Volkswagen Taigun compact SUV launched: Prices start from Rs. 10.49 lakh

Volkswagen has launched its new mid-size SUV, Taigun in the Indian market. It starts at Rs. 10.49 lakhs ex-showroom. Volkswagen will offer the Taigun with two petrol engines and two variant groups. We have already driven the Taigun and you can click here for the full review.

More than 12,000 pre-bookings of Taigun have been received by Volkswagen. You can the Taigun by paying Rs. 25,000 to an authorised Volkswagen dealership. Taigun is the second product under the INDIA 2.0 Strategy of Volkswagen and Skoda. The production-spec Taigun is very close to the Taigun Concept that was showcased at the Auto Expo 2020.

Variants

Taigun will be offered in two groups, namely Dynamic and Performance. Performance groups come only with two GT variants. There is a GT Manual and GT Plus DSG. The GT is priced at Rs. 14.99 lakhs ex-showroom whereas the GT Plus DSG costs Rs. 17.49 lakhs ex-showroom.

The Dynamic Group is more affordable. The base variant is Comfortline that costs 10.49 lakhs. Then there are Highline variants. The manual gearbox costs Rs. 12.79 lakhs while the automatic gearbox is priced at Rs. 14.09 lakhs. The top-end trim in the Dynamic group is Topline which costs Rs. 14.56 lakhs for the manual gearbox whereas the automatic transmission costs Rs. 15.9 lakhs. All the prices are introductory and ex-showroom.

Rivals

Taigun being a mid-size SUV will be competing against Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq, Renault Duster, Nissan Kicks and the upcoming MG Astor. Because of the pricing, the lower variants of the Taigun will go against the Maruti Suzuki S-Cross while the higher variants will go against the MG Hector, Mahindra XUV700 and Tata Harrier.

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Engine and gearbox

Volkswagen will offer the Taigun with two turbocharged petrol engine options, there will be no diesel engine on offer. There will be a three-cylinder, 1.0-litre TSI and a four-cylinder, 1.5-litre TSI. The smaller engine puts out 115 PS of max power and 178 Nm of peak torque. It will be offered with a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed torque converter automatic gearbox. The 1.0 TSI will be offered only with the Dynamic group of variants.

The 1.5 TSI would be offered only with the Performance group of variants. It puts out 150 PS of max power and 250 Nm of peak torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 7-speed DQ200 DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The 1.5 TSI also features cylinder deactivation technology in which, when the vehicle is cruising at a constant speed, it can shut down two of its cylinders to save some fuel.

Exterior

Taigun looks like a typical Volkswagen or a European SUV, with its simple and clean lines. But because of the straight lines, it does look like a proper SUV. Some people might even consider it the best looking mid-size SUV as it has the most road presence when compared with the competition. Taigun has a boxy design with flat body panels and bonnet to give it the SUV proportions.

Up-front, there are dual-pod LED projector headlamps that neatly integrate into the chrome slats of the Volkswagen grille. On the lower variants, you get a halogen setup. There are LED Daytime Running Lamps on offer too. There are functional roof rails and the alloy wheels measure 16-inches or 17-inches depending on the variant you opt for. Taigun is also the first SUV in the segment to come with a light bar that connects both the rear tail lamps.

Interior

Depending on the variant, the interior will look a bit different. The GT Line gets faux carbon fibre and silver inserts. There is a fully digital instrument cluster, which Skoda Kushaq misses out on. You also get cruise control, multi-function steering wheel, automatic climate control with touch-sensitive controls, wireless charger and there is a new generation touchscreen infotainment system that comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Other features include, an electric sunroof, rear parking camera with sensors, push button to start/stop, ventilated seats etc.

Also read: Skoda Kushaq SUV”s official launch & price announcement timeline revealed officially