Volkswagen Virtus - Premium Sedan

Volkswagen Virtus

The world premiere of Volkswagen Virtus was made on 8th March 2022 in India, this Made-in-India mid-sized Premium sedan has been unveiled with an aim to heat up the declining sedan market and attract customers who have wandered towards the mid-sized SUV segment. The new VW Virtus will replace the age-old and popular VW Vento.

Design

A refreshed style quotient can be seen on the car with a sharp-looking front alongside a mix and match combination of chrome & black elements. A striking new bold VW logo in the center highlights the aggressive new design. At the first glance, this car might look like an updated VW Jetta but no it isn’t. Virtus gets a new chin with large air cons and chrome strip in a big U-shape inside black intakes likewise the grille has lots of chrome bits that mix well with LED DRLS accentuating the front look of the car. The headlamp design is also new housing projector LED headlamps with L-shaped LED DRLS. The side profile of the vehicle looks aggrieve with high shoulder lines and sharp crease lines running along the length of the vehicle.

‘Razor’ glossy black 16-inch alloy wheel with turbocharger fan-like design will be standard on all the models and black ORVM’s gives a sporty touch to the vehicle. The tail of Virtus again will give a feel of VW Jetta, split LED tail lamps with an airplane fin-like design inside it, highlighting the minute detailed work that has gone into the making of this car.

VIRTUS badging has been placed on the bottom end with GT tag on the left of the boot lid and a small spoiler ingredient is also an eye-catching design factor on the vehicle. The vehicle also gets a blacked-out top and a shark fin antenna with a sunroof but missises out on a panoramic one.

Platform

Volkswagen Virtus is based on the MQA-A0 IN platform which roots VW Taigun, Skoda Kushaq, and Skoda Slavia while the Virtus is the second car from the VW stable under Volkswagens India 2.0 strategy with an aim of 92%-95% localized component sourced from the Indian market. The Virtus is said to be the longest premium sedan in the market at 4561mm while other dimension figures stand at 1507mm in height, 1752mm in width, and a wheelbase of 2651mm. Boot space is 521 liters to accommodate an adequate amount of luggage.

Interior

The interior of VW Virtus is also upmarket with a black and badge color combination and seems to be inspired by VW’s cousin Audi A6 and A8 cars like the glass finished on the center console and black piano finishes on dashboard palates. The car also gets an 8-inch fully digital instrument cluster along with a 10-inch infotainment system with Volkswagen Connectivity 2.0 tech embedded in it. On the contrary, the 8-inch digital screen could be the one borrowed from the international variant of VW Polo 2022 to stand out in the class, like the feather touch AC controls. There is a red strip encircling the dashboard on the GT variant and a silver touch underlining the entire starch of the dashboard. The flat-bottom steering a multifunctional which is seen on VW Taigun as well. The rear seat is decent enough to accommodate 3 passengers and it also gets a center armrest with cup holders.

Engine

Virtus is available in 2 Petrol Engines and 3 gearbox options with a 6-speed manual, 6-speed torque converter, and 7-speed DSG. 1.0 litre 3-cylinder TSI producing 113BHP @5000-5500 rpm, 178Nm @5000-6000rpm and second engine option is a 1.5 litre 4-cylinder TSI EVO yielding 147BHP @5000-6000rpm, 250Nm torque @1600-3500 rpm with active cylinder cut-off technology. The DSG gearbox is available only on the GT variant. This gearbox and engine options are available in Skoda Slavia and VW Taigun as well.

Features
1. Android Auto/Apple CarPlay – Wireless Connectivity

2. Wireless Mobile Charger

3. Volkswagen Connectivity 2.0

4. Engine Start/Stop

5. Cruise Control

6. Ventilated Leather Seat

7. Multifunctional Steering Wheel

8. 8 Speakers Audio Setup

9. Sunroof

10. 6 Airbags

11. Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

12. Multi-Collision Brakes

13. Reversing Camera

14. Hill Hold Assist

Colors
Wild Cherry Red

Candy White

Carbon Steel Grey

Curcuma Yellow

Reflex Silver

Rising Blue

Competition
Skoda Slavia

Engine: 1.0L 3-Cylinder & 1.5L 4-Cylinder Petrol 

Transmission:6 Speed Manual, 6 & 7speed Automatic (CVT & DSG)
Price: ₹10.69 lakh - ₹17.79 lakh

Hyundai Verna

Engine: 1.0L, 1.5L Petrol & 1.05L Diesel
Transmission: Manual, Automatic (CVT), Automatic (Torque Converter) & Automatic (Dual Clutch)
Price: ₹9.28 lakh - ₹15.32 lakh

Honda City

Engine: 1.5L Petrol & Diesel
Transmission: Manual & Automatic (CVT)
Price: ₹11.16 lakh - ₹14.91 lakh

Maruti Suzuki Ciaz

Engine: 1.5L Petrol-electric Hybrid
Transmission: Manual & Automatic (Torque Converter)
Price: ₹8.72 lakh- ₹11.71 lakh

Gallery

The Volkswagen Virtus which shares its DNA with the recently launched Skoda Slavia, both have almost similar features as well the pricing of the new VW Virtus is expected to be marginally higher than Skoda Slavia. The production of Volkswagon Virtus has been started at VW's Chakan facility in Pune, Maharashtra and 1st VW  Virtus has been rolled out as well. With Skoda Slavia clocking new booking records same results can be expected from VW premium sedan Virtus as well which would be worth waiting for. 

#HelloGoosebumps

Update: VW Viruts have been launched at a price tag starting ₹11.22 lakh and going up to ₹17.29 lakh (Ex-showroom) Comfertline with manual transmission being the base variant & top of the line GT Plus 1.5 with DSG gearbox. Company is also offering service value package for both engine options, the 1.0L Variant is priced at ₹20,000 & ₹22,881 for 1.5L Variant for a period of 4 years, the extended warranty from 5th year has fared at ₹11,525. Bookings are underway and delivery will commence from mid-June 2022.