Volkswagen To Add A Manual Option For The Virtus GT

The sedan will also get new colour options while the performance-oriented GT Plus variant will get more affordable in a couple of months

• The GT Plus trim with the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine has been limited to the DSG auto since launch.

• New GT Plus MT trim incoming, will also get a “Deep Black Pearl” colour option.

• A new “Lava Blue Metallic” colour will be offered on all variants.

• Currently, the Virtus is priced between Rs 11.48 lakh and Rs 18.57 lakh (ex-showroom).

At its annual press conference, Volkswagen India showcased its plans to keep its localised lineup fresh in the face of recently updated competitors. Out of all the new changes coming our way, the Virtus will be getting a new variant and two new colour options. Let’s get into the details:

GT Performance To Get More Affordable

The top-spec Performance Line of the Virtus, which comprises only the GT Plus variant, will soon get a manual transmission option as well. This variant is powered by the carmaker’s 150PS, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine and will soon come with a 6-speed manual transmission. This addition will make the top-spec Virtus more affordable and more appealing to driving enthusiasts.

Fresh Colours

Alongside this new variant, the Virtus will be getting two new colour options: Deep Black Pearl, which will be offered on the top-spec GT Plus trim only, that too for a limited time, and Lava Blue Metallic, which was recently added to the Skoda Slavia's colour palette, will be offered on all variants of the Virtus. The new variant and these new colours will be available in the market from June 2023.

Features

The GT Plus trim comes with a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 8-inch digital driver’s display, wireless phone charging, automatic climate control, electric sunroof, six airbags, electronic stability control (ESC), tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS) and a rear-view camera. All these features will also be offered on the GT Plus manual variant.

Also Read: Volkswagen To Offer New Taigun GT Variants And Special Editions Soon

A new feature has been made standard since the start of April, and that is seat belt reminders for all passengers. Apart from this, there are no feature additions.

Powertrain

The “Performance Line” GT variants get the carmaker's 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine that churns out 150PS and 250Nm. As mentioned above, they will soon come with the choice of 6-speed manual and 7-speed dual-clutch transmissions. The other variants of the compact sedan get a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol engine which makes 115PS and 178Nm, and is either paired with a 6-speed manual or a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Price & Rivals

The GT Plus manual variant could be more affordable by Rs 1.5 lakh than its automatic counterpart. The Virtus is currently priced between Rs 11.48 lakh and Rs 18.57 lakh (ex-showroom) and is a rival to the Honda City, Hyundai Verna and Skoda Slavia.

Read More on : Volkswagen Virtus on road price