[nsbhagwat]

Originally Posted by pacman2881

Good thing is- prices are not as high as say the i20. Seems to be slotting exactly opposite the Punto. If the car could manage decent performance (especially the diesel) this might trouble Punto. I am not sure how Swift will be affected considering Maruti's ability reduce prices if there is a need.

However, if it is going to be a modified form of the Fabia's diesel motor, other manufacturers may not have much to worry about.

Pacman,

From a pricing and service perspective, Swift remains safe. At 5.15 for 1.2 zxi it is considerably cheaper (@ 55K) than the 1.2 gasoline highline. No one can match and beat Maruti's service network and QOS. Like Ford says, Once a Ford always a Ford, likewise, a person who gets hooked up to a Maruti always remains with a Maruti.

Nikhil

[Metal Gear]

Nice Pricing(!!) from VW I was actually expecting some higher numbers from them.
Lets see how they fare in our country.
All the best VW and welcome to hatchback category!!!

[drpullockaran]

Originally Posted by vid6639

No Sir not at all. The spare tyre is not meant to be used as a regular tyre. If you get a puncture use the spare till you get the regular fixed. Once fixed you put back the regular. If the spare size is different then the manual will clearly state that on the spare you should not exceed 80km/hr and there will be a warning that car will not behave the same as before.

As for tyre rotation instead of a 5tyre rotation you do a 4 tyre rotation. Yes your 4 tyres will get worn out faster as the 5th is not being used.

It's a pretty standard practice actually.

In the case of Polo, the size is different. In case of manufacturers like Honda and Skoda, they provide only 4 alloys. So if you get a puncture and replace it with spare, the spare will be a jet black steel wheel. Even there you can use the spare only till you fix the regular.

I had a GTX and I know what you mean about the black steel wheel. But there I had the option of using the spare tire along with a new one when the front tires wore off completely. In all my cars that I have had till now I have never rotated tires. I have used up the fronts and then used the spare along with new one of the exact same specs and manufacturer in about 2 years time. This means I use up two sets of tires in the front axle and use one set in the rear axle in about four or five years. Its most preferable though to get the same brand and batch. Tires of different batches from the same company will have different characteristics. In hot hatches tire combinations do make a difference. I will be buying a JK tire to match the spare tire thats in the boot of my Chevy Cruze this month though I will be using it only 2 years down the line.

In the Polo if the .pdf file is true then you never can use the spare tire on a regular basis and after about 5 years rubber will denature and then you will be forced to buy another new tire thats rarely going to be used. I am sure prospective buyers would not mind spending Rs 6000 more for all five alloys and tires.

[Zen2001]

Originally Posted by drpullockaran

Specification

I was just going through the specification feature comparison .pdf file and was horrified to see that in the highline version they are giving 15 inch alloy wheels but the spare wheel will be 14 inch wheels. Now this means that they are going to supply the car with different aspect ratio tires or God only knows what. Either the .pdf file is wrong or they think that they can get away with anything in India and Indians. Is the Skoda effect rubbing out onto the parent company too. If so they might as well pack up and leave the country. I hope and pray the .pdf file is wrong. Prospective buyers should not buy the car unless all the wheels are having tires of the same aspect ratio whether steel or alloy.

Typical of European cars. The "spare" tyre literally means what it says - hence the lower spec - it's only meant to be driven (at a much lower speed) till the next service station!

[Zen2001]

Just a thought - The 1.2 engine seems outdated (& probably is by VW's international standards). Am quite sure it's not going to be as refined as ANY Japanese 1.2 engine as of today.
The 1.6 will remain an enthusiast's pleasure with limited takers (even if it's price is later slashed to bring it close to the 1.2's) - For the mass market it's not only price, but even mileage that matters!
On the positive note we can expect a robust car. Finally, A.S.S. Time will only tell. Atleast Jazz has takers despite its pricey tag thanks to Honda's A.S.S. Otherwise imagine buying a 6 lac car with a waiting period of weeks/months for spares!

[reignofchaos]

If the 1.6 is actually 6lacs ex showroom, I'm booking one the day they start taking bookings. If its true, that is an amazing price.

[radiokidb]

Originally Posted by nsbhagwat

Pacman,

From a pricing and service perspective, Swift remains safe. At 5.15 for 1.2 zxi it is considerably cheaper (@ 55K) than the 1.2 gasoline highline. No one can match and beat Maruti's service network and QOS. Like Ford says, Once a Ford always a Ford, likewise, a person who gets hooked up to a Maruti always remains with a Maruti.

Nikhil

Well there is a reason that i20's sell 4000 units a month right Even though the cost is a lot more than the swift. There is a section of buyers who arent satisfied with the swift and are simply looking for something better. I suspect the polo could do very well, especially the diesel as from what ive heard its gonna be the most fuel efficient diesel available. The i20 diesel is priced too high for whatever reason. IMHO the Punto and i20 are going to take a serious hit in their sales. It may not effect the swift as much but may be a slight hit there too. And Maruti can play the discount card and pass on some of the excise benefit they recently gained by plonking in the 1.2 engine

Originally Posted by Zen2001

Just a thought - The 1.2 engine seems outdated (& probably is by VW's international standards). Am quite sure it's not going to be as refined as ANY Japanese 1.2 engine as of today.
The 1.6 will remain an enthusiast's pleasure with limited takers (even if it's price is later slashed to bring it close to the 1.2's) - For the mass market it's not only price, but even mileage that matters!
On the positive note we can expect a robust car. Finally, A.S.S. Time will only tell. Atleast Jazz has takers despite its pricey tag thanks to Honda's A.S.S. Otherwise imagine buying a 6 lac car with a waiting period of weeks/months for spares!

True it is an old generation engine, nowhere close to the new 1.2's by the Japs and Koreans. But for city driving it should be adequate i think. But you're right, the A.S.S. could be a major factor. VW seems very committed to grabbing a foothold in the indian market though so i think we can expect them to do well here

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

If the 1.6 is actually 6lacs ex showroom, I'm booking one the day they start taking bookings. If its true, that is an amazing price.

Same here! if i can convince my dad that is For 6 lakhs its pretty much a no brainer! The price gap seems way too small though, im still wondering if the price is in fact true. 34k just about accounts for half the excise cut of 12% :S And the bigger engine surely costs more as well.


Edit: On a side note, does anyone know when the polo sedan is going to launch?

[Akshay1234]

so the diesel in coming in later, instead of the 1.6 petrol as everyone thought. now hopefully ill replace my getz with the 1.6 highline.

[sameer551]

A fiat palio 1.6 engine is getting dust at showrooms for less than 4.5 lack and no one is ready to have a look at the beauty of that engine. When some good brand which comes with 1.6 for 6 lack then everyone is singing songs and betting to book over it. No good deal. I know fiat palio has not that charming interiors but see the beauty of 1.6 engine and the price at which its going.

[theEnd]

The small price gap between the 1.2 petrol and the 1.6 petrol indicates that the 1.6 is just a refreshed version of the Jetta 1.6. It's probably one or even two generations old. Modern 1.6 petrol engines churn out more power and torque than this unit.

[radiokidb]

Originally Posted by sameer551

A fiat palio 1.6 engine is getting dust at showrooms for less than 4.5 lack and no one is ready to have a look at the beauty of that engine. When some good brand which comes with 1.6 for 6 lack then everyone is singing songs and betting to book over it. No good deal. I know fiat palio has not that charming interiors but see the beauty of 1.6 engine and the price at which its going.

It is definitely true that the Palio 1.6 is a heck of a car. This is Team-Bhp after all and as enthusiasts we know this. But the FIAT brand had taken such a beating in india that people weren't and some still arent willing to buy a fiat and deal with the issues and bad A.S.S. A VW, like a Honda carries a different reputation and image. Plus the Polo has a great chassis, a 1.6 engine in the polo sounds great. You also have to acknowledge that the Polo has much better interiors, ABS, Airbags, etc compared to the Palio

[Zen2001]

The Indian hatchback (sub 1.2) segment has only been corrupted by our taxation system. Europeans don't make sub-1.2L engines AFAIK. I think its 1242cc to be precise, which doesn't make the tax cut in India. So selling their original "Europian" brand in the Indian hatchback market is not a viable option. So what do they do? Chop, strip & sell! No offense, Europian cars are in no way supposed to be any less than Japanese or any other. It's just that the economics are stacked against their kind of engineering for our country. Or they have to learn the "trick" of compromising from the japanese/koreans!

[sameer551]

Originally Posted by radiokidb

It is definitely true that the Palio 1.6 is a heck of a car. This is Team-Bhp after all and as enthusiasts we know this. But the FIAT brand had taken such a beating in india that people weren't and some still arent willing to buy a fiat and deal with the issues and bad A.S.S. A VW, like a Honda carries a different reputation and image. Plus the Polo has a great chassis, a 1.6 engine in the polo sounds great. You also have to acknowledge that the Polo has much better interiors, ABS, Airbags, etc compared to the Palio

I agree polo has good interiors and it comes with goodies like abs, airbags etc. But when you say Fiat has got beating is not true any more since the launch of Punto and Linea which are talk of town atleast here in Team bhp, but I dont know how good it sells in India as I am abroad at the moment. Fiat has as good build quality as compared to VW cars.
We all read here over threads about poor service and issues with skoda cars which is another VW product, dont know what can be expected for Polo in term of service and spares. So in that case why not Palio 1.6 for 4.5 lacks!!

Also I noted here that no one ever said once what would be mileage of 1.6 Polo but I remember that people used to cry that Palio 1.6 will burn hole in your wallet will low mileage. I just wonder how much a brand change peoples mindset.

[radiokidb]

Originally Posted by Zen2001

The Indian hatchback (sub 1.2) segment has only been corrupted by our taxation system. Europeans don't make sub-1.2L engines AFAIK. I think its 1242cc to be precise, which doesn't make the tax cut in India. So selling their original "Europian" brand in the Indian hatchback market is not a viable option. So what do they do? Chop, strip & sell! No offense, Europian cars are in no way supposed to be any less than Japanese or any other. It's just that the economics are stacked against their kind of engineering for our country. Or they have to learn the "trick" of compromising from the japanese/koreans!

The Suzuki K series engine is also 1242 CC internationally, but it was downsized to meet the small car norms. Nothing's stopping the europeans from doing the same. Honda also developed the 1.2L engine in the Jazz for india. Earlier they were selling a 1244 cc iDsi engine in europe. So no tricks to learn as such, just to develop better engines and sell them here. For example VW has a 1.2 TSI engine which they sell in europe, but its not offered here

[ph03n!x]

For close to a lakh more, the Highline has the following in addition to Trendline:

15" Alloys with wider tires
Chrome Interior Trims
Better upholstery and door trims
ABS
Dual Airbags
Fog lamps for the front and rear
CD / MP3 player with 4 speakers
Rear wiper and defogger
Multifunction Display
Remote locking

Does this warrant a one lakh increase?