I do not mean to say the Skoda Slavia is badly designed, but to me, the Volkswagen Virtus felt much sportier and meaner.
BHPian StrawHat Pirate recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
We were in search of a good car that would be a daily driver for me and occasionally for my family members. We had a 2018 VW Polo MPI Comfortline, which was moderately used. So I was used to the driving dynamics of German cars, and man, do I love the Polo.
I do regret not getting the TSI at that time, but I couldn’t refuse the offer the showroom was giving me at that time. The car is in a pretty good condition, other than a few scratches and stone chippings, internally it still runs smooth. I was eagerly waiting for the Virtus to launch so I could upgrade from the MPI to the TSI.
After the Kushaq and Taigun were launched, I decided to check them out. They looked pretty good considering a lot of localisation. But due to an unknown reason, it did not feel like the Polo to me.
I sat upright, had a better view of the bonnet, the power was good for a 1.0ltr, but it didn’t really click. I felt a sedan would be better. It would be much closer to the hatchback. My family & I were sure that even the next family would be from the VW Group. The car hunt took a back seat for a while.
In 2022, VW launched the Virtus briefly after the Slavia, and I was awestruck. The design of the Virtus felt much sportier and meaner compared to the Slavia. I do not mean to say the Slavia is badly designed. The classic Czech look, elegant and timeless design with the 2-spoke wheel, would make a perfect executive car, especially in black. But the Virtus won me over in the looks department, especially in the Cherry Red.
I test rode the TopLine and the 1.5 GT. I do not want to repeat the things other BHP members have said about the engines, so I’m going to skip it. This post is why I chose the 1.0 ltr GT-Line over the TopLine.
In October 2023, Virtus launched, for the 2nd time, the Skoda Sportline version of the Virtus and Taigun and called them GT-Line. These were cosmetic upgrades and some functional upgrades over the current 1.0ltr. These variants were placed below the TopLine variants.
The cosmetic changes include:
- Complete de-chrome
- Black alloys (similar to the 1.5GT)
- All black interior (looks sweet!)
- Aluminium pedals
- Red ambient lighting
- Leatherette and fabric combo seats
The functional changes include:
- Projector headlamps
- Digital instrument cluster
- Moonroof
- Auto IRVM
- Rear armrest
Around this time, I visited both Skoda and VW showrooms to check the new Sportline trims. This is when I saw the Lava Blue color for the 1st time, and I immediately knew this was the color I had to get my car in.
There was no display for the Virtus GT-Line, so I decided to look at the neighboring Skoda showroom that had the Sportline variant of the Slavia and man! This was a beautiful and menacing car. Why didn’t they launch these cars like this to begin with?
The car was simply 2 times better in this design. The looks of the GT at the price of a 1.0 ltr! Some may think it was just cosmetics, but there are valuable functional updates as mentioned above.
Now the GT-Line is just over 1.5 lacs cheaper than the TopLine. And for that price, it offers more value over the TopLine variant when the functional options (in the Topline variant) are taken into consideration.
The Topline additionally has the following features.
- Electronically adjustable seats for both driver and front passenger
- Cooled and heated ventilated front seats
- Full leatherette seats
Being a Bengaluru resident, heat wasn’t a concern and so ventilated seats weren’t necessary. My Polo had fabric seats for a long time and I felt it kept ventilation well between me and the seat and so leatherette seats weren’t necessary. Electronically adjustable seats are half as useful if there isn’t a memory function. So basically, the TopLine was checked off and I booked the Virtus GT-Line in Lava Blue on Nov 30 2024.
I was given 60 days of waiting time. But my car arrived on Jan 9th. I did the PDI using the TBHP PDI checklist (Thank you!) and confirmed the delivery date to my SE for Jan 11th. The delivery was smooth. I have covered just over 1500 kms since then. And I am absolutely loving the car. It has been a sensible upgrade over the Polo.
I hope VW and Skoda continue to stay in India for a long time and continue to make cars for driving enthusiasts.
Attaching a pic of my car in the beautiful Lava Blue color.
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