My Taigun 1.0 TSI AT: Initial observations & why I chose it over Kushaq

The clincher was when the Taigun and Kushaq got the safety rating. Around similar time frame, the news of all the issues getting resolved also started coming in.

BHPian tabadhtodh recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

First post coinciding with the delivery of my first car purchase! Just brought home a Volkswagen Taigun 1.0 TSI AT. Manufactured in October 2022.

Buying journey:

Even before test driving anything, my heart always wanted Taigun or Kushaq. The car that I’ve driven the most in my life (7-8 years) is the Polo, so I had a soft corner. However, the AC issues were a deal breaker. I could deal with break noise or creaks, but not a sub-optimal AC in NCR summers (GT+ was out of my budget). Broke my heart, but I proceeded with my search.

My search started with Nexon EV max but couldn’t justify spending 20+L on a car which I would be hesitant to take on trips. I would definitely jump on the EV bandwagon for my next car when the whole ecosystem is more mature.

Then I was very seriously considering the City VX CVT. However I just didn’t see myself in a sedan yet. I find them too long for city daily commute. The car was perfect otherwise. Head said yes, heart wasn’t set yet. It stayed in the consideration set.

Then I was in a phase where I thought spending upwards of 15L on my first car was too much so started seriously considering Magnite and Kiger. Ruled out Kiger because it doesn’t have ESP (safety was my top criteria). Magnite, again, just couldn’t convince myself. Seemed like I was settling - the interiors were too drab, Nissan's focus on India was unclear, the quality/fit and finish made it clearly seem like a sub 10L car, I would have gone for the turbo CVT variant.

Considered Hyryder strong hybrid for a brief period, but mid variant on road was coming above 18-19L. Then I also realised it’s a) bigger than what I’d like for city use b) underpowered for my taste. c) most importantly had a 6 month waiting which I could not wait at all.

At this point, I didn’t have a clear winner in my mind. I was reading posts, watching videos, going through forums all day long.

The clincher was when the Taigun and Kushaq got the safety rating. Around similar time frame, the news of all the issues getting resolved also started coming in. AC software update, creaking noise clear fix etc. And then I took the plunge

Why Taigun over Kushaq?

• 10 inch infotainment with Wireless CarPlay.
• Subjective, but exterior looks. I like the tail lights, and the front is very nice and timeless.
• Have a Polo in the house and have had a really good experience thus far.
• Also subjective, but interiors. The floating infotainment seems like an afterthought vs the well integrated one in VW.
• Digital cockpit. Super minor reason, wouldn’t have minded the analog one too.

How's the experience been so far?

Overall, I'm loving it.

Pros:

• Drives like a charm. Lovely steering (light at low speeds, weighs up well with speeds), good turbo range (kicks in around 1700-1800 rpm), confidence inspiring braking.
• Really good visibility - coming from a Polo, I can see more of the bonnet.
• Enjoying the frills - lovely 10 inch screen with seamless wireless car play, ventilated seats work well (less noisy than what people have been saying on the internet), auto dimming IRVM, auto headlights, digital cockpit showing me techo, speedo and bunch of trip details in a beautiful layout. All this adds to a nice well-rounded experience.
• The transmission is really smooth. No one can feel the gear changes. I don't even know how perceptible would DSG changes be to me after this...but I've not been pushing it so far, so I'll hold full judgement here.
• Decent suspension. You feel the bumps, but even above 40-50kmph, it takes them into its stride really well. I would take this + stability over a bouncy but soft suspension.
• Feels solid. Everyone in my family who's seen it and played around has said this. And this is after everyone having driven or used the Polo. The roof liner is sorted now. The dashboard while hard plastic, feels solidly built. Signature door thud (bliss!).

Good NVH levels (mind you, I have not pushed it beyond 4K RPM yet so don't know how thrummy the engine can get).

Cons:

• Man, I hate those touch AC controls. Have already pressed the defogger button multiple times while changing the temperature. The system in Polo was perfect - simple display with tactile rotary knobs. Simple button for Auto AC.
• This might be placebo and no one else has noticed, but I thought I heard fainnnttt creakiness from the left door. This doesn't have the door beading tape installed yet - will anyway get that done at the 1K check-up/service.

That's it! I legit don't miss or need anything else in my car. It has all the creature comforts for me, and satiates my moderate power/thrill requirements. Would I have loved the 1.5 more? For sure! Would I have wanted to pay 3-4L more for a <5% use case? Nope. Also considering DQ200's history, I'll sleep more peacefully with this gearbox+engine combo.

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