[kiran_v]

Originally Posted by adimicra

No offence to Polo owners, but I feel compared to other diesel engines in the market today, the Polo TDi is the worst.

• Fiat MJD (FGT/VGT)
• Ford TDCI
• I20 CRDI

All the above engines are superior to the Polo TDI

@adimicra : With all due respect, I beg to differ here, I own a Polo TDI, and I should say driving a car for a single time and for a short distance (TD) as you might have done is not gonna let the cats out of the bag....

I do own a Polo TDI and I have done the same wonders as you have. I have touched a speed of 180 kmph with 5 persons sitting in the car and boot with 3/4 luggage. And the way the car handled, would make any other hatch shameful (except for Punto). All persons sitting in the car never realized I was travelling at 180 until they saw the speedo....

And to mention one more thing, it effortlessly pulled off the ghats to ooty with the same load as mentioned above.

The lag is slightly noticeable below 1800 rpm, but the moment it crosses it, there is enough torque to give any driver a scare....

Polo is a VW car, and hence the looks are more about a contemporary styling rather than a sporty one. The interiors do more than justice to the exterior appearance with a premium feeling to it.

When people say the car has less features compared to i20. I dont quite get it. I will mention some of the features which polo has and which other hatches don't, or atleast I assume they don't. Please correct me if wrong.

1) All windows are 1 touch up/down.
2) In case of an obstruction when the window glass rolls up, the glass retracts downwards.
3) All windows can be closed/open with the remote itself..
4) It has FE, Avd Speed indicators (which except for Punto, I haven't seen in others, not sure about Jazz)
5) Only features I miss on a polo are EORVM'S and AUX-IN and USB. For the latter, few of our fellow BHPians have got a VW after market head unit - which has GPS, Reverse Cam, Bluetooth, DVD Player. Getting one of these units, would solve one of the issues with Polo.
6) Yes. The rear leg room is little less, but not so much as to cause discomfort to a person who is around 5'10". When I did a trip to Ooty, I had one guy around 5'9" sitting in middle of the rear bench and never complained of anything.

@methecupid : At last, this is your decision, take TD's, read reviews, compare it with what you are looking to get from the car and then decide. Wish you all the very best!!!!!

[sgiitk]

An interesting discussion, but we seem to have forgotten that he will be doing only about 15,000km per year.

As for the poor pickup of the Jazz, remember Honda mills are high revving, and do not deliver much juice below 2500 (or even 3000 rpm). In fact even a diesel (rev. limits about 4000-4500 as against 6500-6700 on Honda) really need to be driven enthusiastically as they seldom have much torque below 1800-2000 rpm.

One issue common to most petrol hatches is the limitation of 1200cc for lower excise. It is nice to see that the VW stable is bringing in larger engines in the sub 4m vehicles. Hopefully, Honda will like to review their plans to drop a 1.5Jazz. One not so small fly, it seems that there are a lot of March (BS3) Jazzes floating around. So watch out. The Jazz X is safe on this count.

[veedub89]

I agree with kiran_v.
the engine in the polo may not be better than the fiat's or the ford's or even the hyundai's but it is for sure at par with them.
VW has dumped its pump-duse technology for diesel engines and the diesel doing duty under the polo is common CRDI unit used in so many cars these days.

[Screwdriva]

Most of these thread posters are just recycling automotive journalism and/or do not own one of the above two cars.

I began my search for a premium hatch 6 months ago. In the end, I chose the Polo Tdi because of the following reasons:

1) Despite being cheaper than the Jazz, it was significantly more premium feeling. And looking

2) Both cars need to be revved but the Polo delivers much more Torque at around 2500 rpms

3) VW as a dealer seemed ALOT more professionally trained. Service stations are still an unknown.

4) I really liked the Red color the car came in

5) Suspension felt significantly superior than the Jazz

6) Fuel economy - this is a big win for the Polo! The Jazz could promise no more than 11-12kmpl. The Polo regularly touches 16-17kmpl in the city.

7) The Polo seemed the better built of the two.


The two areas the Jazz wins hands down are 1) Interior Space 2) Available off the shelf 3) flat out acceleration


What will make this match far more interesting is the availability of the Jazz Hybrid, launched internationally, which delivers superior performance and city economy than the Polo.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by methecupid

Prelude: I love to drive around (intermittent adrenalin rushes incl.), do 50 kms everyday to-and-fro from office & home, like a bit of snob value, might sell the car in 2 yrs or retain it till 5, and open to opinions .... thats where need your help guys. Hope you can make an informed decision. Looking forward.

50 km everyday, snob-value, might sell the car in two years. If these are still your primary priorities, then the Polo makes more sense than the Jazz. 50 km everyday is quite a distance to do, and since you're looking at notching up the miles, a diesel should be the automatic choice.

You've also mentioned that you're looking to sell the car in 2 years or so. The Jazz, unlike other Hondas, might not carry very good resale value. The sales in India have been dismal, but seems to be picking up. On the other hand, I'm guessing the Polo will have better resale value 2 years down the line.

Originally Posted by methecupid

True!... i can't decide for myself, but maybe prioritizing is the best way forward, so here goes..

1) Performance: No! I am not a maniac on road, but i would like to have that zip at my disposal every now n then when i do want to have some fun (history: a 150bhp Nissan in the US, currently a Chevy OPtra and VW Jetta...) so every now and then i do like to puch down the pedal

2) FE: Contradicting to my earlier prority, i would like to have a decent figure at the end of every trip i make, considering the mumbai traffic and 50kms 'journey' everyday

3) Handling: I drive my car, and when am driven around... i usually doze off! Enough said

4) Snob Value: This is 'my' first car, but i would not 'like' to make any compromises. Couple that with a penchant for aesthetics, i would like to have a car that exudes a bit of class

5) Easy Maintenance: Bank of Dad has withdrawn, so here i am - all by myself trying to make ends meet!

1) The Jazz is quite a slouch in the 1st/2nd gear. It's initial response is slow and might seem lethargic. But rev it beyond 3k RPM and the car's fantastic Vtec motor does what it's supposed to do. It literally catapults you and suddenly, you're closing in on three-digit speeds! So it is a good performer. The 3-pot diesel motor in the Polo is bad, but it does have much better bottom-end than the Jazz and it does produce a good amount of torque, so it isn't a bad performer. Just a little unrefined!

2) It's even-stevens here. The Jazz, if driven sedately, will give you astonishing FE figures. You'll be absolutely stunned! Within the city, it should give you not less than 12 km/l with the A/C switched on and on the highway, in 5th gear and cruising, expect it to jump to 18 km/l or sometimes, even beyond 20 km/l!

The Polo, being a diesel, should give you the economy a diesel promises. Besides, it's quite a small engine. So no surprises there.

3) The Jazz is known for its rather neutral handling. It does not inspire confidence like the Polo, but you can dart into and out-of corners effortlessly and it feels pretty stable even at 130 km/h on the highway. The ride is pretty good as well, but a little harsh at lower speeds only when driven over rough roads. And you will NEVER run out of space in the Jazz. It's almost as spacious as my Civic! So you can stretch your legs and relax when you're not behind the wheel.

The Polo, on the other hand provides good ride and handling. Possibly, better than the Jazz, but I'd say the difference isn't substantial enough for someone to choose the Polo over the Jazz only because of that! But one thing is for sure, it just isn't as spacious as the Jazz. And frankly, nothing is!

4) Snob Value: It's up to you here. Both cars offer snob value albeit of a different kind. The Honda enjoys snob-value here and since the Jazz isn't that common, you will manage to turn more heads than you think. It's quite classy and feels good. A mini-Civic if you will! Besides, it's a Honda, and generally, Hondas enjoy some snob-value in the Indian market. that should explain the premium all Hondas command here.

The Polo, being a VW, automatically comes with snob-value. There is no arguing with the VW badge.

5) This is where the Jazz wins hands-down. It just is one of the easiest cars to maintain. No hassles, no headaches. No frequent oil-changes, no frequent services. It goes about its business without a fuss. Very reliable! A great little car!

The Polo, well, I wouldn't count on it to be reliable. Being a VW, its spares should be comparatively more expensive than the Jazz's. Plus, you might need to visit the service station more often than you'd like. It's a German! You want the build-quality, you need to put-up with its reliability issues. As simple as that.

---------------

I own a Jazz, and I'd give you first-hand info. It's arguably the best car sold in India today. Yes, it's slightly on the expensive side, and for what you pay, you'd expect it to have some deal-breaking features like auto-folding ORVMs and climate-control, but it doesn't have them! What it offers though, is something even C+ segment sedans are struggling to match. The space it offers is quite unbeatable! It's a very roomy and airy car inside, thus providing you with a calm and serene environment. It's a very reliable car and gives you almost complete peace-of-mind! It's powerful when you need it to be, and a great city car! And the boot is just shy of 400 litres, so you can put more than just your groceries in it! Our Jazz gobbled up 5 suitcases last month, and we were pleasantly surprised by that!

The Jazz is a sedan dressed up in a hatch-frock!

If your initial criteria still hold true, then a diesel makes more sense. But if what you've mentioned later is really your priority, then there is no better car than the Jazz.

[ampere]

Kiran_V thanks for that update. I was really looking for a discussion like this, on the best hatch, with no pointers between diesel and petrol.

On the diesel front I was of opinion that I20 CRDI would be better. But your post puts quite a lot of things in perspective. Why I was not in favour of Polo was mainly because of interior space. I thought I20 had much more space and also a 1.4 diesel as compared to 1.2.

Any reasons as to why you chose VW and Hyundai? Is it badging, price, or anything else.

[kiran_v]

@ampere : Well, it was a decision which came unanimously from my family. You can say its a combination of badging, price, premium-feeling and last but not least, a fantastic car!!!!

A person who drives a petrol car and suddenly goes and TD a polo, or any diesel for that matter, wouldn't feel its powerful; would feel the turbo lag is too much at lower rpms. But I assure you once you are done with a few thousand kms, you would feel "Did somebody really mention anything about a turbo lag?" I know cause I felt the same.

I personally feel its fun to drive around a polo. I don't want to start from a signal and reach 100 km/h, at the fastest, and look back at other cars/bikes, and say "whoa, my car is the fastest around here". All I wanted from my car - is a feeling of satisfaction when I look at it, have a premium-feeling to it, good drive-ability in cities and excellent performer on highways. And the car has all of it.

I have created an ownership thread as well where I have mentioned why I picked her over other hatches. If you need further information, go through it.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...-highline.html

[ampere]

Thanks. That explains quite a lot of your thought process. My thought are very similar to yours. Even I dont care for being first on the signal. But I do like good power available on demand.

But only point I had was that I am looking for more space.
Hence the options fall at I20 D and Jazz.

[autobahner]

The Honda Jazz is a decent machine, but there is just a certain something in German cars, which puts it in a different league altogether! However, has anyone noticed that in India we tend to be more biased towards the Japs and Koreans as compared to Gerries (Opel Astra, Vectra remember anyone?).

No doubting the fact that our friends from Germany need a nice lesson is catering to Indian customers in terms of pricing strategy, sales and after-sales support. However these are not necessarily the only factors, which affects a critical decision in ones life such as buying a car.

German products are over-engineered and one needs to be a certain breed to respect and appreciate that. So if you are in it for long term and intend on passing your beloved machine down the generations may i recommend the Polo, if you do not intend to keep yours for very long then a Jazz would do just fine.

[vij4all]

If your primary run is going to be 50kms work to home and back, just wondering why do you need so much space in a hatch unless you are planning to do extensive weekend drives with the family. I do a couple of road trips in a year too (>500kms) and used to drive a fusion but never felt the need for a sedan type boot.

The jazz with all its pluses is an overpriced car. Let's accept it. Peace of mind and all that is fine. Any new car for the first few years is going to be peace of mind. To top it, if jazz owners say that the city mileage is only going to be 12km/litre of petrol, you might as well go for a hatch at that price or even cheaper.

And if Asian/Japanese is what you prefer, I'd suggest you look at the Etios although there's a long waitlist.

[HIGHNOON]

@sgiitk;
Sir, after having disposed my logan gls , I am interested in buying a preowned jazz 2010 immaculately maintained by a surgeon. Done just about 30k,
Are you be aware of the general maintenance and service cost , service spares of the jazz @ honda a.s.s.?
My avg monthly run is 2100 km and I may opt for cng.
Thanks and kind reads,
Kedar

[frankmehta]

Digging this one up after a few years of dormancy.
The battle still remains.
The Polo TSi vs the Jazz V CVT.

Which one would you go for??

I am in a dilemma since I have already pre-booked the Honda Jazz V CVT one day 1 of the pre-bookings before knowing the price, but expecting it to be in the 8-8.5 lakh rupee range.
Now, since prices just got announced, the Jazz V CVT is priced in Mumbai, at an eye-watering 9.5 lakhs. This puts it BANG into Polo TSi territory. I didn't expect such a high price but since I am in the market for a premium Auto hatch, and I already took delivery of a Brio manual (so Brio Auto is out of the question), I am confused.
I have just paid 5 lakhs for the Brio and it feels very weird to pay 10 lakhs (almost double) for a car bearing the same engine.
I have driven the Jazz Petrol and the Polo TSi back to back and there is no question who wins that prize. The Jazz felt sluggish and slow-witted, whereas the Polo was sugar-and-spice and everything nice!
Also, equipment-wise the V model of Honda is not as well-equipped as the TSi. Maybe the VX at this price would have been part of the equation, but there IS no VX CVT so the V seems woefully under-equipped vis-a-vis the Polo (ESP, Traction Control, superior-looking alloys (but still not as good as the previous TSi alloys), 7 speed DSG, Direct injection TSi engine, Telescopic steering adjustment, Reverse parking sensors, Blacked out outer rear-view mirrors, Wing Spoiler, UNLIMITED VCDS tweaks and numerous aftermarket mods)
The only things holding me back with the Polo are poor resale value, horrible service and (relatively) high maintenance. The DSG DQ200 ghost is gone, but has still left a scar behind, and one will always fear something going wrong with it. Also, the Jazz is way more spacious, has a bigger boot and also seems more reliable and (marginally) better-looking than the two.


Mind you, I need this car for a daily commute of 100 km, with highway and city roads, and I DON'T WANT A DIESEL.

Please suggest!!!

[Ketan T]

Go for TSI. You won't regret it. I own a Polo petrol for the last two years and I can definitely see a lot of improvement in their service.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The Jazz is a sedan dressed up in a hatch-frock!

Jazz was on the City pan. I guess it still is. The original story on Jazz MkI being so expensive was that while it is a world car the City is built to a price So the Jazz is a better car!

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by methecupid

Prelude: I love to drive around (intermittent adrenalin rushes incl.), do 50 kms everyday to-and-fro from office & home, like a bit of snob value, might sell the car in 2 yrs or retain it till 5, and open to opinions .... thats where need your help guys. Hope you can make an informed decision. Looking forward.

Honestly, I these days only recommend AT cars to anyone who drives for 20+ kms daily in city traffic. The prospects of being in control of the car using a MT looks and sounds good but vanishes into thin air in no time when you face the daily chaotic gridlocks that have become a routine for most metros. So in that respect go for a AT car, diesel or petrol.

Having said that, out of the two above, I will base my decision only on 1 factor, that will the back seat of the car be used or not. If yes then chuck the Polo out as it is cramped at the rear and its tortuous to travel there. On the other hand if it is only going to be self driven with front seats occupied 90% of the times etc. then go for the Polo with your eyes closed. Its a more powerful car, better handling and definitely a looker. Things like resale and all do not matter than much if you are keeping the car for 5 years. If you sell it off in 2 years ( as you mentioned in your post) then you will anyways lose money whichever way you look at it.