The Volkswagen Taigun has completed one year since its launch in India. To celebrate this milestone, Volkswagen has launched the Taigun 1st Anniversary Edition (
related news). The German carmaker invited the media for a mini track day which was organized at the Aamby Valley Air Strip to showcase the car. The timing of the event couldn't have been any better as the Taigun and Skoda Kushaq recently received
5-star ratings in the updated Global NCAP crash tests.
Since the Volkswagen Taigun has already been reviewed by Team-BHP, this report will only focus on changes made to the 1st Anniversary Edition. To read the full official review,
click here.
So, what's new on the outside?
The 1st Anniversary Edition is identical to the regular car save for a few cosmetic changes. One will appreciate the classic Volkswagen styling lines which make the design feel timeless:
At the back, there have been no changes made to the car. The horizontal elements make the car appear well-planted:
The 1st Anniversary Edition of the Taigun is available only in the Dynamic Line, Topline variant that is offered on the 1.0 TSI MT & AT:
This 'Rising Blue' paint shade has been introduced with the 1st Anniversary Edition. Other paint options for this edition car include Curcuma Yellow and Wild Cherry Red:
The smaller dimensions of the Taigun mean that it lacks street cred compared to rivals like the Creta and Seltos. It is not restricted to sub-4 meters, which means that the bumpers are functional and not for show. See the blue-coloured garnish on the door cladding at the bottom? It's exclusive to the 1st Anniversary Edition:
While there have been no cosmetic changes up front, the fog lamps have been upgraded to offer better brightness:
Further, you get black ORVM covers and window visors:
The fender badge gets '1st' lettering with a nice design:
All doors come with edge protectors:
C-pillar decal consists of hexagonal elements that reduce in size towards the rear. The elements at the top and bottom are aligned with the window lines:
The black roof is being offered only on the Performance Line. Now, the 1st Anniversary Edition (Dynamic Line) also gets a black roof, albeit a wrap done at dealer level:
So, what's new on the inside?
The car gets the same interiors with minor cosmetic changes:
The steering wheel gets a '1st' badge at the bottom:
We were told that Volkswagen will soon be offering ventilated seats on the 1.5L engine variants as well. The differences in the kit between the manual and automatic variants would be sorted out as well. For instance, the AT gets a perforated leather steering wheel cover, but MT doesn't:
Aluminium pedals from the GT Plus variant on the 1.5 DSG are offered on the AT variant of the 1st Anniversary Edition:
Driving the Volkswagen Taigun 1.5L Turbo Petrol
While the 1st Anniversary Edition is offered only with the 1.0 TSI, VW had arranged 1.5 TSI cars for the driving part. First up was the
Speed Run. The instructor took us around the course and then, we were asked to drive the cars. This is at the start of the challenge:
The speed run saw the car go up to 155 km/h. Post that, we had to slow down and head to the next obstacle. We'd barely used half of the Aamby Valley Airstrip and it felt that the car could go further, but the organizers had erred on the side of caution:
Next up was the slalom course. Quick direction changes from right to left, right, then left again, and finally, stop on the right side. The trick here was to keep the steering motion consistent and not overdo it. Keeping the car as close to the yellow cone on the inside helps:
For the moose test that followed, we were asked to speed up to 60 km/h and then swerve right and then left. The car was supposed to be kept inside the marked yellow cones. This was fun and we saw many cones being displaced. Even though the car was able to do this test at 60 km/h, I kept my speed at ~50 km/h:
The best part of the track experience was saved for the last. A small autocross track was laid out with cones and it was great fun. We had to first go once to familiarise ourselves with the track, followed by 2 attempts on the clock. My first run was in the 1.5 DSG driving in S mode. This was a very tight track layout, which meant there was constant on & off throttle action. Off throttle, there was a slight lag which slowed down the overall pace. For my second attempt, I went for the MT and it was a lot better in terms of throttle control. The whole course was taken in 2nd gear and I was easily able to shave ~4-5 seconds off my time in the DSG:
Here are some images of the cars on track (courtesy Volkswagen's photographers):