[adimicra]

Originally Posted by sadnabrina

@ adimicra - Quoting from GTO's Vento Petrol review - "At low revvs, engine refinement is the diametric opposite of the Polo. Below 3,000 rpms, you can hardly hear anything on the inside. As long as you take things easy, which most people will within the city, the engines all but inaudible. Work up the revvs, and the engine takes a throaty note above 3,500 rpm. Some will like it, some wont."
GTO's experience was the engine was inaudible. Also he mentioned that it was at par with the segment (that includes City/SX4/Linea etc).
GTO also felt that "It’s easy to enjoy a spirited drive on the highway, even 150 kph is attained without a fuss.".


Anyway thanks for the wishes. Keeping my fingers crossed till I get my hands on it on Froday. Will post my impressions possibly over the weekend.

I have been following each and every post of the Vento thread and I can quote you several instances of GTO's replies to very specific questions to prove my point but no use since you have already purchased the car!
Hope you like it - at the end of day, that's what matters!

But for anyone else who is considering the Polo 1.6, it might be useful to read through the Vento thread carefully and also reviews from some good automags, particularly since people are buying blindly without even a test drive (really find it hard to believe - booking is one thing but buying the car without a TD is really difficult for me to believe). I do not know of anybody who had a test drive of the Polo 1.6 before making the decision/commitment of buying it.

One reply from GTO -

"The petrol Vento is completely overshadowed by its diesel sibling. Low end response is dull. It has decent pep (comparable to the SX4) at speed, and is fun to work with between 3000 - 6000 rpm. Yet, neither is it the most powerful nor refined. The petrol engine of the ANHC remains the segment topper. "


Another one from autocar -
"The Petrol motor for example makes its peak torque of 15.8kgm at 3800rpm, which means you need to work that gearlever quite a bit, especially when you want to overtake. It’s a motor that’s happy pootling around town and cruising at triple digit speeds, but when you want urge, there’s not much to call upon. And, when you rev it past 4000rpm, it gets quite vocal – there are smoother petrol motors around."

..
"Vento petrol is noisy and does feel underpowered. For vento the diesel is better choice."

Siddharth (NDTV car n bike show) -
"I find it hard to believe that such a growly motor packs not enough punch.."

[Subaro123]

Congrats Sadnabrina, looking forward to your ownership review and lots and lots of pics.

[theragingbull]

The 1.6 might have a sluggish low-end due to the weight of the Vento. I'm sure it will be much more responsive in the 1.6 Polo.

Congrats sadnabrina! Eagerly waiting for your reviews

[sadnabrina]

Got my Polo 1.6 yesterday evening. Will provide more detailed experience once I get to drive more. Initial feedback below
1) responsive engine - could hv been better at lower rpms. But never sluggish. Would be great on highways, city driving is comfortable but needs more effort than a smaller car like i10, needs more gear changes.
2)Changing gears is fun with the slick box.
3) Delivery experience was much better than Mar***/ Hyu****. Good explanation of features by delivery guy. But then this was the first 1.6 he has sold so was not ready with all features. Promised to get back with more details.
4) Engine is silent at idle but becomes vocal as you gain revs. There is enough torque on tap beyond 2k rpm to pin you back even in 5th gear.
5) Amazing build quality.
6) Manual does not provide list of features this particular model, it rather is a generic UM for all polos.
7) AC has very little impact on performance. Can be driven with AC all day. The AC is an absolute chiller.

Not sure if anyone else have observed this - having driven at least 3 new BS 4 models in last few months, it seems all bs4 engines are a little bit less responsive at the lower end... This i felt even on a new diesel verna.
More to come as I get to drive more.

[sadnabrina]

Just back from a 200km round trip on a the GQ stretch between kolkata and burdwan. Quick update
Absolutely fanastic drive. Polo 1.6 may not have been marketted as a hot hatch, but its an extremely capable car. On the highway it was absolutely mature. Drove upto speeds of 145 kph, no one inside could feel the speed. It looks like the FE figure will come out good. Had filled to the brim yesterday, the gauge is now just 1 step down, that is 1/8th tank has been consumed. Having said that, the fuel gauge in most cars give approximations only. So will wait till the next refill before announcing the FE.

[AnkitPrashar]

congrats!
Mine comes at the end of september :-(
awaiting your detailed review with lots and lots of pics

[sadnabrina]

Two pictures to start with. More to come ....

[theragingbull]

Congrats sadnabrina!! Looks hot in red! Plz start you ownership thread and post more pics and details. What F.E is the MFD displaying?

[anekho]

Congrats on the 1.6! Looks gorgeous!

Please start an ownership review with more insight into especially the engine

[sumit_jain_usa]

1.6 Stuff is gonna be real killer comparing with I20 is like only because of your budget issues rest I20 is nowhere near to the Polo.

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Another one from autocar -
"The Petrol motor for example makes its peak torque of 15.8kgm at 3800rpm, which means you need to work that gearlever quite a bit, especially when you want to overtake."

3500 is pretty low. So if the car is making peak torque at low rpms, then what is the need to work the gear lever?

[sadnabrina]

I have started and ownership experience thread for the Polo 1.6. Wil post all driving experience there.

[fuel_addict]

@sadnabrina - Congrats on the purchase. The red colour looks absolutely smashing. Will look forward to a more detailed review. Incidentally, I saw a white 1.6 Polo on the Mumbai roads on Saturday - the first such sighting.

[rejoycjohn]

Originally Posted by adimicra

I have been following each and every post of the Vento thread and I can quote you several instances of GTO's replies to very specific questions to prove my point but no use since you have ....................................
particularly since people are buying blindly without even a test drive (really find it hard to believe - booking is one thing but buying the car without a TD is really difficult for me to believe). I do not know of anybody who had a test drive of the Polo 1.6 before making the decision/commitment of buying it.

One reply from GTO -

"The petrol Vento is completely overshadowed by its diesel sibling. Low end response is dull. It has decent pep (comparable to the SX4) at speed, and is fun to work with between 3000 - 6000 rpm. Yet, neither is it the most powerful nor refined. The petrol engine of the ANHC remains the segment topper. "


Another one from autocar -
"The Petrol motor for example makes its peak torque of 15.8kgm at 3800rpm, which means you need to work that gearlever quite a bit, especially when you want to overtake. It’s a motor that’s happy pootling around town and cruising at triple digit speeds, but when you want urge, there’s not much to call upon. And, when you rev it past 4000rpm, it gets quite vocal – there are smoother petrol motors around."

..
"Vento petrol is noisy and does feel underpowered. For vento the diesel is better choice."

Siddharth (NDTV car n bike show) -
"I find it hard to believe that such a growly motor packs not enough punch.."

@ Adi , I am not so sure if we can compare vento petrol response and the review points with that of Polo 1.6 and then comment that the response of polo 1.6 would be sluggish .


The kerb weight of Vento is higher than that of polo by 100kgs .
Vento:-Kerb weight (kg) 1120 TL (MT), 1130 HL (MT), 1190 TL-D (MT), 1220 HL-D (MT)1180 HL (AT)
Polo:-Kerb weight (kg) 1020 TL, 1030 CL, 1055 HL 1115 D TL, 1125 DCL, 1145 D HL
The gear ratios would have been changed
The sedan versions of cars like Swift and punto are sluggish compared to their hatchback versions .

Adding to the same , the peak torque of 153 @ 3800rpm is nothing to complain about . If we see the specs of the all time favourite car of petrol heads - Palio 1.6 , its less than Polo
14 @ 4,250 (kgm@rpm)

So we shouldnt be jumping into conclusions without hearing a detailed review from GTO ( team-bhp ) or from any owners . So lets wait to hear from them .

However the specification of Polo 1.6 is always inspiring .

Originally Posted by sadnabrina

Two pictures to start with. More to come

Cool Sadnabrina , all the best with the new hatch . More pics and a detailed review is a must

[Amartya]

^^ I think the only point that Adi was trying to make was that a lot of people on the forum seem to be booking (or thinking about booking) without a test-drive, and that is risky.

As far as that point is concerned, it is 100% correct. Don't book or buy without a test drive, doesn't matter if it's a Merc, BMW or a Nano.