[Indepth]

This is my very first post. I am rather delighted to be part of this elite community. Since I am a newbie, I am unable to poll. But if I had the privilege to vote, my choice would have been option 2 (with an emphatic NO).

My current ride is a 2016 GT TSI. I was always sure my next wheels would be from the house of VW. However, I am hugely disappointed with the way VW 2.0 products have taken shape. Despite deciding to ignore initial niggles and reliability issues, none of the 2.0 products made me feel at home. The dashboard design and materials used seem out of place. The so-called famous 'thud' is now feeble. The steering (Taigun) had very little feedback as compared to the good old Vento.

Moreover, in my opinion, the price premium for these relatively inferior products is not justified. I wish VW had continued the VENTO with the addition of a few modern-day features.

[PacmanBegins]

I own a 2021 Polo TSI, glad that I picked this up during the pandemic without much of a wait time. I would wait before I recommend a VW to my FIL who will be looking out for a car in a year or two. I hope there these niggles will be fixed and hopefully we should be getting 2.1 cars by then.
But one thing I'm looking forward is the crash test results of the MQB platform cars. I have a feeling that this platform wouldn't perform as good as the previous platform did, especially the Indian version. I will wait for the results before recommending VW to anyone.

I was contemplating both i20 and Polo, I decided to go with the Polo for the very reason.

[RD150]

Voted for the first option. If I was in the market to upgrade from my 8 year old polo, I would have gone for the Virtus. But I would have waited for the facelift or Virtus 2.0. Virtus and Slavia seem to be hurried launches. I have no doubt in the capabilities of these 2 beauties. They have the potential, VAG just needs to iron out the niggles and offcourse not act greedy by increasing the prices just after 2 months of the the launch.

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by PacmanBegins

But one thing I'm looking forward is the crash test results of the MQB platform cars. I have a feeling that this platform wouldn't perform as good as the previous platform did, especially the Indian version. I will wait for the results before recommending VW to anyone.

MQB platform is crash tested globally in multiple cars and they have secured 5 stars - eg: Skoda Octavia MK 3. So I don’t think from safety point of view MQB is inferior to previous platforms.

PS: I am just taking about the the crash rating of MQB platform and I am very well aware models available in India were not tested and MQB-I is not tested too.

A good decision on Polo over i20 though.

[shankar.balan]

I loved my Skoda Yeti Elegance 4x4 when I had it from Nov 2011 over the 8 years it was in my hands. I had everything - 4wheel drive system with Electronic Diff lock, all Safety gear, 4 disc brakes, a great powerful, torquey and yet frugal engine. Excellent leather seats and interiors. A lovely 8 speaker 6 CD changer. Till date I regret having to sell it in Nov 2019 and move to an AT. The Skoda Yeti was way ahead of its time in India and I am happy I took the plunge and bought it. An Honest 8 years of enjoyable trouble free ownership. It probably is the best car Ive owned until date.

(It is now in the hands of its 3rd owner. I don’t know him but I saw the vehicle in my neighbourhood just a few days ago (12 years after it originally came into my hands) and it tugged at my heart again just as it did all those years ago.

But I voted that I will not really be interested in buying and owning a Skoda / VW Car of the India 2.0 breed. Somehow the newer Skoda/ VW’s just do not have the same panache that the older ones did. And they keep stopping production of all the most appealing ones, which comes across as funny to me.

[condor]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

And they keep stopping production of all the most appealing ones, ...

Appeal is individual, but this is the reason I am not sure if I should check out a (used) Tiguan as a lateral upgrade. On first look, this has a lot of what I want in a car, and I have folks I can depend on for service.

[Satkaj]

I own Vento TDI 2010 and extremely satisfied. Has never given me any trouble .

I also own Skoda Superb 2014 TDI. Again, extremely satisfied.

Now the problem is, yes there is an alternate available for Vento there are no alternatives for Superb. New Superb, Kodiaq or Tiguan which I am in market has no clear launch date in India. We are made to accept the leftovers of old stocks.

Though this policy suits the group , it leaves the owners highly dissatisfied with the brand.

[Bhodrolok]

As the owner of a 2015 Vento, the Virtus GT remains my most probable buy so voted for option 1. I even tried going the "popular" route with the Hycross & the Seltos but they just did not tag at the heart strings enough. You know something just isn't cutting it when you feel better in a 7 year old car after a long test drive on a brand new launch.

I would have bought it already but the Vento keeps going strong and I am hoping VW will update the interiors next year.

[sid18]

Great post. Having bought a Virtus 1.0 AT, the only thing that bothers me is the engine noise at lower speed. I just wished they had provided a hood insulation with the 1.0 engines. Nevertheless, I'm happy with my decision.

[Venkatesh]

Skoda Auto India’s successful growth strategy with locally developed and produced Kushaq and Slavia helps to register sales of over 1,00,000 cars across two years.

Kodiaq records the highest-ever annual sales in 2023.



Link

[RedCoco]

Originally Posted by NT56

A close relative recently replaced her 8 year old Polo with a Taigun. Yesterday night after a nice meal we were heading back home in her 3 month old car. I was surprised to hear rattles from every door when the car went over bad roads. That got us started on the VW 2.0 plan and how she wasn't happy with rattles, the AC and the mileage. She would definitely not recommend a VW/Skoda 2.0 car to anyone else.

VW 2.0 cars are inferior to previous generation cars but do we have any choice at that price point?
This has happened with other brands too in the past. Remeber the solid feel that we used to associate with 3rd Gen City and Fiesta Classic. When I drove Figo Aspire for the 1st time, the difference was so evident, even though it was more powerful.
Transition of Rapid/Vento duo to Slavia/Virtus can be compared with that of City from its 3rd to 4th Gen. Grown in size, good looks and abiding with the pollution norms, but compromising on build qualty here and there. And if you are in market for a Sedan, do we have much choices? Instead of comparing with old gen VWs, comparing these germans (or Desi germans? ) with current gen City and Verna, is what we should do.
Coming to Taigun/Kushaq, the cross over segment is spoilt with choices. Obviously you can go for Creta or Seltos if safety is not a concern. But the feel you get while you're behind the steering wheel of a VW is not comparable with any other options available in the segment.

I have tried POLO TSI 1.2 AT, TDI DSG, Laura DSG on long drives. We have a rapid TSI in our family, still I bought a Virtus MT and many City owners have appreciated the upclass feel and turbo power this car is giving. And I am getting a mileage of 16-18 in City and 18-20 in highways. Highest figure I have managed till date is 24kmpl. Same is the case with my cousin's Taigun AT. AC issue was sorted with a software update. I will recommend this car any day.

Opinion of a 2 years old Virtus owner