It has been a while but I have been part of the audience that has watched the newest compact SUV from Volkswagen through the process of being first shown as a concept to then making its Auto Expo debut to seeing the 'closer to production spec' car some months back. Finally, I get to drive this SUV and a lot is expected from the Taigun. It is the SUV on which Volkswagen India will shape its future India innings plus it is a VW that has a lot of 'India' in it right from the platform to the overall development.
This is an SUV with an Indian flavour while still being German. While a September launch is expected, the Taigun will enter a popular segment and has its work cut out with a lot to prove. We drove it for 220km plus to find out whether the Taigun is indeed the perfect compact SUV or not.
First and foremost, the Taigun is eye-catching and even more so when you look at it in detail. It is slightly smaller than other 4m plus SUVs but makes up with a lot of visual content via the details. It is a typical VW design but one that has been tuned for India, which shows. The front for example has a lot of chrome and that ramps up the premium quotient plus the skid plate and the design of the headlamps matching with the grille is pretty neat. The side view is less extroverted but the 17-inch dual-tone alloys look superb while there is cladding along with functional roof-rails.
My favorite bit though is the rear styling courtesy of the continuous LED lighting and that gives it additional presence along with making it look wider. Alongside the usual colour choices including white and grey, these signature colours further enhance the styling of the SUV. We do feel it looks better and stands out with these colours though silver does bring out the lines more. Speaking of which, the paint finish to the double lines that run across the side are all high quality along with superbly detailed. What it lacks in size, the Taigun makes up for it in terms of the quality to the detailing.
Step inside and the doors close with reassuringly high quality being tough in its build quality. The same goes for the materials inside. It feels premium and also classy like any VW before. There is beige here as the use of silver plus grey has been done to a sporty effect.
The various touchpoints and the steering is very well finished. What I found to be of a complaint would be the roof lining which doesn't match with the rest of the cabin in terms of quality. The red car gets special coloured inserts in the cabin and I found it to be likeable without looking too flashy. Of course, the other Taigun colours get the silver/grey look inside.
In terms of the equipment list, the India factor has been considered in the fact that the Taigun gets ventilated seats and a lot more. The 10-inch touchscreen works smoothly and the layout is nice to use as well as easy on the eye. The same can be said for the digital instrument cluster which can be configurable via different screens along with interchanging the info available inside the screen. The side two screens are blank. There is also a really nice red ambient lighting across the top-end GT variant and the same colour is used for the dials also.
Other new bits included touch AC controls which I did not find tough to use on the go while type-C USB ports mean VW wants us to be future-ready and you need to have a special cable to use them now. In terms of tech, the Taigun has connected car technology and wireless App connect and has pre-loaded apps installed plus a rearview camera/sensors etc. A sunroof is a must for any SUV in this class and the Taigun gets one albeit a regular-sized sunroof which we do not have a problem with at all! In terms of safety, the Taigun gets ESC standard, tyre pressure warning, 3 head restraints at the rear and 6 airbags. I found the Taigun to be spacious also.
It has the longest wheelbase in its class and with the driver's seat set to my height (6'1"), there is enough space for me at the rear too. That said three would be a squeeze through the central tunnel flattened to a lot of extents. Storage is good enough with the door pockets large enough for bigger water bottles.
Let's talk about the real deal and that is the driving experience. Polo GT TSI owners will love this and the Taigun GT with the DSG is just the perfect driver's SUV. The Taigun we drove was the 1.5l TSI with the 7-speed DSG automatic. The engine is the most powerful one in its class with 150PS and 250Nm. It starts off very well being refined while the low-speed driving manners of the Taigun surprised us with the smoothness of the gearbox. This is one of the most responsive dual-clutch gearboxes we have to see since there is no hesitation at low speeds plus the ride quality was surprisingly comfortable too.
I was expecting the Taigun to be firm and while it has that typical Volkswagen German firm edge, it is very good at tackling our roads or potholes as we saw in Udaipur city. Out on the open roads, the Taigun is fast and fun with enough power to be had. The ample torque along with the gearbox makes cruising very easy at big speeds. The SUV stays flat and composed too. If you want to be engaged further the S mode or the paddle shifters make the driving experience even better. In terms of driving experience alone, the Taigun is one of the benchmarks now with its perfect dynamics. The 1.5 TSI also gets cylinder shutdown technology where the engine shuts down two cylinders for better mileage. Speaking of which we saw nearly 14kmpl on the display which is pretty good.
In the end, the Taigun impressed being a typical Volkswagen in terms of the driving experience with the engine plus the gearbox while being an SUV, the ground clearance of 205mm easily beats other rivals and enables it to be practical for our roads. The equipment list is also impressive which fulfils many wishes from the SUV buyer while still being an enjoyable car to drive in the end. Prices come out in September at launch but at the moment, the wait has been worth it, is all that we would say!
What we like- looks, quality, driving experience, ground clearance, ride and handling
what we do not- rear space is a bit less for three passengers in terms of width
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