Volkswagen Taigun GT Launched With 150hp/250Nm Engine - Check Design, Features, Price & More

The Taigun GT comes either with the fully loaded DSG form which we have reviewed earlier but this is the cheaper manual gearbox with less features but maybe has a bigger value for money appeal.

Volkswagen Taigun 1.5 TSI Manual Review

New Delhi: Now that the Taigun has been launched we shall talk about the most interesting variant in the Taigun range in a more interesting manner and that is the manual GT variant that you see here.

You see the Taigun GT comes either with the fully loaded DSG form which we have reviewed earlier but this is the cheaper manual gearbox with less features but maybe has a bigger value for money appeal. With the GT manual, Volkswagen wants its 1.5 TSI to appeal to more buyers. So what do you get with the 1.5 TSI and what all is cut from the DSG?

Well for 14.9 lakh, the Taigun GT manual has some features cut including simpler halogen headlamps, smaller 16-inch wheels and most apparent is the lack of push button start along with analogue dials in place of digital dials. Like the Polo, you push the key in to start and I frankly did not see any problems and the old school dials are also not an issue at all.

Yes, you also miss a sunroof. That said the red car we had came with coloured inserts which were nice and it added spice to the interior but do note that it is only available with this red colour.

So with all these features cut the Taigun GT manual is aimed at drivers so let's see about that. The engine is 150hp/250Nm and the star of the show. Paired with a 6-speed manual, you instantly like the car as a sporty SUV. With a manual you enjoy driving it more along with the fact that the engine likes to be driven hard. While the clutch is light, the gear lever is slightly heavy but a day's driving did not tire us and only made us like the Taigun GT manual more. It is for drivers and this engine is a core part of the appeal.

Yet with a manual, it is not very hard to use in the city, the amount of torque available means you can basically keep it in third gear for city use and it would be enough. We also found that the manual with 16inch wheels rides slightly better while the high speed stability sets a new benchmark for its class as it is stable at high speeds. In terms of efficiency, it is more or less the same as the GT DSG but it really depends on the way you drive it.

Hence as a more affordable version, the Taigun GT manual does a convincing job and if you like driving plus want the Taigun experience but for less money, we think this is the better value option. Of course there would be many who would want the fully loaded with all the needed features but here the Taigun GT is a perfect upgrade to someone who wanted a Polo GT but also in a practical SUV body.