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Purchase process & initial impressions: Volkswagen Taigun 1.5 TSI MT

23rd May 2022, 16:08 by Dev Shah

I thought the Vento 1.0 TSI would be a substantial upgrade for me coming from the 1.2 Polo.

BHPian Petronius recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello everyone,

This is my first post on Team-BHP. I recently bought the Volkswagen Taigun 1.5 GT in its manual guise. Have done about 1200kms in a couple of weeks since delivery. I have tried to capture my buying decision and experiences so far with the Taigun GT MT here.

Buying decision:

To be honest, I didn’t look beyond the VW family when I started to look for a replacement for my 5-year-old 1.2 MPI Polo Highline. That little fellow (Polo) though had a smaller heart, always punched above its weight. In fact, it would bleed its heart out when required to keep me entertained while I pushed it to its limits. It required everything from that little fellow to compete with bigger cars which I always did. And compete it did, without complaining once. We had fun whenever we were together. Except for the outright performance, I liked and cherished every bit the car had to offer such as the precise steering, high-speed stability, good drive-ability, and above all its reliability. Haven’t had a single incident in all my years of ownership. I thought I will never depart with this little wonder. But life had other plans. With the kid entering the scene, I wanted something bigger, more spacious, and of course a solid performer!

I had only two options:

VW Vento:

I thought the Vento 1.0 TSI would be a substantial upgrade for me coming from the 1.2 Polo. But one test drive was enough to tell me that it's ditto to my existing Polo at least from the inside. Yes, the heart was bigger but everything else the same. I felt I would soon outgrow the love for the peppy engine and be bored by similar interior elements. And so my search for the replacement continued.

VW Taigun:

From the day, VW officially launched the Taigun twins I was smitten by the looks of them. I liked the 1.5 tsi engine better from the beginning but knew for sure if at all I can buy one that would be the smaller yet potent one with a 1.0 tsi. I started reading and watching a lot of reviews of the cars. While a dozen of them were all praise for the German mile munchers, some were pointing fingers at the evident cost-cutting in the Taigun twins. I was a little hesitant to take the plunge because of the reported drop in quality. After what sounded like ages, I decided to just pay a visit to the VW dealer in Madurai convincing myself that I was not gonna sell the Polo or buy the Taigun but just check out the new Taigun twins. But one look at the Taigun in flesh is all it took to make me feel weak on my knees. I fell for the car at that moment. I knew then and there that my camaraderie with the little Polo will have to end now. Adding fuel to my fire, the missus was sold on Taigun too, and insisted we get it somehow. In a way, I was glad that I now have someone else to blame.

Test drive experience:

So off we went for test rides on both the 1.0 automatic and 1.5. DSG. Somehow the manuals weren’t available. I was mighty impressed with both of the motors coming from a humble 1.2 MPI. I was grinning from ear to ear throughout the rides. While the 1.0 tsi begged to be driven hard, the 1.5 tsi was all about effortless performance. I immediately liked how the 1.5 tsi pulled past 100kmph. Effortless is the word for 1.5 tsi. Though I would have liked a bit more heft in the steering wheel at higher speeds, still it felt just about enough to give you the confidence to push it hard around corners. The highway stability at triple-digit speeds was immaculate. The added weight in the 1.5tsi variant made the steering feel a bit more heavy which I liked. As always, after the test drive, the salesman was ready with quotes and discounts. He offered meaty discounts for the 2021 1.0 TSI Highline automatic. The offer was so tempting that I was convinced to take it. But at the back of my mind, I was thinking about the 1.5tsi. Keeping in mind that probably I will keep the car for the next 7-8 years. Which also coincides with my prime driving age. I thought I would just give the 1.5tsi Manual a try. The salesperson agreed to bring a 1.5 tsi test mule in its manual guise in a couple of days. So we left the showroom. On the return journey, I was kind of sad that my journey with my ever so reliable Polo has to end soon. I gave the leather steering and the plastic armrest a gentle squeeze as if to assure the car that I wasn’t parting anytime soon. The connection was just too strong for me. Machines indeed do become a part of us, don’t they?

But there was no way (Financially) for me to keep Polo and get the Taigun. So I had to make the hard decision if I wanted an upgrade.

A couple of days later, on one Sunday morning, I called the salesman about the 1.5 gt mt test mule and he told me that the 1.5 gt mt was on a trip to a nearby city and that it will only come in the evening making it hard for them to bring in the evening. So he asked for one more day’s time. As eager as I was, I decided to visit the showroom in the evening by myself. Off I went and reached the showroom premises sharp around 4 pm. The 1.5 GT MT hadn’t arrived yet, the salesperson told me that it will take about an hour for the car to come till then I can test drive the 1.0 topline Automatic to my heart's content. The showroom is situated on a highway so I jumped at the opportunity. The plan was to meet the guy with the 1.5 GT MT on the way. So off we went. The convenience of an automatic is unmatched. Though I have hardly driven automatic cars, it was a seamless transition. The gear shifts were almost unnoticed and the bottom end lag was very much under control. The ride quality was fantastic. It's only on really bad roads the thuds from potholes and unduly road connections were passed on to the cabin. The car reached triple-digit speeds in no time. It was relatively quieter for a 3-cylinder unit. The paddle shifters worked well. And it became an instant addiction. The only downside was that post the 120kmph mark, the car felt a little strained in D mode. Only a little though unlike my 3 pot 1.2 polo. Handling was good but still not perfect like my Polo. Maybe it's gotta do with the lighter steering feel. I may be wrong here. Mileage was a concern for me since the MID showed mileage in single digits for our trip thus far. When checked with the sales guy, he assured 12-13 in the city and 17 on the highway if we drove sanely. I nodded in disbelief.

We finally met the guy with the 1.5 GT MT and we switched cars. The bare bone feeling was evident the moment I stepped into the car. No sunroof, no cruise control, no digital cockpit, and no push-button start. Only driver side one touch up. All four sides one touch up which even my 5-year-old Polo had felt like a luxury. I just reminded myself that if I wanted the 1.5tsi engine, then this is the variant I can afford and so I quietened all the other thoughts and gave the key a twist to fire up the car. The clutch was a little awkwardly placed for my liking. The biting point was a little tricky to find but got used to it rather quickly. The car lurched forward to about 10kmph when I let go of my foot from the clutch. I switched to second and gently pressed the A pedal, the car was easily doing 40kmph. Switched to third at 50kmph and floored the Pedal, boy o boy, now that's a feeling I have missed in my earlier cars. The thrust from 150 horses and 250nm torque was something to experience. Post the 100kmph mark, this mad machine was relentless in the way it pulled all the way up to unmentionable speeds. I was totally impressed with the performance of the car. At that moment, I decided that no matter what I’m getting that car. That's when I decided to buy the 1.5GT MT. Yes, the car was bare bone when it came to the features, no bells nor whistles. But the way it drove, it tugged at my heart. And so I got out completely satisfied from the test drive. While I was very impressed, I didn’t let the sales guy get any ideas. Which I thought might become a hindrance while negotiating deals.

I just asked him for a final quote for the car.

He informed me that they had a 2021 White GT MT. And that they can deliver in a week. I wasn’t ready to take the delivery in a week. Asked him anyway to work out a quote with their best pricing. He offered a good exchange price for my polo as well and came up with a deal too good to refuse for the 1.5GT MT. I asked him for a couple of days' time and left.

Sealing the deal:

Within a couple of days, I asked them to bring the car to my house which is about an hour-long journey from the showroom. They obliged and came all the way. Took another test drive with my in-laws. They all liked it. Negotiated the final deal and booked the car that day. They promised to deliver the car in a week's time.

With everything being finalized, I was asked to hand over my Polo a couple of days before delivery. I asked them if I could hand over the car when I come to do the PDI for the new car. They obliged. And so I took my best buddy Polo for one final ride. It was a day when I experienced joy and misery at the same time. Together we had fun one last time. I never got disappointed with this little buddy of mine. I recorded a nice tribute. I told myself that Polo always enabled me to get bigger things in life. Now it has sacrificed itself for me to get the bigger brother. With that exact thought, I entered the showroom and my eyes caught hold of a White Taigun in all its glory under the afternoon sunlight. Immediately I knew in my mind that the one there had to be my new ride. Just called the sales guy and asked if that was the one to which he confirmed. Parked my little Polo next to the big guy and clicked the pictures. It is when I realized that in fact, Taigun is in a way what Polo would look like if it evolved. There were so many similarities. From the bumper to the way headlights were laid out, everything was so much similar at least to my eyes. Literally, I felt my polo just got evolved.

PDI:

Referred to Team BHPp’s PDI guide and followed it step by step. It had run about 150 km since they had to bring this from another city in the state. The trip meter and the driving data showed the exact numbers too. So I was convinced. I sat in the car for some time. Taking in all the feeling of newness as well as I can. Took pictures as well just in case I missed noticing anything. It's only after I hopped onto my new car I felt a little relieved about letting go of my Polo. This was for me after all an evolved Polo. With that, I handed over my car to the guys at the showroom and asked them to use the cover and sell it to someone who would take care of the car well. I walked away quickly to avoid getting any more emotional. I signed some papers and made the payment and left for the day.

Delivery experience:

Since I had to take my 1-month-old child, I told them I wanted no formalities done at the time of delivery and asked them to complete the delivery process in under 30 minutes at max. They were up for that. On the delivery day (April 26, 2022), they gave me a call around noon to inform me that my car was registered and that the Wheel hub needs to be replaced as part of some precautionary campaign. I was spooked at first but read some posts on Team BHP’s Kushaq ownership forum and made up my mind and gave them the go-ahead. They informed me that they also changed the door beading. I was okay as long as I was getting a trouble-free car.

With everything getting done, they asked me to come around 5:30 in the evening. We hopped onto our in-law’s 1,30,000 km driven Xylo and reached the showroom around 5:15 pm. Finished some more paper works and without any hoopla, they handed me the keys with just a picture and a sweet box. I thanked the salesman who put in all the effort and promised to take him for lunch or dinner sometime and left.

Early impressions:

One thing that I haven’t noticed in all the test drives thus far is the fact that this car was very smooth. It made absolutely no noise while idling. The start/stop function was a little annoying though as it stalled the car even while trying to cross speed breakers. I turned it off immediately. Rest was just glorious. The ride quality was something we liked immediately. It was very quite over the annoying rumble strips. Though the distance to empty showed 180kms, I filled up fuel within 10 km. The car was easily doing speeds of 90-100 kmph. With the infant in the car I had to moderate the throttle now and then to keep it under 80 kmph. It was a struggle. The car pulled neatly from as low as 1200RPM in any gear. I just slotted to 3rd gear around barricades and the car picked up pace gently from there. I realized that it was an effortless car after all. It didn’t require too many gear shifts. Which I liked very much. Thumps up for the drivability. On speed breakers, you can easily sit on 2nd gear and getaway. I will try to note down my likes and dislikes. Please read them with the hint that these are early impressions and are subject to change.

Likes:

The butter smooth and very punchy 1.5 TSI EVO motor. Effortless performance. It is a delight.
Impeccable ride quality. Takes everything in its stride. Only on really bad roads do you hear the thud inside.
High-speed stability and poise. It almost matched up to my erstwhile buddy Polo here.
Drivability. Just try the 1.5 manual once you will understand what I’m talking about.
Build quality. The doors and boot are heavy and shut with a thud. That's reassuring of the VW’s top-class build quality I guess.
Hill assist, a bonus feature is very useful on sharp inclines and ramps when we accidentally stall the car. I guess VW forgot about this feature in 1.5 GT MT else they would have removed this as well.
Economy seems good if we drive sanely.
Legroom for the rear passengers. It's enormous for someone coming from Polo.
The red ambient lighting is very appealing at night.

Dislikes:

The faulty one touch up driver side button. It has a mind on its own.
The switches on the doors are slightly flimsy.
Roof liner quality isn’t very great.
No cruise control. That was a lifesaver on long boring flats.
No remote-operated window roll up and down unlike my Polo. That was a bragging right we VW owners had.
The door panel squeaks when going over bad roads.

That’s it for now. I will try to update the thread on my ownership experience as I munch on more miles in the coming days. Cheers.

Here are some pics of my Carl Matthaus: