[Vibhanshu]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

question to you guys - do you think it make sense waiting for the 1.6 polo or just buying the 1.4 punto. since there is no concrete news when the 1.6 will come out. also its only about 12bhp more than the punto.

Its not just 12bhp. There would be new gear box with higher torque as well, which will really do wonders on the hatch. The 1.6L engine brings life to a lot bigger cars. I think it would be worth waiting for the 1.6L Polo. After reading the review I think that the Polo has the dynamics to handle that 100bhp.
Owners of Punto have reported that if you can rip that power out of that 1.4L FIRE engine in Punto, the car just moves and its a delight.

The downside, is that non of these 2 cars have good ergonomics. One has a good gear shift with higher clutch placement and other has rubbery gear with long clutch (though light)and the latter sounds better (im 6 feet). Although havnt test driven the Polo yet. But thats just me, for me ergonomics are very important.

But then what happens when Figo 1.6 S comes out ? Power, handling and most important - ergonomics. The true fun car. Unfortunately, its nothing more than a speculation as of now.
If its my call, then I wont put any money in any hatch right now. The market is sooo rapidly changing. You buy today and the better is launched tomorrow. Just wait for things to settle down a little. These manufacturers are at war right now, including Merc and BMW.

EDIT:
@Suhaas: I heard very differently about the Petrol Punto. Its a gem of an engine and really moves pretty good if revved. Link: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post1692128

[vb-saan]

@GTO: Since you've tested the Polo, Figo and also the Honda Jazz, do you think if the Jazz is a better option than the high end variants of the former two?

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Vibhanshu

EDIT:
@Suhaas: I heard very differently about the Petrol Punto. Its a gem of an engine and really moves pretty good if revved. Link: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post1692128

I should have worded my statement in a better way. Yes, you really need to rev the nuts off the 1.4 FIRE mill in order to extract any kind of power from it. The mid-range is 'okay'. You need to climb higher than 4k RPM if you need to move. Which is sort of a pain in city traffic where your speed is restricted to 20-30 km/h.

According to several automotive magazine reviews, the Punto's 1.4 FIRE's 90 horses that it makes on paper doesn't translate onto the road. Purely because the 'box isn't that great and doesn't do a good job of putting the power down. The performance can be compared to the 1.2, 3-pot mill in the Polo and the Fabia (I'm being very critical and harsh here) but the refinement is miles ahead of the 3-potter! The FIRE engine just doesn't seem responsive enough at low revs!

The Punto has one of the most sorted chassis out there and the suspension and steering is sublime to say the least. The gearbox could have been better IMO.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Akshay,

We test drove the Punto 1.4 Petrol and it's surprisingly sluggish. the 1st and 2nd gears are extremely short and there is a lot of play in the pedals. In 2nd gear, I had the gas-pedal on the mat and the car was taking eons to move. Maybe it's something to do with the TD car but I'm told that the 1.4's mill isn't a great mover despite its 90 horses on paper.

I'm telling you, it just doesn't feel like 90 horses! It'd be better if you stick around for the Polo 1.6 Highline. Fiat might consider introducing a larger engine in the Punto by then as well!

thats really not good. because i need something that is not sluggish. because when im not using my v6 ill be using the hatch. well now im just hoping the polo 1.6 comes out soon. im trying to find out from the volkswagen A.S.S when itll be out.

Originally Posted by Vibhanshu

Its not just 12bhp. There would be new gear box with higher torque as well, which will really do wonders on the hatch. The 1.6L engine brings life to a lot bigger cars. I think it would be worth waiting for the 1.6L Polo. After reading the review I think that the Polo has the dynamics to handle that 100bhp.
Owners of Punto have reported that if you can rip that power out of that 1.4L FIRE engine in Punto, the car just moves and its a delight.

The downside, is that non of these 2 cars have good ergonomics. One has a good gear shift with higher clutch placement and other has rubbery gear with long clutch (though light)and the latter sounds better (im 6 feet). Although havnt test driven the Polo yet. But thats just me, for me ergonomics are very important.

EDIT:
@Suhaas: I heard very differently about the Petrol Punto. Its a gem of an engine and really moves pretty good if revved. Link: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post1692128

i noticed only after posting the question the rather large difference in torque between the 2 engines.

well its all subjective. suhaas normally uses a civic so according to him the punto is sluggish, but someone who is graduating from a smaller car will probably find the engine lovely. again im going to be alternating it with quite a beast so maybe the polo 1.6 will be a better choice.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

thats really not good. because i need something that is not sluggish. because when im not using my v6 ill be using the hatch. well now im just hoping the polo 1.6 comes out soon. im trying to find out from the volkswagen A.S.S when itll be out.



i noticed only after posting the question the rather large difference in torque between the 2 engines.

well its all subjective. suhaas normally uses a civic so according to him the punto is sluggish, but someone who is graduating from a smaller car will probably find the engine lovely. again im going to be alternating it with quite a beast so maybe the polo 1.6 will be a better choice.

Not that I drive the Civic all the time, Akshay. I drive the Santro too. But The Santro is a darn light car and the Punto feels like a proper 'big-car'! I compared the power delivery of the Punto with that of the Jazz and the Fabia. The Polo/Fabia's 1.2, 3-potter is horrible! The engine-clatter makes it sound like a diesel and it barely moves! The NVH is not up to the mark for a Euro-car IMO! I struggled pushing the car in 2nd gear up the fly-over ramp! I'm sure the Polo would have the same problem.

IMO, the Polo is nothing but a Fabia in better looking clothes! The gearbox is fantastic and an absolute joy to use but unfortunately, it's let down by the lack of power. The Jazz had the most responsive mill among the premium hatches. It felt great and it liked to be revved. Not surprising as most Japanese cars rev more freely than their European counterparts. The Punto could have been more responsive lower down the band. But nothing much to complain about once you've got it past 3k RPM apart from the ever-increasing fuel bills. The FIRE mill sounds surprisingly juicy and fruity especially when you hit the sweet spot.

I suggest you wait for the 1.6 Polo or settle for the Punto 1.4 FIRE and get a nice K&N+CAI installed. That should get rid of the slightly slugging nature at the bottom of the band.

[neoonwheels]

Is it only me to notice few panel gaps in the steering close up pic of the Polo ? Top end diesel pricing is a disappointment for sure !

[jassi]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I suggest you wait for the 1.6 Polo or settle for the Punto 1.4 FIRE and get a nice K&N+CAI installed. That should get rid of the slightly slugging nature at the bottom of the band.

i quite like this advice the polo would make sense only with a better engine - the punto has everything as per what i have read here (including the more realistic hydraulic steering) and with a few mods it should be great!

[gomzi]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

because i need something that is not sluggish. because when im not using my v6 ill be using the hatch.

Dude, a suggestion, don't buy a hatch. Use the money for the v6's fuel bills. You'll have a lot more fun that way

BTW, if I were to go in for a petrol hatch for city use it'd be the K-series Swift. why not open a thread in the What Car? section

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by gomzi

Dude, a suggestion, don't buy a hatch. Use the money for the v6's fuel bills. You'll have a lot more fun that way

BTW, if I were to go in for a petrol hatch for city use it'd be the K-series Swift. why not open a thread in the What Car? section

haha. im not going to buy the swift. i need to change my getz and we had bought the getz over the swift 4 years ago so no way well buy it now. i want something more premium. lets face it, marutis dont seem to be being built as well as earlier, and their quality seems to have gone down.

anyway sorry mods, enough ot - ill start my own thread soon.

[SkyWalker]

Great Review GTO & Rehan.

I must admit, i do not view Polo as a very exciting car from my point of view. Both engines aren't exciting, and the car is not exactly very exciting either.

I wish they bought th 1.2 TSI. That engine would have blown every other hatch in the power, and also offered very good FE. A brilliant combo. And at this price range I would that through they give a neat 1.4 TDI engine. Another USP could have been an auto. How much more would a 1.2TSI+ 7 Speed DSG would add. Thats a monster hatch, capable of doing 0-100 in 8.8s. Of course that would bump the cost up, but it would still be cheaper than Jazz and should a lot more fun to drive.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

Great Review GTO & Rehan.

I must admit, i do not view Polo as a very exciting car from my point of view. Both engines aren't exciting, and the car is not exactly very exciting either.

I wish they bought th 1.2 TSI. That engine would have blown every other hatch in the power, and also offered very good FE. A brilliant combo. And at this price range I would that through they give a neat 1.4 TDI engine. Another USP could have been an auto. How much more would a 1.2TSI+ 7 Speed DSG would add. Thats a monster hatch, capable of doing 0-100 in 8.8s. Of course that would bump the cost up, but it would still be cheaper than Jazz and should a lot more fun to drive.

I'm afraid the TSI mill is still far from being launched in any car in India. Largely due to the low quality of fuel that's available in our country. The TSI motor requires the highest grade of fuel to run smoothly and efficiently in India. There are other issues as well.

[Musicmaker23]

Thanks a million for the unbiased, top-notch review. Had been waiting for it since ages. The guys behind the Indian Polo seem to have pulled off a no-brainer. They're testing the market with this offering to see if brand perception can help them pull off a coup, or whether more will be required later (more dealerships, service centres & yes, the 1.2 TSI or 1.6).
The review felt oddly dissatisfying at the end, partly because the car doesn't seem to offer much to test. The description of the engines was oddly short compared to the one of the Figo & I feel VW really needed to up the ante with a new engine to offer any competition to the likes of Hyundai & MSIL.

I really can't think of any one thing that'll make me hit the floor & search for my dropped jaw when i see the car! What's the USP, the selling point? As everyone else has mentioned, the Indian polo seems to have tried to drive along the middle path, trying to keep everyone happy.
The highline version seems oddly overpriced compared to an i20 which gives you so many bells & whistles that you forget the smaller nuances of the car.
VW's dealership reviews will be really helpful when one needs to decide whether to buy the car. Until then, the car seems incomplete, deficient & leaves me longing for more...

zen2001: A fool does not learn even from his own mistakes, a clever man does; but the wise man learns from someone else's mistakes

I'm left amazed!!

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by vid6639

If I was ok with white or red Trendline would be my pick.

Yes, but you gotta have the factory HU though. THe 2DIN cutout looks terrible. How much does the HU cost.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by Mpower

Yes, but you gotta have the factory HU though. THe 2DIN cutout looks terrible. How much does the HU cost.

The 2DIN audio system is available only in the Highline. That too the HU does not have Aux-in or USB. Most basic HU's now come with USB/Aux in.

Does it look that bad? From GTO's pics it looks pretty ok.

[Pyrotek]

I will reserve my judgement till I've driven the car myself. I admit the price isn't to my liking. Among the two, the petrol seems like a good bet, given the price difference. I can live with the engine, as long as the car is effortless to drive and from the looks of it, the gearbox is a delight and the light steering would suit me well. Driveability is eventually what matters. The worry once again, is the rear legroom. Why can't we have more legroom rather than a larger boot? I just don't see the need of a huge boot in a hatch. I manage quite well with my Swift's boot.