Volkswagen Taigun GT Line: A reliable blend of style and safety

Volkswagen has always made solid, reliable cars that have stood the test of time. Personally, we have owned and driven Beetles from 1957 to 1961, and those cars have been as reliable as it can be. Today however the topic of conversation is the Taigun GT Line 1.0TSi AT – yes, quite a mouthful but a vehicle that embodies the same qualities of a solid build quality and bullet proof reliability that we have so come to love with VW.

Let us at first look at some of the salient features of the Taigun. The normal Taigun in itself is a very handsome looking machine, but this the GT line has been made to look better with black 17-inch alloys, a black grill and front air dam and a connected LED light bar at the rear. All this makes the Taigun GT edition look really cool. The LED headlight housing is blacked out as well, and looks deadly when the lights come on in the dusk. What we also found out as one of the major plus points in the headlamp array was the fact that the throw of the beam was quite good and illuminated the road well in all kinds of conditions.

On the inside, things are pretty good too. Thankfully, there is no sunroof – one thing that we absolutely abhor in smaller vehicles. The seats are a combination of leatherette and fabric, which is a good thing in itself – though we would have preferred leather, knowing well how much it would add to the overall cost! You do get a fully automatic climate control, and the air-conditioner seemed to be pretty efficient. You also get a proper two meter analogue instruments, along with a monochrome display for vital functions. In many ways this is much better than the TFT instrument displays that most cars seem to be coming with nowadays. All of this is pretty good, the only disappointment in our books being the use of a mechanical handbrake instead of an electronic parking brake (EPB) a feature that is very useful in stop-start traffic. Another minor gripe? The lack of ventilated seats up front. The good thing? There are two USB-C charging points up front and in the rear, which means that all your personal devices can get juiced up quickly. Full marks to VW for that.

Lets come to the engine now. The three-pot 999cc produces 115 horses and a 178 Nm of torque, but in reality its quite a god performer. Our test car came with a 6-speed automatic, though you can get a 6-speed manual if you feel your manhood is being questioned. You do get upwards of 18 km/l in the automatic version (company claimed) and for most part the performance quite sprightly and that 3-cylinder vibration is largely absent. Must mention here that the Taigun, being of German descent has a whole suite of 40 plus safety features including 6 airbags as standard. The vehicle has been rated with a 5-star safety rating in global NCAP programs.

This is a vehicle that is simple and appeal more to your mind than your heart. It comes with a perfectly usable standard set of features and is not extravagant in that sense at all. Sure, some features are missing but then VW India is giving you this vehicle at a particular price point, where those things really don’t matter. What matters is safety on the road and that is one area where the VW Taigun doesn’t let you down – and looks good too!

Priced at INR 15.63 lakhs, ex-showroom