[nitkel]

I don't see a reason to completely avoid a DSG just because it will fail one fine day without prior indication. So can many other things in cars which can can leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere. So take the max warranty, insurance including engine protection and RSA you can get and drive the car like any other, DSG or not. If it fails within the first 6-7 years of warranty coverage, sell the car and keep your peace of mind intact. Nothing complicated here.

[BleueNinja]

Originally Posted by fossilpastprime

You mentioned there is an option to book Virtus 1.5MT. I did not see that. Can you please confirm?

You won’t see an option to book 1.5 MT online but if you visit the showroom you can book it.

[fossilpastprime]

Originally Posted by BleueNinja

You won’t see an option to book 1.5 MT online but if you visit the showroom you can book it.

But when I am speaking to the showroom people in Kolkata, they are clueless. Says no information more than what is available on the website is available to them. They say you please pay the booking amount, after all it is 100% refundable, should you choose to opt out.

[kaushiksudra]

Hey Guys,

Just went through the entire thread and have a few things to share. I currently Own a 2007 Civic 1.8MT V. The FC is expiring in August 2022. Have been planning to replace since 3 years now, but haven't been finding a fit replacement. I also own a 2011 Fortuner MT and 2014 EcoSport 1.5 TDCI MT. Having 2 SUV's in the Garage, the replacement has to be a Sedan. Have never owned a Skoda / VW car, and every time i replace or buy a new car, i try to experience different brand.

When Skoda announced the Launch of Slavia a few months ago, was eagerly waiting for the same, considering the fact that it'll be offered in 1.5 TSI. Having admired the timeless designs of VW/Skoda cars over the years and the desire to own a VRS that never materialized, was awestruck with the Slavia which looks like a scaled down Octavia and feels more value for money with the DSG tech and a powerful 1.5 TSI EVO engine. Was hell bent on booking until VW announced Virtus, which is due in a few weeks. For me the GT version makes more sense with clear differentiation from the 1.0TSI and some fancy bling inside out.

with this background have a few points which I need expert opinion on

1. Since i have a Civic, which has been utterly reliable and has never given up on me,(even mechanically there hasn't been any issues including suspension/steering etc. for in these 14+ years and around 88K on the ODO) will the VW Virtus / Skoda Slavia TSI be a good replacement.
2. At first i was put off by the discussions here about the DQ200, but I'm sure it'll be a fun to drive car and looking at the EV's coming into picture it'll be soon that we all switch over to EV's and want to enjoy the spirit of TSI+DSG combo before that.
3. I plan to drive in city(30-35%) as well as highway tours(70-65%) with family, what are the odd's i may face and issue with any other components which may leave me stranded.
4. Service experience of VW, (members based in BLR)
5. Electronics/ mechanical reliability of the vehicle.
6. Any other Make / Model that I should consider.

[igemini]

Since you have other cars at your disposal, you can obviously go for the 1.5 TSI + DSG combo. No doubt it's a superb car to drive. Only polarizing opinion is about the reliability and repairing cost of DSG in the event of any mishap. Again, chose the brand wisely and only based on the after sales quality. What I meant was, if the Skoda ASS is better in your place then get the Slavia and if the VW ASS is better then opt for the VW. And if both are equally bad then go for VW.

[romeomidhun]

Originally Posted by GTO

I am personally okay with enjoying a German car for 361 days of the year and enduring a headache for 4 days. It's still a 99 : 1 ratio of joy : pain.

I think that in some cases, these 4 days of agony can take away the joy of the 361 days. Consider you are in an urgent trip / travelling with family / at a remote area etc. The agony you and your family suffer during such a situation can make you think that "I should have bought a car with my brain than by mind". But then, it's like marrying a girl you love vs going for an arranged marriage. The difference is, in this case, you know that the lover has an occasional mental disorder. You never know when it will appear, and if it comes, you need to suffer and spend a lot of money to treat it. Then you live happily again.

Originally Posted by GTO

I think more people get stranded due to reasons other than a DSG. Accidents & bad luck for one. Remember, a car has 1000 other components which can fail, and we keep reading of stories on Team-BHP on injector failures, starting issues, overheating etc.

Agree 100%, but all these - whether it is accident, other component failures etc - are not as sure as a DSG failure, IMO. It is good that VW market share is so low in India. If they had a 50% market share, the numbers may tilt more towards the DSG failures, IMO.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by romeomidhun

I think that in some cases, these 4 days of agony can take away the joy of the 361 days. Consider you are in an urgent trip / travelling with family / at a remote area etc.

I think more people get stranded due to reasons other than a DSG. Accidents & bad luck for one. Remember, a car has 1000 other components which can fail, and we keep reading of stories on Team-BHP on injector failures, starting issues, overheating etc.

I've had 4 German cars. While they have had their share of issues, incidentally, not one of them has left me stranded by the road. Touches wood!

Cars are just generally more reliable today and problems aren't restricted to the European brands. The Innova Crysta had many niggles in the early days, Hyundai-Kia are suffering niggles etc.

That being said, I still think the DQ200 is a ticking time bomb and it will fail for 7 or 8 out of 10 owners.

[igemini]

Originally Posted by BleueNinja

Hi folks ,

I booked the Virtus 1.0 Topline AT today. However, I am in a bit of a dilemma and I would appreciate feedback from learned folks on this forum.

Was wondering whether you went along with the 1.0 AT or decided to go with the GT version? Other than the DSG woes, the 1.5 TSI is a cracker no matter what.

[BleueNinja]

Originally Posted by igemini

Was wondering whether you went along with the 1.0 AT or decided to go with the GT version? Other than the DSG woes, the 1.5 TSI is a cracker no matter what.

I cancelled my booking for now. I will wait till December to see how Virtus is performing and I need to sort out my requirements/preferences.

Me and my wife have started taking our dog out on treks or trips now that he is 8 months old
Also, I travel on bad routes/ highways a lot specially at night. So maybe added GC and road presence of an SUV would be useful. Not to forget ageing parents would find ingress and egress in SUV more comfortable. Lastly, with advent of EVs I want my next car to be either a fun diesel SUV or A fun to drive sedan. Jeep Compass, Hyundai Tucson and VW Virtus are top contenders.

Somehow I feel I will be going with Jeep Compass MT diesel.

[rahul_jo]

I have a different question though. What about the reliability of the 1.0 TSI automatic? Is it as good as it's Japanese counterparts reliability wise?

I've always stayed clear of skoda/vw cars for this specific reason. But the new launches have my interest again.

[Transmission]

Originally Posted by rahul_jo

I have a different question though. What about the reliability of the 1.0 TSI automatic? Is it as good as it's Japanese counterparts reliability wise?

I've always stayed clear of skoda/vw cars for this specific reason. But the new launches have my interest again.

For VAG cars, it wasnt really that the engine was unreliable - it was mostly the DSG/mechatronic unit - issues compounded by bad service experiences and a seemingly unresponsive management. So the 1.0 TSI which uses a regular torque converter gearbox is believed to be mechanically reliable - while the other issues specific to your local VW service centers - if any - will remain.

As for expenses VAG cars will still remain perhaps a little more expensive than other comparable cars to service regularly but that difference is probabably negligible in the larger scheme of things.

[BleueNinja]

I have finalized and booked my next car.

I needed a vehicle with good safety features (active as well as passive), preferably a SUV with good space as I have a dog who is growing at an unbelievable rate and needs good amount of space and I travel on highways a lot.

After taking N number of test drives I finally have booked Tata Harrier XT+ MT.

Reasons for finalising harrier:

1. Since I am opting for BH number the price reduced by a decent margin also, Dealer offered me a very very lucrative discount.
2. I loved the real estate available within the car, i can fold the seats and fit my dog as well as my luggage. Correction, my wife's luggage. I am a simpleton for whom a duffel bag is sufficient.
3. The driveability and harrier's capability to take on bad roads really impressed me.
4. XT+ at the price offered to me seems really VFM to me compared to XUV 700 AX5, Creta SX and Seltos HTX+.
5. The sheer road presense of the car.
6. Home ministry approves of that big sunroof.


Things I am wary of:

1. QA of the car.
2. After sales service of tata. Although I have a good repo with the sales person and so far my experience has been the best with TATA during this car finalising phase. They were very prompt with test drives, got the car many times to my home as i had to take multiple TD with mrs and my dog. Not too many followup calls and not to forget the discounts offered. They have also agreed to let me do the PDI of the car before I put down my money.

Cars considered:

1. XUV 300: This one almost got me, rejected it because of small boot space and dated interiors. I could compromise on interiors but not on boot space. The power of diesel engine with this car is intoxicating.

2. Korean twins Creta and Seltos: Creta was more comfortable to drive than Seltos. Although, Seltos offers way more value for money than creta. Seltos now comes with 4 disc breaks, ESP and other safety features right from base variant. Rejected the cars due to paranoia surrounding their built quality.

3. Thar: One Thar was readily available, almost booked it but on taking TD realised this SUV isn't for me

4. Taigun: I own a Polo GT TSI, while it's not as bad as it's being made out to be, somehow it didn't appeal to me like my GT did when I bought it. XUV300 seems like a better package.

5. XUV 700: MX Diesel was considered since this variant has the least waiting time but it misses out on ESP. i simple cannot fathom how Mahindra which boasts of safety as it's priority skips out on ESP. Harrier offers it from the base variant. I could have opted for AX5/AX3 but I feel no car is worth waiting for 9 months.


I started this thread as Virtus really got to me with it's looks and performance but VW's decission to simply skip 1.5 with a MT was baffling to me. Hence, it went out of consideration.

I understand it's ironic that I started this thread with intention of going for a car which is "reliable" and I ended up booking a Harrier but then again .... YOLO

[FanaticOnWheels]

I think the DSG problem is usually being blown out of proportion. I have a Polo GT TSI, been driving her since 2015. So far, the DSG has not given me a single problem. I have driven her around in almost all sorts of places, multiple long drives (>1000 kms) and daily run was in heavy traffic to office and back.

I had my extended warranty, was regular with the service, and have had zero reasons to worry.

Like many have already said, there are multiple other things that could go wrong in a car. Go for the car if you like it - the DSG would be the least of your worries.

[NarulaAJ]

Hi guys, I've been always telling people not to go for dual clutch transmissions, but lately I saw this video of a vw/Skoda fan, along with a technical guy (seems to be an ex vw employee), who nicely explains why certain dsgs failed, and some like the polo tsi had no failures.
Here's the video

https://youtu.be/ODGb-cAU1YE

[Sunderdeep]

Originally Posted by NarulaAJ

Hi guys, I've been always telling people not to go for dual clutch transmissions, but lately I saw this video of a vw/Skoda fan, along with a technical guy (seems to be an ex vw employee), who nicely explains why certain dsgs failed, and some like the polo tsi had no failures.
Here's the video

https://Youtu.be/ODGb-cAU1YE

Hi! He isn't ex Volkswagen Employee but an enthusiast who owns a VW Polo TDI (2.5 lac kms), VW Vento (3.5 lac kms), Skoda Kodiaq and bought a pre-worshipped VW Passat lately. He knows many Master Technicians in VW/Skoda, and has links with top tech guys, and reads a lot. Otherwise, as a profession, he takes paid Physics lectures and supply medical equipment.

Recently, we both got an email appreciation from VW Brand Director, Ashish Gupta for doing this series.