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Sorry, but I have a bit of a hard time believing that all 4 discs wouldn't have been better than a 2 disc-2 drum setup. Disc brakes do have inherent advantages over drums, especially in matters of braking performance. Drums are usually better only in incredibly heavy vehicles due to the surface area that drums can provide.

So I respectfully disagree that having all 4 discs doesn't really matter. Besides, a lot of other cars in the same price bracket do come equipped with all 4 discs (Creta, Seltos, XUV300, XUV500 to name a few). They should've provided rear discs at least to the 1.5 variants.

As for hood cladding, not everyone is an enthusiast. The average Joe will certainly not like engine noise creeping into the cabin in what I assume will be a 15-20 lakh car!

It's all about the general expectation at a general price point. It's great that VW is till guaranteeing their classic handling and dynamics experience, but they need to at least match their competitors in these rather basic things.

Great review, a 5 star as always. I was keen on looking at the spec comparison with the market. Can you please share a chart with the dimensions, transmission options and the comparison with the competition? Thank you.

Congrats Sujai on booking the Taigun clap:
VW couldn't have asked for a better acknowledgement of their capability, it coming nothing less from the echelons of TBHP Mods!

And speaking of VW's capability, I am reminded of this refresher course on the DQ200 :)

Great - Hoping I give you a company, have made up my mind on 1.5DSG GT. Need to decide on the color, leaning towards Yellow or Red :D

Couple of queries that I have in general (both are unrelated to each other)

1. Have you thought about what accessories are necessary with 1.5DSG? I have shortlisted Laminated floor, Rear Sun blinds.

2. Does use of manual mode reduce chances of DSG gearbox failure? I enjoy control on my Tacho, at the same time hate the pain of the clutch assembly so I look forward to enjoying the paddle shifters frequently :)

Wish that they do a similar feature mix with 1.0 TSI AT as they did with 1.5 TSI DSG. Provide 6 airbags on 1.0 TSI AT and may be drop the Ventilated seats.

Currently, TRoc is around 5L on-road more than the price I expect for Taigun. (Which is 50k max more than Kushaq).

All worth it for those who can afford, but over the long run, remember there is a big difference in maintaining a car that sells 1000 units a month, and one that only sold 400 ever in two CBU batches.

Polo GTI was a different beast IMHO. CBU, 35L on road and two door entry to an already cramped cabin - it had a very niche clientele. Taigun GT is a family car which feels good to drive. Nothing more.

That said - Your feelings echo mine. Both Taigun and Kushaq won't become best-sellers or even challenge the Creta or Seltos. In my opinion - Taigun may sell more than Kushaq, but both around 2k units per month compared to the 8-9k units of the Koreans.

Unlikely.

:thumbs up

Heart said Taigun 1.5 DSG, mind said Compass 1.4 Sport MT or Kushaq 1.5 MT. Went with the heart, but fingers crossed on that gearbox.

You're right, technically. I'm only saying it doesn't matter in the experience of the Taigun vs the competition - the braking with rear drums feels better to use than the competition which has rear discs.

And yes, you're right again - insulation under the hood could also have been provided. Both are cost cutting decisions, no doubt. But again I'm only saying an average joe isn't going to revv a turbo-petrol motor to 5000rpm to notice, which is around when the motor starts to get a bit boomy inside the cabin. The experience is refined at lower useable rpms, even on the 1.0 (as I felt on the Kushaq).

Both of these are negatives on paper, not deal breakers in real. Hope that is clearer. :)

1. Not much to start with - May just be the accessory 3D mats. Sunblinds are similar to magnetic ones that will be soon available on Amazon (should be same as Kushaq), and likely to cost a bomb when it comes from VW.

2. I hope one of the existing DSG long term owners can answer that. VW officials claim to have resolved the issues with the DQ200 over the recent years - but anyway they couldn't mention otherwise either.

Excellent review sir, yet again. Have gone through different reviews in multiple channels - but this one in our team bhp is one of the best.

However, it was highlighted in one of the reviews that the there is a huge styling difference between the top of the line Taigun GT manual and DSG variants. In case if few of our beloved team BHP members are not aware, here is the link.

https://youtu.be/Y0seSRJXP7M

Seems sun roof is not available in the top manual GT variant. This might also help if anyone wants to pre-book.

Wow! Superb review...

The points that stuck in my mind after going thru the review:

• Love the bright colors - "Curcuma Yellow" and "Wild Cherry Red" - what eye catching glossy colors!
• Great to hear positive comments on the suspension - kudos to VW for the perfect tuning.
• ACT (Active Cylinder Tech) seems like a cool technology to have and a USP in the current market.
• I would not break sweat over the lack of all 4 discs - the Koreans have these but also come with unreliable overall braking...brakes that work reliably are any day far better to have...
• I wonder why its only the Koreans who are seeing the market opportunity with Diesels :Frustrati
• Very odd-ball shape slot for the In-Car Entertainment housing. It seems as if someone hit a hexagon shaped space and it became jagged.
• No Sub-woofer? That is a let down...

I would humbly request and highly recommend this paragraph of the review be kindly re-phrased. We have our resident boot space expert Behemoth who has painstakingly compiled this thread here which busts a lot of myths around boot space >. Based on his research, the Seltos just has a 320 L boot which they have inflated as 433L. Let us provide the link to this article and educate our community about this. Let us not condemn VW here for being honest...

Few additional pictures we clicked for references and notes:

Blank instead of DEF reservoir tank cap is a reminder that the diesel variant is sold in international markets.





LED turn indicators aren't of the sequential type.



LED lights of the top-end, a night view:



Halogen lights of the mid-spec, a night view:



I wish that wiper was better concealed. It is hidden 95% of the way, but juts out to view just ahead of the driver's view. Or may be I should check for OCD.





Gannu has legroom with the front seats set all the way back!











Interior of the mid-spec 1.0 variant -

Absolutely true. T-Roc sales numbers don't justify its investment. But again, isn't T-Roc a CBU? And so is the reason for the high price?
Even then it still offers a lot more VW than Taigun.

Again, as an enthusiast, my perception towards VW is definitely not mass-market cars like Maruti/Hyundai. And my perception towards VAG is the quality, ride & handling, build, performance, etc. These are definitely compromised (even if not 100%) in the twins from VAG. There is no "wow" factor - rather all I see are just 2 additional participants in this already blazing competition between the Koreans, Chinese, Indians.

Great review! Rated 5 stars, especially for listening to KJY during the drive :)
The car looks really great - but having a bicycle on top of the car makes it look puny. Some really tall exec was standing next to the Kushaq while it was launched. They should hire a good photographer/staging expert.

Today called up a local dealer in Bangalore. I was trying to make some enquiries about the launch dates of Taigun.

The sales person told me that bookings are in full swing and almost full for the rest of the year. This seems unlikely for a product that is yet to be launched. It looks like a regular sales tactic.

I also received a call today and the sales person said pretty much the same thing to me. I asked about the 1.0 AT and he said that VW are organizing a preview event for those who registered thei interest on the website. He said the event will mostly be on the 21st and 22nd of August. Apparently the dealers also do not know much about the 1.0 variants and VW are being quite tight lipped about it. He was asking me to pre-book the vehicle but I declined.

That's an awesome review, very detailed and you have managed to cover up everything.

However, I have mixed feelings about the car.

• In spite of having the complete idea of the failures of the DQ200 gearbox, I wonder why VW is so hell-bent on getting the same gearbox here. Why not get the comparatively more reliable DQ250?
• The top-end version has more bling to it. In fact, the rear end looks overdone. A clean and straight rear end would have looked better.
• Even after selling cars for 10+ years in India, they still can't get wiper & light stalks in the correct orientation :Frustrati For some reason, I can't digest this fact. Probably nit-picking but nonetheless; I find it to be problematic
• The two dial speedo console looks a lot better than the digital one. I just wish they had that for all the variants. Classy and nice looking.
• I still have a feeling that there is some chance of them messing up the price of the car, at least for some variants in the lineup. Let's see when they disclose the prices.

However, in spite of the shortcomings, the manual gearbox version would still be a safe bet to own and drive. If I had to choose one, it would be the manual one in red colour. I admit that I have had a critical outlook towards VW and Skoda, but there is something about their cars that you can't ignore. Love them or hate them, they are eye-catching and do connect with your heart.

Brilliant review, thanks much for such detailed review.
Everything seems in line with what was expected based on what was seen so far of taigun and Kushaq and what we know of VW.
Only thing that doesnt look pretty good is the digital cockpit (KJY - Chemmbaikku Song only thing that brought smile on seeing the digital cockpit)
The variants and price continues to be unknown although we now know what is missed in GT manual.
Not able to understand why VW is keeping the official launch so late (or media drive so early).