Test driving Virtus 1.5 DSG to see if it can replace my 2018 Creta

BHPian buzzy_boy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Took a TD of the Virtus 1.5 DSG today. Wanted to see if it can replace my 2018 Creta 1.4 D - which has run 1.3 Lakh kms. Documenting my observations.

My requirements

• City-friendly dimensions and turning radius
• ~100 BHP Per ton power-to-weight ratio
• Crash-worthy body structure
• Decent automatic
• Budget < 20 Lakhs

Positives

• Stunning looks
• The DSG is in the right gear for the situation 100% of the time.
• Decent ground clearance = didn't scrape the undercarriage with 3 on board and no luggage.
• Butter smooth shifts. Relaxing to drive in the city.
• I found the sheet metal to be of decent quality.
• Kick down delay? What kick down delay? The DSG gives you a downshift with zero to no delay.
• Space inside was decent and sufficient. I found the Virtus to be conveniently shaped.
• There's a decent amount of adjustment in the driver armrest to find a comfortable position.
• Full suite of active safety features to complement what's expected to be a crash-worthy vehicle.

Neutral

• It is difficult to use the paddle shifters while turning the wheel. They must have been stationary in relation to the wheel.
• Audio quality was decent, but could have been better.
• At low, the AC was chilling the cabin quite well, but when a specific temperature was set, the cooling wasn't in the same league as the Toyotas and Mahindras of the world. Livable though.
• Lack of a 360-degree camera is a bummer. Though we can live without it, people have come to expect it these days.
• The sunroof is small. I don't fancy a sunroof, but this implementation neither satisfies folks like me nor does it satisfy folks who want a big sunroof. What's more, it eats into the headspace of the driver, and this is a problem for people like me who like to jack up the seat high.
• Decent visibility of the bonnet if you jack up the seat high.
• While the ride was compliant, the vehicle tended to be tossed about on pothole-ridden roads. Leaving this in the neutral section as I believe that the problem was with over-inflated tyres - I didn't check the tyre pressure before the TD.
• The DSG tended to drop down to first quite conservatively, while Hyundai's DSGs tend to hold the second gear until the vehicle comes to a complete halt. I believe that Hyundai has tuned it for comfort while VW has tuned it for reducing slip, and increase drivability.

Negatives

• Interior quality: I understand that the money that VW saved on interiors went towards safety. But, I believe that customers of the GT line would pay a lakh or two more for better quality interiors. VW must learn from the masters = Hyundai does better interiors on the N Line than the regular variants. Huge disappointment.
• While the steering can be adjusted for reach and rake, it should've gone a little further in for a comfortable driving position for me.
• The DCT's crawling function has been implemented conservatively = there's a noticeable lag before the vehicle moves off. While this doesn't make any difference for regular driving, it makes manoeuvring difficult in tight spaces - eg: tight parking spots, and moving off in busy uphill junctions. I had a scary moment at the end of the TD where I had to park up in a tight space which was on a ~ 10-degree uphill slope.
• 205/55 section tyres = recipe for bent alloys on Indian roads. Plus, the less said about the black alloys, the better.
• The vehicle should have gotten proper drive modes. The avg fuel economy in the city was ~ 8 KMPL per the MID. An eco mode would've gone a long way towards improving the fuel economy in the city as we know how sensitive the turbo petrols are to throttle aggression.

Summary

The TD was a bittersweet experience. It was clear that the car has got so much potential, and that VW has got a lot of the things right. But I'm a little on the fence about the negatives. My ideal Virtus would be the 1.5 TSI with the six-speed TC and better interiors.

PS: Special thanks to Mr. Vikram from Ramani VW Coimbatore for arranging the TD.

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

• That's the way the paddle shifters should be. It is designed to stay under your corresponding hands even while turning the steering wheel for light to medium turns. It's not meant to be used during u-turns when you spin it all the way around. BMW, Mercedes, Audi etc comes with the same type of paddle shifters. The only car I have driven that had stationary paddle shifters was the quirky Citroen C5 and you have to take your hand off the steering wheel to shift during turns which negates the entire point.
• It will be fine. I have been using 195/55/16 tyres which have even smaller sidewalls on my diesel i20 for the past 7 years. We use the car as a beater and it has seen its fair share of pothole-ridden roads that we don't even bother slowing down much for. No damage to the rims yet.

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