As far as fuel efficiency is concerned, the Virtus has been consistently returning figures between 13.5 to 14 kmpl on my regular commute.

I first drove the Volkswagen Virtus last year after its unveil. The drive in Amritsar comprised of some beautifully paved highways and the sedan felt right at home on those roads. The sedan market is all but shrinking thanks to people veering towards SUVs but the Volkswagen Virtus has come as a breath of fresh air for those who are still sedan enthusiasts. I have been driving the Virtus for 3 months now after the nice folks at VW sent one over for a long term stint. After having clocked 3000 km so far, thought it would be a good time to summarize things in a first report.

The Virtus has the typical European three box design language. Nothing loud, just classy lines and right proportions. It so reminds me of the Jetta, a car I still drool over when I see a well kept example on the road. The SUV rivalling 179 mm of ground clearance is a boon on our roads. Not a single speed breaker out there that the Virtus will scrape on. The big gap between the wheel arch and the tyre is something that you can’t ignore though. But that gap certainly helps when you are tackling the worst of roads. The 521 litre boot is quite huge and the Virtus has been my choice of car for the few airport runs in the past three months. Special mention to the one time I picked up my German friend, her kids and luggage in tow. While I initially had doubts if it would swallow all bags, the Virtus didn’t disappoint. It took in everything and then some.

The two tone interiors give a very fresh and airy feel to the cabin. And its quite loaded to the brim with features. The digital instrument cluster is clear to read and you have a choice of view too. There was only this one moment when the display went off for a couple of seconds and came back on again while I was driving. Don’t know how that happened but the bug hasn’t surfaced again. The steering feels nice to use and the touchscreen infotainment has a clean layout and easy to read. Nothing funky or jazzy. The wireless charger is a hit or a miss and most of the time I can’t manage to charge the phone. Another thing that I am not a fan of is the touch slide controls for the climate control. You can’t operate it without taking your eyes of the road and that’s quite a downer. Give me buttons over this any day. Both the front and rear seats are comfortable and my senior citizen parents quite like the seating position and the back rest angle. My favourite feature? The ventilated seats and I feel they are a must have feature. Work brilliantly every time.

The Virtus I have been driving features the 1.0 TSI three cylinder motor with a 6 speed torque convertor automatic gearbox. While I agree that the GT version is very inviting for the enthusiast, this motor with its 115 horses is all you need for your daily driving needs. There is enough punch and the gearbox shifts are smooth. You really won’t miss the DSG. On the contrary, the torque converter is much better in bumper to bumper traffic compared to the DSG which feels jerky. At low speeds you are reminded that it is a three pot and while turbo lag is controlled, you do notice it a bit when you accelerate from a standstill. There is a little hesitancy when you press the accelerator and then it suddenly it shoots forward. It also creeps rather quickly when you leave the brake. You need to be careful especially when you are reversing.

As far as fuel efficiency is concerned, the Virtus has been consistently returning figures between 13.5 to 14 kmpl on my regular commute. The worst I have seen in the last three months is around 7.6 kmpl in peak Mumbai traffic scenarios. I’m really looking to take it on a weekend highway drive soon so FE figures will be interesting to see.

Its been a great time so far with the Virtus and the Carbon Steel sedan matches perfectly with my Polo GT of the same shade in the garage. Looking to spend more time with this brilliant sedan, munch in more kms and getting to know it even better in the days to come. Signing off till the next report.