[C300]

hassdoc - Detailed and unbiased review. Thanks for sharing. The overall build quality of polo is just superb and those Stanley interiors match it perfectly.
I had a chance to check out the pepper gray polo and just loved the vault like build and Immaculate paint finish.
Wishing you a happy mile crunching in coming years. Do keep us posted on your new love.

[Frontosa]

Congrats Hassdoc!!! Your Black Polo looks beautiful, and Stanley leather - just Yummy!

I totally agree with you on the Indian attitude portion of the report. I think we need more of hand-holding and taught, if let loose we tend to relax.

I have one very imp question - does your Polo autolock the doors after 15kmph of speed? I mean how do you know that its autolocked? Does the glow light on the door handle go to lock position automatically?

Another thing, the jet spray for wipers works flawlessly, it sprays water on the entire windshield, i think you need to get that adjusted, its a 1 minute job I guess.

Plus better pics with a good camera please

[bala80]

Apologies for interfering to answer only this question as this is a happening discussion in the official vento test drive thread as well -

Yes, central locking system of few cars (Vento's/Polo's) are configured for speed sensing auto lock/unlock whereas few others haven't been configured this way. There isnt any definite pattern and no one at this juncture knows how to get this auto lock and unlock feature activated in their cars.

Please refer to the official vento test drive thread - there is a video of this feature as well. It works exactly in the same way as you have described below and all doors automatically unlock when either one of the doors is opened from inside.

Originally Posted by Frontosa

I have one very imp question - does your Polo autolock the doors after 15kmph of speed? I mean how do you know that its autolocked? Does the glow light on the door handle go to lock position automatically?

[oxyzen]

Congratulation.
Nice review.

Although I agree with you on almost all points 2 things I found different. The 1.6P Vento that I drove had poor bottom end. But above 3000RPM it was good. May be the low kerb weight of Polo is doing the trick for you.

The automatic climate control is of huge importance. It even improves your FE to some extent. With the ACC you can select a temp. say 24°C. When the temp reaches that point, the AC trips. It is not possible in manual AC.

I think most of the point you mentioned in "...A Few Myths Debunked:" is spot on. But unfortunately, the autolock does not work for all VW owners.

I had my heart for the 1.6 Polo TDi. Unfortunately I had to settle for Vento. The Polo is a slightly better handler than the Vento. Typical to all hatchbacks, in a Polo you dont have to slow down for all rough patches. The Polo was also highly agile. Maybe the light 1.2L motor up front was playing its part.

Strictly from the driver's point of view, the Polo has everything the Vento offers. And be something even more. Except the 1.6L TDi engine.


I really appriciate you praising the performance and Handling of Polo after being used to a beemer. Is Polo that good? Or is the Beemer not good enough?

[euroexotic]

@hossdoc

Regarding the AutoLock - Mine doesn't auto lock no matter what the speed is reached. Mine's a February 2011 1.6. I guess VW is modifying the car in bits and pieces.

[gemithomas]

Excellent review. Its too detailed for the "initial Ownership" section though

Thanks for the effort. Why dont you try putting the "VW" or the "Polo" on the left side of the hatch. Doesnt the hatch look odd with a 1.6 on one side.

[arindambasu13]

If I were not a Swift enthusiast waiting for the launch of the new Swift, the second contender on my list would have been the Polo 1.6. The onlydrawback for this car is the steep price on road in Bangalore. On all other counts, this car is absolutely awesome. I love the clean lines and the design, it keeps growing on you, and looks real classy.

In black, your Polo looks great. Do give it a polish at regular intervals to maintain the gleaming look. And of course, with the 1.6 mill, it is a stonker!
Congratulations, and great review.

[Aravindpn]

Congrats! Stanley interiors and choice of design is the best. Really really gels with the character of the car. Marvellous! Stanley ka dabba was a freebie from Mr. Stanley?

[sadnabrina]

Congrats Hassdoc! Welcome to the 1.6 club. Wish you years of happy driving on your "Baby Schwarz".

It seems VW has employed people to read through TBhp and take suggestions. We had been ranting about the missing autolock and writing in TBhp for the last 1 year or so and now it seems VW has upgraded the system to take care of this issue. Now we need to figure out if this is just a software patch or needs some additional hardware too. If it is just a software patch (which is more likely) then it should get fixed in the next visit to the workshop. Will check with the workshop when I get some time.

Originally Posted by hossdoc

...A Few Myths Debunked:
-"The impractical locking solution" - I cannot understand why the locking mechanism on the Polo has drawn such flak. THE DOORS DO AUTOLOCK at 15 kmph. One does not have to remember to manually lock the doors as stated in some reviews. Once all the doors are locked the lock button illuminates very neatly in a bright yellow.

Originally Posted by Frontosa

I have one very imp question - does your Polo autolock the doors after 15kmph of speed? I mean how do you know that its autolocked? Does the glow light on the door handle go to lock position automatically?

Originally Posted by bala80

Yes, central locking system of few cars (Vento's/Polo's) are configured for speed sensing auto lock/unlock whereas few others haven't been configured this way. There isnt any definite pattern and no one at this juncture knows how to get this auto lock and unlock feature activated in their cars.

Originally Posted by oxyzen

I think most of the point you mentioned in "...A Few Myths Debunked:" is spot on. But unfortunately, the autolock does not work for all VW owners.

Originally Posted by euroexotic

Regarding the AutoLock - Mine doesn't auto lock no matter what the speed is reached. Mine's a February 2011 1.6. I guess VW is modifying the car in bits and pieces.

[v.anand]

Congrats @hossdoc on the terrific car. You having owned a BMW 320D and find Polo good, talks a lot about the ability of this car. The general quality of interiors and the firm feel of all the swiches only needs to be experienced to be believed, I am sure no other car in its segment (other than its sibling, Fabia of course) comes close to its levels of quality. Once again, welcome to the 1.6 club. Your seat covers look fantastic and very sporty, I may consider this design when I decide to get Stanley for mine too, its the best I liked in their catalog too.

Lucky bugger, you got the auto lock feature enabled in your car. Mine is a April manufactured one as well but without this feature. Hadn't noticed the lack of chrome on headlight switch till you mentioned. 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. All the best on your Black Schwarz. Keep this thread updated with loads of information.

[hossdoc]

Originally Posted by bala80

You said stanley offered to do the interior beige portion of door pad, Can you elaborate?
I guess the recent one's are coming in with a different system however dont think it has the USB/aux-in features either.

Yes the beige part of the door pad can be covered in leather as well. This is not part of their "standard package" for the Polo but they will do it at no additional cost if desired. If i had a choice i would cover everything in black, but since the floor, lower half of the dash, base of the seats and the ceiling are in beige I thought it best to leave it as it is.

Originally Posted by amitg79

Love what you've done with the interiors too.

All thanks to the sweet discount I got

Originally Posted by C300

I had a chance to check out the pepper gray polo and just loved the vault like build and Immaculate paint finish.

The Pepper Grey is a fabulous color and somehow makes the Polo look longer and lower.

Originally Posted by Frontosa

I totally agree with you on the Indian attitude portion of the report. I think we need more of hand-holding and taught, if let loose we tend to relax.
I have one very imp question - does your Polo autolock the doors after 15kmph of speed? I mean how do you know that its autolocked? Does the glow light on the door handle go to lock position automatically?
Another thing, the jet spray for wipers works flawlessly, it sprays water on the entire windshield, i think you need to get that adjusted, its a 1 minute job I guess.
Plus better pics with a good camera please

Sigh, buying anything these days seems to be a nightmare. I cannot remember ONE experience in the last one year that has been totally hassle free.
The Polo auto locks at 15 kmph. There is a "clack" and the lock light illuminates yellow. The doors remain locked from the outside but individual doors can be opened with one pull of the handle from inside which is the same mechanism as in the Logan.
Do you know how to get the spray adjusted? Is it the same technique as with exposed washers?
No fault of the camera...blame my photography skills! Except for the first two pictures at the dealership which were taken on my cellphone the rest were taken with a DSLR!

Originally Posted by bala80

There isnt any definite pattern and no one at this juncture knows how to get this auto lock and unlock feature activated in their cars.
It works exactly in the same way as you have described below and all doors automatically unlock when either one of the doors is opened from inside.

In mine all doors don't unlock! Really weird isn't it, that there is no set pattern.

Originally Posted by oxyzen

The 1.6P Vento that I drove had poor bottom end. But above 3000RPM it was good. May be the low kerb weight of Polo is doing the trick for you.
The automatic climate control is of huge importance. It even improves your FE to some extent. With the ACC you can select a temp. say 24°C. When the temp reaches that point, the AC trips. It is not possible in manual AC.
Except the 1.6L TDi engine.
I really appreciate you praising the performance and Handling of Polo after being used to a beemer. Is Polo that good? Or is the Beemer not good enough?

I think the 1.6 Petrol Vento is geared differently. I drove only the automatic and it pulls in a nice and linear, albeit sedate, fashion. It also has a sports mode which does noticeably change the character of the car.
The thermostat in a manual AC performs a similar function if i'm not mistaken. The compressor does cut off in manual ACs as well? Maybe it does make an impact on FE but i'm not sure it would be very significant. Anyway the point I was trying to make was with regard to convenience and button presses. When you have dual zone or multizone its nice to be able to configure stuff and cool different parts differently. With single zone I really find no difference in CONVENIENCE.
I hear a 1.5L 4 Cylinder 94 BHP TDI Polo is coming!
Sigh, don't make me cry again! The Bimmer was awesome, but everyday, on our Cochin roads, I think the Polo is actually the better package. If I was doing a lot of long distance like I used to I would never have sold the Bimmer. It used to frustrate me no end to just see it parked in the shed like some showpiece. The Polo FEELS/SMELLS (I cant explain this x factor) premium and solid and like a proper German car and I love being in it now almost as I used to love being in the Bimmer!

Originally Posted by euroexotic

Mine's a February 2011 1.6. I guess VW is modifying the car in bits and pieces.

Thats odd. My friend's 1.6 is a Feb manufactured one and has auto lock. These Germans are crazy!

Originally Posted by gemithomas

Doesnt the hatch look odd with a 1.6 on one side.

The 1.6 is just a tiny "beware" sign! I was contemplating taking that off as well but it looks really nice in the flesh. Any other lettering looks really ugly next to that gorgeous HUGE logo/boot lid opener.

Originally Posted by arindambasu13

In black, your Polo looks great. Do give it a polish at regular intervals to maintain the gleaming look. And of course, with the 1.6 mill, it is a stonker!
.

Already clayed, cleaned and polished (Mother's clay bar + Turtle wax Black Box). I have had black cars since 2003 and always clean them MYSELF. Good exercise on Sundays.

Originally Posted by Aravindpn

Stanley ka dabba was a freebie from Mr. Stanley?

Yes

Originally Posted by sadnabrina

Congrats Hossdoc! Welcome to the 1.6 club. Wish you years of happy driving on your "Baby Schwarz".
Will check with the workshop when I get some time.

Special thanks to you. Yours was the original detailed review on T-BHP that really inspired me to make this choice. I have been keenly following your thread for months now.
Good luck with the Auto Lock. I do hope they are receptive and make mods retrospectively. If they update the car in future with steering wheel controls like the rumors state I hope they offer it (unlikely) to existing owners as a paid upgrade at least.
I asked the dealer if they could give me the leather wrapped steering from the Vento for whatever it cost and he said not possible. Everything is "not possible" with the "official" VW dealers in India, but "110 % possible" with after market guys. This situation is really sad because the dealer then jumps to void the warranty!
Abroad you can get the car configured online to your satisfaction, take a print out, and just hand it over to the dealer when ordering the car. VW India has a configurator for the Polo which has no options!
Sigh!

[bala80]

Sorry for the OT post - I just took delivery of my vento couple of weeks back and the auto lock feature isn't available. 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.

Originally Posted by sadnabrina

It seems VW has employed people to read through TBhp and take suggestions. We had been ranting about the missing autolock and writing in TBhp for the last 1 year or so and now it seems VW has upgraded the system to take care of this issue. Now we need to figure out if this is just a software patch or needs some additional hardware too. If it is just a software patch (which is more likely) then it should get fixed in the next visit to the workshop. Will check with the workshop when I get some time.

[sadnabrina]

Originally Posted by hossdoc

Do you know how to get the spray adjusted? Is it the same technique as with exposed washers?

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

Originally Posted by hossdoc

No fault of the camera...blame my photography skills! Except for the first two pictures at the dealership which were taken on my cellphone the rest were taken with a DSLR!

You need a "Learn DSLR photography" session then.

Originally Posted by hossdoc

In mine all doors don't unlock! Really weird isn't it, that there is no set pattern.

AFAIK, all door does not unlock in any of the Polos, only the door you opened from inside will unlock.

Originally Posted by hossdoc

I hear a 1.5L 4 Cylinder 94 BHP TDI Polo is coming!

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.

Originally Posted by hossdoc

Special thanks to you. Yours was the original detailed review on T-BHP that really inspired me to make this choice. I have been keenly following your thread for months now.

Thank you sir.

Originally Posted by hossdoc

Good luck with the Auto Lock. I do hope they are receptive and make mods retrospectively.

Usually they apply software patch/upgrades when you visit the workshop for servicing. These are called Campaign Jobs. Mine had around 5 such jobs applied in the last 1 year (1 service visit and 2 running repair visits - to change a faulty fuel filter and stop some door rattle). 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.
If the autolock modification requires only a patch then they should apply the same.

Originally Posted by hossdoc

I asked the dealer if they could give me the leather wrapped steering from the Vento for whatever it cost and he said not possible. Everything is "not possible" with the "official" VW dealers in India, but "110 % possible" with after market guys. This situation is really sad because the dealer then jumps to void the warranty!

The reason for not being able to fit the leather cover from Vento is the way the factory fitting is done. It seems the leather cover is fitted during the manufacturing process at a stage when the wheel is not fully assembled. Once assembled it just cannot be done. VW does not sell the steering cover separately for Vento. Did you notice the way the edges of the cover is tucked into the spokes in a Vento, I don't think it can be done later.

Originally Posted by bala80

Sorry for the OT post - I just took delivery of my vento couple of weeks back and the auto lock feature isn't available. 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 sure will. Shall update the aintenance thread accordingly. Keep an eye on the http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ml#post2368158.

[vb-saan]

Congratulations hossdoc! That was an excellent review. And I loved the black leather job. Awesome indeed!

[Suess]

Originally Posted by hossdoc

-"OE Audio sounds terrible"- At moderate volumes, the OE stereo sounds just fine and as good as the OE system in any car of this class. This is enough for most ears. Upgrades are really only needed if you really crank up the volume.

PICS TO FOLLOW

The very so true and no-nonsense review and right-up. I will keep this to give a reply to anyone who will ask me "why did you buy VW Polo?", when i will buy one. i have driven it for long enough to love it and adore it.

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).