3900 KM update on my Taigun 1.0 Topline AT. Observations:
- The door beading noise has become bothersome now. The noise disappears after a car wash but it does reappear again.
- Road noise on the stock MRF Wanderers is manageable except for when I've exited the Mumbai Pune expressway. A whine is heard above 50km/hr speeds. Makes me feel like I'm driving some thing way more powerful than what is there in the engine bay.
- I'm confused about the optimum tyre pressure on the car. Originally, I had bought this car as a two people mover and hence I used to set it to 33 Psi as mentioned on the rhs door pillar. My change of base to Pune meant more people want to sit in the Taigun so I've been keeping the tyre pressure to 35 for all the four wheels.
- The car is an absolute hoot to drive. I think this is the only German thing about it.
- The boot space is more than adequate for luggage of two people. Fold the seats and I've been comfortably able to shift my stuff from Thane to Pune in 5 trips.
- The air conditioning is adequate in Pune's 38 degree weather. I used to leave it on auto earlier but now cycle between level 2 and 3 with a temperature range between 19 and 22degrees.
- At times, the blower does some weird yoga antics. Inhale exhale kinda stuff if you know what I mean.
- Headlamp throw, I've found it inadequate on roads without dividers. Can get a bit scary and it does keep me on the edge of my seat.
- I always thought I'd never be able to find a perfect driving position. This changed when I set the seat to the lowest setting and the back aches are a thing of the past. My right arm doesn't have anywhere to rest so that kinda hurts.
- Given the terrain and the really short drive to my favourite vada pav wala, I've been seeing pretty abysmal mileage. Combine that with highway runs between Pune - Thane and back, the mileage is around 10km/l. I'm okay with that mileage figure.
- Since the roads where I live have a bit of an incline and a gradient, the transmission doesn't shift to D1 when I go to a full stop while going over a speed bump. The transmission acts confused at times at D1 and D2 so I manually shift to D1 at speeds under 15km/hr.
- I used to get pretty good mileage numbers earlier when I was using XP95. A change to Shell V Power has thrown these 10 km/l numbers. I've no recollection of what mileage I was getting with XP95 but I am pretty sure it was above 13km/l. Finding XP95 in Pune has been a chore. The Shell pump is a kilometer away from me and hence that has been my go to fuel of choice. I might switch to the lesser expensive normal fuel from Shell. OR. I could fill up with normal Shell fuel to get me to the IOCL pump and then tank up on XP95.
- On the expressway, cruise control has been such a bliss to use. Just chill, keep manning the pedals and i/orvms, change lanes and again, chill. 80-100km/hr has been the norm. 80 km/hr in the middle lane and 100 km while overtaking.
- Expressway runs with controlled speeds means I see 19km/l on the MID which excites me a lot until I exit the expressway on either ends of the cities.
- The rear bench has been comfortable for two people. The hand rest permanently rests in the open position. Although, when there are 5 of us travelling, one unlucky elder has to occupy the middle seat. I love it when that occupant isn't one of my favourite people. It is not a comfortable place to be in. This car is a strict 4 seater for the kinda people I have in my family.
- The amount of features on this car was overwhelming for me, coming from a 2007 Toyota Innova. Although, save for a couple of them, I found them to be at par with a 2014 Honda City which my uncle owns.
- I love the cabin at night. Illuminated switches are pleasing to the eye. The puddle lamp(?) in the door handles could have been powerful, but they're there and it is such a nice touch.
- The window safety lock switch only locks the rear windows. I always thought the front passenger window also got locked. I thought this was a fault until I consulted the owners manual.
- The ORVMs are horribly small, inspire no confidence on Pune roads. I've had to unlearn whatever driving I've learnt as a kid and an adult when I shifted bases to Pune and these ORVMs don't instil confidence in me.
- Initially while finalizing the Taigun over Polo, I thought the roof liner might be a let down. But this hasn't been a problem at all. Sure the quality could have been better, but honestly it isn't much of a bother.
- Love the steering wheel.
- The piano black finish on some interior bits has started to get hairline scratches. These trim pieces won't age gracefully. I can't find another material I can cover these trim pieces with hence I'd let them be the way they are until a suitable time for getting them wrapped comes.
- Felt lining in the door release well seems like a mod I'll take up, along with lining the bottle holder and the door pads. The plastic on the door release is prone to scratches from the finger nails and bottles rattle a lot in the door pads. This should dampen the rattle and thus the noise.
- The alloys are stunning to look at. The drive quality is a compromise on bad roads. But it isn't that bad. I haven't felt uncomfortable being in the seat as much as I thought I would. Maybe, more driving time on bad terrain might reveal the quality. Doesn't glide over potholes, have to be careful, but it isn't scary as well incase I go over it.
- The car has gaps where dry leaves, fine grains of sand settle. Especially around the boot.
- I've also made a mental note to check all the fluids in the engine bay at 5k odo reading.
- The long term stats on the ODO got reset suddenly around 800kms ago. I've no clue why this happened and I am very certain I won't get these stats back. For the better part of the 3200km long term reading, I saw 13.2km/l mileage.
- The infotainment system is pretty well integrated but feels incomplete. Same point about the instrument cluster. I wish there was a trip meter like other cars and not the way VW has implemented it in this iteration.
Overall, I'm happy about the purchase. Sure it is an overpriced package but for those who love driving, I think it is a good car. Ventilated seats are comfortable and we use them frequently. The ground clearance is a big win for me in terms of the roads my car frequents.
I hope there is some mod potential like the Polo has. I feel this will happen after a facelift or two where current gen owners are able to add features from the next gen cars while the next gen owners are able to add features deleted from the current gen ones.