Volkswagen Virtus GT Manual | One of the Most Fun Sedans? | First Drive Review

Clutch in, full gas, let the clutch out, and burnout to glory! That's the kind of fun you can have with the Volkswagen Virtus GT MT. That's right, the Virtus can now be had with that powerful 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine mated to a 6-speed manual transmission. Though, this combo was first available in the Skoda Slavia. Now VW fans can have some fun too. All the while being pocket-friendly too. The GT Plus Manual trim costs ₹17.20 lakh (ex-showroom), which is about ₹1.7 lakh more affordable than the DSG-equipped top-spec variant. Assistant Editor Aatish Mishra gives us a complete download of the three-pedal Virtus GT MT in this first drive review.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:31 Volkswagen Virtus GT exterior updates
1:17 Volkswagen Virtus GT interior updates
2:23 Volkswagen Virtus GT engine and gearbox
5:14 Volkswagen Virtus GT ride and handling
6:38 Volkswagen Virtus GT price and summary
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[@evoIndia]

Which variant of the Virtus would you choose -- MT or DSG?

[@kushal8261]

DSG!

[@gauravnayak8877]

A manual is a manual is a Manual 😅

[@PhantomSaintGaming]

Manual obviously!

[@ani_simba]

MT 4ever❤

[@rishabhagarwal5786]

MT.

[@cannotthinkofoneatth]

completely agree with him on the love for manuals.. I commute to work in Mumbai and manual all the way for me.. the drive experience is so fulfilling that I cannot even think of moving to an auto box! would rather have man and machine gel into one team than playing computer games with steering wheel and throttle inputs alone!

[@evoIndia]

Haha! Well said!

[@cannotthinkofoneatth]

@@evoIndiaEvo is amazing.. I mean nowhere else you could hear a long monologue on manuals in a review video! It’s evident how much you love the art of driving and not just driving!

[@canute616305]

@cannotthinkofoneatth Beautifully said 🤌😍

[@ssabt12]

No one talks about key updates : A. Rear seat belt warning B. Rear fog lights These are key safety features.. worth highlighting more than amp and subwoofer

[@udaysingh9_11]

Yap a lot

[@krazzykidabhijeet]

It was already there in 23 model as well. I have virtus from 23.

[@ssabt12]

@krazzykidabhijeet sadly i have july 22 model 😞

[@creeff9461]

bro this channel isn't showing off safety features, they're showing off the fun aspect 💀💀

[@ssabt12]

@creeff9461 safety is without compromise and not a show off

[@jethalal_gada6]

December 2023 - C1 Segment Sedan Sales VW Virtus - 2,199 Skoda Slavia - 1,960 Honda City - 1,112 Hyundai Verna - 712 Maruti Ciaz - 489

[@sarthakpatange2630]

I have seen way too many VW and salvias around. Recently, a lot of Honda cities too. Exceptional cars these 3.

[@evoIndia]

All of those are great cars. Now only if the Ciaz gets updated soon

[@gsingh660]

Same here Virtus and Slavia are finally getting love

[@6ixTacos]

The Verna has outsold the virtus in jan by 300 units again. What is the point by looking at sales during December when dispatch is low?

[@musicecho252]

January 2024 - C1 segment sedan sales Verna - 2172 Virtus - 1879 Slavia - 1242 City - 1123 Ciaz - 363

[@parthmaniar]

Thank you very much for covering this launch and, finally, some love from VW for driving enthusiasts.

[@evoIndia]

Thank you Parth ! Do consider liking and sharing the video ; would help us a lot

[@pavitraseth7201]

Travelling in virtus..watching ur video..😃😃 it's too much fun to drive...most loving car by enthusiast.

[@lanngambaayekpam6259]

Dude is really enjoying the ride look at his face while shifting 0:53

[@themusclebiker4718]

Being a honda civic manual owner since last 13 years with 98k on odo this is the only car which comes to my mind as an upgrade ❤

[@hrishikeshraychaudhury]

I love manuals❤. Thanks for the video. Was looking forward to 1.5 MT Virtus. Awesome! I totally agree with the engaging drive of a manual. Have a Rapid and was considering Slavia MT 1.5. But now that Virtus has come with a 1.5 MT, VW Virtus anyday!!

[@anirbanab310]

If this comes in RWD, damn manual RWD 1.5L 4 cylinder turbo that would be the perfect car for India

[@Dr.SumeshkamatGoa]

Sheer driving experience 💥🔥

[@evoIndia]

Amen!

[@AmanSharma-jp8ii]

Thanks for the review! It was much awaited! Does the car feel lighter now that it's got manual gearbox in terms of power to weight ratio and also lighter than the DSG variant and my second question is how's the clutch feel?

[@abhiteshbadhan268]

Got the MT GT last Nov and I'm totally in love with it. The manual transmission is not just for the enthusiast (which I am) but it is good for the economy too. If you know when to up shift and stuff, you can get way better economy compared to the DSG. I also have the DSG GT Taigun, which isn't that economical because it upshifts when you are close to 2k rpm and this doesn't let the two cylinder deactivation to kick in. But if you have the manual you can control this and thus get a better economy. If you are someone who loves the manual experience on the highway and hills but still wants good economy from a car in this segment, this car is a no brainer. I got the car without the electronic car seats and subwoofer because spending an extra 30k didn't make sense to me. But I think that variant is no longer available.

[@luvpratapsingh2083]

Same bro i got the Virtus GT MT without the electric seats because i found it too slow and there was waiting of almost 1 month and i got the GT in 19.15 lakh on road. Now the same model costs 20.24 and electric seats variants costs 20.94. Fuel efficiency in city is 10-14 my car is 70% in 2 cylinder mode. Getting better fuel economy than my MPI polo.

[@morattugorilla605]

​@luvpratapsingh2083 Just got a Virtus GT MT few days ago, I also have a an ameo mpi 1.0 which gives me around 15 kmpl in the city, but my virtus struggles to get past 10 or 11 in the city, and im hardly able to keep it in 2 cylinder mode, even a little of throttle input de activates 2 cylinder mode so I can hardly drive 10 or 15 secs in in a stretch. What is the problem, is it because of run in period or should I change my driving style, or is this the max mileage u can get on a virtus GT MT.? Someone pls answer

[@luvpratapsingh2083]

@@morattugorilla605 bumper to bumper trafic thats the best you can get and for short distances also you can't get out avg out of that for small commutes try to use your ameo. For more than 7kms use virtus then only you will be able to get good milage the 1.5 tsi needs a bit heating this engine always cold starts you must have noticed. And in heavy traffic use the 1st gear with no accelerator just release the clutch the 250nm torque will easily glide the vehicle.

[@morattugorilla605]

Ok okay, and btw how do I keep the 2 cylinder mode activated during drives, for me it just comes around 1.8 k rpm (that too when I'm not giving gas) and goes away at 1.6k rpm. Even a little of throttle input deactivates it, so I can hardly travel 10 or 15 secs at a stretch?​@luvpratapsingh2083

[@luvpratapsingh2083]

@morattugorilla605 if you drive with a light foot even without 2 cylinder it'll give you 12.5-14.5 use a tank to tank method i get almost 560km with a full tank all in city zero highway.

[@gauravdant]

Great Video Evo India! 😀 All though there is one thing. I think there is one change on the outside. The initial 2023 Virtus didn't get rear fog lamps. This 2024 version does. For India, it's activated on the right side taillamp as far as I understand it.

[@evoIndia]

Hey Gaurav thank you for the compliment. Also, the Virtus always had a rear fog light

[@YashhBhushan]

You know im waiting on the ADAS Updates and hope its not only camera based but also radar equipped, im waiting eagerly

[@deepak97531]

3:30 I feel u haven't disengaged hand break bro

[@deepen38]

U mean , It used to come only in AT right ?

[@abhiverma9294]

No offence manual is fun definitely when as your 2nd car, not so much if you have to drive it daily in horrendous traffic.

[@BablooTandoor]

Most people who say manual, manual don't drive it on daily basis especially in the ncr region. And in next 10 years, the knee problems these guys will have ....

[@drivewithvg9412]

0:38 you could only get it in manual and now it's available in manual. *CORRECTION* it was only available with dsg but now available with MT

[@aakhtarmirza2033]

Do the turbo petrol sedan drag race again with mannual virtus.

[@abhishekpeer4052]

Has the infotainment unit changed?

[@abhimanyuchauhan1014]

I wish evo india help me finding used oem amplifier .new one cost 1.5 lakh.

[@luvpratapsingh2083]

4 speaker 4 tweeter 1 subwoofer with Amp under co driver seat. Subwoofer is not needed because after a while it'll give you headache

[@hariradhakrishnan]

There’s a lot of headnod in the 1.5 manual no matter how smooth you are with clutch release, didn’t find it in the 1.0 manual. Might be the flywheel used!

[@tummalapallisaurabh8708]

Just use a minor amount of throttle at the initial bite point. That should make things less. The thing is torque is too much and so you see this.

[@rajlucka939]

Nice Seiko

[@siddharthsane]

Have they fixed niggles and quality issues like the boot, the power window, the water leak around pedals, the creaky dashboard. Is the pedal travel long.

[@ronroyce6]

I’ve driven the slavia and Kushaq 1.5 MT and I can attest that the travel is long and the clutch biting point is also high. Nowhere close to Suzuki or Honda clutches. Massive drawback and makes city driving more tiresome than it needs to be in a good manual with a good clutch

[@commonmanvignesh2623]

VERNA 🔥

[@rachurisuresh1014]

Please improve dashboard plastics

[@commonmanvignesh2623]

ELENTRA N LINE IS ON THE WAY 🔥

[@krishnakalra2426]

Just one thing, virtus is just perfect except if only it came in RWD over FWD 😭😭 it would have been just the too perfect car

[@himanshusinghmar8075]

Auto rev must be there

[@prikshitsharma5049]

MT is ❤

[@evoIndia]

So true! MTs are always fun

[@Newbutold]

Didn't like the manual gear shift in the 1L variant. From the different cars I have driven so far, I think Hyundai gearshifts on manual are really well compared to even Suzuki. Somehow the old polo was better shifting manual from what I remember.

[@tummalapallisaurabh8708]

This box needs some run in for it to shift nicely and you to understand ratios. Once you drive it for 4K kms it’s very positive shifting with nice and easy action.

[@Newbutold]

@@tummalapallisaurabh8708 thats makes sense, it's possible that the manual i test drove was not run enough. Anyway, went with the automatic and couldn't have been happier

[@tummalapallisaurabh8708]

@@Newbutold The DSG is super 👌🏼

[@Newbutold]

@@tummalapallisaurabh8708 i got the torque converter 1L though, no complaints in city or highways, works like a charm. Sports mode is fire 🔥

[@ravichouhan6373]

👍🔥💥⚡

[@Yoda79]

What about the clutch feel, you never mentioned it, especially in heavy traffic conditions

[@rs5829]

Watch the video again and listen carefully , you will come to a conclusion.

[@kgupta2205]

Very deep clutch, no rest place for left foot

[@mridulharit1220]

Who will talk about clutch delay valve that is present here? "launch it properly"? Are you driving manual for first time in your life, showing that it is bogging down and saying launch properly. Please don't do these reviews if you don't know what to highlight different in a manual car vs automatic.

[@arjunajn]

i would buy the DSG automatic. Pune traffic is horrible indeed.

[@evoIndia]

Cant beat the practicality of an automatic

[@ronroyce6]

The DQ200 DSG is scary if it’s mainly gonna be used in bumper to bumper traffic

[@aaravkumar6193]

👍

[@mohitbhagat2247]

it still has cylinder deactivation ?

[@kgupta2205]

Yes

[@ferozkhan1581]

Can anyone confirm we get 6speaker , a subwoofer and an amplifier in 2024 virtus GTplus? I was told it doesn’t have subwoofer by showroom team

[@evoIndia]

The MY24 GT Plus should have all that.

[@ferozkhan1581]

Thank you 😊

[@musicecho252]

January 2024 - C1 segment Sedan Sales Verna - 2,172 Virtus - 1,879 Slavia - 1,242 City - 1,123 Ciaz - 363

[@dineshr1531]

Almost all reviewers are more concerned about launching the car but in reality most enthusiasts will not launch the car, afterall hardly people do drag in real world unless they do it for youtube or other social media.

[@sambaranchaudhuri5961]

Good review but, Sirish Chandran could do that the best. No hard feelings....

[@raaghulkumar7080]

You can only get in manual Now virtus gt is now available in manual

[@BM-bs7sj]

Yes it is mistake he said you can get only manual 😂

[@akhileshsawant7388]

My old Volkswagen has all one touch down windows and the new ones dont so irritating! Also the Touch AC control is a big OFF.

[@ss-rc1gy]

wish they offered diesel manual :/

[@evoIndia]

VW group has moved away from diesels , so unfortunately we won’t see it with a diesel engine

[@ss-rc1gy]

That's a bummer 😔,

[@Appppy]

Tbh, electrical seats workout memory function is pointless. Makes adjusting things much more tedious.

[@Hindusanatan192]

Volkswagen should have launched this car 10 years ago.

[@useridfield2]

Suggest speaking less. Instead action on the dynamics - similar to what Vikram Singh did on Taigun or Sirish does usually.

[@VR-tw3ek]

Bacha hone ek do sal bad muuu dikhaya ye esi bat hogayi kabse dhund ra tha achi video

[@cyrilmatthew2995]

Except for the engine ...nothing feels like VW ... Vento/rapid and Jetta back in the days never came with a petrol engine it deserved ... Now that we have great ppetrol.engine... The car literally feels like Maruti ...

[@MrShreejoy]

I have respect for you n your team from EVO INDIA but what's this cmon. At 0.37 you are telling you could only get in MANUAL not any more, again you are telling 0.44 you come again with manual. Ofcourse you wanted to tell it doesn't only come in dsg but now also in manual. But the point what the hell the editor is doing before rendering the video, does he even listens to the audio and highlights the mistakes? What the hell of a reason are your team paying the editor? SHIRISH pls answer. 😂

[@vishnukb3799]

Skoda slavia

[@Paulll3000]

0:40 ??

[@doisey]

[@MrHashisz]

Very unreliable with the ac, window and epc error. Also, for some reason this has softer suspension than a frickin suv like Kushaq and Taigun

[@aksharanant5848]

3:47 bro really compared VW to Suzuki 💀

[@gt3t0uring]

Suzuki manual transmissions are actually smoother and lighter than VW's.

[@evoIndia]

Haha! We get what you mean but Suzukis do have some of the slickest gearboxes

[@vaibhavkhalane5217]

Dont just talk, throw it around the corners, put the peddle to the metal and show us.

[@BarsitSiBSIVloGs]

KZbinrs are making people fools . Who on earth will launch recklessly his own car ....? Cars are ment to drive not abuse it

[@prashantsingh1911]

I do launch my car every now and then on empty stretches. Maruti NA engines refuses to break down. It is much more enjoyable to have fun little car which can give you driving pleasure without breaking the bank.

[@kargo1517]

Verna laughing in the corner 😂😂

[@aadityaberiwal3455]

I have driven both back to back virtus is more fun to drive because of stiffer suspensions

[@kargo1517]

@@aadityaberiwal3455 I have driven both back to back. Verna is miles, stars and galaxies ahead of Virtus in every point of car making except probably marginally less driving dynamics.

[@niranj1997]

​@@aadityaberiwal3455 Even I felt the same. Drove both Verna and Virtus back to back. The driving feel which Virtus gave was top notch. Verna is also good not that behind. But is better in other aspects and pricing also is better in Verna. Also, I felt the braking of Virtus to be more confident inspiring than Verna. My personal opinion. No hate to Verna. There are also few negatives for Virtus. But to enjoy the drive, Virtus 💯

[@nivasgamini2885]

Bro dont know what makes a good car 😂​@@aadityaberiwal3455

[@hariharasudhan907]

😂 just wait for the tuned 1.5 s to come out virtus and Slavia will put all other cars in the segment to shame

[@kgupta2205]

Very poor review. Needs seriousness

[@panditbhudev21]

My cousin has one and too be very frank tats VW golf but poor on corners.

[@sghu11]

0-100?