Aristotle, Confucius, and Socrates had each, and all of them spoke quite fondly of it. Aristotle is believed to have said that “Happiness is prosperity combined with Virtue.” Confucius was an even more humble and inspiring chap who apparently maintained that “Humility is the solid foundation of all Virtues.” That’s obviously referring to both 1.5 and 1.0 VWs. However, the bloke I can relate to the most would be Socrates. He was really direct and precise in his praise when he said that “Virtue is its own reward.” How beautifully accurate is that?
Fast forward to 2026 and the Virtus is still selling great (in fact, it outsold every other sedan in its segment last year) despite the fact that overall the sedans are losing ground (all puns intended) to everything from raised hatchbacks to cross-over things called SUVs. But, before I tell you more about the Virtus, it’s imperative that I first share the three main reasons for the sedans losing it to other forms of the automobile.
The first is ground clearance, which we Indians think we can’t do without. We don’t believe in improving our driving skills and civic sense, we just expect our cars to drive over everything in sight, and sedans have been considered notoriously incapable of such antics.
The second is “perceived” space. We might not have any sense of personal space (that’s why, despite COVID, we still haven’t learnt to keep distance in queues of all kinds), but we expect our cars to accommodate everyone including our neighbours, and their dogs, even if we hate them (the neighbours, not the dogs; you can’t hate dogs). Here too, the sedans have been scoffed at for providing just as much cabin space as a hatchback.
DESIGN & COLOURS
If I counted right, there are eight shades on offer for the Virtus GT Plus: Candy White, Wild Cherry Red, Rising Blue Metallic, Carbon Steel Grey, Carbon Steel Grey Matte, Deep Black Pearl, Lava Blue (my test car), and Reflex Silver. I would request the good folks in VW India’s Comm. team to have a media unit in Grey Matte as well next time, as that’s the one that looks the best in my opinion. I quite like both the Blues too, but the Virtus is such a handsome car that it looks great in every colour. That’s the hallmark of a car design done right.
The proportions are perfect and there are no unnecessary slashes, cuts, creases, lines, etc., used to create a dramatic effect. It’s a simple and elegant design which would look good even decades down the line. The Passat and Jetta still look great, don’t they?
However, I was still not expecting the Virtus to turn a single head because it has been around for almost four years now. Therefore, I was pleasantly surprised to see it turning way too many heads everytime I took it out. In fact, I had to check the IRVM to see if there was something wrong with my face. There wasn’t. Therefore, if, like me, you don’t want to attract a lot of attention by strangers on the road, you must get your Virtus in White. It still doesn’t guarantee a lack in attention though because, like I mentioned earlier, it’s just way too handsome a car. The cherry on top is that it manages to look that good without even trying. That’s an irresistible combo, right?
INTERIORS
It’s the same story on the inside. There’s nothing that’s shouting for attention despite the fact that everything feels properly premium and robust—that’s a masterclass in understated and classy design.
Ergonomically too, it’s a brilliant cabin as none of the controls—stalks, switches, buttons, knobs, dials—are hidden like they are in a few cars. Everything is where it’s supposed to be and you’re not left hunting for anything. My only two complaints comprise the lack of proper physical dials/switches/knobs/buttons for climate control, and the lack of a 360-degree camera as well. The latter is, honestly, just not acceptable and this is coming from someone who’s been driving (and riding) for over three decades now.
That said, I was pleasantly surprised to see the switchgear on driver’s door being fully illuminated—it’s missing in the highest selling Korean vehicle (same price-bracket) I had reviewed last year. THAT’S the whole point, dear auto manufacturers. We need you to just get the basics right; useless features like voice commands for the sunroof are not needed.
We need good seats too, and I am happy to report that the seats all around are comfortable and there’s a fantastic amount of legroom and kneeroom at the rear. The icing on the cake is that this VW has the largest boot as well in the segment. So, yes, your in-laws would be happy with not only the rear seat space, but with the boot too, as it will accommodate all of their luggage easily, provided, of course, you’re accommodating a son-in-law as well.
Before I move on to the next section, I must quickly share that both the front seats on the Virtus are powered and ventilated.
PERFORMANCE & HANDLING
This is really where you’ll put yourself on the back the hardest for choosing this car. The performance is simply outstanding. And I am not talking about only the engine, but the handling too. But, first, the customary 0-100 km/h figures: the Virtus 1.5 DSG managed it in just 8.5 seconds. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the quickest car in the segment. For perspective, my best time in the Virtus 1.5 MT last year was a fantastic 8.9 seconds, and it had taken me four runs to achieve that figure. If you must know, the first three runs were 9.5 s, 9.2 s, and 9.0 s. Here, the Virtus 1.5 DSG did it in 8.5 s in its solitary run. Intriguingly, that makes it a full one-second quicker than the Slavia 1.5 DSG that had managed the same sprint in 9.5 seconds.
You’d be astounded to know that it’s not just the pedal-to-metal shenanigans where the Virtus shines, but it’s a fabulous highway cruiser as well. In top gear (7th) at 100 km/h, the crank is spinning at just a shade above 1,800 rpm.
The NVH levels, as expected from a German sedan, are brilliant at all speeds, and so is the stability, which reminds me to now talk about the handling, which is absolutely sublime.
The steering is perhaps the most direct in the segment, but I wish it weighed up more at speeds over 80 km/h. The sure-footed chassis behaviour more than makes up for it, which ensures that high speed lane changes are a precise affair, and at no point the car feels nervous.
Please note that this was a brand new unit which the good chaps at VW had sent to me from the showroom (that’s why you see some taping here and there on the body, as is found on a new car) because they didn’t have one in their press fleet. Therefore, I didn’t have the heart to do an extreme braking test on a brand-spanking new unit. Plus, even the tyres and brakes need a few hundred km to “start” bedding in, and I didn’t want to ruin that bedding-in process.
Once the tyres and brakes are fully bedded in, I am sure that even this unit’s braking performance won’t be any different to the Virtus 1.5 MT that had performed the 100-0 km/h test in an unbelievable 2.5 seconds last year. And, yes, even this car has VW’s XDS (Electronic Differential Lock, which is the same as BLD or Brake Lock Differential in 4x4s, and not an actual mechanical LSD) that makes you look like a hero during enthusiastic cornering.
RIDE QUALITY
I remember mentioning in the Slavia’s review that its ride quality isn’t the best in the segment and that you wouldn’t mind compromising a bit for the brilliant handling. AND, in the Virtus 1.5 MT’s review I had mentioned that, surprisingly, I found the VW’s ride quality to be a notch better than the Skoda’s. It’s the same story here as well. The Virtus 1.5 DSG reiterated that its ride quality is indeed a bit better than its Skoda cousin’s, which could be a major contributing factor in the former outselling the latter.
The ground clearance of the Virtus is also something that will keep you happy. You can take the worst speed-breakers head-on without any fear of scraping the front bumper or the underside. In fact, once you take a nice-long test drive of this car over bad roads, you will realise that you don’t really need a crossover/SUV…
FUEL EFFICIENCY
Thanks to VW’s cylinder deactivation tech (available only on the 1.5), owning a Virtus 1.5 is akin to having your cake and eating it too. On the one hand you get all the aforementioned performance from the direct injection turbocharged four cylinder petrol engine when you smash the loud pedal to the floor, while on the other hand you’re rewarded with fantastic fuel efficiency upon driving with a light foot as the car shuts off two cylinders in “light load” conditions. The switchover won’t be noticeable to 99 per cent of owners, but the increment in fuel efficiency will be noticed by ALL. The crux is that depending on your right foot, the range you’ll be able to extract from its 45-liter fuel tank would hover between 500 km to 700 km. Do you still need a soulless EV?
VERDICT
You may have noticed that I didn’t talk about its 5-star safety rating and other active and passive safety features, because you know all of that already. Yes, it’s the safest car in the segment. But, that’s not the reason I’ll recommend this car to you. You don’t need me for that. You can read that by yourself from a brochure.
The only reason I’ll URGE you to buy this car is for the sheer unbridled driving pleasure it offers, but only if you’re looking to buy a well-engineered, insanely fun-to-drive CAR and not a rolling tablet/cellphone/laptop on wheels. Look elsewhere if you want the latter. Enjoying the Virtus might not be a virtue you’re blessed with after all.