[basilmabraham]

Sorry about the BMW, Congrats on the Polo.

Very detailed report, loved resding through it. Hoping to spot your car some time in Cochin. Do you have any team-bhp stickers on it yet.

[deardaljit]

Oooops.
This is terrible ! Just when I made up my mind for the new swift I came across this review of Polo 1.6
I am reconsidering again. Thanks

[anandpadhye]

Nice review.

Loved the seat covers.

BTW, surprizing that you like the low end torque! I thought the 1.6 has a good high end but not the low end.

Regarding the visibility offered by the OE headlights - just curious - you find them inadiquate but still went for the front windshield film!

No offense intended, but I am sad that many people in India do this - and then they upgrade to the illegal 90/100 W bulbs because they can not see, in turn blinding the oncoming traffic. Not sure what's the psychology behind this, but I hope better civic sense will prevail in India one day. Is poor air conditioning a reason behind this? A thought always passes my mind that if the manufacturers (especially, the VW/Skoda gang) start equipping the cars with powerfull AC compressors, this vicious circle can be broken? Even my Skoda Laura Tsi comes with relatively weak AC. The one in my Tucson is just awsome - chilling in seconds even on a very hot summer afternoon.

I know you have mentioned the AC to be good - but should that wait until real summer?

Congrats on a very good looking car.

[hossdoc]

The Witson (W2-D723V) HU just arrived today! I must say I was quite impressed by their service. Contacted them by email, paid by paypal and the item arrived in 3 days flat all the way from China. Door to door delivery by DHL and the convenience of paying the customs duty on delivery at home. Along with the HU I had ordered the reverse camera for Volkswagen W2-C320V which is a simple retrofit into one of the license plate lights of the Polo. The head unit was very well packaged and came with all the cables and accessories. The finish of the HU itself is excellent. The manual is very barebones and sketchy, as is with all these Chinese things.
The lot cost me ~ 22000 (HU+camera+DHL door to door+customs duty+6% extra for paypal payment).
The car has gone to Zuheimi at Emperor for install. Will update with images and how it actually functions. Long term reliability i guess only time will tell. But at this price i am happy to take the risk rather than shell out double and then some for caska/motevo which are essentially the same thing.

Originally Posted by basilmabraham

Do you have any team-bhp stickers on it yet.

Not yet!

Originally Posted by deardaljit

Oooops.
This is terrible ! Just when I made up my mind for the new swift I came across this review of Polo 1.6 I am reconsidering again.

My advice is to test drive both extensively and go with your gut. I think (from the pictures though haven't seen it in the flesh) the new swift has cool all black interiors with a nicely integrated center console. There is also the diesel option! If I were to buy a petrol I would go with the Polo though!
I personally never liked the shape of the Swift, but the old one was fun to drive and the new one can only be better (i hope!)
Maruti after sales is not great. My personal experiences have been horrible and my friends/relatives with Marutis go to "authorized workshops" rather than the dealers. VW service is still an unknown entity for most. My first brush with them was not positive! In the end it is the feel of the car for you personally that counts, don't listen to or be swayed by anyone.

Originally Posted by cogweelz

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.

After reading the reviews and drooling over the pictures I was sure the ANHV was the car for me. I test drove the SX (O) manual and AT thrice, hoping to love the car after the initial disappointment, but I liked the car less and less each time.
Some bits are carried over from the I20, but the fake wood looks terrible. The interiors have a very confused "multi-tone" look to them IMO.
The lettering on the indicator and headlight stalks look hand painted.
The fake perforated "leather" looks cheap and smells ghastly. You have to ask the sales rep 10 times before he will sheepishly admit that it is art leather and not the real thing.
The blue tooth takes forever to pair (with a blackberry!) and the software on the HU is buggy.
The keyless access on the test car was broken at just 3000 km. So what if it is a test car! The door open "sensor" is a cheap button like thing, not a touch panel.
The auto box is TERRIBLE, and i dont mean that it is just a 4 speed. Shifts take forever and it is a real yawn inducing experience to drive.
While the suspension handles bad roads superbly at low speeds, the car is terrible at 80+. Wallows like a boat and even with a smooth driving style it is hard to feel confident at high speeds. Even with 16 inch alloys et al.
The rear view camera is another cheap item.
At no point do you feel the car has so many horses under the hood.
IMO the best value option is to the SX, not the SX(o) variant.
Positives are it is a very good looking car, well finished on the outside, has a lot of features and gizmos (whether they work well or not), and has very good ride quality. Also, and this is very dealer specific, A.S.S is mostly good, except strangely in Chennai, the home of Hyundai! I would say it is a good comfortable city car. If you do a lot of spirited long distance driving buy at your own risk.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

No offense intended, but I am sad that many people in India do this - and then they upgrade to the illegal 90/100 W bulbs because they can not see, in turn blinding the oncoming traffic. Not sure what's the psychology behind this, but I hope better civic sense will prevail in India one day. Is poor air conditioning a reason behind this? A thought always passes my mind that if the manufacturers (especially, the VW/Skoda gang) start equipping the cars with powerfull AC compressors, this vicious circle can be broken? Even my Skoda Laura Tsi comes with relatively weak AC. The one in my Tucson is just awsome - chilling in seconds even on a very hot summer afternoon.

Absolutely agree with you there. The bright headlights have the potential to cause some serious accidents.

If the need for putting sun films on the windshield arises, there is a good solution offered by 3M where you don't have to sacrifice visibility. They have a transparent film from the CR series, which is completely transparent (you would not know that there is a sun film installed by just looking at the glass). But they are amazing in IR and UV rejection. The films also help in glare reduction to an extent. I have them on my Laura (and slightly darker ones on the other windows). The sun films work brilliantly and the Laura's AC has become a real chiller even on clear days when the sun is at its brightest. The cooling now is as good as on my Corolla. On the downside they are quite pricey.

[KkVaidya]

Originally Posted by hossdoc

CHEAP THRILLS! Just arrived by post today...



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!

Do you have JK Vectras on your car? I think VW supplies Goodyear on the Highline versions!
I suggest you also look at Michelin.

[Frontosa]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

Nice review.

Loved the seat covers.

Regarding the visibility offered by the OE headlights - just curious - you find them inadiquate but still went for the front windshield film!

No offense intended, but I am sad that many people in India do this - and then they upgrade to the illegal 90/100 W bulbs because they can not see, in turn blinding the oncoming traffic. Not sure what's the psychology behind this, but I hope better civic sense will prevail in India one day. Is poor air conditioning a reason behind this? A thought always passes my mind that if the manufacturers (especially, the VW/Skoda gang) start equipping the cars with powerfull AC compressors, this vicious circle can be broken? Even my Skoda Laura Tsi comes with relatively weak AC. The one in my Tucson is just awsome - chilling in seconds even on a very hot summer afternoon.

I know you have mentioned the AC to be good - but should that wait until real summer?

Congrats on a very good looking car.

I guess the reason for having front windshield is more day (sun) oriented. Irrespective of how good or bad the Car AC is, I find it impossible to live without sunfilms. Ofcourse I dont like the very dark films, but like 3M CR70 or I have the Filmpro's Nanoshield. The visibility is not affected even by a single %. BTW, I'm not sure of Laura's AC, I have heard its moderate and not really effective. But for Polo, its a super chiller. I got my car in May, and till end of May i drove purposefully without sunfilm to test the AC myself, I never felt hot, nor was my back wet ever. It literally chills. I have checked i20 after this and that was very very poor (which had 3m sunfilms on btw). BTW no need to go with 90/100 lights just because we added sunfilms, I know thats not a good way.. One who puts really dark sunfilms like 20% visibility etc, may need 90/100, not others. Just my opinion. Some people put 90/100 just for the heck of it though.

[layndrivr]

[quote=hossdoc;2477297]The Witson (W2-D723V) Along with the HU I had ordered the reverse camera for Volkswagen W2-C320V which is a simple retrofit into one of the license plate lights of the Polo.

Hey Hossdoc,
Be care full to install the W2-C320V in place of the license plate lights, even though that's where it is designed to fit, it eventually sticks out a lot. I had the same setup and unfortunately had it ripped out of my car one day in Delhi. Seemed like someone had jimmy'ed a screw driver as well to make sure.

I eventually replaced it with the original license plate light and the only other damage was a fuse had blown for that part of the electric system.

So, yeah its a fair warning, that camera, is begging to be stolen. Although i hope it doesn't happen.

All the best.
ld

[hossdoc]

Update with Witson W2-D723V HU and Witson camera for VW W2-C320V installed! Since I saved so much on the HU i replaced the OE speakers with JBL components in the front, JBL coaxials in the rear and a Sony 4 channel amp under the left front seat. Zuheimi at Emperor has done a fabulous job with the install as usual and music sounds fantastic, even with the entry level components and no sub. This is due to the excellent install. Zuheimi is one guy you can just leave the car with and walk away knowing the best will be done!
Now, this HU is a (literally) cheap Chinese unit but everything is working well as of now.
-The HU has a high quality finish and integrates beautifully with the dash, with red lighting which is a perfect match to the VW red scheme.
-Button quality and feel is same as OE unit, which is great.
-Beautiful VW Logo splash screen on boot up. Boot up is almost instantaneous.
-The interface is typical Chinese style with poor language in places but its not bad.
-Screen is good quality, 800 x 600 resolution and touch is responsive.
-Set up is simple and audio quality is good. I have left the EQ on flat, with loud on and bass and treble at 0. The sound is tuned more through the amp which is how i like it. Dont have to keep fiddling with settings.
- CD takes a while to load and the initial "seek" is audible.
-Plays MP3s off USB flawlessly and reads USB drive at blazing speeds. Remembers last played point.
-Bluetooth paired in 15 seconds and automatically connects now each time I am near the car and the unit is on. Call quality is good at the receivers end. In the car there is a slight hiss when in call mode but audio is clear and one can talk normally without having to shout thanks to the mic installed in front of the steering. HU switches automatically to call while playing music and then back to music when call ends, with appropriate volume leveling. HU able to read and display contacts from my Blackberry!
-Reverse camera has great picture quality. Audio cuts out and image switches to camera display automatically when reverse is engaged. Works really well, even in low light. The camera itself is a lovely little unit specifically for VW models and directly replaces one of the license plate lights. The camera unit has a light on one side to compensate for this!
-Has a built in TV tuner!!
- There are two SD card slots, one for navigation software and one for files.

I have not tried the Navigation, IPOD interface or SD card yet. Need to get the MMI maps first.




Well Integrated HU with Right Shade of Red Lighting



Boot Screen with VW Logo



Main Menu (Homescreen)



Screen Off Option for Safety



USB



Bluetooth



This Comes up When Reverse Gear is Engaged



Neat Little Reverse Cam for VW



Note the Little Light on Side of Cam



GPS Antenna on Left Corner of Dash



Bluetooth Mic



Tweeter from the JBL Component Set



Sony 4 Channel Amp Under Left Front Seat

[Frontosa]

Wow just excellent buddy!!! Many many congratulations. Now you have the most complete hatch ! One day even I will get the witson unit, maybe next year on the black stallions first anniversary

could you elaborate a bit more on the bluetooth MIC? is it not wired to the HU? IF not does it need battery?

[speed kills]

Lovely install mate. The reverse cam looks really elegant as opposed to a lot of flimsy one's I've seen in the past.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by hossdoc

Update with Witson W2-D723V HU and Witson camera for VW W2-C320V installed! Since I saved so much on the HU i replaced the OE speakers with JBL components in the front, JBL coaxials in the rear and a Sony 4 channel amp under the left front seat.

Looks great hossdoc. Does these updates void warranty?

[himanshu_j]

Brilliant audio setup there, hossdoc!
Looking at the homescreen, it seems like your unit has an updated UI as opposed to other members. Is it so?
Also, were any wires cut while installing the reverse view camera? Was it easy to setup for it to activate on selecting reverse?
And the most important of them all, will it be voiding the warranty?

[suhaas307]

Excellent install!

Love the new HU. It's so well integrated, it doesn't look even a little aftermarket. The speakers, amp, the reversing camera, everything together is a great install! Kudos to you mate!

Couple of questions:

- How different is this from the original VW touchscreen-HU?

- Does it void warranty?

- Is it safe for the camera to be positioned like that? It seems like it can be removed easily. Vandalism is rampant, I'm sure you know. I'm sorry, I don't want to get you paranoid about it, it's just an observation.

- How much was the entire kit, including the speakers and the amp?

[hossdoc]

Originally Posted by anandpadhye

BTW, surprizing that you like the low end torque! I thought the 1.6 has a good high end but not the low end.
Regarding the visibility offered by the OE headlights - just curious - you find them inadiquate but still went for the front windshield film!
Even my Skoda Laura Tsi comes with relatively weak AC. The one in my Tucson is just awsome.
I know you have mentioned the AC to be good - but should that wait until real summer?

The low end torque is excellent. The car pulls with 4 aboard effortlessly in 4th gear at 35 kmph. Driving with a light foot in the city is a breeze. I am yet to really let him rip. Keeping revs to under 4000 rpm for now.
I HAVE NOT INSTALLED A FRONT WINDSHIELD FILM! WILL NEVER EVER DO THAT! VKool T-35 on the sides and back and only because I had to adjust about 9K in dealer accessories. None of the cars I have self driven in the past had ANY sort of sunfilm except my Maruti 1000 which had a relatively weak AC.
European cars are usually tuned more for the red side of the knob. They have better heating than cooling. This is a huge issue in Skodas which take forever to cool in summer. The Japanese and Koreans are masters of tropical air conditioning! The aircon on my Accent is unbeatable even after 8 years of constant running. Has needed only a vent service so far. (The insulation around the ducts and vents started coming off!!)
The AC on the Polo is very very good. Really cools fast. I also love the way the thermostat knob really works in steps. In many cars you can practically feel only COLD, warm and HOT. Here you can actually feel all the in betweens.
In Cochin there is no summer or winter. Either it is raining or it is really HOT and humid.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Absolutely agree with you there. The bright headlights have the potential to cause some serious accidents.

It is not so much the bright lights as the AWFUL DRIVING ETIQUETTE and badly adjusted headlamps. This is no excuse for manufacturers to give us low quality bulbs. What about a scenario on a deserted road with no street lighting? Isnt there more potential for an accident to be caused due to poor lights? There is no question of blinding oncoming traffic with any sort of bulbs if you dip your lights, and have the beams adjusted from time to time. There are also levelers in all cars now.

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

Do you have JK Vectras on your car? I think VW supplies Goodyear on the Highline versions!
I suggest you also look at Michelin.

Yes JK Vectras unfortunately. Highlines are coming again with Apollo Acceleres. OE Goodyears have a problem with grip in the wet. There are no 205/55/15s in the market except old stock of Continental CPC 2.

Originally Posted by Frontosa

Irrespective of how good or bad the Car AC is, I find it impossible to live without sunfilms. BTW, I'm not sure of Laura's AC, I have heard its moderate and not really effective. But for Polo, its a super chiller. BTW no need to go with 90/100 lights just because we added sunfilms, I know thats not a good way.. One who puts really dark sunfilms like 20% visibility etc, may need 90/100, not others.

I think a lot of the heating up has to do with the quality of the OE tinted glass as well. Dont think the Skodas tints are great. The VWs look like they have film even when they dont so im guessing they have different quality tinted glass?
No need for 100/90s..just good quality 60/55s!!

Originally Posted by layndrivr

So, yeah its a fair warning, that camera, is begging to be stolen.

Oops! Thanks for the heads up. Hope it doesn't happen too!

Originally Posted by Frontosa

could you elaborate a bit more on the bluetooth MIC? is it not wired to the HU? IF not does it need battery?

It is wired to the HU. Just cleverly routed so it does not like it is wired.

Originally Posted by speed kills

The reverse cam looks really elegant as opposed to a lot of flimsy one's I've seen in the past.

It is a nicely built unit.

Originally Posted by vb-san

Looks great hossdoc. Does these updates void warranty?

I am sure they do. Going by what the company reps say just driving a VW will void warranty!

Originally Posted by himanshu_j

Looking at the homescreen, it seems like your unit has an updated UI as opposed to other members. Is it so?
Also, were any wires cut while installing the reverse view camera? Was it easy to setup for it to activate on selecting reverse?
And the most important of them all, will it be voiding the warranty?

I think they keep updating the software. No wires were cut to my knowledge.
One thing I noted was that the wiring harness that came with the HU did not match the car! This is because the INDIAN POLO AND VENTO use the OLD connectors from the international MARK IV POLO! Zuheimi used the proper connectors and that is all was needed I think for the reverse cam to function properly. Will call him and confirm as many people have asked me this question.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

It's so well integrated, it doesn't look even a little aftermarket.
- How different is this from the original VW touchscreen-HU?
- Does it void warranty?
- Is it safe for the camera to be positioned like that? It seems like it can be removed easily.
- How much was the entire kit, including the speakers and the amp?

-Well apart from looking the part the innards, software and interface are totally different from the VW unit i would imagine. There are a few touchscreen models VW offers with/without BT and NAV. Just look at the "high end" touchscreen on the new Jetta highline..NO BLUETOOTH! It is pathetic for a car costing 20L OTR! VW has some beautiful HUs on the international Polo but dont offer them here.
-Some say it doesnt because no wires are cut but i am sure they will find some way of voiding warranty!
-It is as safe as any camera that is mounted over the license plate i guess. The only other option is bumper mounted?
-HU + Camera + DHL Shipping + Duty + 6% for Paypal ~ 22000
JBL front components ~4500
JBL rear coaxials ~3000
Sony 4 channel amp ~5400
Installation Charge ~ 7000
total - ~41900