Volkswagen Experiences special feature: On the Road Again

Travel. It simply doesn’t stop. When I first stepped into our office as an intern, I was amazed by what a typical travel itinerary of an automotive journalist looks like. I’m not talking about jetting off to Europe to visit a motor show. On one of my first assignments, I flew to south India and was mesmerised by the sight of Marina Beach as I landed in Chennai just before sunset. Not too long after, I would find myself in the sand dunes of Rajasthan and in the weeks to follow, at India’s largest race track. I also snuck in a pilgrimage to the Himalayas and ended up closing out my first year in the gig at water’s edge Kanyakumari. And I’m not even counting all the trips made to attend launches or to assist on shoots! Travel is a given for those in our line of work and the novelty of flying can wear thin if you travel as frequently as we do.

That said, there’s never been a better time to be a driving enthusiast in India. The road tripping culture is steadily gaining momentum and this is in part thanks to the constantly improving road infrastructure across the country. Access-controlled expressways are now getting more prevalent, new tunnels coming up in the mountains are not only cutting down travel time but are also ensuring year-round connectivity. And if you have an adventurous streak, you will find great driving roads in India, no matter which part you hail from. But what if you’ve never been on a great driving adventure before and want to embark on your first one in a nice car? There’s a solution for that too. Meet Volkswagen Experiences.

I heard about Volkswagen Experiences back in 2024 when I was on a short break from my gig as a motor noter at this magazine and the premise of it did sound very exciting. The first chapter entailed a fleet of Volkswagens travelling to the beautiful region of Ladakh. I’ve ventured as far as Jispa in Himachal Pradesh on my earlier travels and Ladakh continues to remain on my bucket list, so there was no surprise when I found myself glued to the magazine as I read about Prashant’s exploits from his journey. For a newbie adventurer, the best thing about these Volkswagen Experiences is that these curated experiences feature a pre-planned route and itinerary, meaning that you don’t have to do the leg-work of route-planning over Google or scramble to sort out your accommodation. You can simply arrive at the start of the drive and the team takes care of the rest. And you get to experience some very nice cars too.

I’ve been lucky to be able to sample cars from different brands thanks to my job but few of these have tugged at my heartstrings like a Volkswagen has. One of the first cars I drove after joining the office was a Taigun and I continue to admire it to this day. We have spoken at length before about the ease of driving a Taigun in the city and also its dynamic finesse in the corners and on highways. We’ve also subjected the SUV to typical Indian road conditions which can range from pothole-ridden stretches to ‘what is a road’ in a matter of metres, and despite it, the Taigun has always remained unfazed.

Prashant, who was behind the ’wheel of a Taigun GT Plus Sport on the Volkswagen Experiences drive in Ladakh was impressed by how the SUV seemed to be unbothered by the terrain, and also the grunt on offer from the 1.5-litre TSI Evo engine, despite the power loss at altitude. After parting ways from the convoy, Prashant and the team would go on to drive to Shinku La – facing deep water crossings and other obstacles along the way, and they reached their destination without much of a fuss. Impressive!

The Virtus was also present on this chapter of Volkswagen Experiences and it’s not like it was out of its depth in these environs. It is based on the robust MQBA0-IN platform that also underpins the Taigun and when you factor in that it has 179mm of ground clearance, there’s not much that this sedan cannot deal with. The performance from the TSI engines will keep an enthu-cutlet happy as well, and at this point I must add that to take part in Volkswagen Experiences, you don’t need to own a Volkswagen.

It is an arrive-and-drive experience where you can sample the entire Volkswagen range on sale in India and everything else including your accommodation, hospitality and fuel is taken care of. You also get to sample these Volkswagens in a thoroughly comprehensive manner and if you’re considering buying a new Volkswagen, we would highly recommend you join the upcoming editions of these drives.

Volkswagen Experiences is an initiative that doesn’t just cater to adventurers and driving enthusiasts, but it even allows newbie explorers to enjoy driving a Volkswagen in beautiful parts of our country. And while I might have missed out on the first chapter, I am more than eager to attend the next one. Because I could’ve easily headed to Ladakh for my next adventure on a flight; it would be faster, more efficient and also, a little too sterile.

But with cars such as the Taigun and Virtus at your disposal, you don’t just want to take the long way home, you want to see the country from behind the ’wheel in them. And no matter where you end up travelling to, it will always be the journey that’s more important than the destination.