Volkswagen Virtus vs Skoda Slavia: Poll Results

With Volkswagen launching the Virtus sedan in India, the VW Group’s India 2.0 lineup is complete. More importantly, the Skoda Slavia gets a cousin now, as both sedans have the same underpinnings: the MQB A0 IN platform. The question is, which sedan is the most appealing to the public?

To find that our, we decided to conduct a poll on Instagram, and here’s how its turned out:

 

We had a total of 681 respondents participate in the poll, out of which 483 of them voted for the Volkswagen Virtus. The other 198 respondents went for the Skoda Slavia. So the Virtus wins by quite a convincing margin, for which we think there’s a variety of reasons behind it.

For starters, the Virtus resembles a mini-Jetta with its side profile with the Slavia resembling the Octavia. What makes the Virtus really stand out is the extra dosage of chrome on the bumpers, front grille, and headlamp housings. You can also add a bit of sportiness to the Virtus with the GT Plus trim, limited to the 1.5-litre TSI engine, that gets rid of the chrome with blacked-out bits and a small rear spoiler. Other than that, the two sedans are dimensionally identical at 4561mm length, 1752mm width, 1507mm height, and a 2651mm wheelbase. 

Inside, the two sedans stand out in their own way. In the case of the Virtus, it's a three-spoke steering wheel, a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system that’s nicely integrated into the dashboard, and silver accents extending to the doors. The GT Plus in the red body shade adds a colour-matching insert in the dashboard and aluminium pedals. The Slavia’s stand out bits include a two-spoke steering wheel, a floating 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system setup and copper coloured accents on the dash. 

Both sedans get common features such as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, 8-speaker in-house sound system, 8-inch digital driver’s display, wireless phone charger and a single-pane sunroof.

 

Another identical bit between the two sedans lies under the hood as both get 1-litre 115PS TSI petrol and 1.5-litre 150PS TSI petrol motors to play with. A 6-speed manual is standard for the 1-litre TSI mills, with a 6-speed automatic gearbox as an option. For the 1.5-litre motor, the Slavia can also get it with the 6-speed manual option whilst both sedans get the 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox.    

The Volkswagen Virtus retails from Rs 11.22 lakh to Rs 17.92 lakh, whereas the Skoda Slavia retails from Rs 10.99 lakh to Rs 18.39 lakh (all prices ex-showroom). The two sedans take on the Honda City, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz, and the Hyundai Verna.