[Gilead]

Originally Posted by joshdrive

Hi Gilead: You had VW stall the day before and now Fiat stall . Its cool to have cars showcased within office premises.

Ironically, the office premises is owned by Maruti's biggest dealer here. There is a permanent Maruti display. Others keep coming and going.

[joe1980]

Originally Posted by anekho

woah!

You really want everything, huh? Fully loaded, latest technology, all bells and whistles + it should be cheap to own, give good F.E and sell at a cheap price.

Not gonna happen.

Please keep in mind that VW (Just like all other companies) is aiming to maximize profits - not run a charity.

Also, no one is taking anyone for a ride! Anyone able to purchase a car will have access to internet/magazines/friends etc. We are capable to justify if we want to spend XXXX on a car or not, right? However, we can explain to the dealers that we want to have fully loaded hatches and are willing to pay for it! But as a minority, this won't happen very soon (it's uneconomical for a company to bring few cars like this)!

Besides, hopefully the engineering that has gone into this car will show in the long run and make up for the lack of features.

Just my opinion, no offense intended!

I did not mean that. I just meant to price the car for what it really offers and I'm a very upset at the moment once the prices got released. I was expecting the top end diesel version to be at (max. 6.25 OTR) which is not the case. I have been waiting for this car since last year October and was expecting the price to be somewhere between 6.25 for the top end diesel. It's all sheer dissapointment.

[aryasanyal]

Originally Posted by Gilead

Ironically, the office premises is owned by Maruti's biggest dealer here. There is a permanent Maruti display. Others keep coming and going.

Talk about creating a level playing field.

Maybe the Maruti folks want the customers to have a look at the trash () the competitors are offering and finally settle down on their models.

[joshdrive]

Originally Posted by Gilead

Ironically, the office premises is owned by Maruti's biggest dealer here. There is a permanent Maruti display. Others keep coming and going.

Is it the Guindy ABT?

[formel_eins]

Originally Posted by daredeviljpr

This is just extreme. I own a Punto and have seen Indica Vista closely (including the special edition with leather and stuff). The plastics are far better in Punto then that of Indica.

I do not understand why people just get stuck on plastic quality, fit and finish when it comes to compariosn between a Punto and other hatchbacks. Is plastics the only thing that you look at while purchasing the car? Which other car provides the features provided by Punto in the same price range.

Punto may not be the best (I believe it is the best) but I am sure it not also bad leave alone being worse. Every car has issues and the point should be how well the issues have been addressed. Look around and we will find unsatisfied customers for every brand be it Maruti, Hyundai, Skoda etc.

FIAT has launched a good product with some very good features like BluenMe, displays the current mileage(km/l) which is correct to +-1 or 2, good use of electroics and software. The console displays various signals which gives an indication if something is wrong. The other day I saw a light glowing in the console and I found out that my indicator bulb was not working.

DO NOT just argue for the sake or arguing that Punto is not a good car etc etc. Comparisons should be made by taking all factors intyo account and not the -ve features of one car and +ve features of the other car. Every car has some good features and some bad features.

no intentions to offend anyone, you have rightly said that no car is perfect, each has its shortcomings. If Punto lacks in its interior quality, it makes it up with the engine. In case of VW it is vice versa. Punto is a good package from a certain perspective while polo is good from a different perspective. at the end of the day it all boils down to a personal visit to showroom and be your own judge because it is you who would be paying for it, not someone who makes reviews on TV or magazines.

[oss]

Originally Posted by joshdrive

Is it the Guindy ABT?

Think he is talking about Olympia Tech Park; owned by Khivraj Motors.

[invidious]

Like all folks who love cars - German and Italian cars are eagerly awaited. I have been in the market for a hatch for a while now but don't really need it - so I tend to test drive the hatches as they are released. Here is my review of the VW Polo -

Looks - Looks are always relative and German cars always go for an understated business like look unlike the Italians. Armani is Italian for a reason. Having said that, the looks do exude class. There is nothing flashy about the Polo - I think it will look nicer in colors like white and grey rather than red. This is a personal choice. Rating 3/5

Interiors and features - The car is roomy and the quality of the materials used is as good as it gets. The air-con is manual and acquits itself quite well. The ORVMs swing both ways which is a positive but have manual controls which is a let-down as is the lack of an Aux-in and USB in the 2-din OEM stereo. Since there are no wheel mounted controls - I would just buy a new stereo anyways - so this problem is easily rectified. The lock/unlock feature is a bit unconventional - I don't think people will like it. I like auto climate control but the lack of one in the Polo it is not a deal breaker for me - the A/C's job is to chill - I don't really care if it does it at 24C or at 23 C. But the overall-finish of the interiors make up for some of the minor quibbles. 3/5

Space - I am just a shade over 5'10 and sat quite comfortably in the driver seat and the back seat wasn't cramped either. It is good not great but you are talking of a hatchback here and not a full size sedan. 4/5

Drive - The steering is adjustable - both tilt and telescopic, is responsive and feels solid; the gear changing ratios seem to be good. I missed a dead pedal though. While I drove it in traffic it actually felt better than driving my Swift but once I hit the Worli sea-face I wished the engine was just a tad more powerful. It is a heavy, well-built car and the 3 cylinder engine just doesn't cut mustard although I must say it is fairly quiet. I didn't find many potholes for a change - so BMC must be doing something right and hence I can't comment on the shock absorbers. For a city drive - it is ideal but the lack of power will become apparent if you hit the highway. I'd still give the driving a 4/5 for City and 3.5/5 for highway.

How do I place it among the other similarly priced hatchbacks? My driving is 90% time in the dug-up roads of Bombay in maddening traffic and given its city drivability coupled with the FE of a 3-cyl engine I'd put it over the Swift and on-par with the i20 and slightly under the Punto just because of the extra features on the GP and its looks. But I am in my 20s and perhaps once I hit the 30s I'd appreciate the understated elegance of the Polo to the raging hormones of the GP. I'd still recommend the Polo quite highly and it will probably fetch you a better resale value than the GP.

[Mustang.101]

Originally Posted by avmaxfan

You can check this week's Autoca Show. They compared the Polo, i20, Punto, and the Fabia.

Grande Punto was the best in Ride Quality & Handling, Fabia best in space, interiors,premium feel. Polo got the highest score in Looks

Overall they picked the Polo as the winner because of the overall package and the fact that its a fresh product. But Fabia bests it in almost every area except Looks and pricing.

+1.... amongst these four, i have driven all of them extensively & according to me the rankings are:

1)Fabia
2)Punto
3)I-20
4)Polo

Not keeping price in mind. Factors judged by me are

1) premiumness & Space
2) Ride & Handling
3) Interiors
4) Fun to drive

[EssYouWe]

How did you get to drive the Polo extensively?

I almost agree with your rating though!

[hiren959]

@mustang, how comes i20 ahead of Polo in ride and handling??

[Mustang.101]

Originally Posted by EssYouWe

How did you get to drive the Polo extensively?

I almost agree with your rating though!

Ford India imported a petrol & diesel one from europe to test it along with the figo as a quality control measure. Thanks for the compliment.

Originally Posted by hiren959

@mustang, how comes i20 ahead of Polo in ride and handling??

I never said that i20 is ahead of the polo in that department, but however when you see all the 4 factors , so on an average the i-20 is better than the polo. The i20 has more space, has better looking & better loaded interiors & hyundai also has an extensive dealership network & better performance than the polo & hence it wins. That PD diesel engine in the polo makes it feel like my grandma who needs all the effort in her limbs(all 4) to stand up.

[EssYouWe]

Originally Posted by Mustang.101

Ford India imported a petrol & diesel one from europe to test it along with the figo as a quality control measure. Thanks for the compliment.

You work for Ford!

Nice! So why not a test report on the Polo for everyone's benefit? And your views on the Figo would be greatly valued.

[Mustang.101]

Originally Posted by EssYouWe

You work for Ford!

Nice! So why not a test report on the Polo for everyone's benefit? And your views on the Figo would be greatly valued.

I cannot be seen as promoting the Figo on this site(got warnings) & obviously i cannot compare the polo with the figo as everyone knows which is the better car here ,however i cant say it out loud. PM me if you want any info on this matter as i cant spell it out publicly.

[nurni76]

Had been to the VW showroom in MaGrath road in Blore and almost ended up booking one just for the looks. There were 3 Polo's on display. I saw the Polo for the first time in flesh and boy I was blown away by the looks. The silver Polo (Top end variant) was simply awesome. I can easily say that the Polo is by far the best looking hatch we have on our roads. I know a lot of people swear by the Punto for looks, but I think Polo easily beats the Punto hands down. I simply love the front with those lovely head lamps. The rear is also classy with the large VW logo doubling as the boot lock lever.

Interiors are a class apart. The quality is better than most hatches (may be only below Fabia). I liked the conventional interiors that is very functional with lots of space. The lack of ACC in the top end is a disaapointment though. Interior space was quite good. After adjusting the driver's seat to my requirement, I found the leg room at the rear to be adequate. Seats were very comfortable. The boot space is huge. However, the spare wheel lacks alloy. Again a disappointment.

I wanted to take a test drive but I was in queue with more than 10 people already waiting for a drive before me. So i decided to drop the plan. However, I do feel the engine is not so exciting with just 75Ps for this beauty. Despite not taking a test drive, I almost ended up booking the Polo. I finally held back coz wifey did not permit. I am planning a test drive soon (now at the Hosur road showroom) so that I can test the same on the Nice expressway.

Overall in a nut shell, this is one car that I would love to buy just for the looks. Heart says yes, but the mind is just holding me back due to the engine. Bring on the 1.6 soon VW.

[formel_eins]

Originally Posted by nurni76

Had been to the VW showroom in MaGrath road in Blore and almost ended up booking one just for the looks. There were 3 Polo's on display. I saw the Polo for the first time in flesh and boy I was blown away by the looks. The silver Polo (Top end variant) was simply awesome. I can easily say that the Polo is by far the best looking hatch we have on our roads. I know a lot of people swear by the Punto for looks, but I think Polo easily beats the Punto hands down. I simply love the front with those lovely head lamps. The rear is also classy with the large VW logo doubling as the boot lock lever.

Interiors are a class apart. The quality is better than most hatches (may be only below Fabia). I liked the conventional interiors that is very functional with lots of space. The lack of ACC in the top end is a disaapointment though. Interior space was quite good. After adjusting the driver's seat to my requirement, I found the leg room at the rear to be adequate. Seats were very comfortable. The boot space is huge. However, the spare wheel lacks alloy. Again a disappointment.

I wanted to take a test drive but I was in queue with more than 10 people already waiting for a drive before me. So i decided to drop the plan. However, I do feel the engine is not so exciting with just 75Ps for this beauty. Despite not taking a test drive, I almost ended up booking the Polo. I finally held back coz wifey did not permit. I am planning a test drive soon (now at the Hosur road showroom) so that I can test the same on the Nice expressway.

Overall in a nut shell, this is one car that I would love to buy just for the looks. Heart says yes, but the mind is just holding me back due to the engine. Bring on the 1.6 soon VW.

polo is the best looking hatch in this moment. What I like the most is the aggression it shows up on the front. Those headlamps and bumpers add a lot to its character. Well even I ended up almost booking the polo but could not get test drive as the car was still under registration process !!!! I am hoping to TD next week