Replaced my Polo with a Taigun DSG: What I like & what could be better

The car looks fast, feels fast and is fast. Its one of those cases, where the show matches the go.

BHPian Tanu3000 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I have been a comparatively long time VW owner based out of Bangalore. I purchased the VW Polo 1.2 MPI in 2014 (Based on the PQ26 Platform), which I used for 8 happy years. Finally sold it in March 2022, as the 1.2 MPI engine just wasn’t cutting it for me any more.

I replaced the Polo with the VW Taigun GT+ DSG (Based on the MQB-A0 IN Platform) in May of 2022. And I couldnt be happier.

Talking about niggles, there are a few to report. It does boil down to the basic differences between the 2 platforms (PQ vs MQB). We in India have been used to the PQ platform (Polo/Vento). The structure, design as well as functionality was similar. As far as I understand, VW has only used the PQ platform in the mass market segment in India since the launch of the Polo. So our benchmarks on what a “Volkswagen” should be are based on that platform.

Now talking about the MQB-A0 platform, that’s where we see the difference. It is completely different with respect to its structure/design & functionality. I have sat in the Taigun/T-Roc & New Tiguan. All based on the MQB-Ax platform. They are all similar in feel. That being said the Indian suppliers who are contributing to the Taigun (As its highly localized), are not up to the quality levels of the initial PQ25 yet. It shows in how plush the T-Roc and Tiguan (CBUs) are in comparison to the Taigun:

• The roof liner was shoddy on launch, they had fixed it by the time I purchased my GT+.
• The power window motors are too slow.
• The driver side one touch up-down needed a service patch to work properly.
• The steering wheel lacks essential buttons (Mute, Call Connect/Disconnect).
• The AC cooling is not comparable to other brands (21C in Taigun is 24C in my wife’s Baleno).
• The seat upholstery is underwhelming and downright shoddy in some places.
• The seat cooling function is noisy I have heard (Even though my GT+ doesnt have it).
• The boot floor is extremely flimsy.

All the above point to a new/fresh baked product that needs further improvements. I am confident that the facelift will address most if not all of them.

But its not a bad car by any margin:

• Its a safe car. I am happy to know that in the event of an impact, the body shell will protect me and my family.
• The car looks fast, feels fast and is fast. Its one of those cases, where the show matches the go. Actually I have shocked other drivers on the road with how quickly I can cover gaps.
• The engine is devastatingly good. Drive around town below 2000 rpm, no need to scare anybody on the road Find a rowdy driver on the road and an open stretch? Show them who is boss, above 2000 rpm
• The DSG gearbox is sublime. The shifts are imperceptible and right when you need them. Upshifts are quick to conserve on fuel economy and downshifts are purposeful on accelerator input. The Taigun in Sports mode is a different animal altogether. You can keep up with serious cars with serious torque very well in sports mode.
• The suspension is perfectly balanced, soft enough to be comfortable, but hard enough so the car doesn’t bounce around at any speed.
• The ergonomics are perfect, everything is where it should be. The attention to detail is amazing. For eg, the USB C ports are backlit, to ensure you can plug in your devices properly in the dark. Contrast this with other cars where even the window switches some times are not backlit.
• The seats are firm but comfortable.
• The ICE is lovely and with Android Auto, extremely useful and precise. No bugs in it whatsoever.
• I love the “White” cabin lights compared to “Yellow” ones in cars in this segment. Gives it a cold/futuristic look throughout. This perfectly blends with the new steering wheel (Which I absolutely love) and the red ambient light.

My core memories with the Taigun have always been with driving it. Confusing much bigger cars (Harrier/Compass/Innova/Fortuner etc) as to why they struggled so much to overtake me on the highway. Hitting 110 Kmph and realizing the 1.5 TSI is just getting warmed up.

Now coming to the elephant in the room “The DQ200”. Yes it has been a problematic gearbox. Mechatronics failure, multiclutch failure, entire gearbox replacement are the trending terms on TeamBHP.
But it does feel like VW has made changes to it over the years to improve its reliability.

The 1.5 TSI doesn’t launch as briskly as you would expect. Looks like they have done this to reduce stress on the DQ200.

The user manual mentions braking at signals instead of shifting to neutral. Looks like the gearbox coding has been changed to disengage the clutch on Braking.

The gearbox doesn’t keep switching between D1 and D2 in bumper to bumper traffic. Looks like VW prefers slipping the clutch in D2 compared to frying the mechatronics with frequent D1-D2 transitions.

I still may have a DSG failure at some time, or I may not. But as of now I think the “Probability” of having a DSG failure is similar to having a similar failure in any other car. I can live with that. I still have extended warranty and engine/gearbox cover addon just in case.

Manufacturers make mistakes, but they do learn from them as well. VW is still trying to leave the ghost of DQ200 failures behind.

The Taigun is a car that wont appeal immediately to people. It has to be lived/experienced for one to fall in love with it. Difficult to do that, while looking at the brochure/trying to fit 3 people in the rear/reading about DSG failures or over a short/long test drive. But it deserves your affection, because VW delivers on its promise to you. A good looking, sophisticated, robust, safe car that is fun to drive.

So there you have it, my 2 cents (Actually 5 cents, looking at the length of this post).

Keyword: Replaced my Polo with a Taigun DSG: What I like & what could be better