Volkswagen Taigun

The Volkswagen Taigun facelift has been launched with styling revisions, new features and a new 8-speed automatic transmission option. With this update, the Taigun is attempting to provide better comfort and convenience for the family members, while still being one of the enthusiast-oriented compact SUVs in the segment.

But with new rivals like Tata Sierra and Kia Seltos which offer more features, space and technology, are the updates to the Taigun enough to satisfy the needs of your family?

The first thing you notice to be different about the Taigun is its face. The SUV now features a connected LED DRL setup, which merges with the LED headlamps. At the centre of the DRLs is the 2D Volkswagen logo, which is illuminated.

The shape of the headlamps remains similar to the older version; however, both units are now connected with a gloss black strip.

The GT lineup also gets its badging on this strip. Below the headlamps is the redesigned bumper, which now looks sharper than before, and here too the carmaker has used some gloss black inserts to add a pinch of premiumness.

In profile, the new Taigun gets dual-tone 17-inch alloy wheels, and you get different designs and colours based on the variant you choose. The rest of the side profile remains the same, with thick cladding under the doors, sharp, straight lines cutting through the panels, and roof rails.

At the back, the tail lamps are now connected, and here too, you get an illuminated Volkswagen logo. Volkswagen has revised the rear bumper design as well, and you still get a roof-mounted spoiler. Check out the new Taigun's design in more detail here in our image gallery.

Overall, with these changes, the Taigun now looks like a mini-Tiguan, especially from the front. And while its overall size might not render it the best road presence, the Taigun will still stand out with its elegance and interesting lighting elements. If you want to check out how the car has evolved over the outgoing model, read this story.

The facelifted Volkswagen Taigun brings two new hues: Avocado Pearl and Steel Grey. Besides, it is also available with six other shades: Wild Cherry Red, Lava Blue, Candy White, Deep Black, Reflex Silver, Carbon Steel and Carbon Steel Matte. You can take a look at all the colour options and their variant-wise distribution here.

Unlike the exterior, Volkswagen hasn’t changed the styling of the interior. The dashboard design, the door trims, the seats – everything remains the same, which is both a pro and a con.

A con for some (including me) could be that the dashboard has started to show a bit of its age. The dual tone theme in the non-GT Plus variants still adds some life to the cabin, but the all-black theme of the GT Plus variants, despite the sporty appearance, lacks appeal.

I do like how the red ambient lighting looks at night though.

Then there are the existing grouses. It still gets empty button slots in the central console, which isn’t as much an issue as the touch sensitive AC control panel. It is a nightmare to use while driving the car, and the Piano Black finish means it picks up dirt and finger marks very easily too.

In terms of the quality, fit and finish, while the Taigun is nowhere near setting any benchmarks for its feel and richness, the cabin is properly solid. There are no inconsistencies in the panel gaps and no plastic squeaks either. I would’ve liked some leatherette on the top half of the dashboard at the very least. As of now, it’s only on the seats, steering wheel and armrest.

Front seats

The Volkswagen Taigun has really comfortable seats. They feel a little firm, but not uncomfortable by any means. The side supports are aggressive, but not intrusive so they hold you well when you’re having fun in the corners.

In the top-spec variants, the front seats are 6-way powered and ventilated too. So getting comfortable and finding an ideal driving position is easy for all.

Steering gets tilt and telescopic adjustment, and usually people like to feel tall in their SUVs, but I like how low the seats go.

It feels sporty and makes you feel like you’re being cocooned by the vehicle. Memory setting for seat position for families with multiple drivers would’ve been useful though.

Rear Seats

The Taigun might be one of the smaller cars on paper, but it still offers a spacious enough second row for two six footers to sit back to back. However, there is a limitation of space if you want to seat three people. If those people in question are anything more than regular weight, there will be a lot of shoulder overlap, and the passenger in the middle also sits a little outwards, so they won’t be happy over long journeys.

Two passengers though, and the Taigun’s second row is hard to fault in terms of comfort and space with well supportive seats, rear AC vents and a central armrest.

Conveniences however, could’ve been better with basic features like a rear sunshade. If Volkswagen offered rear seat ventilation, and rear seat massager that the Kushaq gets, then this space would’ve gone from being acceptable to being an excellent chauffeur driven vehicle.

Practicality

For a family of four, the Taigun has all the right storage spaces. All four doors can hold 1-litre bottles and some small items like packets of lays.

For your coffee runs, there are two cupholders in the central console with a ribbed finish at the bottom which helps you open your cold drink cans with one hand.

Just ahead is an open slot where you can drop the keys, and other small items like your powerbank and wallet can go into the space inside the central armrest.

You also get a cooled glovebox which is wide and deep, so you won’t run out of cold drink supplies on the roadtrip.

The rear passengers get seat back pockets, two cupholders in the central armrest and a parcel shelf.

Charging options

The charging needs are well taken care of by four type-C ports (two front, two rear).

There is a wireless phone charger for the front passengers, along with a 12V socket.

Features

The Volkswagen Taigun was never amongst the cars in the segment that someone would buy for its features list, and despite the new additions to the list, it still won’t allure anyone just on the basis of its features. Basics like all-four power windows, electrically adjustable ORVMs, automatic AC with rear AC vents, steering mounted controls and cruise control are offered as standard. Read about what variant gets which feature in this story.

The biggest addition in the cabin, quite literally, is the panoramic sunroof.

I like that it gets separate buttons for controlling the sun blind and the glass individually.

Rest of the feel-good features include, powered and ventilated front seats, auto-dimming IRVM, automatic headlights, and a 6-speaker sound system.

The sound system provides an average experience and doesn’t deliver the 3D surround sound feel that some rivals do.

In terms of the tech, the Taigun features a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system enhanced with AI-based features powered by Google Cloud. What that basically means is that you get apps like YouTube pre-installed and the voice commands won’t sound like a bot. The screen itself has bright resolution and a fairly simple user interface. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connect easily too.

This screen even has a menu that shows you how much boost pressure your turbo is building!

What I love the most is the new 10.25-inch digital driver’s display. Not only is it crisp and easy to read, it has multiple layouts with a digital and analogue look. Both the screens get different themes too with the GT Plus variants and it does make them look more sporty.

Overall, the Taigun could’ve offered a few more features like dual-zone AC, multi-colour ambient lighting, memory setting for the driver seat and branded audio system. This update could’ve given it a better fight against the competition, but as it stands, there’s no real miss or dealbreaker in the package. 

If you were expecting the Taigun facelift to offer a few autonomous driving assistance features (ADAS), you’d be disappointed. But if you care about the features that actually matter, then you'd be happy to know that it gets 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control (ESC), brake assist, rear wiper and washer, rear defogger, and rear parking sensors as standard.

Higher variants add features like hill-start assist, front parking sensors, reverse parking camera and all-four disc brakes (1.5-litre only).

However, the quality of the rear-view camera is just poor, and Volkswagen should’ve done a better execution here if not offer a 360-degree camera.

The pre-facelift version of the Taigun had scored a full 5-star crash test rating in GNCAP.

The Taigun’s 385-litres of boot space is by some margin behind the biggest boot in the segment, and yet, it is unlikely that you’ll need more out of it. The shape itself is wide and deep, so a full suitcase set and some duffle bags can be stored easily. If you’re carrying cabin trolleys, even better. So for four people’s worth of luggage for 3 to 4 days shouldn’t be too hectic.

In case you don’t have passengers and want to carry bigger items, you can do so by folding the second row down with the 60:40 split.

The new Taigun carries forward the engine options of the outgoing version with a 1-litre turbo-petrol and a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine. However, like the Kushaq, the Taigun’s 1-litre TSI engine gets an 8-speed torque converter automatic transmission instead of a 6-speed unit, and the 1.5-litre TSI engine continues to be offered with the DCT (or DSG, as Volkswagen likes to call it), not with a manual.

The bigger engine is limited to the higher variants only and you can read this story to know about the Taigun’s variant-wise powertrain split.

1-litre turbo-petrol 

The entry-level engine offers more performance than most other entry-level engines in the segment. Despite being a 3-cylinder engine, it offers good refinement. The only time some vibrations are felt is when the car is idling, but that’s acceptable.

City Performance

For all city commutes, this engine has more than enough performance. It feels a little lazy near the 1,000RPM mark, but can still keep pace with the moving traffic. But when you do need to overtake, it has enough performance to help you do so without any hesitation.

With the new 8-speed AT, the drives are now marginally smoother. It is smooth in bumper to bumper traffic, doesn’t keep shifting between gears, and is quick enough to react too.

You can pick the manual if you want the engagement you get of using all the different components of it, but the automatic offers you both convenience and performance. 

When driven normally, you can expect a fuel efficiency of around 10kmpl in the city.

Highway Performance

Surprisingly, this engine feels peppy enough to reach triple digit speeds without much effort. It isn't as exciting as the bigger turbo-petrol, but reaching highway cruising speeds doesn’t take time and it cruises comfortably in 8th gear.

When you do need to overtake, the transmission drops multiple gears quickly and all your highway overtakes can be done with no prior planning. It might get slightly loud when you ask for a really quick overtake with a full load in the car, but the performance will still feel adequate.

To make those overtakes easier, you can eliminate the time the automatic transmission takes to downshift itself entirely by using the paddle shifters. Despite being a torque converter, the paddle shifters feel responsive and actually allow aggressive downshifts, which adds to the engagement of driving the car.

On regular highway commutes, you can expect a fuel efficiency of around 12kmpl.

1.5-litre turbo-petrol

Despite the awe and respect the TSI badge has amongst enthusiasts, this engine isn’t the most powerful in the segment. But paired with its slick and smooth DCT, the combination makes this powertrain great.

City Performance

In the city, this engine remains calm. Refinement is excellent, and you barely have to push the throttle to make maneuvers in city traffic. The dual-clutch transmission provides a smooth crawl in the bumper and the car doesn’t feel lurchy or jumpy. The shifts too are nearly noon existent, and all your drives will just be effortless.

Highway Performance

And that effortless feeling continues even as you pull up to a highway. The way this engine builds speed will put a smile on your face if you’re upgrading from a smaller car. You won’t even realise and you’ll have hit the highway speed limit, and it’ll still have more than enough performance to keep pulling easily. 

The DCT just shifts through gears after gear seamlessly. It is almost instant to downshift when you ask for a quicker overtake while cruising, and you will enjoy using the paddle shifters too.

If you’re one who likes to drive cars spiritedly, and want your car to have strong performance, then the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol is a no-brainer for you. But if you just want an engine that won’t feel underpowered under different use cases, then the 1-litre turbo-petrol gets the job done.

This engine also has dual cylinder deactivation technology, so if you’re cruising respectfully, then the car can actually return a decent fuel efficiency of around 14-16kmpl.

The suspension setup of the Volkswagen Taigun compliments its chassis and performance. It has a European feel to it where it feels firm over the regular speedbreakers and imperfections on our road, but never uncomfortable to the point that your passengers would complain. It is only over a sharp bump or edge that you feel a jolt inside partnered with a loud noise, but if you keep your speed in check, the ride comfort is manageable.

The side to side movement of the body is controlled over the patchworks and random potholes on the highways. When the road smoothens, this car feels like it's glued to the road. Any undulation or even expansion remains unfazed. Even over the concrete road surfaces, the car feels settled, and the vertical movement inside the cabin, which is usually felt over such surfaces, is almost minimal. 

Where you enjoy the benefits of this setup is around a corner where the car just feels so controlled that you’d be hard pressed to tell what speed you were carrying. The steering wheel feels direct and you can change lanes at high speeds, and even take a long corner without dropping any speed or hearing a complaint from your occupants. 

If you live in areas with really bad road conditions, then cars like the Creta, Grand Vitara, Sierra and the Seltos will feel more comfortable with their cushioned rides. But if you don’t mind a slight sacrifice in ride comfort for a significantly better handling and dynamic package, then there aren’t a lot of cars like the Volkswagen Taigun.

The facelifted Volkswagen Taigun is available in 5 broad variants: Comfortline, Highline, Topline, GT, and GT Plus. Here is what each of them offer:

Comfortline

• Available only with the 1-litre turbo-petrol manual powertrain.

• Exterior gets LED headlamps, LED DRLs, connected LED tail lamps, and 16-inch steel wheels with covers.

• Comes with a dual-tone cabin theme, fabric seat upholstery, height adjustable driver seat, ambient lighting, and a front centre armrest.

• Being the base-spec variant, it covers basics like all-four power windows, auto AC with rear AC vents, electrically adjustable ORVMs, and steering mounted controls.

• Gets a 7-inch touchscreen, wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and a 6-speaker sound system.

• Safety kit includes 6 airbags, ABS with EBD, electronic stability control (ESC), rear parking sensors, tyre pressure deflation warning, and ISOFIX child seat anchors.

Highline

• Gets both manual and automatic transmissions with the 1-litre turbo-petrol engine.

• Brings upgrades on the outside like 16-inch alloy wheels.

• Cabin gets 60:40 folding rear seats, rear centre armrest with cupholders, and white ambient lighting.

• Also gets a wireless phone charger, a shark fin antenna, and valet mode.

• Better infotainment package with a larger 10.1-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

• Improved safety with front and rear parking sensors, a rearview camera, and hill start assist.

Highline Plus

• Better styling with chrome door handles along with welcome and goodbye animations in tail lamps (check it out in images here).

• Only major change to the cabin is a parcel shelf.

• Gets a single pane sunroof, push button start stop, a cooled glovebox, electrically folding ORMVs, an 8-inch digital driver’s display, and auto headlamps.

• Safety kit gets rain sensing wipers, follow me home headlamps, and one touch up/down driver window.

GT Line

• Available with the 1-litre turbo-petrol engine with both manual and automatic transmissions.

• Gets GT badges all around, red brake callipers and all-black 17-inch alloy wheels.

• Comes with an all-black cabin with red ambient lighting

• No major additions in features or safety. We have covered a detailed explainer of this variant here.

Topline

• Modern styling with connected LED DRLs, illuminated front and rear VW logo, and 17-inch alloy wheels.

• Premium cabin gets leatherette seat upholstery. Take a closer look at this mid-spec variant in detail here.

• Additional features include a 10.25-inch digital driver’s display, 6-way powered driver and front passenger seats, front seat ventilation, and a panoramic sunroof.

GT Plus Chrome / Sport

• Top-spec variant comes with the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol DCT powertrain.

• Gets GT branding inside and out along with Chrome or Black elements based on the version you choose. Here you get a closer look at the GT Plus Chrome trim. Keen to see the specs and features of the GT Plus Sport trim? Check that here.

• No changes to the feature or safety kit.

CarDekho Recommends

• Get the base-spec Comfortline if you're on a budget. It comes with all the basic necessities for your daily commutes.

• Go for the Highline Plus variant if you want a more premium and feature rich package, stretch to Topline only for some flashy features.

• Pick the GT Plus variants only for the more powerful powertrain.

Despite this facelift, the reasons to buy or to not buy the Taigun are still the same. It still isn’t the biggest, most spacious, feature loaded, comfortable or even the most practical car in its segment.

But what it continues to do is offer a good balance of all those qualities along with an excellent drive experience, thanks to its cohesive powertrain balance of steering, chassis, suspension engine, and brakes. And of course, then there is the underlying brand value and respect that you get with the Volkswagen name, which only a couple of other brands in the segment muster. 

Alternatively, if you like the Taigun, but want the same package with a different design, then you should also consider the Skoda Kushaq (Taigun vs Kushaq compared here). 

Other Options To Consider:

Hyundai Creta (VW Taigun vs Hyundai Creta compared)

Reasons To Consider

• Better features

• Gets an ADAS suite

• More space

• Option of a diesel engine

Reasons To Ignore

• More expensive

• Not as fun to drive

Kia Seltos (VW Taigun vs Kia Seltos compared)

Reasons To Consider 

• Segment best cabin quality 

• Great space 

• More features 

• Gets a diesel engine 

Reasons To Ignore

• More expensive 

• Not as sporty 

Maruti Victoris (VW Taigun vs Maruti Victoris compared)

Reasons To Consider

• Gets AWD and a strong hybrid powertrain

• Comes with an ADAS suite

Reasons To Ignore

• Polarising design can split opinions

• Not exciting to drive

Maruti Grand Vitara/ Toyota Hyryder (VW Taigun vs Maruti Grand Vitara compared / VW Taigun vs Toyota Hyryder compared)

Reasons To Consider

• Fuel efficiency strong hybrid powertrain

• Option of an AWD setup

Reasons To Ignore

• Less premium cabin

• Not fun to drive

Renault Duster (VW Taigun vs Renault Duster compared)

Reasons To Consider 

• Most powerful turbo-petrol engine 

• Fun to drive

• Adventure focused 

Reasons To Ignore 

• Lack design elegance of Taigun 

Tata Sierra (VW Taigun vs Tata Sierra compared)

Reasons To Consider 

• Great features 

• Standout design 

• Gets a diesel engine 

Reasons To Ignore 

• Much more expensive 

• Not driver focused 

Honda Elevate (VW Taigun vs Honda Elevate compared)

Reasons To Consider 

• More affordable 

• Premium cabin

• Smooth CVT performance 

Reasons To Ignore 

• Not fun or exciting to drive

• Gets less features

MG Astor (VW Taigun vs MG Astor compared)

Reasons To Consider

• Premium interior feel
• Well-equipped feature list

Reasons To Ignore

• Feels dated
• Only petrol engine on offer