2022 Volkswagen Virtus review - It's almost a Jetta! | First Drive | Autocar India

2022 Volkswagen Virtus review - It's almost a Jetta! | First Drive | Autocar India


2022 Volkswagen Virtus review - It's almost a Jetta! | First Drive | Autocar India

The new Volkswagen Virtus is here to give you a distinctly European sedan experience. How’s it different to its cousin the Skoda Slavia, and what’s the VW sedan like to drive? Gavin D’Souza tells you all.

Cameraperson: Shreyans Chordia
Editor: Siddhesh Kadam

0:00 - Introduction
0:55 - Virtus dimensions and styling
2:08 - Virtus interior
4:04 - Features
4:29 - Rear seat space and comfort
5:40 - Virtus boot
6:18 - Engine options
6:30 - Virtus 1.5 TSI DSG performance
8:55 - Virtus 1.5 TSI fuel economy
9:08 - Ride and handling
10:50 - Braking
11:00 - Virtus 1.0 TSI AT performance
13:53 - Virtus 1.0 TSI AT fuel economy
14:35 - Virtus price expectation and verdict

#GoProHero10Black #SonyAlphaIn #Virtus

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Content

19.84 -> suvs everybody loves them and everybody is  making them and that includes volkswagen who  
25.36 -> a few years ago even coined the term suvw  they did make a big push with those cars  
31.36 -> but they also haven't forgotten that sedans  are very important and now there is this  
36.64 -> it's called the volkswagen virtus it is  the second product from vw's india 2.0  
41.92 -> onslaught and it's available in two engines  the 1.5 tsi and the one liter tsi both of  
48 -> which we have with us today and we're going  to tell you what they're like to drive
55.2 -> but first while we're out here let's take a moment  to appreciate the looks it's certainly grown a  
60.08 -> size compared to the bento and unsurprisingly  there is a hint of the bigger jetta in here  
65.44 -> in fact in almost every dimension this is the  largest car in the class it's easy of course  
70.64 -> to draw parallels to the slavia but much like  with the tygon volkswagen has gone for a bolder  
76 -> more chrome heavy look the huge air dam in  the front bumper is lined with the shiny stuff  
80.88 -> and makes a big impression but the downside  of this is that the small 16 inch wheels look  
85.68 -> even smaller the big gaps in the wheel arches  only emphasize this but it does give the vertices  
90.88 -> an suv like 179 mm of ground clearance there's  more chrome in the rear bumper and this along  
97.36 -> with the large blacked out tail lamps do a good  job of distracting you from what is quite a bulky  
102.72 -> rear end the gt trim exclusive to the 1.5 tsi  engine gets a few differences too like gloss  
108.96 -> black alloy wheels a subtle lip spoiler on the  boot and gt badging which do you like better the  
115.12 -> vw vertice or the skoda slavia let us know down  in the comments and if you are new here why not  
120.88 -> subscribe to autocad india and click the bell icon  we publish great new automotive content every day  
128.72 -> thankfully they've done quite a  bit to distinguish the interior too
143.52 -> the interior of the vw vertus will be very  familiar if you've ever seen the interior of a vw  
148.72 -> tiger i should tell you right of the outside that  this is a 1.5 gt with a red exterior paint and  
154.8 -> that means these red accents here on the dashboard  it's similar yes to the tiger but they've done a  
161.92 -> slightly different treatment for this gloss black  trim on the sedan and i like that quite a lot it  
167.76 -> looks quite classy plastic quality is generally  very very good build quality is very solid  
173.36 -> but like the tiger there are a few bits that give  away the cost cutting that's gone into this car  
181.04 -> things like the knitted roof lining that this time  around at least does have a nice texture to it  
185.76 -> and some plastic bits that stick out for just  being a bit too basic to look at and touch the  
191.52 -> gt version gets black leatherette upholstery with  red contrast stitching but what i like is that  
196.56 -> they haven't made the whole cabin black there  is still beige bits at the bottom on the doors  
201.68 -> and the roof lining which livens things up just  a little bit doesn't make it seem too dark things  
207.2 -> that do return are this lovely new volkswagen  steering wheel it's very well built it's very  
212.24 -> handsome looking in my opinion and it has all the  controls you need right here it's also got the  
218.72 -> digital dyes they don't stretch all the way to the  outside just as before that's a bit of a shame but  
224.24 -> what you get in the center is quite informative  so i would have liked two round traditional dials  
229.68 -> another thing i'm not so much of a fan of in these  cars is the touch operated climate control it is  
235.84 -> a bit fiddly to use on the move but on the subject  of features the vertis like its suv counterpart is  
242.4 -> rather well equipped top spec variants get  a 10 inch touchscreen 8 inch digital dials  
247.52 -> wireless carplay and android auto ventilated front  seats wireless phone charging and a sunroof and  
254.48 -> though we don't have the variant wise split yet vw  seems to have learned from the tygon and improved  
259.36 -> the features in lower models too for example  you get led headlamps even in the base model
269.6 -> there's a good chance you'll be chauffeur driven  in this sedan so let's hop into the back seat now  
274.88 -> now volkswagen says this is the largest car in  its class and it's got a pretty long wheelbase  
278.96 -> too so it's no surprise that in the back  seat there is plenty of space now i won't  
283.76 -> draw comparisons to its rivals just yet we'll  wait to get all these cars together for a proper  
288.24 -> comparison before i do that what i can tell you  is compared to the car it replaces the vento  
293.84 -> there is vastly more room back here i'm just  under five foot eight and as you can see there's  
298.96 -> a lot more wiggle room for taller passengers  in terms of knee room and headroom i think by  
303.44 -> standards off sedans is rather good as well there  is a bit of a caveat though these seats very  
310 -> comfortable very supportive but they are contoured  more for two a third passenger can fit here but  
316.48 -> it's a little on the uncomfortable side because of  the raised cushioning and the raised backrest you  
321.92 -> will like though that there are three individual  headrests and three individual three-point seat  
327.12 -> belts for all the passengers back here ac vents  return two type-c usb ports but one thing i do  
333.6 -> miss from the vento is that lever that let you  push the front passenger seat forward for more leg  
338.4 -> room at the back you don't get that in this car a  massive highlight of this car is the boot which at  
345.04 -> a class leading 521 liters the same as the slavia  of course can really swallow up a lot of luggage  
352.16 -> and if you need more still you can even split fold  the rear seats so it's good looking practical and  
358 -> well equipped yet somehow that's not even the best  part oh no that would be the driving experience
378.08 -> now as i mentioned in the start the vw vertus  comes with two engines a one liter tsi and a  
383.92 -> 1.5 liter tsi that's much the same as what  you get in the tygon suv the one i'm driving  
391.6 -> right now is the 1.5 tsi 150 horsepower 250 nmf  dock and a 7 speed dsg double clutch automatic  
402.4 -> now unlike the tiger this vertus doesn't get a  manual gearbox for the 1.5 tsi engine not right  
408.32 -> now at least it's not listed on their website but  volkswagen does hint that it will be available by  
414.4 -> the time the car launches and if the tiger and  indeed the slavia are anything to go by the 1.5  
421.12 -> with the manual gearbox will be the enthusiast  choice however you can't really go wrong with the  
427.28 -> 7-speed dsg either vw were of course one of the  pioneers of the double clutch automatic gearbox  
433.68 -> and although initial versions of it did have  some issues they've really come a long way and  
438.88 -> this one feels much smoother and much quicker  to respond to inputs and if you really go for  
445.76 -> it the gear shifts themselves are of course  instantaneous helping things along of course  
451.68 -> if you want to take manual control are paddle  shifters behind the steering wheel and also  
457.12 -> a tiptronic mode on the gear lever itself now this  1.5 tsi evo from volkswagen we've seen it not just  
464.8 -> in the tiger but also in the t rock the power  outputs are very very healthy of course but it  
471.6 -> also has clever tech like cylinder deactivation  which means that when you are on a light  
477.68 -> foot with the engine it will deactivate two of its  four cylinders and help you save a bit more fuel  
483.84 -> this power train also has engine stop  start so if you can bear with the  
488 -> ac cutting out a bit when you're at a traffic  light you will save a lot more fuel that way too  
494.32 -> so while this car doesn't have full-on  drive modes what it does let you do  
497.68 -> is knock the dsg gearbox into sport which  makes it a whole lot more responsive
508.48 -> flatten your foot and it will drive to 6000 rpm  
513.6 -> in fact it revs quite freely for a turbocharged  engine and that only adds to the fun quotient  
519.76 -> vw says this 1.5 gt will do 0-100 kph in  9 seconds flat and go on to a top speed of  
526.72 -> 190 kph and with a relatively light curb weight of  just 1 275 kg we feel that might just be the case  
535.92 -> incidentally that lightweight should also help  with fuel economy and this 1.5 tsi with its  
541.44 -> stop start and cylinder deactivation tech is  rated at a claimed 18.67 kilometers per liter  
548.8 -> on the dynamics front the volkswagen group always  does a pretty good job they did a tremendous job  
554.32 -> off the tiguan and we really rated it as  our favorite driving suv in its segment  
560.16 -> and well that only translates better to the sedan  body style the steering is really well judged for  
565.92 -> a mix of heft at high speeds and lightness  at low speeds it gives you a good amount of  
571.52 -> feedback from the road and it's also quite sharp  making this car quite a bit of fun around corners  
577.92 -> but the real triumph of this  dynamic package is the ride quality  
582.24 -> this car has high ground clearance for a sedan  and that's very good because of course it means  
587.44 -> you can clear large speed breakers without  anybody but just also the suspension setup yes  
594.48 -> there's a little bit of underlying firmness  just as you'd expect from a european car  
599.6 -> but it hasn't come at the cost of low speed right  it rides on 16 inch wheels that do look a little  
604.72 -> bit small frankly but the op shot is that it  allows this car to ride over bumps really really  
610.64 -> well and much like the tygon that slight firmness  in the suspension has allowed this car to behave  
617.28 -> really really well at high speeds out here on a  highway like this at three digit speeds it tracks  
623.6 -> nice and true doesn't move the car around too much  and will keep your passengers very very happy and  
631.2 -> even when you introduce it to a set of corners it  comes good with handling that is truly enjoyable  
637.28 -> that suspension setup combined with the steering  makes it agile makes it fun and makes it really  
642.8 -> well controlled yeah this powertrain and  this chassis it is a great drivers package  
651.76 -> the brakes too feel really strong there  aren't discs at the back but stamp on  
656.08 -> the pedal hard and it will haul this  car down to a heart very confidently  
661.92 -> so the absolutely tremendous 1.5 tsi  is undoubtedly the driver's choice  
667.04 -> but hold on because the lesser 1.0 tsi might  actually end up being the one you want to buy
676.96 -> so here we are in the 1 liter tsi version and  much like in the tygon it makes 115 horsepower  
684.4 -> 178 newton meters and here is mated to  a six-speed torque converter automatic  
690.56 -> you can have this engine with  a six-speed manual as well but  
694.24 -> we don't have that on test  today stay tuned for that later  
698.32 -> as the numbers suggest this engine doesn't have  quite the highest rung performance of the 1.5 tsi  
704.64 -> and the gearbox this stock converter isn't quite  as quick or responsive to your inputs as the dsg  
713.04 -> so yeah much like in the tiguan then this is the  more relaxed power train of the two but don't mark  
719.76 -> it down for that because i suspect much like in  the tycoon this will end up being the far more  
726.08 -> popular choice the first reason is because much  like in the slavia and the kushak and the tygon  
732.4 -> the 1.5 tsi version is likely to be quite a bit  more expensive to the point that only serious  
738.96 -> enthusiasts would want to opt for it and the  other most significant point is that the power  
744.48 -> and torque figures though not as much as the  1.5 are more than enough by segment standards  
750.4 -> for the majority of people this car's more  relaxed nature will be rather appealing it's  
755.36 -> the better city car and i'm sure this car  will spend a lot of its time in the city  
761.6 -> perhaps the only thing you have to be aware of  is the torque converter's tendency to make the  
765.12 -> car leap off the line when you lift off the brake  pedal that aside though it's a brilliant gearbox  
772.08 -> even though the 1.5 dsg gearbox has improved a  great deal there is a little bit of jerkiness  
778 -> in the shifts whereas this one is no jerkiness at  all it is incredibly smooth with the chips it too  
784.24 -> gets paddle shifters if you really want to get a  move on and even the power delivery at low speeds  
790.32 -> and light throttle inputs is incredibly smooth  with this powertrain in fact this one liter tsi  
796.72 -> powertrain only starts to show signs of hiccups  when you push it a bit too hard so it's probably  
802.16 -> best not to do that and drive in a more relaxed  manner for instance even if you floor it in sport  
807.84 -> mode the gearbox takes a second to respond the  shifts aren't quite as smooth anymore and the  
814.16 -> engine starts to make that three-cylinder thumb  that so far wasn't that audible on the dynamic  
821.28 -> front nothing really has changed except that with  less weight over the nose from this smaller engine  
826.32 -> it actually feels a little bit more eager to  turn in which only adds to the sense of agility
833.68 -> curiously vw recently introduced the fuel saving  engine idle stop start deck on the 1 litre tsi  
840 -> engine in the tygon suv which improved its fuel  economy figure this vertice we're driving today  
846 -> doesn't have that tech but still managed to score  an impressive 18.12 kpl claimed rating which will  
852.96 -> only get better if this feature is added later  on so again for most buyers this car will be more  
861.52 -> than enough you don't need to stump up for the  1.5 tsi unless you really want that performance
875.68 -> let's face it at this stage there really wasn't  much we didn't already know about the vertus  
879.92 -> apart from the way it drove which proved to be as  expected the highlight of the experience the only  
886.32 -> other missing piece of the puzzle now is the  price which going by skoda and vw strategies  
890.96 -> with their mid-size suvs should be right on par  with the slavia we peg it at around 11 to 18 lakh  
897.84 -> ex-showroom without the might of its sublime  tdi diesel engine volkswagen has really leaned  
903.6 -> into its tsi turbo petrol tech and delivered two  stunning powertrain options to buy us a relaxed  
909.36 -> one that suits everyday needs and a racy powerful  one for enthusiasts the vertis has a tremendous  
915.04 -> ride and handling package too but what sets it  apart from rivals is the way it looks which takes  
920 -> the clean and understated vw design and jazzes  it up with a bit of chrome and gloss black trim  
926.4 -> the interior is spacious comfortable  pretty well built and well equipped too  
930.24 -> but there's no escaping the fact that higher  spec variants will likely get expensive  
935.04 -> one thing's for sure these india 2.0 cars have  been a huge hit with indian customers and the  
940.4 -> boost pun intended that the tycoon gave vw sales  is only going to get stronger with the voters you

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22Nwt9ED_bY