Team-BHP - Volkswagen Virtus Review

An update on Fuel Efficiency (GT Manual) - I completed a 3000Km Pune-Kerala roundtrip yesterday. For all the long drives during this trip ( two days from Pune to Kerala and 2 days for the return trip ), I got FE in the range of 18 -18.5 Kmpl. 3 adults and boot full of luggage.

Fuel used - XP 95.

Route : Pune - Solapur- Bijapur - Chitradurga - Tumkur - Maddur - Kollegal - Dimbam Ghat - Combatore - Ottappalam . Return : Kozhikode - Wayanad ghat - Hassan - Hampi - Hospet - Bijapur - Solapur - Pune.

Speeds - Kept to speeds below 100-110 kph in open roads except for occasional bursts of 120+. Cruise control used when feasible. Both up and down trips also included slow stretches as you can guess from the route.

In slower stretches and drives within Kerala , the FE was in the range of 14-17.

The car has now done 16000+ Km on the odo and is in its second year, and this is the third trip to Kerala. The highway FE seems to have improved slightly after the first year service, going by what i am getting now .

The Cylinder deactivation feature seems to be working quite well to deliver decent FE on the highways. We had done quite a few hard accelerations during the trip, but overall, sticking to steady speeds and occasional use of cruise control allow you indulge a bit once in a while and still get good FE at the end of the day.

The 1.5 TSI engine is truly a gem, absolutely smooth at highway speeds, with loads of additional power available if needed.

Edit - I think one can extract best FE if you cruise between 80-100 kph. (I think this is true for most cars).

As for city FE, I get around 10-11 normally, below 10 on bad days, and 12+ on good days (longer drives within the city, low traffic ). I use XP95 all the time.

Hey guys, has anyone taken delivery of their Virtus recently?
I wanted to know which tyres has the car come equipped with, since I had read on the forum that they should have been CEAT Tyres.

I wasn't present for the PDI for my Topline AT since it was in Thane, but as per my cousin and the PDI Engineer, the car comes shod with 4 Apollo Alnac tyres, and MRF Street for the spare tyre. The tyre health was around 85-87% and the PDI Engineer said that is the general figure for OEM tyres.

Has anyone's car come with these tyres, and are they comparable to the CEAT tyres that usually come with Virtus?

Quote:

Originally Posted by supernova105 (Post 5904125)

I got the Feb 2024 VIN Virtus GT plus in April 2024 and it came with all MRF tyres. Apollo is a much tyre and you could trade in for better price if you exchange it outside within a couple of 100 kms in a 3rd party Tyre shop.
MRF didnt go at all in outside market. So, I decided to keep it till about 15K Kms and change them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by supernova105 (Post 5904125)

Has anyone's car come with these tyres, and are they comparable to the CEAT tyres that usually come with Virtus?

I have seen quite a few new Virtus with Apollo Alnac tyres. My 2016 Ciaz came with these and I think they are decent. Although my Virtus came with Ceats which I immediately swapped with Yokohama.

Quote:

Originally Posted by supernova105 (Post 5904125)

Has anyone's car come with these tyres, and are they comparable to the CEAT tyres that usually come with Virtus?

I do not own a Virtus. My Swift came with the Apollo Alnacs. These are pretty OK tyres, but definitely not in the league of the high-end Michellins/Continentals and similar. Over time the compound has hardened, and the noise levels have increased which I notice both in city and highway driving conditions. Grip is alright though. Haven't faced any skidding or screeching issues even on wet conditions given that I drive quite aggressively.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vinodbollini (Post 5690136)

Set the car up for STEK Dynoshield PPF for the whole car, including my dinged bumper, and STEK NEX70 window film.

I came across your review while going through all the posts for the Virtus, and indeed the community we have here is helpful in so many ways, with instant advice and words of wisdom.

I wanted to know if this STEK NEX70 that you applied, or the 3M CR70 films are legal in Maharashtra :)
I'm going to be taking delivery of my Virtus Topline AT tomorrow from Thane.

I have seen many people say they're okay to pay fines to the police, small trade off for being protected from the harsh sun rays. :coldsweat

Quote:

Originally Posted by supernova105 (Post 5904125)

Just took the delivery of Virtus Gt Plus Sport Manual from VW Palace Cross Banglore on 02/01/2025.It came with Ceat tyres:thumbs up

Quote:

Originally Posted by supernova105 (Post 5904125)

Hello Supernova,

I took delivery of my Gt on 15th of December, the car was originally fitted with Apollo Alnacs, although as one of the first things I got them changed with Continental UC6. Not really a fan of stock tyres.

Hey guys, I took the delivery of my Topline AT, and just drove it back to Pune via the Expressway, and I must say I'm already mighty impressed. :D

Most of the test drives were in Pune traffic, so the highway drive was exhilarating, notwithstanding the run in period so sub-3k RPM and less than 100kph.
I went through the drive view modes and just understood that RPM and speedometer cannot be shown together, why VW why :disappointed

I wanted to know how can we see the gear we are driving in currently, during D mode, D3, D4, and so on.

I remember seeing it during the test drives of Slavia.
I'll go through the manual as well, but if someone remembers the settings to cycle through, it would be helpful.

I'm really thankful to this forum for all the helpful posts and tips by the members which helps us make an informed decision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by supernova105 (Post 5905646)

Hey guys, I took the delivery of my Topline AT, and just drove it back to Pune via the Expressway, and I must say I'm already mighty impressed. :D

I wanted to know how can we see the gear we are driving in currently, during D mode, D3, D4, and so on.

I remember seeing it during the test drives of Slavia.
I'll go through the manual as well, but if someone remembers the settings to cycle through, it would be helpful.

Congratulations on the new car !

This gear display in D mode has been changed with a newer software being used in cars made after april. TC AT cars do not have the number shown in D mode. DSG cars continue to have it. There is no setting to change

Hi, does anyone have the OBD2 pin diagram for Virtus? I wanted to explore a DIY for connecting dashcam in parking mode. I need constant 12V, body ground and ignition ON (if present) out of OBD which I could tap through a female OBD with pigtails into a 3 wire hardwiring kit.
I got information elsewhere that: pin 1 - ignition, pin 4 - ground, pin 16 - constant 12V, but this was for a foreign VW vehicle. Can someone confirm this or point to the pin diagram for Virtus ? Thanks :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Liner (Post 5700199)

Likely mould growing inside because of a damp, cool environment.

Step 1. Run the heater at full blast for a while. Do this as regularly as possible. Give it about 5-10 minutes. Heat destroys mould.

Step 2. Get activated charcoal and keep it inside the car to absorb odour.

I also faced this issue yesterday while driving my car back to my hometown just after taking delivery.
The difference is, the smell wasn't there initially, but after 20 30mins of driving with AC around 22 and blower level 4, we could feel this unpleasant smell.
We shut the AC for a while, and put it on after 20mins, the bad odor wasn't there anymore.
However again after 20 mins it seemed to be back.
I just have the VW provided mats as part of the default accessories.
What else could be the reason?

I'll definitely try out your suggestions during the next drive to see if it helps.

Also, I see that we can put on the front defogger ourselves, but there is no way the rear defogger can be selected. There is a button there but not backlit and I'm not able to press it.

Does it work automatically then?