Volkswagen Virtus road trip special feature: Kibithu to Kashmir to Koteshwar to Kanyakumari Part 2

Koteshwar, Gujarat — that’s where the road in the opening image leads. A quiet village at the western edge of India, it’s as far west as you can go while still being surrounded by life. With little more than the Shree Koteshwar Mahadev temple and Narayan Sarovar, the place carries a rare calm — amplified by a stunning sunset that makes you momentarily forget the journey ahead. This serene setting marked the beginning of the second half of our K2K to K2K expedition: a 2600km drive from Koteshwar to Kanyakumari, tracing India from west to south. While leg one began at Kibithu with the country’s first sunrise, this leg started where the sun sets last. Replacing the Virtus sedan was Volkswagen’s compact SUV, the Taigun, powered by a 1-litre TSI engine paired with a 6-speed automatic gearbox. On paper, it may lack the excitement of the Virtus’ 1.5-litre TSI EVO, but this leg demanded comfort, reliability and the ability to tackle long highway stretches broken by rough patches — qualities the Taigun delivered with ease. 

The drive begins

Day 1 was straightforward – Koteshwar to Vadodara, with a stop at the Rann of Kutch. We rolled out on long, empty roads cutting through the desert. But the “Gujarat smoothness” quickly vanished, replaced by rocky, broken stretches that genuinely felt like lunar terrain. As smooth as the main highways inside Gujarat are, the back roads stand in stark contrast. The Taigun didn’t mind, though. The suspension absorbed the roughness without complaint, and the 1-litre turbo engine, although small, had enough punch to keep us progressing at a comfortable pace. When we reached the Rann, unseasonal rains had turned large parts of the salt flats into slush, robbing us of the endless white canvas we usually love exploring. Still, we squeezed in a few fun moments, slid around just enough to make the crew laugh and then continued. Soon after, we hit what’s probably the most famous stretch of road in Gujarat – the Road to Heaven. If you’ve never seen it, picture this: long straight tarmac with water shimmering on both sides and a sky that looks twice as big because the road disappears into the horizon. And unlike before, this piece of road is genuinely very smooth. Here, the Taigun felt completely at home with its light steering, punchy engine and a cabin refined enough that even after hours behind the ’wheel, fatigue never really set in. We wrapped up our first day in Vadodara – tired and dusty but full of good food and good mood.

From butter-smooth roads to broken backs

The next morning, we aimed for Pune. The plan was ambitious – over 600km in a single day, across two states and over every kind of road surface imaginable. Gujarat’s polished highways soon gave way to Maharashtra’s unpredictable monsoon leftovers – roads that looked like test tracks for suspension engineers. What had been smooth and effortless suddenly turned into a relentless obstacle course of potholes, construction zones and heavy traffic. This is where the Taigun’s build quality really stood out. Not a single rattle, not a squeak. The chassis felt tight, the suspension composed and even after hours of tackling uneven surfaces, the car felt solid and safe (and it is – 5-star GNCAP rated), and never once made us worry about what’s coming next. You could tell Volkswagen engineers spent serious time fine-tuning how this car feels on Indian roads. The drive was tiring but not miserable, thanks in large part to the Taigun’s comfort and a few strategically timed food breaks. A hot cup of chai, a plate of vada pav, and, later in the day, a spicy misal pav – all of which tasted better simply because we’d earned them. After a long day, we finally rolled into Pune late at night. The odometer read a little over 1000 kilometres since we’d left Koteshwar and despite the punishment we’d put it through, the Taigun still felt brand new.

Cruising into the south

Next destination was Bengaluru. Now, there are two ways to go: one through Solapur, the other through Kolhapur. The smarter choice is the first one, owing to its long straight highways and minimal traffic. This is where the Taigun reminded us what it’s made of. On open stretches of highway, that little 1.0-litre TSI engine feels lively and eager. The mid-range torque is strong enough for quick overtakes, and the 6-speed automatic gearbox is silky and responsive. For a small engine, it packs a surprising amount of character – smooth when you’re cruising, playful when you want to push. That also lets you save some money. Somewhere on the way, we stopped at a small roadside dhaba for chai. As the crew stretched their legs, I glanced at the trip computer – 21kmpl on average so far. Considering the speed, traffic and terrain, that was more than respectable. By evening, we rolled into Bengaluru, navigating the chaos of city traffic with ease thanks to the Taigun’s compact size and light steering. The car felt perfectly at home weaving through tight gaps. After two long days, it was nice to relax in a comfortable hotel bed, finally.

Where it all ends

Our final day began a bit easier than before. The goal was simple – drive from Bengaluru to Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of India. It felt strange knowing this was the last leg of a journey that had spanned thousands of kilometres and weeks of planning. From the moment we joined NH44, the drive became a joy. The highway is among the best in the country – smooth, wide and scenic. We set the cruise control, turned on some music and let the kilometres roll by. The landscape kept changing from bustling cityscapes to lush green fields, from temple towns to stretches lined with coconut trees and windmills. The Taigun just kept gliding, calm and unbothered, letting us not only cover distance but also soak in the beauty of the region. Then, almost suddenly, the horizon opened up and land ended. We had reached Kanyakumari. The road finishes at a T-like junction, and beyond that, there is only water – the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean meeting at the edge of the country. Standing there, watching the ocean, it felt poetic, the perfect end to an epic journey that had started between the mountains where the sun rises first and ended at the coast where the sun sinks slowly into the water. From Kibithu to Kashmir, and from Koteshwar to Kanyakumari, we had seen all four corners of India. And the cars had too. Two Volkswagens, the Virtus and the Taigun, covered over 6000 kilometres of every kind of terrain this country has to offer. The Virtus showed us that sedans still have a place in long-distance travel and the Taigun proved that compact SUVs can take on the same challenge with equal poise. Both cars were solid, reliable and incredibly comfortable. And the biggest testament to that is this: they did it all without any drama.