The Virtus is going back next week”, said Ben and my mind instantly started playing flashbacks of our epic cross country roadtrip with the Volkswagen Virtus (and Taigun) for our previous anniversary issue. This trip was the main reason behind the Virtus GT clocking the highest number of miles among all the long-termers in our fleet.
In little more than two weeks, we drove the sedan across the breadth of the country, twice, across all kinds of terrains our country has to offer! We started from our home base in Pune and drove till Vadodara, Gujrat, where the North-South and East-West team split and headed for their respective starting points. I was part of the former team while the Virtus GT was part of the latter. Despite having a Taigun GT with a manual gearbox with us, I missed the Virtus GT. But thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long as just a few days later, both teams reunited in Agra. And as luck would have it — I was transferred to the East-West team, which means I was back with the Virtus GT!
Being an intern back then, I was there as a backup driver to take on the driving duties when the seniors needed a break. Rest of the time, I would be sitting back and relaxing in the rear seat of the Virtus. Despite having a capable SUV as the Taigun tag along, I found the Virtus seats to be more comfortable, regardless of whether you were driving or resting in the back seat. The fact that we used to be on the road for 15 hours a day and still not feel fatigued, is a great testament of Virtus’ capability as a tourer.
But the best place to be in the Virtus GT is behind the wheel! The powerful 1.5-litre TSI engine paired with the buttery smooth DSG feels like a match made in heaven. And it is a versatile powertrain combination — it can return great fuel efficiency when driven sedately yet performance is always a tap away. All my reservations about the extra ground clearance on the Virtus affecting its looks went away when I drove it through a rocky section of a mountain in Arunachal. With a little caution, the Virtus managed to overcome all obstacles with the Taigun, crossing places where an SUV would break a sweat!
By the time we were returning to our base, I had grown a bit possessive about the Virtus GT and demanded to be the one driving it. When it came to driving, the Virtus GT felt just right. I cannot help but feel sad that the Virtus GT is leaving our fleet, but as they say, good things are on their way, and I hope that comes in the form of another Virtus GT long term but this one, equipped with a manual gearbox!
