New Polo - Highline TDI - Test-Drive and Initial Ownership Report

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Having checked out all cars in the segment in my pursuit of buying a new car, here is my opinion on the interiors of each car. Please note, that the interior quality matters a lot to me and it was a very important criteria for deciding my car as it should give me a premium/luxury feel.
1> Punto - out immediately, more than quality, the fit/finish of the interiors is horrible for a 6-7 lakh car. ((4/10)
2> I20 - Lot of gadgets and goodies and good space as well. Quality is also pretty good but it is indeed overdone and misses that 'special' thing. (7/10)
3>Polo - classy, elegant and understated similar to outside design. Quality of parts (though little hard) and fit/finish are excellent. Feels premium. (9/10)
4>Micra - Funky design in the inside similar to outside. Quality of parts (some soft plastics as well) and fit/finish is top-notch. The central silver console with the music system and the climate control looks stunning. Feels premium. (9/10)

I forgot to mention about the Figo. The Figo screamed cheap as soon as I sat inside - the plastics are hard and shiny and the silver finish is the tackiest I have even seen though the fit,finish is better than the Punto (4 out of 10).

I have not yet seen Micra. I hope to have a look at it in the week-end and have a TD also!

Adi, just curious - How do you differentiate between the two? Both are silver finish - Right?

[adimicra]

Chetan,
The silver finish in the Micra really looks classy, just opposite to the Figo! Same thing has been mentioned by GTO in his review of Micra

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Right from the word go - Polo inspires confidence.

I have been scratching my head wondering how I ended up booking the car just a day after my wife and I saw it. I guess this is the real reason why.

Because honestly there are some negatives: The uncertainty of A**, delivery, the Skoda connection, etc. However I ended up sidelining most of that.

By the way please see the singing dog ad if you haven't already ->

YouTube - VW Polo Singing Dog ad

It just cracks me up every time I see it!

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Owners do not feel that the car is over priced.

No I do not feel this car is overpriced. I was looking at the Fabia when it came out, so to me it feels as if I am getting a car better than the Fabia in many respects (1.6l vs 1.2l MPI, German engineering, etc.) at a lower price than the Fabia. Luckily I didn't start at the bottom of the segment and work my way up -- Then yes, it would definitely look pricey.

One thing I noticed about the car manufacturers in India is that they hike up the price of the car every now and then for not much reason. I have been in the market for a replacement for the past 1 1/2 years. In one span of 3 months the price of the Honda City & Toyota Innova that I looked into rose up substantially by 10 to 15%. This is also why I feel cars from Honda & Toyota don't depreciate much.

On the other hand, if anyone prices their car too high to start up with, then its a sure-fire recipe for disaster. Look at the Fusion -- It started high and came down in subsequent years.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Polo prices went higher in a year's time.

[Vinay-JS]

Hi all,

This thread has grown a lot since I last watched it. Great to see that. Amazing review by Chetan. Very detailed.

BTW, I got my polo petrol Highline on Friday the 9th of July 2010. Now I can see how justified chetan was in his review. And he is indeed. The car is just amazing.

Only thing which irritates me is while braking. In the signal, soon after the car come to a complete halt, there comes a slight 'kirk' sound off the brakes. I don't know if it is the same with other polos.

I am stunned looking at the GC of this little car. I must appreciate it. I scarped it only once on a huge hump immediately followed by a huge ditch. Forget about cars, even a truck would have scraped that

[poloman]

Congrats Vinay.! What color is your car? Post some pictures.
I am not hearing any sound while braking. Better to get it checked at the SC.
No car in its class can beat Polo in GC. It is just amazing even in a humpy city like Bangalore.

[Vinay-JS]

Thanks poloman. It is white. Will post the pics on weekend.

I will wait for few more days and check if the sound is still there. Because, one day I drove the car in heavy rain and as I came home my watchman splashed the water on the tyres. I feel that the water has entered the brake assy and creating that noise.

[jkdas]

The head unit have a pre-out?
And all cars get the same head unit?

Originally Posted by adimicra

Having checked out all cars in the segment in my pursuit of buying a new car, here is my opinion on the interiors of each car. Please note, that the interior quality matters a lot to me and it was a very important criteria for deciding my car as it should give me a premium/luxury feel.
1> Punto - out immediately, more than quality, the fit/finish of the interiors is horrible for a 6-7 lakh car. ((4/10)
2> I20 - Lot of gadgets and goodies and good space as well. Quality is also pretty good but it is indeed overdone and misses that 'special' thing. (7/10)
3>Polo - classy, elegant and understated similar to outside design. Quality of parts (though little hard) and fit/finish are excellent. Feels premium. (9/10)
4>Micra - Funky design in the inside similar to outside. Quality of parts (some soft plastics as well) and fit/finish is top-notch. The central silver console with the music system and the climate control looks stunning. Feels premium. (9/10)

You didnt tell which spec you checked? Punto,i20 etc are bigger cars in terms of space & engine.

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

Amarthya - Interior description can not be complete without taking color-combination in to consideration. But, I understand what you mean. Let me try.

i20 interiors are also good looking and exciting. But looks over-done. It is like a beautiful face with a lot of make-up, which actually is not required.

When it comes to quality of material used - Fit & Finish - Both are good. Thickness of plastics is better in Polo. Our i20 TD vehicle had a bit of rattle though. With Polo - Absolutely no rattles - Even after 5000 Kms (almost).

Rear leg room and head room, is very good in i20. But rear seats and head rest, are much more comfortable in Polo. Front seat comfort is good in both the cars.

More than interiors, AC & Ride Quality is the let down - in i20.

Over done? Eh? The competition is left to shame when one compares the specs and the beautiful engine!

[poloman]

Originally Posted by Vinay-JS

Thanks poloman. It is white. Will post the pics on weekend.

I will wait for few more days and check if the sound is still there. Because, one day I drove the car in heavy rain and as I came home my watchman splashed the water on the tyres. I feel that the water has entered the brake assy and creating that noise.

Water can only create a squeaking sound and it will vanish in a day or two.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Amartya

As a friend of mine once told me, that the car should be better from the inside than the outside. He is not an auto-enthusiast, in fact he couldn't care less, but this point of view makes a huge difference. Specially for people who don't really care too much about dynamics, engine power, NVH etc. One visit to the VW showroom and sitting inside a display vehicle convinces people to part with their money.
Note, that doesn't mean that informed people won't buy the car, but just that interiors hold sway over the rest.

I agree quite a lot with your friend: we do buy our cars to drive them, not to look at them. If I bought a car for its exterior looks, I would never have bought the Swift!

It reminds me... a friend and I used to go to the London Boat Show to day dream. When looking around yachts, her attention went first to the deck layout, whilst I rushed below. I used to say that how it sailed was irrelevant if it was not comfortable and well designed for living aboard!

(OT: that particular lady was more successful than me in the boat thing: she married a round-the-world sailor, lived on her own yacht for a while, and continues to be an avid sailor with several boats in the family)

[sachinsumant]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

I agree with you 100%. Extended Warranty makes more sense. If possible, for both 3rd and 4th year. I will check with the Dealer. Thanks!



At the face value, when we calculate the service cost, what you say is correct. I have also thought about it.

To tell you frankly, I am not (100%) sure of getting in to the AMC. Right now, this is how I am thinking about it:

I have previous experience on AMC with GM, for my Spark. When I compare my service experience with Daewoo-Matiz and GM-Spark, I feel that people without AMC, will be charged more un-necessarily. Therefore, by the end of the term, we would have spent more money.

For example: Even the brake shoes are replaced more frequently then actually required, when one is not in AMC! This is my own experience.

Also, we look at only the scheduled service costs. If we have any minor niggles in between, Dealer will not have the moral courage to charge us for labor, if we are under AMC. After-all, if a customer has Warranty + Insurance + AMC, what else can he ask for? I feel that our expenses will be limited to this and can be well planned.

This is a good topic and can be further discussed. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance!!



I agree with you. Try shifting from 1st to 2nd above 2300 RPM. That could make it better. Just a couple of questions:

• To what extent does the TurboLag effect Drivibility - in your case? I am asking this specifically, since you drive in a different City and in a different driving condition.
• It is interesting to know the reason - for your decision to buy Polo over Figo. Can you share?
• How much has the car run until now?

• To what extent does the TurboLag effect Drivibility - in your case? I am asking this specifically, since you drive in a different City and in a different driving condition.

--I live in the NCR,which has got the maximum car count in the country compared to most of the cities,so most of the driving is bumper to bumper.Thereby in such a case drive mostly in the 1st or 2nd gear.As soon as the traffic rushes a bit,one can raise the rpm level and catch up with the traffic,so its very manageable.
Once i reach 30 kmph,change to 3rd gear,there's not much of an issue with the pickup,if at all i face such an issue,i downshift the gear and all's fine.
Shifting gears at the advisable rpm's(as per the gear shift indicators) ,isnt a headache for me either,but yes,can be a pain for a person who hates changing it.

So the turbo-lag can be negated by driving in a judgemental manner,adjusting your speed in accordance with the traffic.(For Example ..seen a lot of people speeding up just before the red light..!)Helps a lot in maintaining a good constant speed.

• It is interesting to know the reason - for your decision to buy Polo over Figo. Can you share?

--Yes Certainly.Had gone to have a look at the Figo,liked its VFM nature,thought of going for Titanium TDCI.As i wanted a hatchback with a good boot.Moreover thought a car at this price offering the Airbag's as well,looks to be a nice package.
Week later,got my wife to see the car,she liked it too.
Although the engine seemed a bit noisy to me,even inside the cabin.
By then only the Polo Petrol was available for TD.So thought atleast would see the interiors and check if the driveability is good.
Went to the VW showroom with my wife,and both of us were swept off our feet by its looks.Looks were class apart from the rest.Then took the TD,and looked more noisy than the Diesel Figo.Thought for a while,if the petrol is so noisy ,how much Noise would the diesel make ????
Then thankfully revisited GTO's review and saw petrol was more noisier than the Diesel.(thanks for that GTO..Excellent review there..)
Polo's TD added to my confusion,as liked the interiors of the Polo more than that of Figo's.
Then i thought Ford has done so much of a cost cutting for this model,so wasnt really sure,if this would last that long.
Read reports of VW Customer in emerging markets like Brazil,China and people were satisfied with the quality.
Own Maruti Zen for 12 years now.So wanted a car which was built to last.

So booked the Diesel one in April,after reading reviews on Team-bhp.And thought would cancel it if didnt like the TDI.As waiting on Figo was anyways less,so could have gone for it anytime.Then took a TD of Polo TDI,and surprisingly didnt find it noisy at all,atleast not inside.

Interiorwise- liked Polo more,as were more rich in nature.
Featurewise-Airbag's was the only option which made my mind swirl around a lot in favour of Figo,but then i thought Polo's body is also pretty safe,but you can say i compromised on tht.
Stability-Felt a lot more stable than figo.
Looks-Liked the looks of Polo more than the Figo ,Found Figo similar to the existing Zen,so wanted something different and classy to look at.
Economy-Its almost sure that a car which isnt tuned for power,is a very FE car,and my decision turned out to be right there.
Brand-Love both the Brands VW & Ford,so brand wasnt a reason behind my decision at all.But knew one thing,both the brands are here to stay.
Driveability-Found the difference in the lower gears,in terms of Turbo Lag.But that isnt the only factor one decides upon while buying a car.

Surprisingly at Idle didnt find Polo TDI that noisy.

• How much has the car run until now?

--Car has run 2500Kms,and really love the way it negotiates the potholes.
Found the suspension of polo more softer than Figo.
NVH levels have reduced since the time i bought it.

Bregards,
Sachin.

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by jkdas

You didnt tell which spec you checked? Punto,i20 etc are bigger cars in terms of space & engine.

Beg to differ totally with you. I have checked out all cars as I have said but I guess you have not checked out the Micra personally.
I can absolutely guarantee that Micra is much more spacious than the Punto in the interior. Punto might be bigger in dimensions but that does not mean it is more spacious. Guess what, the Punto is bigger than the Jazz in external dimesions, does it mean that Punto got more space than Jazz?
Punto has a larger boot though than the Micra.
I checked out the top versions of all cars. Punto was the first one to be out due to interior quality and cramped rear ( my family members were not comfortable in the rear).
I20 is a different case - it is quite spacious. In terms of legroom, I do not think there is much of a difference between the I20 and Micra but I20 might have a little more shoulder room in the rear. But anyways, there are things like the steering,handling and weak AC in the I20 which was a deal breaker for me.
Here, I think, the question was about the interior quality and not which car is bigger.
And the I20 was a 1.2L engine..how is it bigger?

[Vinay-JS]

Originally Posted by poloman

Water can only create a squeaking sound and it will vanish in a day or two.

Then this must be the case. This splashing happened day before and today it is better.

[adimicra]

Originally Posted by jkdas

Over done? Eh? The competition is left to shame when one compares the specs and the beautiful engine!

JK dear,
I do not understand what's your objection here. This is my personal opinion. Guess you need to respect each other's opinion in this forum. I find the interiors in I20 little overdone, still I would consider it to be good.
But the steering is superlight and horrible which does not give confidence in handling. And the AC is the weakest I have seen in any mordern car. I do not want to pay 7 lakh for a car and then sweat out in the summer. Its my money and I have decided not to buy the I20. Period.
You feel the I20 is great, I have no issues with that! Chill!

[carfanatic007]

Originally Posted by Vinay-JS

Hi all,

This thread has grown a lot since I last watched it. Great to see that. Amazing review by Chetan. Very detailed.

BTW, I got my polo petrol Highline on Friday the 9th of July 2010. Now I can see how justified chetan was in his review. And he is indeed. The car is just amazing.

Only thing which irritates me is while braking. In the signal, soon after the car come to a complete halt, there comes a slight 'kirk' sound off the brakes. I don't know if it is the same with other polos.

I am stunned looking at the GC of this little car. I must appreciate it. I scarped it only once on a huge hump immediately followed by a huge ditch. Forget about cars, even a truck would have scraped that

Congrats, as always post lots of pics.... so slowly Polo owners are increasing on T-BHP

[adimicra]

Ok, misunderstood the earlier comment from 'jkdas'. it was not directed to me but to Chetan but I replied!
MODS, it will be good if you can delete this post as well as the earlier one in this thread. I do not see any option to edit my post!