date. I am a bit surprised that you found Honda City not that comfortable compared to the Virtus. I have driven City for more than 10 years and the amount of space and comfort it offers is one of the best in the segment (definetely more than Virtus when it comes to the space).

I too evaluated Kun VW in J.P.Nagar and had a similar experience. There were a bit laid back and finally decided to book from VW Mysore Road. AC is definelty less effective compared to my erstwhile City and even Jazz which i own. This summer in Bengaluru has been terrible and found this to be quite ineffective. It gets better over 10-15 to cool down but at 20-21 degrees. Jazz cools down faster even when the AC is maintained at 23-24 degrees. Other than these small nigles, its a great car to own.

I see a lot of Slavia's and Virtus on the road these days which is fantastic as most people had writtten obituary columns on the sedan segment.

Congrats once again for a great choice. Happy motoring.

[Wokewagon]

Ditto; quite a few random thin scratches on the bonnet and at the rear end. Haven't scraped my car anywhere so not sure how it has appeared. Guess, with dark colours it is more apparent.

[elMattador]

I bought the VW Virtus 1.5TSI GT+ MT back in August 2023 as an upgrade from my 12yr old Brio S(O) 1.2 MT. Bought for frequent highway runs on my work trips and for holiday road trips, what an upgrade the Virtus has been so far!

I’ve clocked 10,000 km since August but it’s the last 1,000 km driving earlier this month, Gurgaon – Chandigarh – Manali – Koksar – Sissu – Keylong and back that have really put that ear to ear grin on my face. The views up in the mountains once you emerge from the north portal of the Atal Tunnel are maaagnificent! “Valentina” is a calm highway champion and also a great dance partner through the excellent mountain twisties, some observations of my drive:

Views prior to the Atal Tunnel give you teasing glimpses of what is to come


Performance and Driveability
With its long gearing, I’m beginning to understand its much more suitable to use this car more as a highway cruising tourer “GT” rather than a boy racer to launch off the lights. The power and torque on hand allow you to cruise effortlessly in 6th gear on the highways / expressways at 100-120 kph. A slight prod on the throttle, the revs get into the sweet spot and your moving past the vehicle ahead. I’m yet to get close to the redline (saved that for post the 15k service!) but blip, downshift to 4th and by 4,500rpm she’s already doing silly speeds overtaking everything on the highway.

Up in the hills, compared to the naturally aspirated engines I’ve driven in the mountains before, the forced induction TSI definitely stemmed power loss at higher altitudes but I could still feel a slight lethargy so it doesn’t eliminate it completely (Koksar, Sissu and Keylong are all situated > 10,000feet)

Parked up on the side in Sissu for some photo ops. That mountain is so majestic!


Looking fine in the sunshine! The blacked out tailights and wheels contrast nicely against the silver paint.


Handling and “Feels”
A REAL MENTAL DILEMA: HEART vs MIND! The high ground clearance has meant I’ve never scrapped the bottom to date on our …roads, “no-roads”, dam-like speed breakers or oddly constructed parking lot ramps in the city. I can definitely feel the body roll during turn in to corners during spirited driving. The roads from Sissu to Keylong were void of traffic and in surprisingly good condition (kudos to the BRO) with a good mix of sweeping curves and some hairpin sections. The grip is excellent - never felt like I was even near the limit of grip - but the body roll and understeery nature of the stock vehicle leads to slight loss of confidence on entry and mid corner. (Big contrast to my old Brio which had a nice “darty” front end). The pedals are spaced nicely for some heel and toe dancing as you approach corners rowing down the gear box but the longish clutch travel is a bit of a dampener reminding you again to cruise maturely and not rip!

I’m considering lowering springs + better shock absorbers once there’s better plug and play options for our MQB-A0-IN vehicles (looking at you with wide eyed hope BILSTEIN if you’re reading this!) but I’m also mindful of losing the benefits of the stock suspension. Perhaps I’ll leave it for a post warranty upgrade and after I complete a bucket list item i.e. to drive to Leh-Ladakh via the Srinagar-Leh Highway.

Question to more technically knowledgeable folks:
I’ve read some posts from those who have had their vehicles coded to adjust the XDS system to reduce understeer while cornering. Is the XDS e-Diff built into the AT DSG DQ200 transmission? Or is there a separate module adjustable on the MT cars as well like mine? Does anyone know the gearbox model on the MT Virtus 1.5TSI EVO: MQ200? MQ281-6F? something else?

Comfort and Practicality
Enough has been said on this topic on the forums. The rear seats while having decent legroom are not the most comfortable place to be: the rear seatbacks are a bit upright (subjective) but the headrest angle is odd jutting into the passenger’s neck no matter what height it is adjusted to. The air-conditioning is not the greatest either especially in the rear seats. Happily, I drive 90% of the time ...in the ventilated seats The trunk has a lot of space, I went hiking and camping in the Kaisdhar Forrest South of Manali initially and the trunk swallowed everything along with 10 days worth of luggage and additionally my cousin’s bags who decided last minute to travel to Chandigarh.

Conclusion
She’s been great on this trip, ending with some of my favourite photos of the vistas she brought me to. Looking forward to more road trips, the drive forms an essential and enjoyable part of my vacations. Leh Ladakh in the summer and Sunny Goa in the winter beckon!

Its so pretty up there, no matter how clumsy I was with my phone camera, I always ended up with a beautiful photo.


Fresh snow at the tip of the peaks.


Beautiful blue water of the river Chenab winding through the mountains.

[Hammer]

Hi There,

Thanks for sharing the review
Hood insulation is available for Virtus at Noida ASC, but not for Taigun. You can check with your service advisor.
Happy Cruising!

[tsi_niks1989]

1.5 yrs | 20000 KM update

Hi Folks,

Recently my GT completed 1.5 yrs and I took the car for a general checkup. Although it was run just 5k after the general service done last year, I have made this a habit since my Polo to get the car checked once after 6 months just to check if all entities are working well.

VW have a 40 points checklist, which they do during the general checkup. No issues were reported except that the front pads might need replacement in next 6k KMs which is approx 25k KMs to which they said to get it done during the major service this year. Battery was reported good with no major signs of it degrading.

While I was at the service center, I was looking at the accessories available for Virtus and got the puddle lamp installed, it really looks cool at night. Everyone from friends and family who have seen the puddle lamp have appreciated the way it looks and it enhances the upmarket feel. It costed 4000 INR and requires wire cut, everything was properly done and masked.

After the general checkup, car was taken to Turtle Wax for the annual pampering. Ceramic coating done last year was due for a top coat at Turtle Wax. This includes external detailing, removal of minor swirl marks and I got interior detailing done as well as the car was 1.5 yrs old now. Work done was excellent as always and the car shines better than when was brought from the showroom. Will share the pics in the end.

So after the top coat, we did a short trip to Mumbai from Pune and despite driving for around 200 KMs in Mumbai city pathetic traffic the car returned a round trip mileage of 15.5 for a distance of 510KMs. I used to get almost similar or lesser mileage in my Polo which was a diesel .

Now coming to the performance, I have been praising the ride and handling balance of these VW 2.0 cars since the beginning and with time I can say nothing comes close to them in their segment if performance is a priority. Car remains extremely stable at high speeds, never makes you feel that the engine is doing some kind of workout to help you overtake. Brakes though drum brakes at the rear have that reassuring bite, comfort at the back is good and the seats hold the passengers really well if 4 people are in the car.

Got a GT badge for the steering wheel, similar to the GT Sport Edition recently launched by VW, looks cool. Good thing about any VW car is the amount of modifications we can get which never makes the car look older adding to the timeless designs.

Finally, if given a chance today would I buy a Virtus GT again? Absolutely YES . Adding some pictures of the car and mods done.

Thank you!

[neoakshay]

Noticed a strange aspect of the analogue speedometer cluster - the cluster lights up in daylight, but as the natural light fades in the evenings, only the needles are lit and numbers aren't. This is in the off or parking lights setting. Very strange configuration, wouldn't it be better if they are lit in the dark and unlit in the daytime? Only when headlights are on does the cluster light up fully.

Before I set off on a Bangalore - Mangalore - Bangalore run, decided to check the alignment and balancing of the wheels at Madhu's. They were surprised that I wanted to check on a car run just 2k kms but obliged. There were minor corrections made to both alignment and balancing, I'm sensitive to all sensations in a car and I felt it wasn't quite 100% after getting delivery. Glad I got it checked. Also filled Nitrogen in the tyres which is probably more of a psychological benefit than anything.

Car performed flawlessly on the drive and is now sitting at 3k+ kms. The SVC didn't allow oil to be changed at the Swagat service (even when I said I'd pay for it) but I would most definitely push for it during the next 7,500 km service. I can't imagine engine oil lasting 15k km in our road conditions even if synthetic.

Some pics of the beautiful underside of the car taken during the alignment process.





Also managed to park next to the Virtus uncle (Passat) at a dinner halt. The panels of the Passat feel a lot sturdier than the Virtus.

[SithDefender]

Originally Posted by tsi_niks1989

While I was at the service center, I was looking at the accessories available for Virtus and got the puddle lamp installed, it really looks cool at night.

Got a GT badge for the steering wheel, similar to the GT Sport Edition recently launched by VW, looks cool.

Good thing about any VW car is the amount of modifications we can get which never makes the car look older adding to the timeless designs.

Absolutely adore that GT badge on the wheel! The puddle lamp also looks nice. If memory serves me right, the Hycross has a puddle lamp with the "INNOVA" writing, while the Virtus one is classier with just the VW logo. Small things but they do make a difference !

[agm]

Today did Pre delivery inspection and later completed all other formalities. Was suppose to take delivery of my car on 26th last month but it got delayed and now will be taking delivery on 10th of this month(Akshaya tritiya).

Dealership is offering me basic accessories like mud flaps, floor mats, boot mat, backseat cushion etc free of cost. I have requested for 4 other accessories for which I have already paid. Items ike dual horn(polo?), front puddle lights, valve caps & tire inflator.

[SithDefender]

Originally Posted by tsi_niks1989

I was looking at the accessories available for Virtus and got the puddle lamp installed, it really looks cool at night.

Erm, is that VW puddle logo the "old" VW logo or the new one ? My OCD detects the W touching the circle, which was the older version. Or maybe it's just the picture ?

[tsi_niks1989]

Originally Posted by SithDefender

Erm, is that VW puddle logo the "old" VW logo or the new one ? My OCD detects the W touching the circle, which was the older version. Or maybe it's just the picture ?

Hey, It is the new one, picture might have created that doubt. W isn't touching the circle .

[tsi_niks1989]

Originally Posted by neoakshay

Car performed flawlessly on the drive and is now sitting at 3k+ kms. The SVC didn't allow oil to be changed at the Swagat service (even when I said I'd pay for it) but I would most definitely push for it during the next 7,500 km service.

Just out of curiosity why would you want to change engine oil at Swagat service which is done at 1000KMs?

10k KMs if not 15k KMs, you can get the oil change if you want to.

[SithDefender]

Originally Posted by tsi_niks1989

Hey, It is the new one, picture might have created that doubt. W isn't touching the circle .

Whew thank goodness!!! Now I can finally go to sleep

[geminivirtus]

Hello everyone, I am planning to use Jopasu Duster to remove the fine dust. Can it be used frequently like once two days? Do anyone of you use the same

[shibujp]

Originally Posted by adith97

Hi all,
This is my first thread in Team BHP. I look forward to writing more threads & discussing with my fellow BHPians.

Congrats on your purchase and which you many happy miles with it. One question though - I thought the GT came with black alloys..or is that another variant.

Drive on,
Shibu