[ambivalent_98]

Hi,
This thread is old and I am sure that whatever I will write would probably have been written somewhere in the 94 odd pages that have been added. Anyway,
I had the privilege to drive a spanking new Polo Highline which belonged to a close friend. He had just done 200 kms and we decided to go on a long drive with our families. Our chosen route was Pune Mahabaleshwar and back. I had driven a Polo on flat out roads and was very eager to do this route as this has two ghat sections. One is lots twists and turns (KHambataki Ghat) and the other is Pasarni ghat (very long and expansive not many twists and not very steep).
I took over the controls of the car. We were 4 adults and 3 kids in the car. Since it was a 1/2 day outing not much baggage except some kids things dumped in one bag. Here are the main observations I made during this trip.
(Disclaimer - I am no expert at reviews or test drives and I will write in a layman's words the pros and cons which I found out.)

Pros -
1) Silver colored Polo is a terrific looker.
2) Interiors good looking and seats are firm and good for the back.
3) The dash is good and informative and I liked the distinct red coloured display.
4) The key is funky and I was amazed to see that windows can be closed using the key itself. Amazing electronics.
5) The A/C is good and powerful. Even thought outside it was a sizzling 38 Deg C the interior was a good constant 25 and cooled in a decent time.
6) The sound system is good.
7) The performance of the car is good w.r.t pickup etc on flat land and I should be able to do a constant speed on the GQ or the like where roads are good.
8) Steering is very responsive and good for city driving. IN the ghat sections I was able manouver my way through the smoke belching trucks quite easily.

Cons -
1) The biggest drawback I felt was that the car was not quick enough in the ghat sections. 4 adults , A/C on and the twisty ghat and the car was not just quick enough as much as I expected. The good steering was responsive and I was able to dart in and out between the slower traffic.
I drive a 2006 Honda City. It is not the quickest but it can be quick when it is demanded of ,especially even though the A/c is on. I am NOT COMPARING a Polo and a Honda. All I wanted to say was that the car was not quick enough. Maybe my driving style mattered too.

2) The Space at the rear is OK for 2 adults of medium height. 6 ft and taller may have a problem. When my friend was driving and he is a six footer his seat was pushed back a certain amount and the legroom was just enough for me. I was seated with my wife and my two kids in the rear and it was really cramped.

3) Ingress and egress was problematic. Something felt odd but again I am used to a different car so maybe this point may not be so accurate.

These are the main points I observed in that 1/2 day picnic I had. IN summary Polo is good for 4 adults and maybe 1 kid. Otherwise it starts to feel cramped. The ghat sections are a challenge. I did not switch off the a/c to see the performance though.
Just my 2 cents.

[Chethan B G]

(Quote: ambivalent_98 - The biggest drawback I felt was that the car was not quick enough in the ghat sections. 4 adults , A/C on and the twisty ghat and the car was not just quick enough as much as I expected. The good steering was responsive and I was able to dart in and out between the slower traffic.
I drive a 2006 Honda City. It is not the quickest but it can be quick when it is demanded of ,especially even though the A/c is on. I am NOT COMPARING a Polo and a Honda. All I wanted to say was that the car was not quick enough. Maybe my driving style mattered too.)

ambivalent_98 @ How was the pulling in the ghat section? Did you mean that Polo was taking more time than Honda City to gain speed after slowing down at the curves?

I agree with you on the silver. Only drawback is that it is a common color. Otherwise the contrast it gives is great!! My family was bent upon Black. So I had no choice!! Otherwise I would have gone for Silver or White. (Also I had 2 Matiz for 10 years, both were Silver - Change of color was very much required). Only problem with black is that it gets very hot inside in summer.

Poloman @ khan75 in his thread, had given some explanation about Pearl effect paint.

[Infantarian]

I changed my color option to Red thanks to the Polo Cup wherein I could actually compare the road presence of other colors. I had booked black initially and am still a great fan of black, and although I have hated red previously, I somehow fell in love with red on the Polo.

The line of vehicles I own now would be like a Traffic Signal:

Red Polo
Orange FZ
Green Palio

[liner4u]

@chethan: You cannot compare the polo with the honda. Naturally the honda will pull better in the ghats section. But I guess the polo will handle better. And with four adults its asking too much from a hatchback with a 1.2 engine to deliver blistering performance.

[ambivalent_98]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

(Quote: ambivalent_98 - The biggest drawback I felt was that the car was not quick enough in the ghat sections. 4 adults , A/C on and the twisty ghat and the car was not just quick enough as much as I expected. The good steering was responsive and I was able to dart in and out between the slower traffic.
I drive a 2006 Honda City. It is not the quickest but it can be quick when it is demanded of ,especially even though the A/c is on. I am NOT COMPARING a Polo and a Honda. All I wanted to say was that the car was not quick enough. Maybe my driving style mattered too.)

ambivalent_98 @ How was the pulling in the ghat section? Did you mean that Polo was taking more time than Honda City to gain speed after slowing down at the curves?

IN ghat I felt with the A/c on and with 4 adults it does not pull very well. I mean it would not be fair at all to compare a Honda and a Polo but then as per my experience when the Honda A/c is on you can feel that the engine is spooling power to the wheels all the more to nullify the load of the A/c. I had observed a similar effect in the Santro Xing which I owned about 6 years ago.
Maybe with two people aboard a Polo the performance would be a shade better.
One needs to test on the same Ghat section with and without the A/c to have the best comparison

[steve82]

Hey all Highline Owners...

Just wanted to clarify that does HIGHLINE inclides 6 CD changer? And how is the music quality of the system?

Have you people did anything to incorporate USB?

[poloman]

Ghat sections with 4-5 adults will be a torture for most of the puny 1.2L hatchbacks. There were some reports of a Figo 1.4 TDCI heating up and stalling on Masinagudi-Ooty ghat section.
Lot of deliveries are expected this week in Bangalore including mine and Chetan's. Hopefully everything will go smooth and fine. Full payment is made and all the documentation is in place. Waiting with fingers crossed for the first view of the car.

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by poloman

Ghat sections with 4-5 adults will be a torture for most of the puny 1.2L hatchbacks. There were some reports of a Figo 1.4 TDCI heating up and stalling on Masinagudi-Ooty ghat section.

If the 796cc Maruti 800 can climb the ghats (with a full load), without trouble, I don't see why a 1.2 litre engine would have any issues.

Overheating of engines during ghats is a thing of the past, unless the owner is simply careless.

Edit: Now the 1.2 litre engines are being called puny LOL I wonder what the Nano engine would be called then.

[theragingbull]

Originally Posted by steve82

Hey all Highline Owners...

Just wanted to clarify that does HIGHLINE inclides 6 CD changer? And how is the music quality of the system?

Have you people did anything to incorporate USB?

No 6-CD changer. Just a single CD/MP3 player. I found the music quality to be decent for an OEM unit.

[vishnurp99]

It could be a running in issue for the polo since the car would be very less on kms.

[poloman]

Originally Posted by honeybee

If the 796cc Maruti 800 can climb the ghats (with a full load), without trouble, I don't see why a 1.2 litre engine would have any issues.

Overheating of engines during ghats is a thing of the past, unless the owner is simply careless.

Edit: Now the 1.2 litre engines are being called puny LOL I wonder what the Nano engine would be called then.

Most of the cars can climb ghats. No doubt on that. The moot question is, with what difficulty, in which gear and at what gradient? The original complaint was that Polo,not quick enough on ghats. 796 CC maruti can climb ghats does not mean that it will cruise @ 60Kmph on ghat sections.
The figo report was in one of the ownership thread in this site and you can go through the experience here.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...itanium-8.html

[liner4u]

Originally Posted by honeybee

If the 796cc Maruti 800 can climb the ghats (with a full load), without trouble, I don't see why a 1.2 litre engine would have any issues.

Overheating of engines during ghats is a thing of the past, unless the owner is simply careless.

Edit: Now the 1.2 litre engines are being called puny LOL I wonder what the Nano engine would be called then.

Are you kidding !!! The 800 will probably crawl and not climb . And have u even thought about braking in an 800. Polo is ten times a better car why are we even talking about 800 !!

1.2 engines are not puny but you cant expect it to be a breeze in ghat sections.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by steve82

As of now the warranty offered is 2yrs , though i heard that additional 1yr will be offered in a couple of months ( for about 5-6k).
VW gives 6 yrs anti corrosion warranty.

Thanks for that. Due to recent experience, I am particularly interested in anti-corrosion warranties!

Six years is not bad --- but I bet they give longer in Europe

[honeybee]

Originally Posted by poloman

Most of the cars can climb ghats. No doubt on that. The moot question is, with what difficulty, in which gear and at what gradient? The original complaint was that Polo,not quick enough on ghats. 796 CC maruti can climb ghats does not mean that it will cruise @ 60Kmph on ghat sections.
The figo report was in one of the ownership thread in this site and you can go through the experience here.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...itanium-8.html

I went through the post where the user had to stop the car and then was unable to get it started in first gear. If the gradient is steep enough, it could happen to any car. This is typically where you would need a handbrake partially engaged and use the clutch+accelerator+handbrake diligently to make the car move forward.

[sachinsumant]

Hello Guys.!!
Got my Polo TDI Delivered yesterday(Trendline) White.
Dealer had promised me a date of 1st Week of July.But delivered it in the first Diesel Lot.
Thanks to all Team BHP'ians for all your guidance.
Shall post extended reviews later.

Thanks,
Sachin.