[suhaas307]

Great review of a great car.

The 1.6 Polo is definitely going to be my next car. It looks fantastic, feels great and is so much more classy when compared to the other hatches in the segment.

I like how you've tastefully decked up your Polo. A few points:

- De-badging. Great idea. Gives the rear a very clean and sophisticated look.

- The leather. It's lovely. The dual-tone carbon-fibre and black stitching is just wonderful.

- Your myths debunked. Very useful. A few friends who own Polos had several complaints pertaining to the wipers. Your tips should solve their headaches.

- Do get yourself a set of Yoko S-Drives. I would compliment your car brilliantly. Are you looking to upsize the wheels. If you do, take a look a the Pete's website where there is a black Vento with the best looking wheels on a VW I've seen to date.

- Also, I'd like to mention that I'm a Honda loyalist and it kinda pricked me when you so effortlessly bashed the Jazz and the City. Perhaps you should take a look at this

[sadnabrina]

Originally Posted by Suess

Regarding music thing in cars....how much do we listen the music in Car at very high volume? and we are so used now to the mp3 that we have almost discarded the Audio CDs. I say, just play a original Audio CD on any good Car Audio System and you will be surprised to hear how much you are simply missing because of those high compression mp3s(which are mostly 128kbps or max 320kbps).

+1 Suess. MP3 kills music period. If you must, use lossless WMA. When listening to good music I always use ACD.

[v.anand]

I just realized the windshield washer nozzle is adjustable and it moves up and down. Mine was spraying onto the roof all this while and now after the adjustment, it just works fine.

[vinya_jag]

The Black Polo really sure suits your boxer. Cute pose
Any thoughts on smoking your headlamps and getting a new set of black alloys?

[hossdoc]

Some points updated after a few more Kms. First off, I now officially ADORE this car!
LOVE
1) The horn. Thank you VW for not skimping on this! I almost NEVER use the horn but it is good to have a quality horn when you need it.
2) The ORVMs. They are rock steady and once adjusted do not vibrate out of position. Decent field of view as well. Very stiff to fold though.
3) Engine note is sounding smoother and sweeter and deeper when revved
4) Ground clearance. Really impressive for a car that sits low. I am amazed that this has not scraped bottom yet in Cochin, which had arguably the worst roads in India.
HATE
1) The owner' manual. While it is impressive in size and quality optional features which are not found on Indian Polo's are not clearly marked. Very complicated to navigate and figure out anything.
2) OE JK Vectras. Very noisy even at low city speeds.
ERROR IN MY PREVIOUS POSTS - I had stated that after the doors auto lock, only a door that is opened from inside unlocks. This is not true. ALL DOORS UNLOCK when one door is opened from inside, and then all doors lock again when you drive off. SORRY!

Originally Posted by v.anand

I may consider this design when I decide to get Stanley for mine too, its the best I liked in their catalog too.
The power mirror switches feel a bit flimsy (compared to the similar looking one in Laura) and the lack of rear power window swiches is a pain. I am not very happy about the tyres too, they are a bit too ordinary and doesn't go well with the character of the car. Mine is Appollo though which I hope is better than JK. Another niggle is I find the reflection of the dash on the wind shield very distracting, I guess this is the only car with black dash, such a reflection happens. Have you noticed it and is there any remedy for this?I hope to get the lock feature enabled during my car's first service too and may be even the DRLs if they are fitted in the Indian ones.

That is really the best design for this car as far as seats go. It is the same design as in the Passat and it is called "New Alfa Romeo" in the Stanley Catalogue. Just make sure they space the ribs apart a bit more than in the catalogue and they "double stitch" the lines, otherwise the ribs will look puffy and not sit flat.
The power window joystick does look flimsy but feels ok and works really well.
I am SURE the Acceleres are better. They look better too as they have a better tread pattern and are square shouldered.
There is no remedy I can think of for the dash reflections, sorry. I find the reflections in the sunfilm on the sides more distracting!
I do hope you get the autolock enabled. Hang on a bit for the DRLs. I am trying to get the Polo GTI lights replicated! Will keep you posted.

Originally Posted by bala80

There is no clear trend or pattern, few cars have it and few others do not. I will really appreciate if you can find out some details from the workshop and post here for the benefit of others. Thank you very much.

I have spoken to the service center and they say autolock DOES NOT COME ON TRENDLINE variants of the Vento and TRENDLINE/COMFORTLINE variants of the Polo, only on the HIGHLINE. I do hope this clarifies the issue.

Originally Posted by v.anand

I just realized the windshield washer nozzle is adjustable and it moves up and down. Mine was spraying onto the roof all this while and now after the adjustment, it just works fine.

Originally Posted by sadnabrina

The spray unit can be adjusted in the similar fashion as exposed washers. If I remember correctly, it only moves up and down.

Thanks for that. Will try and adjust the washers this afternoon.

Originally Posted by sadnabrina

Is that true? I would be the first one to TD that. Today is day 363 of my P1.6 and I have already crossed 22500 kms. With my running and the current petrol prices I have every reason to switch to a similarly powered Diesel car.
One of the jobs modified the MID-computer's Fuel Efficiency calculator - it now calculates much more accurately. The displayed FE now is never off by more than 0.5 kmpl. If I get 13 on the MID, the actual tank full to tank full measurement would yield no less than 12.5.
The reason for not being able to fit the leather cover from Vento is the way the factory fitting is done.

Wow! Diesel would really make sense then. Yes the 1.5 TDI does seem to be in the pipeline. It is reportedly the same unit as in the Vento with reduction in capacity to qualify for excise benefit.
My MID also seems to be way off. It is showing 7.5 kmpl which just does not correlate with the fuel gauge. Must have it checked.
I meant I asked for the WHOLE steering wheel, not just the leather cover! The wheel on the Vento is actually slightly thinner and the leather wrapping is top notch. Guess what, some of the new Vento Highlines DONT HAVE LEATHER WRAPPED WHEELS ANYMORE!

Originally Posted by Suess

Regarding music thing in cars....how much do we listen the music in Car at very high volume? and we are so used now to the mp3 that we have almost discarded the Audio CDs. I say, just play a original Audio CD on any good Car Audio System and you will be surprised to hear how much you are simply missing because of those high compression mp3s(which are mostly 128kbps or max 320kbps).

Originally Posted by sadnabrina

+1 Suess. MP3 kills music period. If you must, use lossless WMA. When listening to good music I always use ACD.

I agree, though I must add that MP3s definitely are convenient on a long drive when there is no CD changer. The audio is crystal clear with clean bass. (Bass at +2, treble at +5). I listen to rock and metal at a max volume of 10-12 and the unit sounds fine to me. It starts to jar and sound muddy at volume level 15 and above.
What I really miss is bluetooth. Get emergency calls a lot and it is a real priority for me.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The 1.6 Polo is definitely going to be my next car.
- Do get yourself a set of Yoko S-Drives. I would compliment your car brilliantly. Are you looking to upsize the wheels. If you do, take a look a the Pete's website where there is a black Vento with the best looking wheels on a VW I've seen to date.
- Also, I'd like to mention that I'm a Honda loyalist and it kinda pricked me when you so effortlessly bashed the Jazz and the City.

Do hope you join the club soon!
205/55/15 Yoko S drives are currently unavailable due to ISI mark fiasco. I had S Drives on my Accent and loved them!
Not planning to upsize wheels as the roads here are just terrible. Unless of course VW offers the GTI wheels as an option! BMW is now offering all accessories officially, including PROPER performance mods, and supporting these without voiding warranty. WAKE UP VW...there is a sizeable market out there!
Sorry about the Honda bashing mate. In all fairness the Jazz should have been sold at these prices from the very beginning. I have driven the OHC and NHC extensively and have only tested the ANHC. I am not saying that the cars are bad. Just that you cannot call them driver's cars anymore, not like the OHC, and that they commanded a premium all these years only because of lack of competition. I LOVED the OHC 1.5 and VTEC!

[bala80]

Firstly, thank you for taking your time and effort to check this for me. My vento is highline (so does most of the members who dont have this features enabled) and some of the highline polo's too dont have this enabled. Couple of members who have commented on this thread have 1.6 polo's.

And yeah, none of the vento's come with leather wrapped steering/chrome accents anymore - victims of localisation!

Originally Posted by hossdoc

I have spoken to the service center and they say autolock DOES NOT COME ON TRENDLINE variants of the Vento and TRENDLINE/COMFORTLINE variants of the Polo, only on the HIGHLINE. I do hope this clarifies the issue.

.....

Guess what, some of the new Vento Highlines DONT HAVE LEATHER WRAPPED WHEELS ANYMORE!

[hossdoc]

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

The Black Polo really sure suits your boxer. Cute pose
Any thoughts on smoking your headlamps and getting a new set of black alloys?

Yes madam is very happy with the car, AND she has no complaints about rear seat space, legroom or headroom!
Trying to get the 2011 Polo GTI lights replicated. I like the stock alloys. They are very well finished and I think 15" is ideal for our roads(there are no roads to speak of in Cochin). Upsizing means reducing tyre profile which i really dont want to do just for the looks.

Originally Posted by bala80

Firstly, thank you for taking your time and effort to check this for me. My vento is highline (so does most of the members who dont have this features enabled) and some of the highline polo's too dont have this enabled. Couple of members who have commented on this thread have 1.6 polo's.
And yeah, none of the vento's come with leather wrapped steering/chrome accents anymore - victims of localisation!

I just spoke to the service guys again. They are unaware that some of the HIGHLINES come without autolock!! They might be able to enable it for you though. This is really crazy. I think this is an issue that should be taken up with VW because it is really unfair that cars made in the same month dont have the same features.
By chrome accents do you mean all chrome accents or only the one around the rotary light switch? All the cars i saw in showroom had only this one missing.
Real pity about the leather wrapped wheel. It is so silky soft, smooth and well finished. Localization or cost cutting?
Thank god I did not wait for the New Jetta. As i expected they have stripped the car of many features found in variants abroad and have only given the HIGHLINE the DSG. No bluetooth even on the highline!

[bala80]

Again, thank you very much hossdoc, you are very helpful here. Yes, I beleive the best course of action here is to take it to the service center and get this enabled (by any chance, can we do it ourselves? these customisations were very much possible with my earlier autocop system).

And, I meant the chrome insert on the steering wheel when I mentioned about the chrome accent. The chrome bits on the headlight switches are now back and the reason that this wasnt there in a particular batch of cars in between is due to some supplier issues (You can find the detailed discussion on this topic in the official vento TD thread). Leather wrapping and this chrome insert on the steering wheel is gone forever in the new vento highlighes (I miss them both!)

Originally Posted by hossdoc

I just spoke to the service guys again. They are unaware that some of the HIGHLINES come without autolock!! They might be able to enable it for you though. This is really crazy. I think this is an issue that should be taken up with VW because it is really unfair that cars made in the same month dont have the same features.
By chrome accents do you mean all chrome accents or only the one around the rotary light switch? All the cars i saw in showroom had only this one missing.
Real pity about the leather wrapped wheel. It is so silky soft, smooth and well finished. Localization or cost cutting?

[azeemhafiz]

Many many congratulations on your Polo 1.6, It is one of the best Naturally Aspirated engines around.

Also, Thank you very much for your detailed review.. I have been contemplating on the Polo for too long, but yours and Sadnabrina's crisp and detailed review just blows any apprehensions one may have towards the Polo.

[Suess]

Originally Posted by hossdoc

I agree, though I must add that MP3s definitely are convenient on a long drive when there is no CD changer. The audio is crystal clear with clean bass. (Bass at +2, treble at +5). I listen to rock and metal at a max volume of 10-12 and the unit sounds fine to me. It starts to jar and sound muddy at volume level 15 and above.
What I really miss is bluetooth. Get emergency calls a lot and it is a real priority for me. !

agree with mp3 ease of use but just try to get 320kbps files. regarding Bluetooth, just get one Bluetooth handsfree with FM Transmitter and you can stream your music on ICE and also listen to your calls on it.

[Sheel]

Gem of a Car and a doting owner! Fantastic

When for the first time I looked at a Polo (obviously in red) I was blown away by the paint luster.

Hatch-backs indeed make for a great compromise due to space crunch in today's scenario.
Wishing you miles of happiness

Logging in less miles has its advantage too, a petrol 1600cc mated to a sweet shifting 'box.

[Utopian]

Congrats hossdoc for the 1.6. The debadged rear really gives it a classy look. And with that delectable mill under the hood and the gorgeous Stanley interiors it must be a pleasure to drive.
Wishing you many happy miles with the baby VW.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by hossdoc

Do hope you join the club soon!
205/55/15 Yoko S drives are currently unavailable due to ISI mark fiasco. I had S Drives on my Accent and loved them!
Not planning to upsize wheels as the roads here are just terrible. Unless of course VW offers the GTI wheels as an option! BMW is now offering all accessories officially, including PROPER performance mods, and supporting these without voiding warranty. WAKE UP VW...there is a sizeable market out there!

That's too bad. What tyres do you have in mind then? I'm sure you'd settle for a quality brand. JKs just don't do the Polo any kind of justice. It's rather sad. Even my jazz comes factory fitted with MRF, although Michelins are optional. VW and Honda can do better!

Oh, and don't forget to check out the hyperlink I put up in my previous post. Those 17" VW wheels look absolutely delicious. I would get 'em in a heartbeat for my Polo.

Originally Posted by hossdoc

Sorry about the Honda bashing mate. In all fairness the Jazz should have been sold at these prices from the very beginning. I have driven the OHC and NHC extensively and have only tested the ANHC. I am not saying that the cars are bad. Just that you cannot call them driver's cars anymore, not like the OHC, and that they commanded a premium all these years only because of lack of competition. I LOVED the OHC 1.5 and VTEC!

Not to worry my friend.

I completely agree with you. Hondas are no longer as fun to drive as they used to be. The difference between the old and new gen Hondas are stark, when you compare the fun-factor they carry, and it isn't particularly a good thing. But when you have competition like the new verna and the SX4, the City is still quite fun.

And Honda had always charged a premium. Looks like they've been following Team BHP off late and realized their mistake. Good for them.

[hossdoc]

CHEAP THRILLS! Just arrived by post today...





Bought off Ebay Singapore for ~ Rs. 230 including shipping.

Originally Posted by bala80

Leather wrapping and this chrome insert on the steering wheel is gone forever in the new vento highlighes (I miss them both!)

Chrome Steering Wheel trim for VW Golf6 MK6 polo 2011 | eBay

Originally Posted by azeemhafiz

I have been contemplating on the Polo for too long.

Go for it!

Originally Posted by Suess

regarding Bluetooth, just get one Bluetooth handsfree with FM Transmitter and you can stream your music on ICE and also listen to your calls on it.

I don't like clip on stuff in the car and I find it a pain to have to recharge those things through the 12V socket. I hate the wires dangling around.
I might just go in for the Witson HU with BT and NAV. It seems to be quite popular, is very affordable and Ankit is having no problems with it. Lets see.

Originally Posted by Sheel

When for the first time I looked at a Polo (obviously in red) I was blown away by the paint luster.
[/i]

Thats really the first thing that grabs the eye with the Polo/Vento siblings isn't it! Simply the best paint finish not only in this segment but comparable or better than several CBUs as well.

Originally Posted by Utopian

And with that delectable mill under the hood and the gorgeous Stanley interiors it must be a pleasure to drive.

It is thank you!

Originally Posted by suhaas307

What tyres do you have in mind then?
Those 17" VW wheels look absolutely delicious.
But when you have competition like the new verna and the SX4, the City is still quite fun.

Oh I will wait for the Yokos. The dealer says they will be back some time in september. Apparently manufacturers have to spend almost 5 lakhs (documentation, dies etc) for EACH pattern just for the ISI mark, so they are taking their time with it, and i dont really blame them!
Yes those wheels are quite beautiful. 17 inchers might not be practical though.
Compared to those two the City is definitely the better choice for sure!

[cogweelz]

Congrats Hossdoc on your great. I too zeroed on Polo 1.6 but thinking of the (ever) rising petrol prices and strict No-NO from parents I went for an upgrade to ANHV.

But I am bit confused about you saying the interiors of the ANHV falls behind the i20 when I felt no much difference between the two.In fact the steering and window controls are copy-paste Yes he 'handling' part of ANHV holds some ground but rest have been top-notch from all reviewers around.

It would be great if you could be more clarifying on your comments.