Skoda Rapid owner test drives the VW Virtus: Likes & dislikes

My friend was sure that the Virtus will be his Ford Fusion replacement but after test driving the sedan, he's now considering the Skoda Slavia as well.

BHPian sachin_cs recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

One of my friends is looking for a sedan and we went to test drive the Virtus today. We have been following the car updates on team-bhp for quite some time and finally, we went to experience the German sedan to understand what the buzz is all about. We test drove the 1.0 TSI Automatic. My natural comparison would be Rapid DSG & Slavia DSG.

Likes

• Looks beautiful in any colour.
• Highline variant is well equipped and will be the value for money variant.
• I liked the interiors of Highline more when compared to GT because of the use of a lighter colour scheme and also the silver panel on the dash looks much sober than that in-your-face red applique.
• Cabin and boot space is accommodating.
• The engine and gearbox combination is amazing. My daily driver is Rapid DSG yet I found the drivetrain to be engaging to drive.
• High-speed stability is amazing and it's fun throwing the car around corners.
• You will have as much fun in the Virtus 1.0 as you would have in the DSG in the speed range of 0-80. It's only after you hit higher speeds, that the limitations show up.
• Big and comfortable seats, finding the right driving position is easy.

Dislikes

• I am surprised as to how can VW/Skoda sell a million-plus rupee car with such a weak air conditioner. We drove the Slavia 1.5 and AC was a chiller but these 1.0 TSI have some flaws for sure.
• I was literally sweating in the back seat for straight 10 minutes and I had to shift to the front seat to survive the Raipur heat. AC is the weakest link here.
• When I was behind the wheel, I realised that during stop-go traffic, the AC compressor is cutting off. During hard acceleration, I could feel the compressor cutting off again. During the entire 30 minutes drive, the cabin was not cool enough to my liking.
• There were too many rattles inside the cabin. We drove the Slavia on the same roads but somehow Slavia was far more silent.
• I hate to say this but cost-cutting is evident.
• There's no manual in 1.5 and the alloys in the GT variant look too bland.
• Leather on the steering was cheap, though it had perforation, it felt like artificial leather.

Virtus no doubt is an all-rounder and probably is better than the competition but somehow we were not as impressed with the car as we expected. Now my friend is in dilemma, earlier he was sure that it was going to be the Virtus as a replacement to his beloved Fusion but after driving it today, he is considering Slavia as an option too.

After much discussion, we have come to an understanding that if he is spending 15L then it's going to be Virtus Highline and if he's ready to shell more then it's going to be Slavia Style. Why so? The only reason why he would go with Virtus is that the mid variant is well equipped and doesn't look bare bones like the Slavia Ambition. And on the other hand if the budget permits, then it's the Slavia Style variant because we found the Slavia Style variant to be a good looker too and the interiors felt slightly better put together.

I'm slightly surprised by the fact that when both the cars are based on the same platform then how can Slavia ride slightly better on bad roads and has much silent cabin. I really hope it was something to do with the test drive car because I would not want to hear Maruti rattles on a German sedan after paying so much.

PS: Budget is around 15-16 and the only contenders we have shortlisted are Slavia and Virtus. No offence to the owners but we have also driven two other cars in the segment & found the City CVT to be too lethargic as it doesn't suit our driving style. On the other hand, the Verna doesn't feel like an upgrade from Fusion in terms of interior space. He is 6' and he can't fit behind his own driving position. Plus the driving experience in Verna is meh, nothing exciting about it other than the looks.

Here's what BHPian any23 had to say about the matter:

We lived in times when it was advised to us, not to switch off and switch on the AC frequently as it will damage the compressor, don't know how bad all this controlled switching of ACs in these engine combinations will be in long run, especially in city traffic. A compressor warranty from the manufacturer - Skoda/VW is a must in this case.

Based on people's reports here it looks like 1.0 TSI is not the right engine choice for Slavia/Virtus, an engine which needs regular switching of AC compressor for optimal performance of the car is a clear indicator that these engines are not meant for cars of this segment/size.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.