FIRST DRIVE- VW TAIGUN SUV --JUST GUN IT

With the rain clouds dancing over our heads in the grand city of Udaipur in Rajasthan, we got behind the wheels of the new Taigun. The vehicle is being offered with two TSI petrol engine options. One is the 1 litre TSI 3 cylinder engine which produces a peak power and torque of around 113.42hp and 175Nm respectively. The other is the 1.5 litre TSI 4 cylinder engine which produces a peak power of 148hp and a peak torque of 250Nm.

Both these engines again have an option of a 6 speed manual transmission as well as an automatic. Since the company will be launching the 1 litre version later, let’s talk about the 1.5 litre version which we drove. Apart from the manual transmission, this also gets a 7 speed DSG or Direct Shift Gearbox. 

EXTERIOR

When it comes to looks, this German brand is known for its styling and design. The Taigun is charismatic without  any doubt and has a solid road presence. Since we Indians love a lot of bling, it’s quite obvious that the German stylists have put a lot of chrome up front.

There is generous chrome on the front grille and on the bumper. The new Volkswagen logo sits perfectly between the grille and the Taigun is one of the first locally manufactured products in India to carry the new logo. The letters GT fixed on the grille between the horizontal lines, give the vehicle a purposeful  front face.  The automatic we were driving comes with LED matrix headlamps with LED DRLs. Interestingly the headlamps can be individually switched off and dimmed.

Coming to the side, you notice the smart R17 dual tone alloy wheels and the neat wheel arches. You also notice the black plastic strip that seems to be running at the sill level and contouring itself around the wheel arches and then making its way all around the vehicle. The Taigun gets broad plastic claddings on the doors towards the bottom. Chrome handles, functional roof rails and a shark fin antenna add to the character of the vehicle. The front drive side door handle has a smart key button which once pressed either locks or unlocks the vehicle, provided the key fob is with you.

The Taigun has a very impressive rear profile with the C shaped LED tail lamps on either side connected at the width level. That gives the rear a very sporty look. One also gets to see a rear spoiler and the high mounted stop light. The letter Taigun and GT are again fixed on the tailgate and these are made of chrome. You also get to see the new VW logo at the rear.

INTERIOR

The Taigun comes with a wheelbase of 2651mm which results in a very roomy cabin. When you step in you are greeted with good quality seats and a smart digital cockpit. The front seats are ventilated. You also get elevated seating position for better view of the road ahead. The driver gets a decent sized arm rest with a some storage space beneath it. You cannot help getting the feeling that a lot of features in this vehicle are similar to the Skoda Kushaq, which is a brand within the Volkswagen family.

The Taigun has a smart dashboard layout. The quality of plastic on the dash is pretty good and it gets a dull silver border kind of finish that  encases each of the slots in front like the 10 inches touch screen, an eight inches digital instrument cluster, steering mounted controls, a centre console area, the ac ducts etc. The 10 inches touchscreen Infotainment comes embedded with Apple Carplay and Android Auto. The touch screen can take you through a multitude of functions and features that are connected to either the instrument cluster, driving, entertainment or any other setting. Like the way Skoda had its own apps, here too the Volkswagen has its own apps for its customers. The four apps that we found here were Audio books, Gaana.com, Bookings.com and Maps. The company will be adding more apps in the near future.

You also get an inductive charging which we often call wireless charging, besides type C USB charging ports, 12V socket and multi-function leather sport steering wheel that has buttons for voice command, audio settings and cruise control.

Smart storage spaces, ambient lighting, automatic air-conditioning with touch control are some of the features of the Taigun.  On a personal level we would have preferred manual controls for the air conditioning but electric brake facility rather than the conventional hand brake lever. The Kushaq also scores a sore point here.  The Taigun gets a decent sized electric sunroof.

When you move to the rear you see that there is ample leg room and head room for the occupants. You also notice that the flattened tunnel at the rear bench of the Taigun makes the seating position comfortable for the middle occupant, though he or she cannot avoid compromising on the knee room because of the  ac duct module just in front. The rear occupants get two USB charging slots, apart from an arm rest with cup holders. The rear gets three adjustable head rests, 3-point seat belts and ISOFIX mounts.

The Taigun offers around 320 litres of space in its boot compartment. The deep cavity in the boot can definitely help store a lot of luggage but the flip side to it is that pulling out heavy suitcases from this space could pose a problem to your back.

 ENGINE & PERFORMANCE

As I was driving the 1.5 litre TSI mated to the 7-speed dual clutch DSG, I felt that speed came naturally to this vehicle. Paddle shifters added to the fun of driving this vehicle. We experienced very smooth acceleration and found the engine responding to each gear change pretty fast and efficiently.

Volkswagen is known for making rock solid cars and it’s but obvious that we found the suspension so perfectly tuned. It soaked in all the rough roads and bumps we encountered. The NVH levels too were well maintained. The steering, I felt, was on the lighter side and maybe a bit more feedback from the road could have been good.  But since the vehicle took the roads with such confidence, it makes the Taigun the right SUV for both city driving as well as long distance driving. Driving the entire stretch from Udaipur towards Mount Abu was as effortless as it could be.

I was also impressed by the vehicle’s brake system which is very dependable. The system gets what’s known as a brake disc wiping mechanism which constantly cleans up your brake discs, thereby promoting efficiency and dependability.  

For driving the vehicles, you get different modes that include the D or Drive mode, the Sport mode and Manual Mode. Then of course, you have paddle shifters that take the level of driving to another level.  Features like Star Stop help you conserve fuel but there is another feature that is there in the Taigun that is deactivation of engine cylinders. The system helps shut off two of the four cylinders when the vehicle is cruising at a decent speed.  While cruising along a highway or driving slowly you may notice a sign coming up on your instrument cluster which tells you that the vehicle is driving with two cylinders shut. The moment you try to push the vehicle harder, it automatically kicks back to all four cylinders. I feel this is a smart technology which makes sense in today’s world when you want to conserve every drop of precious fuel.

The Taigun has several safety features that include electronic stability control, tyre pressure deflation warning, rear park distance control, hill hold control, six airbags, among others.

VERDICT

The Volkswagen Taigun comes at a time when the market is flooded with some very smart SUVs in various price brackets, offering a plethora of features. VW has the advantage of quality and build on its side. The Taigun is bold, it’s got charisma, and it’s got a great road presence. It offers a lot of comfort and some great performance. So what are you waiting for? Just gun it and have some fun!