Volkswagen Polo : Test Drive & Review

[Pedal2Metal]

Did anyone get a chance to check out the Polo Diesel yet? If they are advertising so much, I would assume it has hit the showrooms now.

[liner4u]

Originally Posted by amoghchaphalkar

You clearly need to do a lot of reading about the 1.3 MJD !!

Have you searched the forums ?

Have you read about the weight difference between the Punto & the Swift ? (Power to weight ratio ?)

Have you read about how the ECU's are tuned differently in the Punto & the Swift ?

It's easier to say : Oh !! Car A & Car B have same engines therefore their performance should be exactly the same.

You say the Swift Diesel is more "responsive" than the Punto Diesel : I agree. But you would be surprised to know : the Swift Petrol is also more "responsive" than the Ritz Petrol. And guess what do they have in common : the Engine !!
And who makes it ? Maruti Suzuki themselves !!

Again : such topics / issues / debates are endless and highly subjective. So let's not go off topic here and start comparing manufacturers.

This is a Volkswagen Polo test drive & review thread !!

Agreed each car engine is tuned to a different setting. All I am trying to say is that the punto's engine is not mind blowing either so why accuse the polo's engine so much. As an overall package its a good car. Maybe everyone's expectations were so high for the polo and vw haven't delivered it in the engine department.

[shubhodeepdas@g]

Regarding the Ads:

They are funny no doubt but are a little short sighted I must say.
Here's what I think of them:

• Volkswagen assumes that India is full of Rhinos, Cows, Tribals and Bad roads.
• Even if you can travel 22 kmpl in the jungle, the central locking won't hold the tribals out. Note that he never actually drives 22 kms in the advertisement.
• Ostrich in India? Challenging a Rhino? Or are they saying that we may say a lot of things but don't try that yourself as it will not work out in your favor.

YouTube - Volkswagen Polo - "Cool" Commercial [HQ]

Attaching their Polo "Cool" commercial from Spain I think. To be honest, catches the attention of the young and aspirant buyer who is looking for a good machine for the city.

Anyone has any clear idea on when the 1.6 will hit the road? And if so, in what configuration?

[v.anand]

Originally Posted by liner4u

Agreed each car engine is tuned to a different setting. All I am trying to say is that the punto's engine is not mind blowing either so why accuse the polo's engine so much. As an overall package its a good car. Maybe everyone's expectations were so high for the polo and vw haven't delivered it in the engine department.

Punto's engines apart from 1.2 petrol are par for the course. If you haven't driven the 1.4 petrol engine yet or even the 1.3 M-jet, I would suggest you to do it and then let us know. Its geared little differently to aid driveability than performance, due to which 0-100 timings are not spectacular but one would never feel them underpowered at their respective price-points. All reviews and comparisons with Punto always refer to its 1.2L model and hence it comes last in the equation. To tell you where this 1.4L lacks, is in efficiency where other 1.2L engines do hold an upper hand thanks to capacity advantage.

Coming to engines, the one to beat in the segment by some distance is Suzuki 1.2 petrol, and not Fiat. But Punto is a better car in few other aspects and is by no means a product of low quality as mentioned earlier.

Lets get back to Polo now. I too am waiting for diesel reviews.

[sheetumanu]

Originally Posted by Pedal2Metal

Did anyone get a chance to check out the Polo Diesel yet? If they are advertising so much, I would assume it has hit the showrooms now.

Checked with VW dealership; TD vehicles will hit the showroom around 15~20 May whereas deliveries start sometime next month.

I am skeptical whether they would be able to start deliveries next month as Polo petrol is already touching 4~5 months of waiting period.

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by shubhodeepdas@g

You are right to a certain extent @Chetan, I drive a 1.6 Duratec and by no means the NVH on the Fusion is anywhere near desirable. But one can live with it because the rest of the car is also built like a truck.

Polo on the other hand is not built or feels like that. It's more gentle to be inside and if you look at the controls, the steering, the seats, they all exude quality, and then you turn the engine on and the dream is over. In a car like Polo, NVH has to come first.

Also Fusion is a great car.

When I first started the Engine of a Polo - Petrol, I could not believe that it was a Petrol car. I inquired with the SP twice to confirm. I did not know that the Diesel was not launched - and so, I thought that this was the Diesel car.

Today, IMO with so much technology to spare, controlling NVH inside the cabin is not very difficult. With good dampeners used as Engine mounts - vibrations can also be minimised. I do not know what makes VW think that the sound and feel of the engine inside the cabin will be good. Is this deliberately done to give their cars a sporty feel?

But for a sports car - the power is too less.

[liner4u]

Was talking to the SP in VW today and was inquiring why there is so much delay in deliveries compared to Figo.. He says that the production of the polo started only a few months back and they haven't been able to reach their optimum production capacity yet, let alone maximum which is one lac !!

He says Ford already had a production capacity of 80k and hence are able to meet demand to quite an extent. It seems it will take sometime for VW to achieve maximum production output and they are taking steps to speed up the process.

His argument is that when people are ready to wait months for a maruti which has the highest production capacity in India why not wait for the VW polo which is a German car.. Any takes on this ??

[uvmallya]

Originally Posted by sheetumanu

Checked with VW dealership; TD vehicles will hit the showroom around 15~20 May whereas deliveries start sometime next month.

I am skeptical whether they would be able to start deliveries next month as Polo petrol is already touching 4~5 months of waiting period.

It appears as though VW India has totally misjudged the demand and supply of the VW POLO. If the petrol cars are being delivered behind schedule, then how are you going to fit in the deliveries of the diesel version? Unless of course you increase the production of both versions!!

[rajushank84]

Originally Posted by liner4u

His argument is that when people are ready to wait months for a maruti which has the highest production capacity in India why not wait for the VW polo which is a German car.. Any takes on this ??

Whether they wait or not is purely up to the buyers, but I will say this: "Let them wait" is something I would classify as bad attitude. If Polo is a German car then Swift is a Japanese car. Maruti has proven their support and quality over decades, so their cars may be worth waiting for (or maybe not!). VW is the new kid on the block, with reputations of quality issues in the U.S.A. Why should anyone "wait" to give them an opportunity to prove themselves?

If this is their attitude when launching the car, then what will be their attitude if they achieve levels of success equal to Maruti?

[S2!!!]

Originally Posted by shubhodeepdas@g

Anyone has any clear idea on when the 1.6 will hit the road? And if so, in what configuration?

I have been looking for that answer since quite some time now. Anyways I got bored waiting and speculating so just booked the 1.2(P) Trendline. The sales guy at Downtown, Mumbai is quite confidently saying that it will be out by Sept this year. However, with the current waiting periods he seems to be quite optimistic. Anyways it is coming with the Highline trim and which should be ~ a lakh dearer than the top end petrol.

[liner4u]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Whether they wait or not is purely up to the buyers, but I will say this: "Let them wait" is something I would classify as bad attitude. If Polo is a German car then Swift is a Japanese car. Maruti has proven their support and quality over decades, so their cars may be worth waiting for (or maybe not!). VW is the new kid on the block, with reputations of quality issues in the U.S.A. Why should anyone "wait" to give them an opportunity to prove themselves?

If this is their attitude when launching the car, then what will be their attitude if they achieve levels of success equal to Maruti?

I agree with you on the aspect that "Let them wait" is not the right attitude. Maruti openly apologized when there was a huge demand for swift and they could not deliver. I dont think VW will do that and the demand for polo is nowhere close to that of swift. I just hope they dont repeat a Skoda again again..

[shubhodeepdas@g]

Originally Posted by S2!!!

I have been looking for that answer since quite some time now. Anyways I got bored waiting and speculating so just booked the 1.2(P) Trendline.

Same here. Barring the engine I liked every other thing about that car. Convincing everyone on the delivery delay would have been tough so booked a Figo which should be here anytime now. Also needed a car urgently. Downtown Bangalore had no idea about the 1.6 Petrol launch dates, but they confirmed that it will come only in one variant and thats Highline.

[sheetumanu]

Originally Posted by rajushank84

Whether they wait or not is purely up to the buyers, but I will say this: "Let them wait" is something I would classify as bad attitude. If Polo is a German car then Swift is a Japanese car. Maruti has proven their support and quality over decades, so their cars may be worth waiting for (or maybe not!). VW is the new kid on the block, with reputations of quality issues in the U.S.A. Why should anyone "wait" to give them an opportunity to prove themselves?

If this is their attitude when launching the car, then what will be their attitude if they achieve levels of success equal to Maruti?

Well said mate. As for success equal to Maruti, the VW waiting period might grow up to one year; book your car today and get it delivered the very same day next year

EDIT: Just realized this is my century post.

[poloman]

In the nineties when Maruti launched Zen and few other cars the waiting time was in years. Now after 20 years also Maruti has waiting period of months for cars in demand. So don't blame VW alone for waiting period. But i am not a fan of their attitude either. I had registered a complaint in their call centre one week back. Still no one has contacted me.Would like to know more about quality issues of VW in USA.

[formel_eins]

Polo is like a fresher in college, so it is bound to get its leg pulled. But end of the day the car speaks for itself and cruises along. Before I booked Polo (Petrol HL), I took 2 TD and an additional one after I had booked just to reassure reservations expressed by some of fellow TBhpians. The major reservations being,
1) Engine noise : Yes it is loud when you stand outside. Sit inside roll up the windows and noise settles down considerably. You rev the engine high (which it happily does) it gets audible, so is true for other cars. But under normal driving conditions it is not at all irritating. I drive a NHC and still noise inside polo was not that a deal-breaker. And I believe after using the insulation which is present under the hood of diesel version, the noise levels in petrol would drop down significantly.

2) Vibrations : I fired up the engine and stood still, didnt feel any vibrations, held the steering nothing, held the gear knob it was just still. Sprinted the car till 100kmph none of the vibrations was present on seat or steering, forgot to notice anything on gear knob.

3) Refinement : Yes it is a bit coarse when you compare it with 4pots, its not excellent but satisfactory. However its a peppy, rev happy, responsive, frugal engine which packs punch with very good mileage figures. Apart from Maruti I dont think any other 1.2 engine comes this close to all round capabilities. Most of the petrol engines in 1.2 category are either sluggish or lack frugality. In fact polos 3pots responsiveness can put to shame some of the 4pots who boost about their extra cylinder. So even though 1.2 petrol wont win accolades amongst enthusiasts it ticks most of the points which mass market demands. For the points which it misses out, it makes it up in ride, handling, looks and interiors department.