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9 months & 5000 kms with my VW Taigun 1.0 TSI AT: 15 key observations

16th November 2022, 09:05 by Dev Shah

The steering is very controlled and responsive. Driving in traffic as well as in highway at good speeds, it lets you feel confident in where the vehicle goes when you turn the wheel.

BHPian asmr recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

9 months of ownership, 5500+ kms. Time has indeed flown fast.

My Taigun 1.0L AT Topline crossed 5000 kms in the first week of August. 2 free checkups done, along with 2 to 3 visits to ASC to address the door squeaking noises, paid upgrade on the vehicle horn and then a forced visit to the ASC for an error that showed on the digital instrument console.

My impressions on the vehicle, after being the sole driver in it this far, are as below. It might be like I am restating a few known things and many obvious things, but just collating here for the record:

The car is very spacious for 4 people. Even those that are 6ft tall and not of thin build will find ample legroom and comfortable seating, both in the front and back seats. A 10yr old child can adjust as the 5th person in the back but anyone bigger will find it a tight fit. You can carry sufficient luggage for 4 to 5 people for a 3 day trip very easily in the boot.
The Taigun pulls very smoothly from 0kmph to slow speeds, even in bumper to bumper traffic. With hill hold for those stops on inclines, and a smooth torque converter transmission, you will not be stressed in any way.
There is power on demand. There are very few occasions where I had felt any lag but it has never been a concern. Even fully loaded, the car doesn't feel sluggish at any point, not on the plains, not in ghat sections as well.
The steering is very controlled and responsive. Driving in traffic as well as in highway at good speeds, it lets you feel confident in where the vehicle goes when you turn the wheel.
Ride is very comfortable. Given the stiffer suspension, slow speed ride might be a bit bumpy but you will find that on decent roads, the car holds up very well. There is little bit of vibration in the place near the handrest during the initial 30 to 40s after a cold start, but as soon as RPM comes back to 1000, it settles down nicely.
The anti friction tape in the door contact areas is losing it's hold on the cabin noise. The car sounds more noisy on bad, uneven roads. Add to it the panel noises from the dashboard which started recently at ~4700kms on the odo, which is another major disappointment. On normal roads, it is pretty quiet for the most part.
Mileage is extremely sensitive to your driving style, traffic conditions and grade of petrol being used. The ARAI fuel economy numbers are just imaginary. With an overall 60%-40% split on city vs. highway rides, my average mileage is just over 10Kmpl, running mostly on XP95 from IOCL. Idling and bumper to bumper traffic (which I face a lot) kills your mileage like crazy, almost on the same level as flooring the gas pedal.
ACC is a problem. Park your vehicle out in the open on a hot day and you will find the ACC struggling to cool down the interiors. With a bit of effort, like venting your cabin and switching to a higher fan speed manually, you can speed up the process. But yes, pretty underwhelming ACC for a car that costed me close to Rs.2mil. The only saving grace are the ventilated seats but they are available only for the front passengers.
The LED Headlights are just ok. In normal nights, it is fine, but seem very under-powered in rains as well as in areas where there is heavy traffic in the opposite direction.
I had upgraded to VW dual tone trumpet horns. Cost was Rs.2400/-. They are pretty good but I sometimes have to wonder if the stock horns were better in getting attention from people all around.
I have decided that I am not a fan of the auto dimming IRVM. Can't really put a finger on why though.
The auto folding SRVMs are a boon, as is the rear wiper.
The stock MRF Wanderer tires are fine but I am still not very confident on taking sharp turns at a higher speed. It feels like I am turning on a jelly road at certain places.
Braking has been pretty good in this car. I had posted a video (Pics: Accidents in India) on an accident that I avoided, thanks to the excellent braking. The video showcases braking at a slower speed (~35Kmph) but even at higher speeds, the car feels solid while braking hard.
I would have loved to have the engine idle start/stop as an option, along with full fledged TPMS. I would take both as paid upgrades if they are given. I would also be considering upgrading to better, aero wipers after some more observation this rainy season.

Here is my mileage tracker + a new chart I built, just for the sake of it. The last mileage of 7.97 was mainly due to heavy traffic runs + idling during 3 days spent at the ASC for troubleshooting the Error message shown on the Instrument panel screen, compounded by the fact that in the last refueling, the attendant in the petrol bunk thought the auto cut off was working but it didn't and the petrol gushed out quite a bit before he stopped it. That is throwing the calculations off quite a bit, I think.