2024 Volkswagen Virtus Drive Review: Best-in Segment Fun to Drive Sedan?

Volkswagen launched the Virtus sedan for the Indian market in 2022, and since then, its sales performance has been impressive. The design language is appealing to Indian users, as is the abundance of features and performance it offers. We had the chance to take this sedan for an extended drive, and in this article, we aim to provide you with a comprehensive review of why this sedan is a highly enjoyable driving experience in its segment.

2024 VW Virtus: Exterior Design

So, unlike the Skoda’s Slavia, Volkswagen has opted for a very sporty and grown-up look with the Virtus, and it’s noticeable quite easily. You can see how wide the sedan looks especially the chin; looks stretched to enhance its sporty appeal. You can how they’ve used chrome cleverly to highlight the sedan’s details like the front grille is surrounded by chrome but if you notice the chrome spreads inside the headlamps unit merging with the L-shaped LED DRLs. The chrome is also used from the fog lamps to the lower section of the bumper.

The side profile is so sporty that one may regret not buying this sedan. It gets all black 16-inch alloy wheels with red brake callipers, creases on the body, body-coloured door handles, and a 179 MM ground clearance practically giving it off-road abilities. Moving to the rear section, it gets a very thin spoiler on the boot finished in contrasting black; T-shape LED element inside the tail-lamps; the rear bumper finished in carbon black with chrome surrounds, and on top the shark fin antenna is finished in black.

For latest Car Discounts, Offers, News, Updates, and More, Join Our Whatsapp Group!

2024 VW Virtus: Dimension Comparison

Dimension	VW Virtus	Skoda Slavia	Hyundai Verna	Honda City	Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
Length	4561 MM	4541 MM	4535 MM	4583 MM	4490 MM
Width	1752 MM	1752 MM	1765 MM	1748 MM	1730 MM
Height	1507 MM	1507 MM	1475 MM	1489 MM	1485 MM
Wheelbase	2651 MM	2651 MM	2670 MM	2600 MM	2650 MM
Turning Radius	5.05 M	5.05 M	5.2 M	5.3 M	5.4 M
Ground Clearance	179 MM	179 MM	165 MM	165 MM	170 MM
Boot Space	521 L	521 L	528 L	506 L	510 L
Fuel Tank Capacity	45 L	45 L	45 L	40 L	43 L
Kerb Weight	1100 – 1275 KG	1160 – 1278 KG	1140 KG	1107 KG	1035 – 1065 KG

2024 VW Virtus: Colour Options

Wild Cherry Red
Curcuma Yellow
Candy White
Reflex Silver
Carbon Steel Grey
Rising Blue Metallic

2024 VW Virtus: Interior Design

Jumping to the inside, the first thing you’ll notice is the fit and finish, and the quality of the materials used inside. More importantly, the steering wheel carries such an elegant sporty design that it feels really good to hold onto. More importantly, it feels good to sit inside the beautifully designed, and sporty cabin sedan. The highlight of the sedan is that Volkswagen managed to integrate the 10.25-inch infotainment system and the piano-black finished dashboard as a one continuous seamless look.

Below the display there is touch-sensitive controls for the automatic climate control; the pedals are finished in black with chrome inserts, dual-tone finish for dashboard, and the red trim surrounding the whole dashboard. On top there is single-pane sunroof, the rear seats are split in 60:40 ratio; and importantly, Volkswagen equipped Virtus with 8 Speakers so can feel the music while travelling at higher speeds or longer journeys.

2024 VW Virtus: Space and Comfort

The Virtus measures 4.56 Meters in length which translates into more practicality inside the cabin; and to be honest Volkswagen has done a good job in this section. The driver seats are comfortable or it’s more like the driver gets hugged on the seat which helps you with the driving. The driver gets electrically adjustable seat and they can adjust the seats all the way down or as per the driver needs. The co-passenger however has to manually adjust its seat whether its recline angle or height adjusting.

The rear seats are comfortable and can easily traveled for long journeys. The floor is almost flat which makes is enough for 3 people to sit comfortably as the cabin is wide enough giving you more room. There is plenty of leg room and knee room to spare which is useful for people to stretch themselves. There are storage spaces all over the cabin like in the doors, centre console, glovebox, two cupholders in armrest and centre console, etc. The Virtus comes with a 521 Litres big room which is technically huge to store around 10 Medium Size Suitcases.

2024 VW Virtus: Top Features

Ventilated Front Seats
Powered Driver Seat
Wireless Charging Pad
10.25-inch Infotainment System
Wireless Apple Carplay & Android Auto
8 Speaker Sound System
8-inch Digital Cockpit Cluster
Ambient Lights
Electric Sunroof
Cooled Glovebox
Automatic Climate Control

2024 VW Virtus: Top Safety Features

6 Airbags
Tyre-Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
Electronic Differential Lock System
Auto-Dimming IRVM
Rear Defogger
Front Fog Lamps with Static Cornering Lights
Traction Control

2024 VW Virtus: Engine Specs Comparison

Turbo Petrol	VW Virtus		Skoda Slavia		Hyundai Verna	Honda City	Maruti Suzuki Ciaz
Engine	1.0 L 3 Cylinder	1.5 L 4 Cylinder	1.0 L 3 Cylinder	1.5 L 4 Cylinder	1.5 L 4 Cylinder	–	–
Drive-type	FWD	FWD	FWD	FWD	FWD	–	–
Power	113.98 BHP	147.51 BHP	113.98 BHP	147.52 BHP	157.57 BHP	–	–
Torque	178 NM	250 NM	178 NM	250 NM	253 NM	–	–
Transmission Choice	6 Speed MT / AT	6 Speed MT, 7 Speed DSG	6 Speed MT / AT	6 Speed MT, 7 Speed DSG	6 Speed MT, 7 Speed DCT	–	–
Fuel Efficiency	18.12 – 20.8 KMPL	19.4 – 19.62 KMPL	18.07 – 19.47 KMPL	18.41 – 19.47 KMPL	20 – 20.6 KMPL	–	–

Petrol	VW Virtus	Skoda Slavia	Hyundai Verna	Honda City	Maruti Suzuki CIaz
Engine	–	–	1.5 L 4 Cylinder MPi	1.5 L 4 Cylinder i-VTEC	1.5 L 4 Cylinder K15 Smart Hybrid
Drive-type	–	–	FWD	FWD	FWD
Power	–	–	113.18 BHP	119.35 BHP	103.25 BHP
Torque	–	–	143.8 NM	145 NM	138 NM
Transmission Choice	–	–	6 Speed MT, 6 Speed IVT	6 Speed MT, 7 Speed CVT	5 Speed MT, 4 Speed AT
Fuel Efficiency	–	–	18.6 – 19.6 KMPL	17.8 – 18.4 KMPL	20.04 – 20.65 KMPL

2024 VW Virtus: Drive Review

So, we had the chance to take the Virtus for a very long drive. We drove the GT line which has all the features, safety tech, and very importantly, the 1.5 L Turbo Petrol Engine. It has two transmission choices – 6 Speed Manual and 7 Speed DSG Gearbox. The engine used here also powers their SUV, the Taigun. We drove the automatic version and the gearshifts weren’t as quick as one may expect but still the performance on offer is still incredible.

The manuals are always in a league of their own and so if the car enthusiasts want to experience a very sporty drive, wants to achieve that 200 KMPH top speed and the thrills you get driving this thing at a affordable drive, opt for manual. Other than that, the Virtus is also a very good car that can be used as daily driver as it easily returns mileage between 18 – 21 KMPL. But one thing Volkswagen misses to offer is rear disc brakes. For a sedan that is as huge as Virtus, rear brakes should’ve been offered but what’s interesting to note here is that tuning of the rear drum brakes is done superbly.

We brake tested the humongous sedan at 70 KMPH and surprisingly, the sedan came to an halt almost instantly. Moreover, you get Tilt and Telescopic steering which makes it easy to steer around the corners as the steering wheel is very light and even at high speeds, you start to feel the weight but still the confidence boost you get is really amazing, you can actually steer the vehicle without applying too much pressure.

2024 VW Virtus: Ride and Handling

Now talking about the suspension setup, it’s incredible. It goes over the potholes, and speed bumps very easily. If you driving very fuel efficiently, one may find it hard to understand whether the car has gone over bumps or not, it’s almost as if you don’t feel it. At the front, the Virtus is equipped with McPherson suspension and stabiliser bar while at the rear it’s fitted with Twist Beam Axle Suspension. The tuning has been perfectly done by Volkswagen and at high speeds, it stays very stable and nothing to worry about.

2024 VW Virtus: Verdict

In the end, a big question arises, should you opt for the Volkswagen’s Virtus or not? Well, the first thing is that the Virtus may be the only sedan in the segment to offer such fun-to-drive experience and while it’s rival, Verna, may have the powerful turbo engine, the Virtus is much fun to drive on roads. For it’s price, it offers so many features, safety, and performance that not buying may seem like a big regretting move. Driving both the Automatic and Manual version is exciting, and whichever one you choose to opt for is a good choice.

2024 VW Virtus: All Variants On-road Price

Comfortline

1.0 L Turbo Petrol MT – Rs. 13.31 L

Highline

1.0 L Turbo Petrol MT – Rs. 15.63 L
1.0 L Turbo Petrol AT – Rs. 17.12 L

Topline

1.0 L Turbo Petrol MT – Rs. 17.57 L
1.0 L Turbo Petrol AT – Rs. 19.06 L

Topline ES

1.0 L Turbo Petrol MT – Rs. 17.94 L
1.0 L Turbo Petrol AT – Rs. 19.38 L

GT

1.5 L Turbo Petrol DSG – Rs. 19.19 L

GT Plus

1.5 L Turbo Petrol MT – Rs. 19.94 L
1.5 L Turbo Petrol DSG – Rs. 21.72 L

GT Plus Edge

1.5 L Turbo Petrol MT – Rs. 20.17 L
1.5 L Turbo Petrol DSG – Rs. 21.95 L

GT Plus ES

1.5 L Turbo Petrol MT – Rs. 20.31 L
1.5 L Turbo Petrol DSG – Rs. 22.09 L

GT Plus Edge ES

1.5 L Turbo Petrol MT – Rs. 20.54 L
1.5 L Turbo Petrol DSG – Rs. 22.32 L

GT Plus Edge Matte

1.5 L Turbo Petrol MT – Rs. 20.61 L
1.5 L Turbo Petrol DSG – Rs. 22.39 L

2024 VW Virtus: Price Range with Comparison

Model	On-road Price
Maruti Suzuki Ciaz	Rs. 10.45 – Rs. 14.09 L
Hyundai Verna	Rs. 12.89 – Rs. 20.26 L
Skoda Slavia	Rs. 13.14 – Rs. 22.07 L
VW Virtus	Rs. 13.31 – Rs. 22.39 L
Honda City	Rs. 13.53 – Rs. 18.60 L