Awesome driving machine

Exterior It has a timeless look, and though it is not a very fancy looking car like the Verna or City, it has a subtle styling to it that demands respect. The bold grille with generous amount of chrome lines has added a lot of class to the car and it looks more upmarket than the earlier version.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort) Interior plastic quality is very good, which shows that Germans are not ready to compromise on quality for cost. Though the interior is classy and all controls are within reach, it lacks the modern look of some of its competitors and hence may not be liked by everyone. Also the touchscreen is totally useless with just a basic phone connection, radio and music controls. It is supposed to have Mirrorlink but that also is not compatible with most of the phones. I have a Samsung Galaxy S7 which is Mirrorlink compatible but hardly any apps are supported. For navigation, we can only use Sygic or Bring Go both of which are useless apps, plus they are free only for a month. Music player also does not work properly on Mirrorlink so it is a feature which is of no use. Volkswagen has lot of technology on Android Auto and Mirrorlink, but they are not interested in launching any in India.

Also there is no stop/start button, you have to start this car the conventional way though I personally feel that we do not need the button feature as it hardly gives any convenience but adds a lot of compication in the car. Another missing feature is the sun roof which almost all cars in this segment provide. Though I really wonder why we need it in India when already there is so much of sun available for us.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox Amazing is the only word!! Right from the word go.. The TSI engine is fun to drive and gives you power exactly when you need it. The combination of TSI engine and DSG gearbox is fabulous and it is almost as if it reads your mind and provides you the exact 'feel' that you need whether you are cruising lazily on a highway, or want to overtake a truck in a hurry, or need to crawl your way through stop start city traffic. The car handles all situations effortlessly. And once in a while when you feel the adrenaline rush, you have S or Sport mode, which instantly transforms the TSI engine into a race car!! You get absolute power with the sound of revs as if you are driving on a race track!! There is a manual mode too, but unless you are hell bent on controlling gears yourself it is not needed. Overall an amazing experience. Fuel economy is decent, gives about 12 kmpl in bad city traffic and goes upto 20 kmpl while cruising at highways. Given the weight and power output of the car, the above figures are quite good, though some 'kitna deti hai' fellows may not be convinced with it. My suggestion to them is if 'kitna deti hai' is your primary concern then don't even consider a sedan. Go for Nano or Maruti Alto instead or a diesel car.

Ride Quality & Handling Very good ride quality and handling. The steering is very responsive and it is a little hard at low speeds and becomes softer once the car starts moving. Suspension quality is very good and even at worst road conditions we do not feel much inside. Ground clearance though is a bit less and we need to be cautious of that especially while driving in potholed or unpaved roads in rural India. However having driven a Honda City ZX before, I can assure that I am much more relaxed at bad roads than what I was while driving the Honda city.

Final Words Very good car and a must buy if you love driving and want a car that gives control of manual with convenience of automatic.

Areas of improvement VW should work on improving the Mirrorlink and connectivity experience and enable the connected car feature for India. IN today's IOT world it feels like a dinosaur to drive a car which is lacking in connectivity and smart features.

Build quality, interiors, engine, gearbox, suspension, features, handlingLess spacious and lacking in gizmos