NOMADIC TAIGUN

A 450 km run from Dholavira to Udaipur proves the Volkswagen Taigun is built for more than just the city

- By Kurt Morris

Peak summertime in the Rann of Kutch is a particular kind of punishment. The salt flats stretch white and blinding to the horizon, and stepping out of an air-conditioned car for longer than two minutes is something you do only once. Volkswagen chose this setting deliberately, handing over the keys to the updated Taigun in Dholavira, and pointing us 450 kilometres northeast towards Udaipur. If the car was going to struggle anywhere, it would be here.

Most media drives offer a quick loop; a briefing session, few hours behind the wheel, a buffet lunch, a press release. This was different. A full day of driving, from sunrise over the salt flats to evening in Rajasthan, through terrain that swings between smooth highway and deeply unpredictable back roads. It was a route that finds out what a car is actually made of.

We flew into Bhuj the previous evening, overnighted, and made our way to Dholavira in the early hours. As the convoy of Taiguns lined up in the pale morning light, flamingos drifted across the sky overhead. It was otherworldly, and briefly cool. Then the sun came up properly, and any sense of romance evaporated.