[vishy76]

Volkswagen Virtus (Initial impressions)

BHPian romil.shroff and I dropped in at the local VW dealer to check the Virtus out. I am a Volkswagen Jetta owner and a part of the Jetta owners club. The amount of interest and curiosity this car has generated is something no other VAG has managed to do in the group. Romil on the other hand is looking to replace his aging Honda City I-DTEC 4th gen with another C-segment sedan. The Verna was at the top of his list, but he was and is still in no tearing hurry to buy a new car. He has also test driven numerous other cars including the Honda City.

The dealer had two cars on display. A maroonish red (Wild cherry red in VW speak) and a blue not seen on any VW before (Rising blue metallic). The red car was the top of the line 1.5L TSI DSG, while the blue car was a 1.0 TSI manual topline (the top spec 1.0 TSI).

I will break each section down into points to make it easier for readers.

Exteriors and overall build

• The car looks outstanding in the images and I am glad to report the same holds true in person too. I can draw a lot of parallels not only to the MK7 Jetta GLI but also the Jetta MK6 facelift (the post 2015 Jetta we got here in India)
  
• The front end is a mix between the MK7 Jetta GLI and T-ROC. The slim headlamps that merge cleanly into the grille, the large air dam with the fog lamps pushed to the extreme ends and the three slat grille which (mercifully) has very little chrome on it give the front a very clean and non-offensive look.
  
• VW claims the Virtus is 20mm longer than the Slavia and both Romil and I agreed that extra length has been added to the front overhang. This is what gives the Virtus the edge in terms of design. The Slavia’s stubby front overhang makes it look like a proper 3 box sedan, while the Virtus’ longer front overhang combined with the coupe-like roofline at the back, gives it a more clean and cohesive profile.
  
• The front headlamps use LED projectors which look very similar to the ones on the T-ROC at first glance. Look closely however, and it becomes obvious we aren’t getting the whole deal. The T-ROC gets two separate barrels, one being a projector LED and the other an LED bulb for the high beam. The Virtus makes do with a single barrel for both, with the other barrel being the turn indicator. VW has smartly made the inner barrel look like an LED projector, when it is only an indicator.
  
• Though the use of chrome has been kept to a bare minimum on all variants, the GT line still gets some chrome on the front grille, air dam and the door handles. These elements could have been blackened
• Coming to the side profile, the Virtus sticks to 16 inch rims when most competitors (sedans and CSUVs) have moved onto 17 inchers. Having said that, the average joe won’t be left wanting in terms of looks. Even with the 178mm GC figure, the side profile manages to look surprisingly proportionate.
  
• The rear end once again has a lot of MK7 Jetta GLI to it which is not a bad thing at all. The smoked tail lamps combined with the bootlip spoiler (GT exclusive) give the rear a mean look.
  
• Overall build quality is typical VW at most places. The paint quality is excellent with minimal orange peel visible. Both the red and blue shades we checked out had a nice depth to them. Panel gaps have been kept in check at all places.
  
• One area where the Virtus doesn’t quite feel as solid as the Jetta or older CKD VWs is in terms of how thick the bumpers are. The doors also lack the heft the Polo/Vento could boast of at one point in time. The S.A was quick to point out this is down to newer pedestrian safety norms. Overall sheet metal thickness of parts like the roof and doors is a notch less than the Jetta/Passat, but this isn't a yardstick to measure safety, nor is it irritatingly thin enough to be prone to dings and nicks.
  
• All in all, any prospective customer upgrading from an Asian car belonging to a lower segment will find the perceived build to be perfectly acceptable if not very good. Polo/Vento or even Jetta owners might not share the same opinion.

Menacing front end. Lots of Jetta MK7 here. Don't miss the GT badge on the grille. This is the top spec 1.5 TSI DSG. The chrome on the air dam atleast should have been deleted:


The topline gets a thicker chrome strip running across its grille. This blue looks a lot better in person than in the images. Very close to the silk blue offered on the Jetta Mk6 and even the Polo and Vento:


Headlamps look very similar to global offerings, but they aren't. The inner barrel is a simple halogen turn indicator on the Indian Virtus....


while international spec VWs get a separate high beam barrel altogether. The DLs are also slimmer and less conspicuous here:


Vertically stacked fog lamps. The air dam plastic trim is piano black. I have my doubts on how it will resist stone chips and scuff marks:


Tow hook cover is also dual tone to gel with two distinct parts of the bumper:


Interestingly, the driver side wiper gets its own wind deflector:


Blacked out elements look neat! However, the chrome running across the door handles should have also received the black treatment. Alloys are the same design as the Topline, just that they are blacked out too. A clumsy effort if you ask me. The 1.5 deserved a different alloy design if not 17 inch rims:


B-Pillar gets this rather nice looking "Volkswagen" detailing. Glossy black plastic seen here again as opposed to matte black on most other cars:


16 inch alloys on the Topline variant have the same design as the GT Line. Only difference here is they have a machined finish. Coincidentally, the design is the exact same as the one seen on the Polo Comfortline TSI, albeit in 15 inch form. 205/55 is the same aspect ratio the Jetta had. Goodyear Assurance are as usual a lousy choice of tyres. I recommend switching to better rubber:


Shark fin antenna looks great. Receives the black treatment even on the Topline variant:


Rear three quarter angle looks sexy, even with the excessive ground clearance. Smoked tail lamps with the coupe like roofline give the rear a mean look. Chrome insert running across the lower half of the bumper seems like an after thought:


Romil says these black inserts on the tail lamps remind him of the 5 series G30 LCI:


Torsion beam setup at the rear, as expected from a car of this class. Notice how the fuel tank gets a heat shield to protect it from the exhaust heat:


Red brake callipers on the GT variants look smashing! Unfortunately, look closely and you will see some chipping on this one already. I believe this might have happened when mounting the wheel:


A few parting shots of the exteriors:

[vishy76]

Interiors

• The interiors of most other MQB A0-IN cars (Kushaq especially) left most customers and VAG loyalists wanting. Overall fit and finish along with plastic quality wasn’t upto segment standards, forget Volkswagen-Audi group standards.
  
• Having said that, I am glad to report the Virtus does a much better job. Just like the Taigun/Kushaq, the VW has the edge here in terms of interior quality along with fit and finish. I confirmed these observations after checking out the Slavia on the same day
  
• The overall layout of the dashboard is clean and inoffensive, just like the exteriors. The design of the dash itself is a lot more cohesive than the Slavia, which I personally feel has a lot going on
  
• The red GT Line on display had a dark red insert running across the dashboard. This is the only element I found undeserving of a VW in terms of design. It should have been piano black or at the most had a red pinstripe running across it. The red just looks too loud
  
• Other colours of the GT Line thankfully get a gunmetal grey insert instead of the red one
  
• The topline on the other hand had a brushed aluminium finish for the same insert. Looked a lot cleaner
  
• The GT Line gets black seats while the topline makes do with beige ones. Both get ventilated seats though. Having said this, I do think VW should have gone the whole hog and given the GT Line all-black interiors. The combination of black seats, beige doorpads and the loud red insert running across the dash somehow doesn’t appeal to me
  
• Ergonomics are spot-on for the most part. The only exception here is the touch-based climate control panel. Not only does it prove to be an ergonomic nightmare since it demands you take your eyes off the road to adjust settings but it also doesn’t look as classy as the brushed aluminium dials on the Vento/Polo.
  
• Overall interior fit and finish is now on par, if not better than segment standards. Prospective buyers upgrading from the Polo/vento will not have much to complain about.
  
• Look closely though, and you will find certain places where the quality of plastics could have been better. The headliner, even though it has been improved has a noticeable amount of flex with the fabric quality not feeling upto the mark, the interior door handles look like they are made of aluminum, but are actually coated plastic, the rear map light console has buttons which are rock hard to press and the 12V charging sockets get a rather cheap looking rubber flap to cover them rather than a neat spring loaded flap used on older VWs. The glovebox lid also feels light and loses the damped feel present on earlier VWs.
  
• All in all, these aren’t things that most prospective customers would mind. I don't even think these will end up being dealbreakers for buyers looking to upgrade from a Polo/Vento. If you are however looking to compare these to a Jetta/Passat, then there is obviously room for disappointment.
• Coming to the rear seat, one improvement here is the absence of a floor hump or the transmission tunnel. This means the 5th passenger will no longer feel unwelcome like previous VW sedans.
  
• The rear seat has been placed low in order to liberate more headroom and compensate for the sloping roofline at the back. While shorter folks won’t complain, taller people will find the underthigh support lacking
  
• The centre armrest comes clad in the same rexine like material seen in the Kushaq. Overall quality isn’t great, and the armrest also doesn’t have the satisfying locking motion seen on older VWs.
  
• Overall legroom is not at all an issue like most other VW sedans. I had no problems sitting behind my own driving position. The only complaint I had as stated before, was the below average underthigh support due to the seat itself being placed low

Seen here are the black and beige interiors of the Topline. The GT doesn't get all black interiors either. Its just the seats that are black. The steering is a straight lift from the Taigun. The GT line gets a perforated leather finish on the top and bottom half:


On the left spoke are controls for the HU volume and cruise control. The button with the vehicle symbol doesn't do anything. I believe it's reserved for vehicles equipped with adaptive cruise control:


On the right spoke are buttons for the audio track and the virtual cluster. Overall quality of buttons is a lot better than the Slavia. The knurled scrollers on the Slavia's wheel somehow don't feel very robust:


Virtual cluster gets a silver surround. It's again not the same one seen on most global VWs. The 8-inch display in the middle can only display either the tacho or the speedo guage at once. The two sections flanking it on the sides are backlit dummies. This cluster can be seen on lower variants of most global VWs:




Typical euro style headlamp controls. The Virtus misses out on auto-levelling headlamps (Vento Highline plus had auto levelling LEDs). Also conspicuous by its absence is a dimmer wheel for adjusting the instrument cluster and cabin backlight brightness:


Has been said before, but I will say it again, the panel which houses the window controls is made of low rent plastic. The window controls themselves feel solid to operate, though the lack of auto up-down on all windows is again a step back as compared to the Vento:


Interior door handles are plastic dipped in silver paint. The Polo/Vento had better feeling interior door handles which had more heft and felt a lot better to use:


AC vents feel a lot better to use as compared to the Kushaq. The air volume adjustment is integrated into the louvres (as opposed to a separate scroller on the side of the vents):


6-speed gearknob comes clad in dull silver and black leather. Don't miss the engine start/stop button finished in brushed aluminium. Also present here are buttons for the auto start-stop and seat ventilation along with a nifty card holder placed in front of the gear lever. The Virtus uses c-type USB ports for both charging and HU connectivity:


Only rough edge I could find in the entire cabin is this exposed screw on the door frame. Should have been out of sight:


520L of boot space is even more than the Jetta! More importantly, it's all useable bootspace. The loading lip is very low and the width and height are also perfectly in proportion. Notice how the first aid kit and warning triangle have been thrown in unsecured. These have reserved compartments to hold them down in the Jetta:

[vishy76]

Engine & driving dynamics

Dropped into the local dealer 2 weeks later and found that there was a 1.5 TSI DSG available for test drive. This time round, I had a full jury of teamBHP members accompanying me. Romil, Abhinav (aagoswami) and Ved (Porsche_guy). This would definitely make for an interesting TD!

• The 1.5 TSI DSG TD car was a gunmetal grey colour. This meant the loud red inserts inside had given way to grey ones. Anyways, coming to the test drive.
  
• I took the driver’s seat. Initial impressions were typical DSG. Hesitant in the lower gears
  
• I was driving with a fairly light foot and the DSG was just about able to keep up. A TC would do a much better job at lower speeds IMO
• The air con was not cooling at all! No matter what we tried, the air con compressor would keep cutting on and off intermittently. With the black seats, a load of 5 people onboard and ambient temps outside rising to 37-39 degrees celsius, the Virtus’ air conditioning was clearly struggling. This came as a rude shock to us since I had assured Romil the air con issues were restricted to the 1.0L TSI. The ventilated seats were effective, but since they use the HVAC system itself for cool air, the air being blown out was lukewarm at best (even though the volume of air was sufficient)
  
• The test drive was limited to city traffic and the 1.5 DSG felt just about adequate. Closing gaps at lower speeds would reveal the DSG’s inherent flaw of not being able to downshift fast enough in the lower gears. The S.A refused a test drive on the highway, and I believe this was a sort of “shooting one’s own foot” moment. I have driven this combo on the highway and I know how capable it is at higher speeds
  
• BHPian aagoswami was quick to conclude that this doesn’t feel like a 150hp engine in the presence of the DSG at low speeds.
  
• The front suspension felt well tuned. The rear however was a touch too softly sprung and this could be felt distinctly after taking speedbreakers. The fully loaded rear wouldn’t settle quickly
  
• Steering was typical VW. Very accurate, but little to no feedback. A touch lighter than I would have preferred at high speeds as well
  
• The brakes were very confidence inspiring just like the Taigun. No complaints here at all even with drums at the back

Conclusion

I think it’s bluntly obvious our impressions don’t coincide with what others might have observed and bring a different perspective to the table. Starting with what VW got right, the Virtus looks outstanding, possibly the best looking sedan this side of 25L, the interiors are no longer a dealbreaker unlike previous MQB A0 IN cars, it’s got a respectable amount of equipment, corners and stops well with respect to segment standards and is also built very well. Additionally, the lower spec variants seem to be much better equipped than the Slavia. The base Comfortline variant still gets a touchscreen with android auto and apple carplay along with LED headlamps and a full MID.

Coming to what VW hasn’t gotten right, the air con is just inadequate. I don’t quite understand how a car manufactured for India can have such a poorly tuned and inadequate air con. My CKD Jetta does better in this regard and I never thought I would say this. The pricing is going to be on par if not higher than the Taigun and I think this is just dumb. It weakens the case of an already unpopular segment in the mass market. There’s also a price hike on the cards for the Slavia and I strongly feel VW will either hike prices of the Virtus going forward or account for it in the launch price itself.

I believe the final tally for the Virtus in terms of sales will be around 2K units a month tops once the hype dies down. Expect a majority of bookings to be for the 1.0 TSI AT variant. The 1.5 is only available with a DSG and it’s not hard to see why. If you take the Taigun’s example, the 1.5 alone demands a huge premium over the 1.0 TSI and most customers were miffed that it didn’t get them an automatic. Most decided to stick to the 1.0 TSI Topline AT while others paid the extra and got the 1.5 DSG. Only those who were extremely apprehensive of the DSG’s long term reliability or wanted the power of the 1.5 TSI but had a very tight budget bought the 1.5 TSI manual. VW is also partly at fault here for not equipping the Taigun 1.5 manual adequately. All in all, this mess means the Virtus simply does away with the 1.5 TSI manual.

[romil.shroff]

A couple of weeks back, I had a look at the VW Virtus with @Vishy76. He drove it while I sat at the back. So, here’s what I observed about it compared to Slavia and Taigun:

a) Ergonomics:

1) Missed by most, the Virtus does get a ticket/card holder! It’s placed right beside the engine-start button on the center console.
2) No puddle lights, under the ORVMs, for the newer VW/Skoda cars. Continuing on taking a step back, no footwell lights and height adjustable seat belts as well.
3) Unlike the Slavia and Taigun, Virtus doesn’t get a dedicated ‘key fob’ holder.

b) Convenience:

1) Forget remote engine start-stop, even the windows and sunroof can’t be operated with the key fob.
2) Slavia gets a dedicated holder under the headlight control button. No such provision in the Virtus. This is quite annoying considering Virtus doesn’t get the sunglass-holder.
3) Unlike Slavia, the push-button start is placed logically in this car. It sits beside the gearbox along with the engine start-stop button. On the flip side, the co-passenger ventilated seat button is also placed near driver side.
4) The reluctance, to provide underbody engine cover, is baffling. Should’ve been available, at least as an optional accessory, like Ford used to give.

c) Equipment:

1) Virtus misses out on the subwoofer.
2) Ambient lighting looks like an afterthought. While the Tiagun has a stripe running all the way across on the dashboard, Virtus has it only in front of the co-passenger dashboard area. The GT variants get red-colored ambient lighting while the regular variants get white colored one.
3) No scuff plates in Virtus. On the flip side, it gets metal pedals that look quite premium.
4) The co-passenger seat is height adjustable! Think, it’s the only car under 20L to get this feature.
5) Unlike Slavia, Virtus gets a basic TPMS (lowline) warning system.
6) Wonder why, VW removed the auto-levelling headlight feature which was present in Vento. Like seen in the newer VW/Skoda cars, the air-controller AC vents buttons have been removed. Even the rear fog light has been omitted.
7) The AC, set at 16 degrees, was barely cooling the car. We tried to set it at different temperatures and even switched off Auto mode but couldn’t succeed.

d) Exterior:

1) Full underbody wheel cladding on the front as well as the rear sides!
2) The boot needs better quality springs or damping. It’ll close even if it’s 75 degree open. It’s only partially cladded from the inside.
3) The base variant is very well loaded. Full LED headlights, 16” wheels, 7” touch screen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, cruise control and rear defogger are standard! This is also because, now the base variant starts with the Comfortline trim (instead of Trendline).
4) The gap in the rear wheel-well is a bit more compared to the front ones.
5) The GT variants have dark grey (like faux carbon) shade on the ORVMs and roof. Looks sporty! Jeep Compass higher variants have similar color combination.
6) The front turn-indicators have been given a faux-LED aesthetic treatment as it gets a plastic cover on it.

e) Interiors

1) The IRVM size is insufficient. Its plastic quality is mediocre too.
2) The backrest for the rear-middle passenger is too hard. It’s best suited for adults. The rear seat is placed a bit lower to liberate headroom. Yet, the tall passengers will fall short of under-thigh support.
3) The GT variants get red stitched seats. However, the front armrest gets it white stitched as it’s shared with Slavia.
4) Total 18 buttons on the steering wheel (9 on each side) yet it doesn’t fill cluttered.
5) No damping for the grab handles, boot and glove box. No anti-pinch and one-touch feature for the co-passenger windows. Rear window and windscreen sunshades aren’t available too. Takes away the premium feel of the car.
6) No option of the all-black interiors in any of the variants. GT should’ve got it.
7) The rear floor hump is minimal.
8) The dashboard was loosely fitted on the test drive car. Unacceptable for any new car.

Conclusion: It’s a powerful and the best looking sedan in its segment (especially the GT trim in Wild Cherry shade) but I don’t see this as a replacement for my 2014 Honda City. Until the VW group doesn’t sort out the basic issues (AC cooling, EPC error, dashboard rattling etc.), I won’t recommend their MQB A0 cars to anyone, let alone buying one for myself.

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Reviews section. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage tomorrow

[Rajeevraj]

Nice report Vishy and team. Puts a lot of things into perspective especially with respect to the Polo/Vento.

Sincerely hope that they are not intending to be happy with moving 2000 units a month. Even in its 10 year old avatar, Polo was doing that and even the Vento during the peak times was doing 1.5k on an average.

After putting all the effort to get these VAG 2.0 cars out, would be a shame if they still can move only the same numbers.

Hope the team pulls up their socks, resolves all the niggles and does the minor improvements needed and most importantly prices it well and generates some volumes.

[Axe77]

Fantastic review guys and great pictures. One thing is for sure. Its Honda and VAG keeping the hopes alive for sedan lovers, specially VAG for those looking for European built fun to drive sedans.

I just wish they’d go get that last mile like variant management etc right. That should ideally be the easiest part.

Hopefully VAG also works equally hard at its dealer management and is investing the appropriate time and energy in ensuring these capacities are geared up to take more mass market volumes while improving on the overall customer service experience.

I would very much like to own a VAG product some day if they can get past more convincingly on these aspects.

[JoshMachine]

Originally Posted by vishy76

Engine & driving dynamics
---
Dropped into the local dealer 2 weeks later and found that there was a 1.5 TSI DSG available for test drive.
---

Thanks vishy76 for the short, crisp report

Although I haven't yet driven the Virtus (scheduled for a long drive next week), but all the reports flowing in for the 1.5 liter DSG resonate a very quick off-the-blocks performance.

[*]I was driving with a fairly light foot and the DSG was just about able to keep up. A TC would do a much better job at lower speeds IMO.
---
The test drive was limited to city traffic and the 1.5 DSG felt just about adequate.
--
BHPian aagoswami was quick to conclude that this doesn’t feel like a 150hp engine in the presence of the DSG at low speeds.

Surprised to read this. Has the DSG been dulled down from the previous Vento? Or does it respond like it is more unpredictable?
I had been driving the Vento DSG for the past few years (albeit with diesel engine) so curious to know this development.

[*]The air con was not cooling at all! No matter what we tried, the air con compressor would keep cutting on and off intermittently. With the black seats, a load of 5 people onboard and ambient temps outside rising to 37-39 degrees celsius, the Virtus’ air conditioning was clearly struggling.

Again, bit of a surprise since the official review says this about the air-con:

Even with temperatures hitting over 42 degrees in Amritsar during the media drive, the a/c functioned very well to keep us cool. A special mention of the ventilated seats that were the cherry on the top of the cake

Could it be an issue related to that car specifically?

[porsche_guy]

Great review. The Virtus for sure wasn't short of disappointing, although I can't say I was surprised. After driving the Taigun and checking out the Slavia, I did understand that the India 2.0 cars are simply not what VWs used to be previously. The Virtus definitely was in passive consideration as a replacement for my Vento. But just 10 minutes with the car and I knew this isn't the one.

Me, romil, and abhinav (two skinny and one healthy adults) were an extremely tight fit at the rear. The AC was a bummer in the afternoon heat! After hearing the disappointment when you guys drove, I did not even want to drive the car at all. On top of this, the pricing is insane.

Despite this, I appreciate the looks (looks way better in person!), the superb paint quality, the (relatively) good looking digital cluster and the slick ICE system. But it's still no match for my now 8 year old Vento and that's that for the Virtus for me.

[vishy76]

Originally Posted by JoshMachine

Thanks vishy76 for the short, crisp report

Although I haven't yet driven the Virtus (scheduled for a long drive next week), but all the reports flowing in for the 1.5 liter DSG resonate a very quick off-the-blocks performance.



Surprised to read this. Has the DSG been dulled down from the previous Vento? Or does it respond like it is more unpredictable?
I had been driving the Vento DSG for the past few years (albeit with diesel engine) so curious to know this development.



Again, bit of a surprise since the official review says this about the air-con:



Could it be an issue related to that car specifically?

Hey Joshmachine, thanks a tonne for the compliments.

This DSG is surely slower off the blocks in my opinion. No two ways about it. I test drove the Taigun as well, and found it to be the same. That rules out issues with this TD car.

The air con was weak no matter what we tried to do. The S.A also tried his best, but to no avail. The compressor kept cutting in and out repeatedly which in turn never let the cabin cool. I can't say if this was an issue with the TD car since I TDed the Taigun in November last year, when ambient temps were not more than 20-25 degrees Celsius.

[shancz]

Very crisp and informative experience, kudos to Vishy76, romil.shroff, aagoswami and Porsche_Guy
Particularly useful was the comparison with your existing cars which made things quite clear.

Vishy76, absolutely agree with your thoughts in the all black interiors, red inserts and chrome.
Somehow all the VWs I drove had black interiors so I felt weird looking at the VW badge in a beige background

Originally Posted by vishy76

The air con was weak no matter what we tried to do. The S.A also tried his best, but to no avail. The compressor kept cutting in and out repeatedly which in turn never let the cabin cool.

Definitely not an issue with that particular car.
Did it seem to cut-off below a specific rpm, regardless of the gear ?
I am equally inclined towards a fault/design as the cause.

An excerpt :

Originally Posted by shancz

To me, this doesn't seem like a fault but intentional to reduce engine load else that car running on the 1.0, without turbo, will be a pain to drive.
Why did Skoda make this decision (if its not a fault) for India is beyond me.

[rnb34]

Hi,
I happen to own a VW Jetta, bought way back in April2016. Truly one of the most amazing cars I have ever owned. Just happened to read in the Virtus review, about a Jetta owners club. Appreciate if someone could let me know how to join this club.

[Mumbaiker]

Thank you for the great review. The looks and the feel in the car does give a premium feel for someone coming from the non VAG background.

But looking at the AC performance even on the 1.5 top variant, I think this is going to go off my list and will be cancelling the pre-booking which I had made for the car. (Have pre-booked the eHev as well )

[Indepth]

I really don't understand why VW failed to provide best-in-class products despite taking their own sweet time in determining an India-specific strategy. I mean, VW loyalists and lovers did their bit by continuing to buy their decade-old products. It was VW's turn now to reward them with class-leading products, especially when they have always charged a premium for their offerings.
These 2.0 products might not be deal breakers, but no one seems 100% confident in designating them as deserving POLO/VENTO replacements.
Sometimes I wonder if this is because VW doesn't want to offer absolute value for money products,since they won't be able to match demand due to low production capacity (rather they have chosen to enjoy fatter margins). For example, the Kia Carens was priced below expectations, leading to unseen waiting periods for a Korean car.

[IceManMK1]

First of all thank you so much to the mods for accepting my registration.

We happened to take a very quick spin on the 1.0 TSI Manual (1.5 was not available) as well and thought this would be a valuable addition here.

1. The clutch travel is decent and throws are good. Definitely would not recommend upshifts at lower RPM as the turbo lag does show itself

2. There is a slight edge of firmness to the overall ride. While the absorption is good and the comfort levels are really good, the firmness will definitely be more prominent if we upsize the tyre to R17

3. The short test drive consisted of 40% city traffic and 60% highway. The Virtus is comfortable in both these conditions, but it is definitely the highway where the Virtus will shine - it is planted, picks up pace decently, and NVH keeps you well insulated from the road

4. On the Aircon - I am not sure if it was because of the back to back test drives, but the cabin was sufficiently cool when we hopped in. I am planning on taking an extensive test drive preferably in the city to check the aircon cut off

5. The quality of the dashboard is definitely not upto the global VW standards (my friend and I used to drive a 1.5 Polo TDI ). But having said that, the quality levels are really good, touchpoints (except the handbrake lever) have soft touch materials, and there is generally no complaints here

@Mods - please do move my post if needed to a relevant thread if needed.