[Mysticeyes]

Originally Posted by SkyWalker

+1

Polo is a pathetic attempt at giving a 'premium' hatchback with sub par engines. If someone really wants a premium hatch, they might as well go for i20, which is really premium.

Anyway, proof of the pudding is in sales, lets see how Polo performs.

what about the pathetic petrol engines in i20, which requires passengers to get out so that driver can shift to 1st gear with AC off, trying to go up a medium incline?

[Amartya]

Originally Posted by formel_eins

well there are Chinese phones which offer more features than a typical Nokia phone, so it is not necessary that features come only in high priced products.

LED display didnt look cheap at all, its sharp and outright informative. The font size, brightness was good and the info was arranged in a nice way. The best part is that all the info is displayed in one single display. For example in I20 there are two displays, one in the centre and another on speedo console, so you need to toggle to get the complete info.

how did you manage to stuck your fingers under the VW badge!!!! its a really big badge, it would be interesting to know

for AC vents if you want to close them there is a volume control like roller, so again it is mysterious to understand how did you got stuck????

when I asked about 1.2 TSI, SP didnt give any dates, but he said it will be a sports version with graphics and sports oriented body shape (side skirts, bumper, rear spoiler) and would be atleast about 2 lakhs more than highline petrol.

I hope the 1.2TSI materializes, but that would be an obscene premium to charge if they just added a body kit and the engine. I feel the Polo already is overpriced, I also understand that some people who think Volkswagen is a brand that has aspirational value would go out and buy the car.

It's a shame, as I think that the Polo is one handsome hunk (comes right after the Punto in the looks department); albeit one that needs to tie up with Pfizer to get that vital dose of muscle - aka a fourth cylinder.

[WindRide]

The 1.2 TSI may not make much moolah for VW in India.
Blow 1 - it will be obscenely priced, ex-showroom.
Blow 2 - expensive to maintain a turbocharged petrol mill - TSI engines have already earned a reputation for oil guzzling in its other avatars (about 500ml of synthetic engine oil every 5000 km or so). Eg. the 1.8 TSI in Laura.

VW better work on a brand-new 4-cyl engine for India and other emerging markets. And fast.

[rejoycjohn]

This was a day that i longed since the launch of volkswagen polo . Test driving one , I headed to the hosur road showroom in blore with my friend .Being a Habba in Blore , the road was deviod of much traffic .So thought I can have some decent test drive and take the vehicle to a decent speed .

We already have many test drive reports in this forum ranging from the veterans to the rookies .so just jotting down those things that I noticed .

Looks :-
I had already fallen in love with this German beauty much before i had seen it in real . Right from the day that i saw it in motorshows and those tv shows , the looks really attracted me . Those low bonnets, the lines , the skirting in the front that would make the air flow below the car to make it planted .
The looks really made me have the same feel that I had when I had seen the old zen way back in 93 .( the real rookie then i was just a boy ) !!
Again this is that vehicle which would look decent without changing tyres / alloys !

The trend line and comfort line doesnt make much of a difference when viewed from front , as the tyres look almost similar . Though they are of different dimenions . Side view also is similar for a non - petrol head person , as the wheel covers do look very 'similar' to the alloys .
Even though Highend has 15" , the overall diameter looks almost same ( due to the aspect ratio difference ) .

Interior space / Quality :-
Space, ahmm its at a premium at the rear . I am 5'9",when i kept the drivers seat to the most rear , i could sit without a complaint , but yes it wont be comfortable on a journey anyway.But that would happen only if the driving guy is 6'3" or +
The middle person at the rear would never be comfortable as the floor raises as high as the rear bench seat . This looks similar to a rear drive vehicle . VW could have worked on this to make it better . .

At the front , it isnt spacious either .Drivers leg would definitely hit the dash , while changing gears ( pointed out here ).

The angle at which the stereo and controls are placed is convenient for the driver to operate them . Big storage spaces around , glove box , amazing feel of the plastics . The door opener ( I dont know what to call this ) from inside , well its of top notch . One has to feel it to realize it .
I testdrove polo immediately after Figo , so it was just a back to back comparison . Defintely Polo is miles ahead in the quality and the upmarket feel that it provides to the customers

The music system is not that great , not as good compared to figo .!

Ride :-
It was only me and the sales guy who was in the vehicle when we went for the test drive . I was very impressed with the initial pick up and response . The gear was sharp and i loved this new lever . The engine does sound a bit hard than normal diesel , I liked the sound though . The engine is rev ready and one can really rev it hard .

On the downside , I found the third and the fourth gears , the vehicle is not respnding well . the acceleration is not that great . ( How did ya guys feel ? ) .

I think thats it , left after taking the prcelist .
I defintely want to test drive teh Diesel version and then take the decision .

Ooh yea One last thing .Please see the following pics . I took it at the spare wheel well . Is it normal or did the painting guys at VW made some quality compromise ?

[ajmat]

Drove one, bck to back with my swift today. Clutch is heavy. Felt Swift was peppy and better point and squirt ability although not as refined.

The Passat 1.8 Tsi manual is due next week - 24L ex showroom. A new Jetta petrol is due so I was informed

[formel_eins]

After my first drive, I was almost sure of booking the car. Today being Padwa (Hindu new year) I went again to VW showroom with my family. I asked the SP to give me one more TD before I book the car. This time I wanted to check the response of car with 5 people seated inside it and AC ON. So SP politely arranged the ride for me. We were 5 people in the car, I turned on the AC and hit the highway. Polo again surprised me, it wasnt sluggish. As I mentioned before, currently I drive Honda city and with 5 people and AC on, the car feels sluggish. I said even with AC it is accelerating good. To this SP replied that polo uses MPI technology against the VTEC technology of Honda. Hence it accelerates without any problem. I dont know the truth behind this but I did feel the difference.

Later I shifted places with my cousin, I sat in the rear and cousin started to drive on the bumpy potholy road and I really felt how polo was gulping those potholes like some delicious sweets. I should praise VW for their suspension settings. When we came back to showroom, I stepped out and asked my cousin to rev the engine, as I wanted to hear the grunt of car. Guys believe me it does sound sporty, and I almost started smiling, like man no one could say that a 3-cylinder under the hood is making that grunt.


I did not miss any cylinder in polo and was totally bowled out to its looks, ride, handling, revvy engine. So I went ahead and booked Polo Highline petrol. My color preference is Pepper grey and Comfy Silver. SP said he has no news about launch of pepper grey but comfy silver he can provide in May. I said I shall choose to wait.

I also saw a poster of Polo sport. In the poster it did have side skirts, skirting on front bumper, 10 spoke black alloys, smoked headlamps (like the European version Polo) and sports graphics. It really meant serious sports

[sandeepmohan]

Folks....this car is good. Went to VW again to drive the car. It was hardly a drive; being just around 2km (so called Test Drive) but this was all I needed.

Drove the 1.2 Petrol. For the power they quote this car really delivers. All of that 75Bhp is available at the wheel. It really surprised me. We were 3 members in the car, had the AC running & the engine responded very well. It has excellent response for a 3 cylinder mill. The trade off is the noise & it feels crude. Noticed the little rocking action which can be felt easily when you blip the throttle at idle.

Exhaust note lovers will love this car to the hilt. It reminded me of my Fiat Padmini 1100D. It has a nice exhaust note even at idle. Very audible if you are standing outside. Never really listened to it during the drive as the windows were wound up but I am sure it has the best sound track of all the small cars as far as exhausts go.

I loved the brakes & the handling.

At the end of the day this is a very expensive hatch and I am not sure if it can ever be called a value for money deal.

[.anshuman]

Even i got a chance to drive the Polo and this is what i wrote in another thread

I went to the Gurgaon VW yesterday to TD the diesel variant, they are not offering TD for the diesel car yet so decided to drive the petrol car although i am a diesel guy.

The Petrol version feels quite peppy for its small engine size and the car's heavy build. Frankly i never expected this car to be have this good driveability. I found the midrange power delivery even better than the more powerful Punto 1.4 Petrol. At higher revs anyone sitting in the car can recognise the 3 cylinder engine note though i like the exhaust note. This engine feels very comfortable running in an higher gear in traffic.

The ride composure is worth an applause, though this car lacks the deep bump absorption found in Punto it still delivers a very composed ride. The gearbox has very nice shift actions, it feels similar to a Jetta.

The EPS might sap lesser power and maybe the masses might like the light steering but i absolutely hate EPS. The artificial feel takes away the driving pleasure a conventional Hydraulic power steering system offers. The only EPS i have liked till date is the one offered in Skoda Superb.

I would love to see more powerful TSi and TDi engines in the Comfortline variant. The car just like Punto screams for a more powerful engines to showcase its superb dynamics.

Originally Posted by formel_eins

. As I mentioned before, currently I drive Honda city and with 5 people and AC on, the car feels sluggish. I said even with AC it is accelerating good. To this SP replied that polo uses MPI technology against the VTEC technology of Honda. Hence it accelerates without any problem. I dont know the truth behind this but I did feel the difference.

Which generation Honda city do you drive? It can only be the 77bhp NHC thats feels underpowered with 5 people onboard with AC on. OHC and ANHC have much superior power delivery than Polo 1.2.

Did you actually believe the salesman. Vtec also is a MPi(Multi point fuel injection, Just like any other petrol engine offered today.) engine. Vtec has variable valve lift which the VW lacks. Compared back to back Vtec is more advanced of the two. Even the basic Maruti 800 and Tata Nano come with a Mpi (or you can also call it MPFI) engine.

[gaurav_chopra04]

Originally Posted by .anshuman

Did you actually believe the salesman

reminded me of a Maruti sales man who told my Dad that swift VDi has an added turbo compared to punto or the indica vista which has same engines. My dad came home and told me that the car has good pick up because it has a turbo... i said yes.. then he said so its better than the punto and the vista which despite of having the same engine does not have a turbo and I just went . Later had a word with the sales man, and he said Sir, I was misinformed!

[ghostrider]

Originally Posted by smartcat

Das Auto is fine. We don't need to know its meaning - it just sounds cool & sexy. Just like Vorsprung Durch Technik. German language is a "heavy" language and goes well for taglines.

I disagree. While the projection of Das Auto in Europe (where people in most country know German articles) as 'The Car' works fine, in India you can hear the jokes before they begin... Das Auto, the Bengali's Car: It'll go on strike every other day.

And their ad campaign is pretty poor as well... the one with the kid asking if he can book a car in advance? At no point does it ever cover the features of any of the cars or the history that VW has in it's Indian lineup. You think the average Indian consumer is as clued-in as people on this forum? Think again.
VW would have been much better served talking about them merits of the cars or the brand itself.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Das Boot was a pretty good title to a wonderful film, and seemed much more dramatic, in UK, than "The Boat" would have done. If Das Auto catches on, it is going to always remind me of that film!

[fiat_tarun]

Originally Posted by formel_eins

...As I mentioned before, currently I drive Honda city and with 5 people and AC on, the car feels sluggish. I said even with AC it is accelerating good. To this SP replied that polo uses MPI technology against the VTEC technology of Honda. Hence it accelerates without any problem. I dont know the truth behind this but I did feel the difference.
...

Which generation Honda city do you drive? It can only be the 77bhp NHC thats feels underpowered with 5 people onboard with AC on. OHC and ANHC have much superior power delivery than Polo 1.2.

Did you actually believe the salesman. Vtec also is a MPi(Multi point fuel injection, Just like any other petrol engine offered today.) engine. Vtec has variable valve lift which the VW lacks. Compared back to back Vtec is more advanced of the two. Even the basic Maruti 800 and Tata Nano come with a Mpi (or you can also call it MPFI) engine.

Even i was wondering what MPI he is talking about. The NHC had two engines. The 77bhp mentioned above and the Vtec. The 77hp engine was not a Vtec. It was called i-dsi. (intelligent Dual & Sequential Ignition)

[R17]

Managed to score a TD of the Polo the other day - came back hugely impressed.

Likes -

• The car is extremely solid and is built like a german tank.
• Fit and finish is immaculate and when you observe the finer details in the car, you cant help but think of the high standards that the Pune VW plant must be adhering to.
• Interiors are of awesome quality - again, germanic in nature.
• Ride - Awesomeness. Muted thud conquers all road imperfections. Youre not going to be crashing and bobbing over gutted roads while in this car.

Dislikes -

• The interior space - pretty average and not in the same ballpark as the i20.
• Its a low car - So ingress/egress seems a shade easier in my Swift. But its still way better than my Civic.
• Steering - Light. Very, very light. Hoot to drive in the city or a call for added concentration on the highways? Your call. Mine was that they could added a bit more heft to it.
• Equipment - the Punto Emo-pack offers the steering wheel audio controls and the 'Blue and Me' for little extra so thats something that will pinch the prospective Polo buyer.

All in all, though it has its shares of pros and cons, I like it and still think of it as THE hatch to buy for now. Some added equipment would have made that thought a lot easier to arrive at though.

[khan75]

Just bought a Polo in Flash Red (I still hate red but bought it anyway to maintain a uniformity in my garage). Initial report along with comparisons with my Grande Punto coming soon.

[EssYouWe]

Nice!

You are on fire boss! Awaiting the report. Petrol or Diesel?