[Pace in Blood]

The Indian Car scenario is really on the downward trend. Sales are going down, Fuel Prices are going up and Taxes and Dollar are keeping the prices going up. I really don't know when this will be ever in the customers benefit!!!!!

I am totally wrong these are the best times to actually buy your car, no really hear me out.

1. Second hand car is at an all time high as there is huge demand to buy cheaper sparingly used cars, thus I could sell my i20 at a good price.

2. Was changing my car only to switch from petrol to diesel, and with the help of the government policy towards diesel the difference is EMI is less than that of the fuel savings I am making

3. Are manufacturers out of their mind offering upto a lac off on a car worth under 9 lacs.

There was a huge choice for me from TATA Indica, Fiat Punto, Renault Pulse, Nissan Micra, Ford Figo, Honda Amaze, Toyota Liva, Mahindra Verito Vibe in the diesel segments but all of the above were discarded at one glance over looks and reliability issues.

I always opt for the fully loaded versions of the car as I feel the safety features of ABS & Airbags are very vital in todays driving conditions. It’s a shame that most of the manufacturers offer them as options rather than standard. Other than that I also love having an Automatic climate control air con in the car as it regulates the temp as per my liking and I do not have to keep fiddling with the controls to set the correct temperature.

The VW Polo Highline Diesel was chosen over 2 main contenders the Maruti Swift Zdi and the Hyundai i20 Diesel Asta
Reasons for rejection (purely my own and personal)

- Maruti Swift was rejected mainly due to poor quality of the plastics and the suspension. The diesel engine in this car is by far the best diesel I have driven but I needed a hassle free car which I was not confident enough of having had I bought this option. Maruti is the only car manufacturer who was not offering any discount on their car and thus the others had an edge over them.

- Hyundai i20 I had already been driving the petrol model and was well aware of the steering rod & front suspension problem. Thus I thought that the diesel with an even heavier engine would only worsen the problem and thus it was off my list (I miss every added comfort features though, specially the Auto Retractable ORVM's)

All these factors drove me to the Volkswagen Dealership in Mumbai to book my Deep Black VW Polo Tdi Highline.

The overall Buying experience was not very satisfactory as I was getting different discounts from 2 people of the same dealerships. In the last it turned out to be a dirty scene with all of us embarrassed. But I ultimately pulled off a great deal with 10k Exchange Bonus, 15K Cash Discount, 3yrs Insurance, 5 yrs AMC (monthly payment included in EMI). Colour choice was very simple as I wanted only Black and they had only Black. The delivery was promised within 10 days and was met with. But one fact that I did not like personally was the dealer driving the car down from his stockyard to the showroom in this monsoon season in Mumbai as when the car arrived it was really very very Dirty. It was cleaned by them thoroughly but still it sought of killed some excitement inside of me.

The Volkswagen Polo Highline Diesel

The Polo has been around for sometime now and all the reviews I had got for the car from known sources was that the car is supremely reliable and comfortable. The main issues were of service costs which the main cost was the parts. After reading my bit on www.team-bhp.com & few reviews online I was convinced that this was the car I wanted to go in for.

The latest update to the car had made it a competent car with added updates of the Automatic Climate control and the deal of 3 years insurance / maintenance / warranty / cash discount / exchange bonus. The world trusted German engineering was there on my mind to try and test and I was actually floored at the word German and did not need any further convincing at all.

The looks of the car are already well written about by many users and the testers and it all is correct. The crisp lines of the car just grow on you and make you want to marry it. The car is pure classic design and does not have the curves and arches that modern design is all about. Each and every bit of the car has been built for a purpose and will last almost as much as the car.
Once you open the door get in and slam close the door, the sound is just enough to make you not notice anything else. You know you are in a safe cocoon and it will protect you in the best possible way it can.

The Build quality is up there with the higher rollers and absolutely top notch. Everything you touch and feel only reminds you of the feeling why was I buying any other than VW till now. The air-conditioning is fabulous and beats the other cars again. Love the heat resistant glass on the car even after parking the car in full sun and having a black colour to top it up the interiors dont get uncomfortably hot. One thing I found amiss on the air condition controls was the absence of an off button I have to roll the knob to shut of the air con!! VW you are giving and auto ac with manual functions please wake up.

The front seats offer supreme driver comfort and position, but the rear is something that is just best termed as not made for India. I agree to the fact that the rear space is at a high premium as compared to that of the i20 or other cars in this range but I was not looking for rear passenger comfort as I mostly drive the alone. The boot space is awesome and I think only the Jazz or the Figo can beat this in terms of the space in the boot, it’s a monster with a huge behind.

The music system has been updated to the RCD320 which has Bluetooth, USB and Aux built-in and has a decent output. The Bluetooth handsfree is also nice but you will sorely miss the names of the incoming calls on the display (VW please try and rectify this). I listen to music via my tab which is connected thru by Bluetooth and is quite a delight. The absence of a remote control is filled in by the App I found on Google Play and Apple Store which turns your phone into a remote control, but is only for the new RCD 320 model.

I don’t know why most of these European car manufacturers don’t change their cars to suit Right Hand Driving conditions. I just hate to unlearn and learn again the operation of the wiper and headlight stalk from right left to left right. It is something the government should look into as it is really a headache. The feature of the rear wiper being on intermittent mode as I often forget shutting it off after turning it on is welcome.

I do miss features like the Auto retractable ORVM’s, Dead Pedal, locking stalk on individual doors, but overall lets face it the car is well built and you will like it.

Once you turn on the key there is a slight noise of the engine into the cabin which fades away once the car has reached optimum driving temperatures. It is very shocking or high over confidence of VW to not include a temperature gauge for the engine in the car.

I have a very hectic drive as the hundreds of thousands of people from the Mumbai suburbs to the business districts downtown. It is absolutely bumper to bumper all the way. As the car is mainly driven in city its first Full tank gave me a measly 8kmpl which really scared me but the 2nd and 3rd the figures improved drastically to 12kmpl now the 4th tank the Electronic Average Calculator is showing 15kmpl (it has been quite accurate till now) and I am satisfied. Mumbai traffic is notorious and I dont need to write about that I feel.

The car is fun to drive and all who drive the CRDI engines may by now have gotten used to the initial lag before the engine wakes up and launches itself. But with the weight of the Polo the term Launches is very mute but I don't mind as this is my city drive car. One thing that’s needs to be mentioned again here is that the engine tough noisy on the outside is very silent inside the cabin.

The Gear lever is a charm to use in traffic and also the clutch is fabulous. I just hope that the reverse which is again different for me was the normal one right and south instead of left and north.

The suspension is a mixed bag I am really taking time to understand, usually it eats bumps with élan but sometimes it just behaves like the competition. I guess I have to learn the sweet spots and speeds the car is comfortable with.

I have not yet driven the car at very high speeds nor have I pushed the envelope during corners as I am waiting for the initial run in period (still finished only 2000 kms) thus I am unable to comment on the Handling and Grip levels as of now but I will do so in future

The car overall is very nice and I feel my decision has been correct till now. Fingers crossed as all my friends say VW maintenance is the real game spoiler. Summing up my likes and dislikes they would be :

Likes
1. Build Quality
2. Looks of the car
3. Refinement
4. Air-con
5. Intermittent Rear Wiper

Dislikes
1. No Retractable ORVM’s
2. Engine Power
3. Wiper & Headlight Stalk levers
4. Service Centres ( Very Few)
5. Engine Temperature Gauge


I shall keep updates coming on the ownership review.

Thanks for the time to read this and hope it helps you in some way
Cheers happy driving and yes drive on low beams please.

[saket77]

Congrats PIB for the German 'mouse' (Hope Apple is forgiving enough to let go the Mighty mouse from US to Germany!).

There is no doubt about the capability, build and handling characteristics of the Polo and I hope you have a good experience with VW in all respects. The FE should increase once you log a few hundred kilometers on the odo.

Personally, I like cars with free revving engines and good handling characteristics. I am sure the Polo has the second, report us about others on a detailed report which we expect from you later.

And do put up the pictures of the car...an ownership report is incomplete without it!

[Pace in Blood]

Originally Posted by saket77

Congrats PIB for the German 'mouse' (Hope Apple is forgiving enough to let go the Mighty mouse from US to Germany!).

There is no doubt about the capability, build and handling characteristics of the Polo and I hope you have a good experience with VW in all respects. The FE should increase once you log a few hundred kilometers on the odo.

Personally, I like cars with free revving engines and good handling characteristics. I am sure the Polo has the second, report us about others on a detailed report which we expect from you later.

And do put up the pictures of the car...an ownership report is incomplete without it!

I will definitely post pics but only after I get all the mods I propose done
And yes the detailed report will also be due after I do my initial run in

[saket77]

Originally Posted by Pace in Blood

I will definitely post pics but only after I get all the mods I propose done
And yes the detailed report will also be due after I do my initial run in

What are you planning to get done as mods? External or internal?

[Pace in Blood]

Originally Posted by saket77

What are you planning to get done as mods? External or internal?

Initially (read Sunday) I am planning to get Ghost stripes and seat covers done
I shall post pics after that
I have ordered custom made leatherette seat covers with my Logo in Black and orange
Stripes I am getting done in Black Carbon Fibre Vinyl

Next Stage would be Skrit's and spoiler
And final Stage would be the engine performance chip from Pete's

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Initial Ownership Section. Thanks for sharing!

[Pace in Blood]

Disaster has struck or not???

I am totally confused at the situation I have just faced. The car has done 2k kms only and some steering noise had developed, everytime I would turn the steering a metal being under torque type of noise came out.

I promptly took the car to the service station and to my horror they had to remove both the front shockups and service them and refit them. according to them some debris had entered the bushing and bearing area.

I was stunned as the car being new was not at all abused or driven in any sort of muck prone area. If the car can catch debris in such driving conditions what is in store for me in the coming future??

I wanted to ask you guys if I should report this directly to VW and get things on paper? or am I overreacting to a small issue?

I am a bit confused and would love to have your helpful feedback

Also there was about half to one litre of engine oil less in the car as to the requirement. I was told that diesel cars consume oil in the initial days. I did not have this problem with my Dzire or the Quanto (or I may have overlooked the issue)

keeping fingers crossed

With Best Regards,

[surgvij]

Hi, how's the car doing now. Being a polo owner myself I sincerely wish all is well with ur car

[Pace in Blood]

Originally Posted by surgvij

Hi, how's the car doing now. Being a polo owner myself I sincerely wish all is well with ur car

Hi surgvij,

I am happy with the car it has not given me further trouble now, it has been driven for around 6400kms. But I must say that the fuel average of 15-16 promised in city if tough as I am only getting 12-13 regularly.

With Best Regards,
Tanay

[achopraa]

Originally Posted by Pace in Blood

Hi surgvij,

I am happy with the car it has not given me further trouble now, it has been driven for around 6400kms. But I must say that the fuel average of 15-16 promised in city if tough as I am only getting 12-13 regularly.

With Best Regards,
Tanay

It is tough if -
a) You drive in Bumper to Bumper Conditions
b) You have to stop at a lot of Traffic Intersections and keep the Engine On
c) You have a Heavy Right Foot

Try taking the car on to a Highway and cruise at speeds around 80Kmph by gradually reaching up to that speed level. I can vouch for the fact that you will get figures you thought were not possible.

[Pace in Blood]

Originally Posted by achopraa

It is tough if -
a) You drive in Bumper to Bumper Conditions
b) You have to stop at a lot of Traffic Intersections and keep the Engine On
c) You have a Heavy Right Foot

Try taking the car on to a Highway and cruise at speeds around 80Kmph by gradually reaching up to that speed level. I can vouch for the fact that you will get figures you thought were not possible.

Hi achopraa,

I thought that mentioning city conditions meant all the points that you have mentioned. I understand optimal driving conditions and also adhere to these. Anyways I have also done highway stints in the car which got me 15-16kmpl with the driving conditions as prerequisites mentioned.

What I was trying to say is that I was told 15-16kmpl in city and 18-19kmpl on highways. Thus I find it less than claimed. But since the first service has not been done yet I think this should improve.

With Best Regards,
Tanay

[achopraa]

Originally Posted by Pace in Blood

Hi achopraa,

I thought that mentioning city conditions meant all the points that you have mentioned.
What I was trying to say is that I was told 15-16kmpl in city and 18-19kmpl on highways. Thus I find it less than claimed. But since the first service has not been done yet I think this should improve.

With Best Regards,
Tanay

Well, again City Conditions are subjective.
On my way from Home to Office in morning, I get around 15-17kmpl.
On way back, on same route I get 13-14kmpl.

Similarly, if I start an hour late, then for the same route the average drops to ~12kmpl.

So, how do we define the average in City conditions. All I wanted to say was that it depends on the Operating conditions, ours and our surroundings.