Upgraded from WagonR to Virtus: Happy with the car & buying experience

It was the sales advisor who told us about the VW Virtus GT Line that sits between the Highline Plus and Topline variant.

BHPian Apachian_99 recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Hello folks,

This is a post on the test drive, buying experience, and initial observations of a Volkswagen Virtus 1.0 TSI MT GT Line in Candy White.

It may be a slightly long post. Do bear with me. I hope to make it as helpful as I can for anyone who's interested in the Virtus.

Test Drive

The itch for a new car had begun as soon as I started my new job. Had saved up enough to be able to afford a new one without burning a hole in my pocket. Budget was capped at 17 lakhs on road in Gurgaon.

Do bear in mind that we already have a Maruti Suzuki Baleno Delta at home and my plan was to exchange my existing daily driven WagonR for the new car.

Cars considered:

• Mahindra Thar 3 Door - Rejected when I saw my parents finding it difficult to get in the backseat of the car. A fantastic car otherwise.
• Kia Seltos - Rejected due to parents not agreeing with the car.

Then came the Volkwagen Virtus. The car I had loved since it was launched. Dad was reluctant to go check it out since there had never been a sedan in the family and he was never fond of sedans.

Finally convinced him that there is no harm in taking a look. (Took almost a week for convincing alone)

Finally went to check it out on Saturday, 15 March 2025. The dealership chosen was Frontier Volkswagen, MG Road, Gurgaon.

One test drive and dad was converted into a sedan lover. The space on offer, the number of features, the build quality, the fit and finish, the looks... oh boy the looks. Everything was 2 levels above what we had ever seen in the vehicles we had previously owned.

The test drive car had covered just over 4000 kms and was immaculately maintained. The interiors were clean. The exterior was spotless. The drive was oh so smooth and one couldn't tell from inside that it was a 1.0 3-pot engine pulling this behemoth. The gearshifts were smooth and precise. The clutch action was perfect. Not too heavy, not too light. Clutch travel was a tad bit more than what me and dad were used to but it wasn't a dealbreaker by any means. The pickup was absolutely amazing for a 1.0 3-cylinder turbo-petrol.

One test drive later, the Virtus was all dad could talk about on the 1-hour long drive back home.

Buying Experience

The moment we set foot in the dealership, it was as if the staff had known us their entire lives. We were warmly welcomed and asked for water, tea or coffee.

I told the sales executive (Mr. Vivek Chandra) that we were interested in the Virtus and he immediately grabbed the spec sheet of all the variants and started explaining them all in detail. He was knowledgeable, knew his stuff, answered all our queries patiently and in detail and explained the differences between all the variants.

It was Vivek Ji who told us about the GT Line variant which had been launched recently. I previously did not know about this variant.

The GT Line variant sits between the Highline Plus and the Topline.

It gets blacked-out projector headlamps from the Topline, smoked tail lamps from the factory, blacked-out alloys, blacked-out interiors, and a black rear spoiler. The chrome bits on the other variants are also blacked out in the GT Line. You also get wireless Apple carplay/Android auto, a wireless phone charger, steering angle display, cornering fog lamps, sunroof, 6 airbags and a whole lot more.

And since it was falling within my budget (thanks to discounts provided by Vivek Ji and a great valuation for the exchange of my WagonR), decided to go for the GT Line in Candy White. (I love a black n white combo, especially with those clean lines and curves)

Vivek Ji told us about a 2025 January manufactured Candy White Virtus that they had in the stockyard that could be delivered within a week and we booked the car then and there. It was agreed that me and dad would do the PDI armed with the TeamBHP checklist before releasing the funds.

Took delivery on 23 March 2025.

The whole process from test drive to car loan to PDI to delivery was smooth as silk without so much as an extra message or a phone call. We were kept updated on every single step of the way. Never once were we forced for anything. The accessories I wanted were fitted on the car before I even reached the showroom to take delivery. I had gone for hood insulation, door edge protectors, and dual-tone trumpet horn.

Complimentary accessories included - 3D floor and boot mats, neck pillows, car cushions, type C cable, rear sunblinds, and a cigarette charger.

The delivery experience was memorable with a cake cutting, lots of pictures n videos, unveiling of the car, and a demo of all the features.

Disclaimer: I am not associated with Frontier VW in any capacity. Just a happy customer who's sharing his thoughts and experience.

Initial Observations

Have driven the car for nearly 450kms. Here are some observations in no particular order-

• The drive is smooth and fun. The steering is direct and return-to-center actions is flawless.
• The seats (both front and rear) are comfortable and provide ample thigh support for me and my family. Me being the tallest at 5'9.
• Even though the GT Line misses out on ventilated seats, it doesn't really matter because the AC is a chiller. Cools the car down in no time. Mind you, the AC is always set to Auto. Never had to change the setting.
• Coming from a WagonR, the sheer length of the car takes a bit of getting used to. Have to be extra careful in traffic and around 2-wheelers and E-rickshaws.
• Absolutely massive boot. Can take anything you throw at it. Even the rear seats offer 60:40 split, but I doubt I'll ever use it because of the huge boot.
• Those looks. I always stop and stare for a while whenever I park it. Can't help it. That black n white combo has my heart.
• The FE is better than I thought it would be. On my daily route of 10km one-way, I get about 13-14 kmpl as displayed on the MID. (Yet to do a Tank-to-Tank calculation)
• I'm not a hardcore audiophile so the stock music system does the job very well for me. Might go for damping in the future to enhance the experience a little.
• NVH levels are good enough for me. Road noise, tyre noise, wind noise do not make their presence felt in the cabin upto speeds of 90kmph. Cannot comment on speeds higher than that since I'm still in the break-in period.
• The brakes. Great bite and stopping power. You just look at the brake pedal and the car stops.

Overall, I'm extremely happy with the car and the experience I had with the dealership. Hope it remains the same at the SVC too.

Happy and safe travels everyone,

Cheers

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