September 2022 - Volkswagen Virtus Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

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What Are The Pros And Cons Of Volkswagen Virtus Petrol?

The pros or advantages of Volkswagen Virtus petrol are:

• SUV-like 179mm ground clearance gives sedan-lovers a reason to skip SUVs or crossovers
• D-segment size (longest sedan in segment), together with the high ground clearance give it great road presence
• The 1.0L turbo petrol engine is an all-rounder and offers better drivability than a 1.5L non-turbo petrol engine because of the wider torque band with higher torque output
• The 1.5L turbo petrol engine sets new benchmarks for a C-segment sedan with 150PS of power and 250Nm torque from a petrol engine
• Biggest 521L boot space in its class
• Notable features like ventilated front seats, LED headlamps, wireless phone charger, 10.1-inch touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay, cruise control, sunroof, 6 airbags, full-colour LCD instrument cluster, paddle shifters and more

The Volkswagen Virtus petrol has the following shortcomings or problems:

• The base model is too basic and misses out on several must-have features like auto AC, rear AC vents, front and rear armrests, alloy wheels, cruise control. For reference, the much more affordable Baleno offers auto AC and projector headlamps in all variants.
• No diesel engine leaves the Verna and City as the only options for diesel sedan buyers.
• The 1.5L turbo petrol engine carries a high premium for the performance.
• The dual-clutch automatic transmission is yet to establish itself as a reliable long-term companion in Indian driving and climatic conditions.
• The 1.5L turbo petrol is not available with the simpler and more reliable manual transmission.
• The torque converter automatic with the 1.0L engine is an old and reliable piece of technology but its fluid coupling makes it extremely inefficient in stop-and-go traffic, which is the main reason why we buy an automatic transmission.

What Is The Price Of Volkswagen Virtus Petrol Variants?

The 2022 Volkswagen Virtus is available with 4 engine-transmission combinations:

• 1.0L turbo petrol with 6-speed manual transmission
• 1.0L turbo petrol with 6-speed TC automatic transmission
• 1.5L turbo petrol with 7-speed DCT automatic transmission

The smaller 1.0L turbo petrol engine is available in 3 variants, with prices starting from Rs. 11.21 lakh for the base Comfortline manual and going up to 15.72 lakh for the Topline 1.0L turbo automatic. The 1.5L engine is only available in GT Plus variant with an automatic transmission and costs Rs. 17.92 lakh.

The Virtus automatic carries a premium of Rs. 1.30 lakh over the manual variants. The larger 1.5L turbo petrol engine of the Virtus is Rs. 2.20 lakh more expensive than the Topline 1.0L turbo petrol automatic.

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Volkswagen Virtus Petrol Comfortline - Base Model Standard Features & Review

The base Comfortline variant of the 2022 Volkswagen Virtus sedan only comes with the 1.0L turbo petrol-manual and costs Rs. 11.22 lakh (ex-showroom). The most notable features of the Virtus Comfortline base model are:

• 5x adjustable headrests
• 5x 3-point seatbelts
• LED reflector headlamps
• LED DRLs
• Tilt and telescopic steering
• Height-adjustable driver seat
• 16-inch steel wheels with covers
• Tyre pressure sensors
• Remote central locking
• 7-inch touchscreen with wired Android Auto and Apple Carplay
• Steering-mounted controls
• Rear defogger
• Manual day/night inside mirror
• Power mirror
• Fabric upholstery

The Virtus base model seems to offer most of the must-have features right from the base variant. However, considering the asking price of the car, we believe that you might still miss the following features in this variant:

• Cruise control
• Alloy wheels
• Front armrest
• Rear armrest
• Auto AC
• Rear AC vents
• Split rear seatback (available in higher variants)
• Rear camera

For this price, we expect a car to have these features. So, we won’t suggest buying the base Active variant of the Volkswagen Virtus.

Volkswagen Virtus Petrol Comfortline vs Highline Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Virtus Highline also gets the 1.0L turbo petrol engine but offers the option of automatic transmission as well. Highline manual costs Rs. 12.98 lakh while the automatic costs Rs. 14.28 lakh (ex-showroom). The Highline manual is Rs. 1.76 lakh more expensive than the lower Comfortline. The Highline automatic is another Rs. 1.30 lakh pricier than the Highline manual. The Highline variant gets the following additional notable features over the base Comfortline variant:

• Power folding mirrors
• Cruise control
• Paddle shifters with automatic
• 10.1-inch touchscreen
• Wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay
• Wireless phone charger
• 4x USB-C ports
• Front and rear armrests
• Auto AC
• Rear AC vents
• Cooled glovebox
• Keyless entry with push-button start/stop
• Alloy wheels
• White ambient light
• Shark-fin antenna
• Rear camera
• Front fog lamps
• Split folding rear seatback
• Beige fabric upholstery

The Highline variant gets most of the must-have features and almost justifies the incremental asking price over the lower Comfortline trim. We wish it also had the side thorax airbags. For most buyers, the Highline variant will meet the needs while offering a nice ownership experience and it is our top recommendation for Virtus buyers.

Volkswagen Virtus Petrol Highline vs Topline Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The Topline variant of the 2022 Virtus costs Rs. 14.42 lakh with the manual and Rs. 15.72 lakh with the automatic transmission. It’s Rs. 1.44 lakh more than the lower Highline trim. The Topline variant gets the following extra features over the lower Highline trim:

• LED projector headlamps with auto function
• Machined alloy wheels
• 2x side and 2x curtain airbags
• Leather upholstery
• Ventilated front seats
• Height-adjustable front passenger seat
• Sunroof
• Auto wipers
• Auto-dimming inside mirror
• 8-inch full-colour LCD instrument cluster

The Topline variant also almost justifies the price over the lower variants and is suitable for buyers who want some of the good-to-have features of this variant. It’s worth noting that the Topline trim mostly adds good-to-have features and only a few must-have features.

Volkswagen Virtus Petrol Topline 1.0L vs GT Plus 1.5L Variant - Price, Feature Comparison

The GT Plus variant of the 2022 Virtus only gets the 1.5L turbo petrol engine with an automatic transmission. It costs Rs. 17.92 lakh, which is Rs. 2.20 lakh more than the Topline 1.0L automatic. For this additional price, the GT Plus variant gets the following extra features over the lower Topline trim:

• GT badging interior and exteriors
• Red ambient lighting
• Metal pedals
• Black alloy wheels
• Black spoiler
• Cylinder deactivation technology
• 7-speed dual-clutch automatic (instead of 6-speed torque converter automatic)

Besides a more powerful engine, the top-spec GT Plus variant mostly adds cosmetic changes to the feature list. According to our data-based algorithm, for the performance and cosmetic upgrades, the Rs. 2.20 lakh higher price is not a value for money option. However, you can consider it if you’re interested in the performance and find the asking price acceptable.

Which Variant Of The 2022 Volkswagen Virtus Petrol Should You Buy?

Among the petrol-manual variants, the base trim is too basic for a car costing more than Rs. 11.0 lakh (ex-showroom). So, we highly recommend buying at least the Highline variant, which is also our top recommendation. It gets almost all must-have features leaving only the good-do-have features for the Topline variant. The top variant is also justifiably expensive over the lower trims and worth buying for the good-to-have and safety features like sunroof and 4 extra airbags.

With the automatic transmission, the Highline variant is our top recommendation and it is suitable for buyers looking for a functional cabin experience. For good-to-have features like sunroof, auto headlamps, auto wipers, the higher Topline trim is worth buying. The GT Plus 1.5L is quite expensive for the performance and cosmetic features it offers. So, you should consider it only if you’re comfortable with the higher asking price for the performance.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Volkswagen Virtus Petrol?

The 2022 Volkswagen Virtus comes with 2 petrol engine options - a 1.0L turbo petrol and a 1.5L turbo petrol. The 1.0L turbo petrol engine gets a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission while the larger petrol engine gets only a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

The 1.0L petrol engine is small in displacement but its power output of 115PS is on par with the segment rivals. Since it’s a turbocharged engine, its torque output of 178Nm is higher than all of the normal petrol engines even though they have larger displacements. The torque of this 1.0L engine is also available at lower RPMs and for a wider rev range. So, the 1.0L turbo petrol engine will offer better drivability than 1.5L normal petrol engines of its rivals. This engine is available with a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission.

The Virtus also has a larger 1.5L turbo petrol engine, which is a lot more powerful than the other C-segment sedans. It makes 150PS of power and 250Nm of torque. The 250Nm torque is comparable with that of the City hybrid, which also offers ADAS features but for a higher asking price than the Virtus 1.5L.

The Virtus 1.5L offers a mileage figure comparable with the 1.0L along with better performance. However, you can’t expect the 1.5L engine to deliver high fuel mileage if you drive it aggressively. Because of its cylinder deactivation technology, the Virtus 1.5L can deliver mileage figures that are comparable to the 1.0L if you’re driving it normally while keeping torque in reserve for a quick overtake.

You can use our Fuel Cost Calculator to see how much any petrol, diesel or CNG car will cost to run based on the latest fuel price in your city.

Fuel Cost Calculator in India

What Are The Dimensions Of The 2022 Volkswagen Virtus?

The 2022 Volkswagen Virtus is the longest car in its segment measuring 4561mm. It’s also the widest, has the largest boot and the highest ground clearance. Slavia is the only other car, which can challenge it on all of these 3 counts.

For buyers interested in a sedan body style but considering an SUV for a higher ground clearance, the Virtus and Slavia are fresh alternatives with their high ground clearance. The two newest C-segment sedans offer 179mm of clearance, which is only 1mm less than that of the XUV300 SUV.

*Estimated

What Are The Colour Options Of The 2022 Volkswagen Virtus?

The 2022 Virtus is available in the following 6 colour options:

• Yellow
• Red
• Grey
• Silver
• Blue
• White

Note: Here is a quick look at our length-based segmentation of cars to give you an idea of how we are classifying cars based on their size.