Volkswagen Taigun Facelift – What to Expect? » MotorOctane

Back in 2021, Volkswagen India decided to shift its focus away from the fabled Polo and Vento and towards the Taigun and Virtus. The Indian public adored the Polo and Vento, and VW left many of its fans gloomy with their discontinuation. But Volkswagen had grand plans with its future models. The Taigun and Virtus were well-received by the public and did not disappoint their customers. Both these models came with punchy engines and the glorious DSG gearbox. These cars were a joy to drive and helped Volkswagen maintain its reputation as a maker of fun-to-drive vehicles.

Unfortunately, sales have dried up due to increased competition in the segment. The Taigun has yet to receive any major facelifts since its launch in 2021, and Volkswagen is now planning to give it a fresh look and reignite market hype. Here is all you need to know about this facelift.

Exterior

The Taigun facelift was spotted recently testing on Indian roads. The test model’s front and rear ends were camouflaged, but we can still see the silhouette of the upcoming facelift. The overall boxy stance remains identical to the outgoing Taigun, along with the cuts and creases across its body. The front end looks similar to that of most new-generation Volkswagen models, such as the iD.4 and the upcoming Tera. From the rear, the facelift appears indistinguishable from the outgoing model.

Read More: New Volkswagen Tera – What to Expect?

Rumours suggest that the upcoming Taigun will be based on the VW Tharu (sold exclusively in China). The Tharu looks like a refreshed version of the Taigun. Furthermore, the spied version closely resembles the Tharu.

The outgoing Taigun is one of the most attractive mid-sized SUVs on the market. The facelift maintains the appeal, but Volkswagen has taken a small step back in terms of design.

Interior

The Taigun may still look fresh, but the feature list doesn’t. Its rivals boast an expansive feature list, which is a key reason for their sales. For instance, the outgoing Taigun lacks key features such as ADAS and a panoramic sunroof. Furthermore, VW does not provide a 360-degree camera as standard, even on higher variants. You have to get the camera fit from a VW authorised service centre.

Volkswagen will try to add these features in the facelift. Aside from an updated feature list, the cabin’s overall look is expected to remain similar. At most, the facelift would get a larger infotainment screen.

Notably, the Taigun is one of the safest cars on sale right now. It boasts a 5-star Global NCAP rating thanks to its robust platform. Volkswagen’s offering of 6 airbags as standard definitely helped them attain such ratings.

Powertrain

The engines have been the central selling point for most Volkswagen cars. This case remains with the Taigun. You get 2 petrol options – a 1.0L turbo-petrol and the mighty 1.5L turbo-petrol. The introduction of the GT line was music to the ears of car enthusiasts. The 1.5L engine produces a healthy 150 horsepower and 250 Nm of torque. For the lower variants, you can choose from a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic. For the higher variants, you can choose a 7-speed DSG or a 6-speed manual. The powertrain options have been a fan favourite, and Volkswagen will not ruin this recipe.

Its competitors offer engines with similar or even higher power figures, but what sets the Taigun apart is its transmission range. No other rival provides its powerful engines with a manual. Moreover, the DSG gearbox, despite its reliability woes, has been a driver’s delight for over a decade now. The DSG gearbox is what made the Polo and Vento so beloved in the Indian car community. The Taigun will retain these powertrain options with the facelift to please its customer demographic.

Rivals

The Indian public adores its SUVs, and, as expected, the midsize SUV has been a major driver of this. The compact SUV only recently overtook this segment as the best-selling, but the C-segment remains competitive. The segment includes the Hyundai Creta, Tata Sierra, Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara, Toyota Hyryder, Tata Harrier, Kia Seltos, Skoda Kushaq, Honda Elevate and Mahindra XUV700.

Furthermore, most of these cars are expected to get a facelift soon. At the same time, there will be some new faces in the market soon with the Renault Bigster and the Nissan Tekton.

Read More: New Nissan Tekton – What to Expect?

Expected Launch And Pricing

The Taigun facelift has been long overdue. The Taigun may not show its age, but it has fallen behind its competition. This is particularly evident with the sales figures. The Taigun sold a mere 1560 units in October. For perspective, the Creta sold more than 18000 units in the same month. Volkswagen will be looking to boost these numbers with the facelift and launch it in the early part of 2026.

If you are planning to get the facelift, you can expect a price hike of around 20,000 to 40,000 rupees compared to the outgoing model. The current model starts at 13.7 lakhs with the top trim (GT Plus Sports) costing upwards of 22.5 lakh rupees (on-road, Mumbai).

Image source: The Fat Biker via YouTube. 

Read More: 3 New Hyundai Creta Rivals Launching In Next 2 Months!