Volkswagen Virtus Engine & Performance

The  Virtus comes with two engine options – a 1.5L TSI and 1.0L TSI petrols. These are the same engines that do duty in the Taigun SUV. There are three gearbox options offered – 1.5 TSI features a 7-speed DSG whereas the 1.0 TSI gets a 6-speed torque convertor automatic and 6 speed manual gearbox. The manual transmission isn’t offered with 1.5 TSI. We drove the 1.5 TSI and 1.0 TSI automatics during this drive.

The 1.5 TSI is a 4-cyl turbo charged petrol motor produces 150 horsepower and 250NM of torque. This motor also features cylinder deactivation technology. This tech helps save fuel and increases fuel efficiency by deactivating two cylinders when the car is at steady or cruising speeds. The deactivation is notified by digit 2 on the  digital instrument cluster.

The engine is very responsive from the word go. Within the city it was effortless to drive at low speeds. The bottom end response is perfect. Touch the highway and it shows its true potential. Not only does the speed clims quickly towards triple digits, it also makes for the perfect highway cruiser. A top speed of 190 kmph is claimed by VW. Incase you crave for more performance; there’s a Sport Mode which spices things up. The paddle-shifters complete the performance package. Manual mode can be activated by either a downshift using paddle shifter or flicking the gear stick to the right. For ‘S’ mode just tap down from ‘D’ mode. This is one that will put a big smile on the enthusiast’s face.

The 1.0 TSI is 3-cylinder turbocharged engine churns out 115 hp and 178 Nm of torque which are quite respectable figures. This is a different tune but it’s an eager engine, even when  compared to the 1.5. It feels quick of the line build speed quickly. It only occasionally that you get the feel of the three pot, at very low speeds or towards the redline.  Despite being a torque convertor, the gear shifts aren’t evident as they should be, although not seamless like DSG but very close to that. The 1.0TSI is an excellent option for someone who spends majority of the time in city, but at the same time, its great on the open road as well. Paddle shifters are part of the package for occasional spirited driving.