Here's How Service Costs Compare Between The 1.5-litre TSI And 1.0-litre TSI Variants Of The Volkswagen Virtus

The automatic variants are more expensive to maintain than the manual ones, but by a smaller margin than you might expect

Volkswagen India had made it a point to improve its after-sales services, as part of the brand’s India 2.0 goal, whether it's limited network coverage or higher service costs. Since then, the German carmaker has introduced two new vehicles based on MQB A0-IN platforms, with up to 95 percent localisation. Here, we’re going to compare servicing expenses of the 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre TSI variants of the Virtus sedan.

The following is the breakdown of the service expenses of Virtus, in three variants, over a ten-year period (or 1,50,000 km).

Service Cost Table

Disclaimers

• The frequency in changing transmission fluid, spark plugs, brake oil, and coolant is subject to driving style, and vehicle condition or age.

• We’ve considered the Topline variant for the 1-litre turbo-petrol engine, both manual and automatic transmission models.

• Consumables like lock cylinder lubricant spray and windshield cleaner concentrate are optional.

• The maintenance schedule described in this article follows Volkswagen’s recommendations.

• Service costs mentioned in the table are tentative and excluding taxes (for Delhi), the actual cost may vary depending on the vehicle, dealer and location.

Also Check Out: Here’s How The Honda City Hybrid Fares Against Its Petrol Version In Terms Of Service Cost

• As expected, the 1.0-litre petrol-manual model of the Virtus is least expensive to maintain of all three variants. It has a total service cost of Rs 76,388 over the 10 years, which is Rs 17,132 less than the 1.0-litre AT model and Rs 4,998 less than the 1.5-litre petrol DSG model.

• Periodic maintenance is performed every 15,000 km/each year and comprises the replacement of the oil filter, drain plug, dust and pollen filter, and engine oil. Given that the variant selected comes with a sunroof, that part also gets attended to in every service with periodic lubrication.

• In the very first service, the periodic maintenance of all three models doesn’t include the labour cost. All services afterwards will include labour charges which will vary depending on the work done. All three variants of the Virtus require brake fluid and air filter replacement in their second service. This is repeated in the sixth and tenth service intervals as well.

Also See: How The Hyundai Verna Has Evolved Since Its Debut in India in 2006

• The third, fifth, seventh and ninth services carry out the same set of changes and top-ups as the first one, i.e., engine oils, air filters etc.

• The service cost jumps up every fourth maintenance cycle that is due every 60,000km or in the car’s fourth year. For this round of service, the 1.0-litre TSI AT variation gets a change of the automatic transmission fluid (ATF), which costs Rs 8,647. In addition, all three variants require spark plugs and a poly V-belt replacement. The same maintenance cycle is repeated for the eighth service interval after another four years or 60,000km.

Powertrain Details

The 1.5-litre engine features ‘Active Cylinder Deactivation’ technology, which increases fuel economy by turning off two cylinders under low-stress circumstances. Meanwhile, the more affordable 1-litre turbo-petrol engine is the only one to offer a manual transmission option.

Price Rivals

The Volkswagen Virtus is priced between Rs 11.32 lakh to Rs 18.42 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), and it locks horns with Honda City, New-gen Verna, Skoda Slavia and Maruti Suzuki Ciaz.

Read More on : Volkswagen Virtus on road price