[adi_petrolhead]

Just TD'ed the 1.5 TDI Polo today. It was really refreshing to look at it at first. But as soon as I cranked the engine, Still the same old diesel clatter. I just can't make peace with Noisy Diesels. Only reason why I don't use my Vento TDI a lot. Its done only 22000 kms in two and a half years, where as in 6 months, my Octy TSI has clocked 17000 kms already!

First impressions on the engine after start up:
1) Smooth
2) Clutch is much much better than the old model
3) Refined and linear power
4) Superb pick up

And this is only the 90 ps version, will wait for the GT TDI then.

First impressions on the interior:

1) New Steering is the single most attractive change there is. The control buttons on the RHS though are for a higher version of the MFD, which is sadly not available. The Steering should actually be fitted in a Jetta, not a Polo or Vento unless you give a Maxidot cluster with customisable settings.

2) The silver dash is better than the older dull plastic one.

3) The footwell lighting is a nice touch.

4) Music system is as it is on the older variant. Can play cd-mp3-sd-bluetooth-aux(3.5mm)

5) Seats were comfy, and the texture in the seat covers is also new.

6) The arm resting door pad area is now covered in fabric, earlier hard plastic.

I like the car over all. I don't know if I am right, but the leg room felt a bit more at the front. Earlier Polo used to squeeze my knees and I used to feel trapped in my friend's Polo. Today I was quite comfortable.

GT TSI and GT TDI will be available as soon as second week of September, and is priced at Rs. 817,000 ex showroom Ahmedabad for the TSI. Not sure about the TDI as I was in a hurry, I didn't ask.

GT models will not come in Black any more, however White and Red as before are available, with the addition of Shadow Grey. Wish the new Orange was available instead of the Red.

[Gannu_1]

Alright guys, so we went to the showroom in the evening and it was completely packed! Disco lights, orchestra setup at a corner, snacks (hot pakoras, samosas, dhokla, sandwiches, tea, coffee) served at another corner, the new cars lined up at one side of the showroom, curious onlookers and probable customers were checking out the cars.

Checked out the Polo briefly and here're some findings:

• The Trendline variant lacks the chrome strip on the front bumper:
  
  
  
• The Trendline variant does not feature the dual barrel headlamps. The headlamps with the black inserts from the current model is carried over:
  
  
  
• Rear tail lamps with the newer design and reflectors:
  
  
  
  
  
• Dead pedal arrangement:
  
  During the brief test drive, I found the dead pedal to be counterintuitive! The dead pedal is not on the same plane as that of the clutch pedal and goes further deep so while lifting the foot it was brushing/hitting the clutch. On the automatic TSI however, the dead pedal would be productive due to the large gap since the clutch is absent.
  
  
• The coolant expansion tank with the coolant sensor and the wiring loom:
  
  
  
• The engine bay:
  
  
  
• Spare wheel is a steel rim (on the Highline variant as well):
  
  
  
• Rear logo has glossy black inserts:
  
  
  
• The Trendline and Comfortline variants have an all-black theme which looks better than the dual-tone (black-beige) theme on the Highline variant:
  
  
  
• Undoubtedly, the best enhancement for the facelift - the new steering wheel. Feels good to hold, helps in ingress/egress, thumb contours on either side, the buttons for controlling the MFD on the right side of the steering (relocated from the right stalk) helps, voice command button works (if the phone supports it via Bluetooth i.e.):
  
  If only the red stitching made it!
  
  
• The new white backlit MFD in the instrument console:
  
  Other than the larger numerals, it offers only one new feature - display of coolant temperature. The remaining functions are carried over from the previous MFD. The white backlighting would be soothing during night drives compared to the glaring red backlight on the MFDs in the current models.
  
  Here is a short video indicating all the available functions:
  

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4o2_0z4DS0

  
  
• And here is the most talked about cornering lamp function which is a dud IMO! Sorry to say this but instead of a separate bulb, the fog lamp doubles up as the cornering lamp:
  
  Which means, when you have the fog lamp turned ON, this feature is pointless.
  
  Now here is the best part. On the international facelift, the cornering lamp gets a separate bulb:
  
  
  
  And we get a reflector inside the partition with a blank slot! That description posted by newtonMeter does not hold valid here.
  
  
• Test drive impressions:
  We went for a short 10 minute test drive. The NVH levels have improved over the previous 1.2L diesel and the GT. Surprisingly, we couldn't feel any turbo lag and the engine felt very refined. The steering is the same electric power steering which felt very light. I really wish they had improved this aspect - at high speeds, this light steering with zero feedback does not help one bit. But the steering wheel was a joy to hold and operate. The dual barrel headlamps performed effectively and the improvement is noticeable.

[a4anurag]

On a boring afternoon I get a call from BHPian Amarendranath to accompany him for having a look at the New Polo (2014). Since was jobless, went to check the Polo out. Boy-o-boy, this version is a silent advancement to the Polo. Today being a holiday the Sales Executive sent the car to us with a driver. Nice gesture from VW and the dealer, does seem enthusiastic in selling the car, happy to see VW improving.

VW definitely has moved the pole a bit further in styling and feel of the car. Though the TD we had was short one (3-4 kms) but was a enjoyable one that gets one craving for owning it. The one we drove was TDi (90PS & 230Nm) with 326 kms on odometer and a low fuel warning lamp lit.

Went to nearest bunk, filled in diesel and set off to see how the Polo performs on the winding slightly hilly roads of the KBR Park.

Exteriors:

The car has the same silhouette as the earlier one but a few changes has increased the looks quotient. Main changes are on the front end and rear whereas the sides remain same.

Coming to the front end, a chrome strip runs across the front grille and across the width of the car (fog lamp to fog lamp) gives it a distinctive upmarket feel which is more evident on a darker colour (like the blue). The HL variant gets a double barrel lamp (smoked) whereas the the CL & TL get the older looking headlamps (smoked again).

The rear features the new tail lamps and a redesigned bumper which will not attract the looks of a regular observer. Alloys on this car names 'TOSA' looks beautiful suiting the car well.

Interiors:

Steering wheel is what garners attention here along with the silver accents on the central console. Looking at pictures shared, I was not liking the silver accents but in personal it has a nice feel to the interiors. Seats (Fabric) offer nice support and keeps you in the seat even when driving like a maniac. The beige seats would need frequent attention but gives the cabin an airy feel. The simple instrumentation console has a larger MID displaying the regular information. I could notice lighting in the foot well once the key was removed from the keyhole (nice addition).

Read a few posts above discussing about the dead pedal vis-a-vis foot well space. I am pleased to say that there is no intrusion while pressing the clutch. The foot well is decent and pedals spaced out well.

The steering wheel takes the crown this time. A leather wrapped flat bottom wheel with contours for your thumbs, piano black and controls for audio and phone. The VW logo in centre is drool worthy.

Engine and Gearbox:

Engine was very responsive with minimal lag from the time the pedal is depressed and the power is delivered. Been driving the 1.3 DDiS for long, this engine feels good for a hatch, no doubt. The push-back effect is visible once the engine crosses 2500 RPM and the surge in power is felt almost till 4000 RPM. IMO, this engine could relate to the one doing duty on the SX4, Ertiga Punto 90HP and Manza. Waiting to drive the GT TDI to see it leaps forward.

Ride and Handling:

Neat and plush. No oddities here with a mild body roll felt when on the pedal. The car does struggle a bit to hold its line but doesn't feel like a driving an RTC bus. No complaints at all.

Wheels, Tyres and Brakes:

'TOSA' alloys as told by VW are a clean addition to this update. Tyres were Apollo Alnac (185/65 R15) but the spare was a steel one with 175/70 R14. Did try a a few emergency braking manoeuvres but never felt any fish tailing and nervousness. Clean sharp action to the stop.

Here are a few pictures that we shot on the drive:

Carbon Steel Colour:






Orange Colour:




Night Blue Colour:


The Colours for the 2014 Polo:


Headlamp Cluster:


Fog Lamp cluster:


TOSA Alloy:


Stubby Antenna:


New Steering Wheel:


Glove Box:


Driver's View:


Instrumentation Console:





Headlamp switch:


Driver's control (How to activate the auto-folding mirror?):


Rear Bench:


Boot:


Passenger's view and Dashboard area :


Amar finding a comfortable position:


Handbrake Area;


Gear Lever:


Foot well with lighting:


Engine Bay:


Spare Wheel:




Safest Hatch stickering on the Hatchback:

PS: Thanks to BHPian Amarendranath for asking me to accompany him and the dealer to provide us the vehicle.

PPS: Pictures shot from my humble Samsung SIII and Amar's iPhone. So please excuse me on the quality.

Anurag.

[linuxmanju]

Took a TD of new Polo TDI last weekend. Without going into the details of what has already been discussed here, below are my findings.

1) Dead Pedal:- I found the dead pedal to be sufficient, with my 9 sized flipflops I found it hard to brush the clutch. However I drive a Fiat Punto which has a very closely placed dead pedal and I would pick this over Punto's dead pedal any day.

2) Engine:- Engine seems quite refined in idle and behavior does not change much when revving high ( around 4K/4.2K RPMs). In my opinion the engine is pretty well refined and silent by diesel standards. Do note that, I drive all windows rolled up and with AC on most of the time and TD was done exactly like that.

3) Performance:- This engine is a hoot to drive, my brother in law's i20 CRDI was the bench mark and this engine takes it to the next level with a very minimal turbo lag. Torque is spread well across the rev range and it pulls nicely from 2Ks all the way up to 4.2K. It still pulls beyond that but the progress won't be much. Given a choice today, this is the diesel engine I would opt for every time in a hatchback ( Barring 1.6 TDI, which I have not driven enough yet, to form an opinion).

Goes over XL sized speed breakers in second gear without any issues. I could push it till 120Kmph max in the ORR for a short stretch and at any point of time the engine did not feel strained. Would have loved to push it more but the traffic did not permit. Speculatively, I have a feeling that this engine can do well all the way till 150/160 or beyond and has a strong top end.

4) Ride and Handling:- Ride quality was plush and typical of any earlier Polo. Eats away any road undulations and dismisses bad roads with sheer arrogance. Could not test the handling to the full extent as I did not get any curves and the TD was too short to form a perfect opinion, but did a few quick lane changes at and around 80/100 kmph and the car held its composure. Body roll could be felt if you do a sudden direction change but not to the level of losing sleep over it.

One other thing to note here is that, slight pitching which I felt in earlier Polo was absent here. Could be because of 3mm lower ground clearance or the earlier Polo which I drove had 20K Kms on odo where as this one had only 300+ Kms. Till some owner confirms, I will put this as inconclusive. Overall very happy with the way it rode and handled except for the steering which again is not bad but not amongst the best ( I have every reasons to complain coming from a HPS unit ).

5) Gear Shifts:- I found Gear shifts to be positive ( Again could be Fiat effect ), they slot in nicely. However found them to be slightly rubbery in comparison to say Hyundai, but still a good gearbox to have, no complaints there.

While shifting down from 4th to 3rd gear, I could feel a knock and a slight hesitation. This was an issue only in the 3rd gear. Others please confirm if that was the case. I am assuming this could be an issue pertaining to that particular TD vehicle.

6) Other points:- HU/ICE is amongst the best, one would get in the segment, sounds warm and nice with good level of midbass. I do not see many owners running for an ICE upgrade directly off the showroom.

Braking, was good and with a good bite ( Earlier Polo's initial lifelessness is completely gone IMHO), found them to be sufficient ( Again initial impression when I braked hard from 80 to 0 in an empty stretch).

High floor humps again was carried forward from the earlier version and no changes, 3rd person sitting in the rear middle seat will curse you forever.

Overall, If I had 8.4 Lakh of surplus cash and a parking to park two cars ( As I do not want to sell my current car which is only 2 years old at a loss), I would look for no further than Polo TDI in today's market.

[carmayogi]

Guys,

Yesterday I went on an extended test-drive of the new Polo 1.5 TDI. Unfortunately, I was unable to photograph the car, but our forum has plenty of information anyway. I am an owner of a Swift Zdi, perhaps the most relevant competitor to the Polo TDI, so my opinion is based on the Polo itself and on the comparison of the two as well.

Much has been said about the Polo build and interior quality and, I have to say, justifiably so. Stepping into the cabin was a definite step up from my Swift. Apart from the design not being as nice as the Swift (personal opinion), everything else was better from the touch and feel of buttons, door handle, window switches, the works. The shut lines of the car and the solid feel of the doors shutting is also superb and better than anything in this class. The steering wheel is the best steering wheel this side of 10 Lakh, maybe even 15 Lakh. It is leather wrapped, flat bottomed and finished in dull aluminium and piano black. Top class. All the other Polo attributes and/or failings are detailed on the T-BHP review, so I will not bother. The sound system is good and is very quick to read USB. Also added is a mute button on the steering which is nice. MID controls have moved from the wiper stalk to the right part of the steering wheel controls.

On start-up, the instant difference between this 1.5 TDI and the old 1.2 TDI 3-cylinder is the noise. The new engine is very silent on idle and is vibration free. I also tried out this from the passenger seat and was suitably impressed. From one of the most unrefined motors, the Polo now has perhaps one of the most refined options on the market.

Initial drive-off is a bit jerky. VW have not managed to tune the throttle response and clutch pedal perfectly. The pedal travel is too long and nowhere near as smooth as that on the Swift. Several friends have tried my Swift over the two years that I've had it and they all comment on the superb clutch setting and easy modulation. On the Polo, both myself and my friend made jerky starts and gear shifts. The gearbox itself is fairly smooth with a bit of a hefty feel. Note that this heftiness feels like a nice mechanical action rather than notchy or unrefined. I would rate the action as 4 out of 5.

On the VW, turbo lag is negligible. The engine pulls smoothly from virtually any RPM in any gear. The 2nd gear test out of a speedbreaker or U-turn was passed without any hint of trouble. The engine is less audible than in the Vento 1.6 TDI. In most cases the engine noise isn't audible beyond a hint of background noise. Under acceleration, there is some noise but it's not more than from the MJD-Swift.

While turbo-lag has been dealt with, turbo-thrust is, unfortunately, also missing. The 90 hp/230 Nm tuning of the engine is clearly economy based and this shows on the open road. I would not call the engine sluggish, but there is no great surge in performance as the revs build up. Linear power delivery is the order of the day and this is the biggest difference from the 1.6 TDI. Enthusiasts are advised to wait for the upcoming GT-TDI which has the engine tuned up to 104hp/250 Nm. 100 km/h comes up at 2400 rpm and the engine feels best between 1500 and 3500 rpm. Any progress beyond 4000 rpm doesn't seem worth it, as is the case in most diesel motors.

VW has also improved the ride and road noise characteristics of the Polo. The tyres ran quite silently, even though they were the same tread pattern as the ones on my Swift, Goodyear Duraplus or DP series. Perhaps the DP series on the Polo is better than the Duraplus on the Swift, but a lot of the improvement comes down to sound deadening in the Polo and a good suspension setup. High speed stability is still good and wind noise is well controlled. Sharp edges on the road, even the rumblers on the Sea-Link are barely noticeable. There is still vertical movement over bad roads, but it is very bearable and not a problem at all. Further, it is as good as or better than nearly every competitor on the market. Handling over curves is a bit compromised by the presumably softer setup of the suspension. However, 99 out of 100 buyers will prefer the car being softer rather than a go-kart. Do note that the car was buffeted by winds on the Sea-Link, but that it was no different than in my Swift. In this situation, wind noise was noticeably less on the Polo.

The new MID is clear to read in its white display and full of information including engine temperature which is displayed numerically. However, for some reason unknown to me, VW have removed the instantaneous fuel economy display . That seems a bit idiotic to me, especially when the diesel is almost always bought by economy minded individuals. Average FE display remains available. Hopefully, there will be a way to enable IFE readout using VAG-COM. Also note that the climate control setup is not as user friendly as that on the Maruti.

From a fuel efficiency point of view, the Polo, rated at 20.73 by ARAI showed us 16.1 km/l average on our test drive which included city driving, a Sea-Link high speed burst, a Sea-Link steady-speed-economy session and some more city driving. I would rate this as highly acceptable.

In summary, the new Polo is what the original Polo should have been. Loaded with equipment, sturdy, smooth and with a refined and efficient motor. Yes, the clutch is a bit uncomfortable and the thrust is partially missing, but it is a far more rounded product than before. Put it this way, if this car was available when I bought my Swift, I wouldn't have bought my Swift.

[deetjohn]

Drove the new Diesel yesterday and the new 1.5L unit is very refined compared to the 1.6L block on the Vento. The old 1.2 3 pot simply doesn't stand a chance. But, I noticed some vibration when I came off the gas pedal and at idle. Is the block sitting on rubber mounts?

The acceleration is quite linear and the car picks up speed quite well. The car leaps forward in first when compared to the MJD but the second is a bit tame. But it is only going to get better with some miles on it.

The things I didn't like are the very lifeless steering and the weak brakes. I had read that there were some changes to the feel of the steering but it felt the same.

I didn't like the sound of the horn too. The very first one was real class with a deep sound. This one has a weird sound.

VW has done a good job with the face-lift without spoiling the evergreen looks of the car. The twin barrel headlights look great and the rear is also smart.

The chassis remains tied to the ground as ever and it makes a very stable car. Wish the steering had a bit more feel to it. The new MID looks great and overall, the updated Polo looks neat. Wish VW had gives us a broader fog-lamp instead of that cornering gimmick. I had gone to check out the all black interiors on the Comfortline but they didn't have any in stock.

The Highline OTR is 8.8L and Comfortline is 8.1L here in Kochi. They are expecting the GT around September.

EVM Volkswagen still have a lot of the old 1.2 Diesels lying around but sadly no GTs. And whatever maybe the discount, if you like the idea of a Diesel Polo, the new 1.5L is the one to go for.

Edit:

Originally Posted by tushky

May be i am negative here but why i am feeling that we have got same old car in the name of facelift.

With the Diesel, the engine itself is the biggest change. They should have retired the 1.2 3 pot in the petrol too with the 1.2L TSI.

[GTO]

Mod Note: All Polo 1.5L TD reports have been moved to a new thread

Thanks for sharing, guys!

[thebfg]

Thanks a lot guys, this will help me contemplate upon which car should replace the Verna! Great car now, the Polo, it seems. The new, more powerful diesel engine is what I look forward to in the new Polo. Interiors are much better than before.
Thanks again,
Regards

[DWC]

Went for a nice 20 minute test drive of the polo 1.5 Tdi yesterday. Must say, I was totally blown away.

Plus's:
1.5L TDI (need i say more?)
Steering Wheel
No engine clatter
Linear acceleration
Good pickup
Zero turbo lag
Comfortable ride
Good suspension

Minus's:
Dead pedal comes in the way, my slippers kept brushing against the clutch every time I went to change a gear
Horn sounds weird
Brakes were just about ok.
Something's lacking from the sound from the speakers. Sorry, I can't really express what it is, but the music just felt flat. Maybe the equalizer was set that way, I don't know.

Was disappointed because I wanted to see the Night Blue and Carbon Steel colours in the flesh, however neither were available. There was a copper orange on display. To be honest, didn't like the colour before I saw it in the flesh. IMO it looks good in the shade, when it is inside the showroom, out in the sunlight it's a little too flash for my tastes.

Didn't really much care for the silver inserts on the highline in the pictures, although it doesn't look bad at all in person. Not a fan of the dual tone interiors and prefer the all black of the Comfortline and Trendline.

I'm looking for a couple of clarifications from the members here; the sales person told me that the comfortline gets the right side steering mounted controls for operating the MID, can anyone confirm this?
Also, I checked out the accessories list, it is possible to get the leather wrap for the steering wheel. Can anyone confirm if it is possible to get the leather wrap done for the gear knob and handbrake? The sales person said it could not be done.

All in all, was completely blown away by the 1.5 TDI engine, put a smile on my face. And that's all I really look for when i'm driving.

[gautam99]

Very good review, and I particularly like the comment about the dead pedal position as it's quite a problem to lift off the pedal and depress the clutch. The same plane would have helped in stop and go traffic.

[carmayogi]

Originally Posted by DWC

I'm looking for a couple of clarifications from the members here; the sales person told me that the comfortline gets the right side steering mounted controls for operating the MID, can anyone confirm this?
Also, I checked out the accessories list, it is possible to get the leather wrap for the steering wheel. Can anyone confirm if it is possible to get the leather wrap done for the gear knob and handbrake? The sales person said it could not be done.

I saw a Comfortline model and it did not have any steering controls whatsoever. The MID controls are retained on the stalk as in the old Highline model.

It's probably difficult to get a steering wrap done as you would need a highly skilled craftsman for the same. Also, you don't want a shoddy job that gets loose while driving, could be very dangerous! A steering cover could be used.

[DWC]

Originally Posted by carmayogi

I saw a Comfortline model and it did not have any steering controls whatsoever.

It's probably difficult to get a steering wrap done as you would need a highly skilled craftsman for the same. Also, you don't want a shoddy job that gets loose while driving, could be very dangerous! A steering cover could be used.

Thanks for clearing that up, about the steering controls, carmayogi.

The steering wrap is part of the standard accessories mentioned in the accessory sheet, so im assuming they're going to do it properly. If its done shoddily, then i'll get it removed. My question was whether the gearknob and handbrake could also be wrapped.

[LandCruiser]

Car looks good and this refresh was much needed to boost sales. Been used to a Vento definitely the 1.5L engine will be much closer to the bigger 1.6L engine in characteristics. VW should offer 5 year maintenance package as standard as that is a big value add for an expensive car. For the price point they sell they should do it.

What is the car manufacturers and the piano black finish in steering, dash and head units. I don't like the look of them and they sure are going be skiddy to use and catch finger prints easily. The existing matt finish chrome accents Vento style are really awesome.

[Kanasu]

A very well written balanced review

The winner is of course Mr. Perfectionist, the Volkswagen Polo does everything so well, right from performance to dynamics, quality to equipment, this German hatch gets everything right. The only gripe is the lack of rear seat space, besides that there is nothing to fault with the Volkswagen Polo, it is Das Auto.

Just like Germany emerged ahead of Italy and Japan in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, the Volkswagen Polo emerges ahead of the Fiat Punto Evo and Maruti Suzuki Swift. It’s a car which is engineered to near perfection, making it the undisputed winner in this shootout. It’s also the most fun to drive car of the three as not only does it handle brilliantly, it also has a punchy engine.

Source

[carmayogi]

Originally Posted by DWC

The steering wrap is part of the standard accessories mentioned in the accessory sheet, so im assuming they're going to do it properly. If its done shoddily, then i'll get it removed. My question was whether the gearknob and handbrake could also be wrapped.

Those should be easier jobs, the handbrake and gear lever. In cars with fabric on the door trim, I've seen these done as a package, that is door trim, gear, handbrake. Also, for the steering, VW might just replace the steering with a factory-leather-fitted unit instead of getting it installed.