[shiv4747]

2600 KMS Update - Virtus GT Manual

Sorry for the poor picture. Though I enjoy the drive, I forget to take pictures of our car.

It's been quite a while since my last update!

After our Bengaluru trip, we did not take it on any long drives. Everything has been inside Chennai city, that too mostly in congested areas. The city is too congested these days due to metro work.

Mileage

City traffic (bumper-to-bumper) - 12 KMPL

My wife and myself are the only drivers. So either we go alone or together. No extra passengers for almost 80% of the time.

Ground clearance

Great and surprising!

2 days back, we went to Avadi from Kottivakkam with a fully loaded car - 5 adults and 2 kids (15 years old and 11 years old). I know I thought the car's belly would scrape at least once, but surprisingly, it "never" did.

Power and Performance

Whether it is just 1 person onboard or fully loaded, the Virtus never fails to deliver. Its pick-up in 2nd and 3rd gear is ultimate. Just one tap on the accelerator and the car jumps ahead of everything else. I have never felt any turbo lag at all.

Eco Mode

90% of the time my wife and I drive very sedately. Our gear shifting will be usually this way:

1st gear - 1000 to 1500 RPM
2nd gear - 1500 to 2000 RPM based on moving traffic
3rd gear - 2000 RPM
4th gear - 2000 RPM

With the above gear shift style, the car shifts to ECO mode almost 80% of the time.

Brakes

Brakes are too sharp. Initially, my wife and I felt a little discomfort as our Jetta's brakes were soft. Now we are getting used to our Virtus' brakes.

Body & Ergonomics

The Virtus is easy to maneuver in city traffic. The body size is easy to judge while changing lanes and overtaking.

Mirrors

Though nothing to complain about myself, my wife felt that the door mirrors and rearview mirror could have been slightly larger.

Rear & Front lights

Brake lights are stylish and visible enough. But the reverse lamps and indicators could have been slightly brighter. I personally feel they are not sufficiently bright.

The headlamps are classy and powerful. The automatic fog lamps are very useful when turning in pitch-dark areas.

Music system

I mostly connect my iPhone with the cable to the Virtus' music system. The wireless charger is just for name's sake and the phone gets disconnected once in a while if I use the wireless connectivity of the music system. Hence, I prefer the wire.

The audio clarity is good enough. Our model doesn't have a subwoofer or amplifier, but I still enjoy the music.

NVH

The insulation in the car is very good. I hear only horn noises softly in heavy traffic and the music is pretty much clear. With the perfect insulation, I love the calm environment and enjoy conversations with my passengers.

No vibrations have been felt so far.

Seat ventilation & AC

Works 50/50.

Recently, we parked the car under the hot sun from morning till 4 pm. When I turned on the seat ventilation, it wasn't so effective. Just a very very mild breeze came out of the perforation.

With a fully loaded car, I kept the temperature at 18 degrees with the fan speed at 3 bars. The cabin became cooler enough within 10 minutes. FYI the outside temperature was 32 degrees around.

Overall my wife and I are happy with our Virtus GT manual.

With the black roof, it annoys me when the car is parked under a tree due to bird droppings falling on it. I feel restless until I wash them off [/h3]

I will try my best to keep updating the thread.

Cheers

SHIVA

[RunGaDa]

Nice review of your white VW Virtus.
You should be truly a sedan lover. I owned a Jetta in the past. It was the best car. The only problem was I sold it to buy a Passat. And for whatever day gone wrong, drowned it in a flash flood.
After that never went back to low ground clearance cars. But that’s just me!
Wishing you lots of miles on your Virtus.

[uneasyrider]

If your vehicle allows remote engine start with options for HVAC, then having the seat ventilation at maximum helps. For our Creta a 4 minute engine idling with the seat ventilation and car A/c switched on was sufficient to bring it down to tolerable cabin temperatures during the Delhi summers.

[Vipin Kumar]

Originally Posted by shiv4747

The insulation in the car is very good. I hear only horn noises softly in heavy traffic and the music is pretty much clear. With the perfect insulation, I love the calm environment and enjoy conversations with my passengers.

No vibrations have been felt so far.

Hi

Congratulations!

Is the engine noise not heard at all inside, while revving on highway, etc? Some owners have reported noisy engine, maybe compared to Honda City.

The purists and drive enthusiasts can prefer the engine note to be somewhat audible inside

I would like to hear from your experience further.

Vipin.

[shiv4747]

Originally Posted by RunGaDa

Wishing you lots of miles on your Virtus.

"I appreciate your kind wishes. Previously, my car, a Jetta, would scrape when fully loaded. However, with my new car, the Virtus, I haven't encountered this issue yet. It may be because the car is still relatively new. I am hopeful that I won't face this issue soon as well, but only time will tell."

Originally Posted by uneasyrider

If your vehicle allows remote engine start with options for HVAC, then having the seat ventilation at maximum helps. For our Creta a 4 minute engine idling with the seat ventilation and car A/c switched on was sufficient to bring it down to tolerable cabin temperatures during the Delhi summers.

As far as I know, the Virtus does not come with a "remote engine start" option. I've been trying to cool down the car by turning on the AC in "Auto" mode, and it usually takes no more than 10 minutes to get to a comfortable temperature. However, if the car is parked in direct sunlight, the ventilation in the seats is not very effective. On the other hand, if it's parked under a tree, the AC breeze is much more effective.

I'm unsure whether I should install a sun protection film for the front windshield. My concern is that it may be illegal in other states and result in being pulled over by the police. In Chennai, however, the cops aren't too strict about lighter tint shades.

Originally Posted by Vipin Kumar

Hi

I would like to hear from your experience further.

Vipin.

Hello Vipin,

Thank you for your kind wishes. I apologize if my previous message was unclear. I was referring to the NVH experienced during city driving when the gear shift RPM is between 1.5 to 2k. Conversely, when driving on highways and revving at higher RPMs, the 1.5 engine can feel rugged, which is enjoyable for driving enthusiasts.

Regarding the comparison of the engine note, I was referring to the Virtus engine note and comparing it to our first-generation Jetta. I hope this clarifies my previous message.

[VJB]

Hi,
Congratulations on your review. Planning to look for Virtus 1 lit for my brother. I did check your review in YT Birala's parvai , you had mentioned that Virtus 1.0 lacks the thump, but then recently VW did a 24 hours endurance test with 1 lit, and its performance was seen to be pretty good , which is on par with other competitor whose engines are 1.5 lit. According to you is virtus 1.0 lack luster?




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[shiv4747]

Originally Posted by VJB

Hi,
Congratulations on your review. Planning to look for Virtus 1 lit for my brother. I did check your review in YT Birala's parvai , you had mentioned that Virtus 1.0 lacks the thump, but then recently VW did a 24 hours endurance test with 1 lit, and its performance was seen to be pretty good , which is on par with other competitor whose engines are 1.5 lit. According to you is virtus 1.0 lack luster?

Hello VJB,

I apologize for the delayed response. I'm not sure how I missed your message.

Initially, I test-drove the 1.0 version but found that the power bands in the 3rd and 4th gear weren't punchy enough. I had previously owned a Jetta with a 1.6-litre engine with 110 bhp, so I knew what to expect. However, when I tried the GT, I felt that the power band was much more powerful, and it felt like a decent enough upgrade for our Jetta, while also being within our budget.

I also saw the endurance video, and in my opinion, both the 1.0 and 1.5 versions will perform similarly in city traffic and on shorter empty stretches. With the GT, I never had to downshift for quick overtakes on highways and sometimes even within the city. Both the 1.0 and 1.5 versions can reach speeds of 200 kmph, but the question is how effortless it is to do so.

I would suggest that you test drive both versions in the city and on the highway before making a decision. Let me know your thoughts after the test drive.

Thank you.

Cheers.

[neoakshay]

@shiv4747 - It was great reading your review and perspective on your GT, congratulations on a fantastic car! I recently completed 3,000 km on my 1 month old 1.0 Highline MT and you would have loved the analogue dials this model has.

I couldn't stretch for the 1.5 so settled for the 1.0 and it's been fantastic. I recently did Bangalore - Mangalore and on one good stretch the car effortlessly did 160 kmph without feeling strained or nervous. Very stable, planted and comfortable. I'm truly satisfied and now feel the 1.5 would have been dangerous in my hands

This car has made me a very smooth and sedate driver and I only let loose on this recent trip just to feel the performance of the car. It really cocoons you with the quiet and comfortable interior and the frankly surprisingly good audio system (without subwoofer). I found that I'm usually driving with very little throttle and a harder input gives a good shove in the right gear. No comparison to the GT's aggressive acceleration, but adequately fun and safer for our unpredictable roads.

The only thing I don't like is the slightly metallic rattly sound of this 1.0 engine at lower rpms and the engine honestly doesn't have a soulful sound at all, coming from a NA. I guess it doesn't matter when you're so comfortable and can play your favourite tunes on a long drive. I will hold on to this car for a long time, my previous car Santro lasted 19 years with me and was sold off to a new buyer who was very much happy to receive a car that was cared for in detail and still easily hits 120 kmph without a wobble.

Wishing you many happy miles ahead with your GT! My wife finds it funny how excited I still get when I spot a GT and even she now knows how to tell the difference between the 1.0 and 1.5 I'm glad I chose this car and the fact that it's made in India solves the one problem of VW (or most German cars for that matter) - spares availability and cost. This one should be very easy to love and maintain for a decade or more.

[shiv4747]

Originally Posted by neoakshay

@shiv4747 - It was great reading your review and perspective on your GT, congratulations on a fantastic car! I recently completed 3,000 km on my 1 month old 1.0 Highline MT and you would have loved the analogue dials this model has.

Hi Neoakshay,

Thank you for your kind words. I always get excited whenever I see any variant of the Virtus on the roads. The test drive of the Virtus 1.0 was satisfying since I found the dial almost similar to our Jetta. However, the only factor that led me to choose the GT was its higher horsepower & the number of airbags. It felt like a decent upgrade from our Jetta.

By the way, the photos are stunning, especially the first one in the dark.

I wish you all happy miles ahead!