New Volkswagen Taigun

The Volkswagen Taigun was a decisive return for Volkswagen in the compact SUV segment in India. Built on the MQB-A0-IN platform, it shares its underpinnings with the Skoda Kushaq but has a different Volkswagen character in design and driving dynamics.

This review is based on Taigun’s extensive testing by the car&bike team in Udaipur, with both the 1.5-litre GT manual and DSG being tested by Siddharth Vinayak Patankar and Shams Raza Naqvi, respectively. The 1.0-litre manual was later tested separately by Ameya Naik to evaluate how the smaller engine performs in real-world conditions.

Positioned to compete with established players such as the Hyundai Creta and Kia Seltos, the Taigun doesn't try to outdo rivals in terms of sheer number of features. Instead, it is focused on driving engagement, structural integrity and a premium, understated design language. With prices currently varying between Rs. 11.42 lakh to Rs. 19.19 lakh (ex-showroom), it sits well in the upper half of the segment.

The Taigun is available with two turbo-petrol engines, a 1.0-litre three-cylinder and a 1.5-litre four-cylinder with cylinder deactivation. There is no diesel or naturally aspirated petrol option. That decision sets the Taigun's personality from the beginning.

Siddharth summarised its positioning clearly:

“This is finally a worthy upgrade to Polo and Vento owners. It feels like a proper Volkswagen.”