Nyx - My Night Blue VW Polo 1.5L TDI
What I like: - The new 1.5 TDI engine with oodles of torque.
- The flat bottom steering wheel.
- The clean and timeless design philosophy for the Polo.
- The large boot.
- Solid suspension setup and ride quality.
- The robust build quality.
- Quality of interior plastics and fit and finish.
- All the bells & whistles that come along with the Highline variant.
What I don’t: - Average rear leg room.
- Rear seats don’t fold 100%. There’s a slight undulation in the folded seat.
- The dead pedal. Comes in the way of my size 11’s most of the time.
- Lack of a driver arm-rest.
- Lack of auto-folding mirrors.
- Heavyish clutch.
Build up to the purchase decision:
We were in the market for a diesel car that would cost us under 8 lakhs. It didn’t have to be a new car, I was open to picking up a car from the used market as well. The main priority was that the car needed to be involving in its drive. I was leaning towards getting a used Skoda Laura for around 6 lakhs and budgeting the other 2 towards any major repairs over the next two years. This idea was quickly shot down by fellow bhpian’s so I decided against it. Besides, the missus was not too keen on a 2nd hand car and I didn’t want to hear any I-told-you-so’s, in case something did go wrong down the line. But the Laura is still something I fancy, and I shall most likely go down that route sometime in the future.
Apart from the Laura, nothing else in the sedan category really caught my fancy. So that effectively narrowed down the search to hatchbacks and crossovers.
Was a big fan of the Ecosport when it first came out. Even went for TD. Was a big step up from the Santro no doubt, but something was missing. It didn’t call out to me, when I walked away from the TD. The turbo lag didn’t help either. In a month of its launch, I got tired of its looks, all the initial excitement had worn off, and my enthusiasm for the car had waned (I’m sorry if I offended anyone, it’s a good car, we just weren’t meant to be).
So that narrowed it down to the hatchbacks. The cars that were considered (briefly) were:
The Swift was out due to its boot space or rather the lack of it.
The Figo looked dated and could do with an upgrade. Plus, didn’t much care for the build quality and the interiors.
The Liva looked so 1999. The bland interiors and quirky center console were not to my liking either.
The serious contenders were:
Well to be honest, I wanted a change from Hyundai. So even though the new i20 was a capable contender, I did not consider it.
Too much chrome on the Evo, and zero changes to the engine and gearbox made my choice an easy one in the end. The new Polo it is then!
Basically, I knew it was going to be the Polo in the hatchback shootout, but still went through the motions just to keep the head happy. The heart’s a cheeky fellow. Luckily for him, this time, both head and heart were in sync, hand in hand, walking towards the setting sun, together, forever. I don’t want to get into any arguments, but the new Polo 1.5L TDI is THE enthusiast’s car in the segment (not counting the GT twins of course).
Dealership Experiences:
Took a TD from Volkswagen East (Chembur), and displayed interest in purchasing the car. Was initially told that I could opt for Insurance from outside if I wanted to. Great!
Went back home and told them that I would be in touch. Got a great zero dep. deal from Tata AIG which would end up saving me around 10k.
Got a call back from them in a couple of days asking me if I had made up my mind. I pushed for some freebies and discounts and was told that I can get a Rs. 5000 discount on the on-road price. Even better!
So went to the dealership the next day with my booking amount in hand, all ready to book my car. Exchanged pleasantries with the SA, and asked her how much my on road would come to taking into consideration the zero dep insurance from Tata AIG and the 5k discount.
‘No Sir, we can’t offer you insurance from outside and the 5000 discount.’
‘What? Why? Didn’t you only tell me the first time I walked in here that I can take insurance from outside if I wanted to? And didn’t you also tell me a couple of days later when you called that you can offer me a cash discount of Rs. 5000?’
‘Yes Sir, but you can’t take both together. The discount we are offering you is from our insurance margin.’
To cut a long story short, I told her to keep her discount and her insurance margin and stormed out of the showroom.
Proceeded to call VW Downtown, who told me that they would better the insurance quote I had gotten from outside, and were even willing to send someone home with the paperwork so that we could book the car. They didn’t promise any freebies apart from beating the insurance quote, but at least I got what I was promised. To be honest, didn’t really expect anything as this was a new launch.
So finally booked the car from VW Downtown, my SA was very kind and courteous. However for some reason they weren’t too keen on me going for a PDI at the yard. Not their policy apparently. Had to finally speak to some senior and give him a good hearing before they ‘made an exception’.
So with PDI checklist in hand, went down to the yard which is somewhere in Panvel. There she was, gleaming in all her beauty. It was like looking at your newborn baby for the first time, only better, because at least you know that your car wont poop or wake you up in the middle of the night. Nor will I have to start a college fund for my car.
Anyway, went through all the PDI checkpoints and checked all the boxes. She’s good to go. Let’s get this baby home!
D-Day at the showroom was par for the course except for a minor glitch. Finished all the formalities, did a PDI again while the SA explained all the features to us again. Noticed that the ashtray and car lighter was missing from the car, but was there in the display vehicle, It was also there in the test drive vehicle and is shown all over the brochure. Enquired why it was missing in our vehicle.
‘Sir, this batch of cars that have come from the factory does not have the ashtray and lighter.’
‘But isn’t it part of the equipment? If its there in your display vehicle and is depicted in the brochure, then shouldn’t it also come in the car?’
‘Sorry sir, it was not there when we received it. The company has stopped giving it.’
I left it at that, and decided that I would take it up with VW directly later.
All in all, not too happy with my experience with either of the dealerships. The car outweighs the dealership experience. That’s what I kept telling myself anyway.
Das Auto:
VW Polo Highline
1.5L TDI Engine
90PS Power
230 NM Torque
Colour - Night Blue
Mumbai Ex-Showroom Price – 759065
0 Dep Insurance – 22212
RTO Registration Charges – 83497
Depot Charges – 6900
On Road Price – 871674
Extended Warranty will be purchased before the year is up. VW give you the Ext. Warranty for Rs. 12769 up to 365 days of purchase. So will get it done later.
Need some advice whether it makes sense to go in for the road-side assistance for the 3rd and 4th year. Good investment?
The Highline comes fully loaded with dual beam headlamps, 15” alloys, cornering lights, heat insulated glass and newly designed tail lamps and rear parking sensors on the outside. On the inside we have the flat bottom, multi function steering wheel, which is reach and rake adjustable, automatic climate control, Bluetooth and a neat voice command function. The fit and finish of the interiors reek of class, and the dual tone interiors give the car a nice airy feel. The leather wrap on the steering wheel and hand brake level add to the upmarket feel of the car.
I would have preferred an all black interior and darker seat fabric for starters. Also, the new alloy design is not really to my liking. Will definitely be putting seat covers as I have two lovely dogs who love running around in the dirt and then jumping into the car. Automatic folding mirrors would have been cool too.
Louis
Cookie
The car passes Louis' PDI (Post Delivery Inspection. He immediately marked his territory as well, but no one wants to see a picture of that)
Compare the Indian spec Polo to the international one and you end up feeling a little bit like Cinderella. Although in earnest, if they gave us the same car that was launched internationally, then the Vento would have looked pretty bare bones in comparison.
My work requires me to travel a lot within the city, so I am mostly driving an average of 40-50 km per day. The in-city drivability is outstanding, and the car putters along quite happily in town. Changing gears often is not really required and the tall 3rd gear makes it easy to drive around the city in. Speed breakers have been crossed on 3rd gear and the car doesn’t require a downshift to carry on.
We usually go trekking, hiking or check out nearby beaches over the weekends. With the diesel, I can imagine this happening more frequently. Took the car to Lions Point on the Amby Valley road for a day trip. The open road is where the car is most at ease. The car is stable at any speed and the ride quality is fantastic. I really did feel extremely safe sitting in the Polo. The steering does weigh up nicely at speed and the car handles like a dream. I think we have a new winner in the segment.
The changes to the exterior of the Polo are subtle and will easily be missed unless you are in the know. I was always a fan of the minimalistic clean lines on the VW fleet of cars and the styling suits me nicely. The build quality of the car is outstanding. The fit and finish is also impeccable and the car really does feel like it’s from a couple of segments higher up the pecking order. The attention to detail is excellent and the quality of plastics along with the touches of leather add to that premium feeling.
The driver’s seat is very comfortable and it takes very little time for me to find my sweet spot. Being just over 6 feet tall, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn’t have to move my seat all the way back. With the seat set to my driving position, my wife could sit comfortably behind me, without her knees touching the back of my seat. Although, it will get a little cramped if a 6 footer sits behind another 6 footer. The 5th passenger will not feel welcome at the back and there will be a lot of shoulder and knee rubbing. But that’s his problem, not mine.
The suspension of the new Polo deserves a special mention. The car handles bumps and potholes with a grace that needs to be experienced to be understood. Even the large craters are no match for the car as it seamlessly glides over them. That crashing sound from the older polos are a thing of the past.
The clutch is not the lightest, but it’s not a heavyweight either. Stop and go traffic will be a pain. The weird thing about the clutch is whenever I’m going to step on it, there is a slight vibration felt at initial contact. Well, I wouldn’t really call it a vibration so much so as a continuous ticking feedback. Something like a timer, going tick-tick-tick-tick. Anybody else feel this?
The gearbox is a little notchy, but again, I guess it will just take a little getting used to. Having said that, the gear shifts are short and precise.
The highlight of this car is the new 1.5L TDI engine. The engine is a little noisy, however all of the clatter remains on the outside. Cabin insulation is excellent. The car has excellent torque, which is great for in-city drivability. The power delivery is linear, and the car pulls smoothly from around the 1500 rpm mark. Power starts to wane around the 4000 rpm mark. With the new engine, the Polo finally makes up for what was lacking in its predecessor.
The automatic climate control does its job well, however the air blower can get a little noisy at the higher levels. The seats are very comfy, however I would have liked better neck and head support.
No complaints with the tires, grip was sufficient and surprisingly silent as well. Thinking of getting the alloys painted to gun metal or black sometime in the future. Would appreciate it if anyone here could whip up how it would look using some photo editing software. Will buy you samosa’s and some chai for your efforts.
Some niggling points with the car in my short ownership:
The rear boot and tail lights have what appear to be uneven panel gaps. Maybe I’m just paranoid, I don’t know.
At high speed, there is slight vibration felt in the steering wheel. But again, you really have to focus all your attention there to feel it.
That tick-tick vibration when I depress the clutch pedal.
The useless dead pedal. Looking at the pictures, can someone tell me which screw head I need to use to open it? Couldn’t figure it out for the life of me.
The Comfortline comes pretty loaded and makes good sense if you’re in the market for a Polo. Was initially keen on the Comfortline due to its all black interiors.
Here’s why I bought the Highline:
Alloy wheels, cornering lights, chrome interior accents, leather wrapped steering wheel with chrome accents and piano black finish, leather wrapped gearshift knob and handbrake lever, aluminum finish on center console, automatic climate control, speed sensing auto lock doors, steering wheel with controls for audio, Bluetooth, voice command (yes it does work, it’s a different thing altogether that understanding our accents is still a long way off. I asked for the phone to play a particular song and it dialed a number!), rear parking sensors. Seemed like a lot of bang for the extra buck.
The dual tone interiors I can live with. Would have loved to carbon-fiber wrap the beige bits, but have been advised against it from some people-in-the-know, due to the texture of the parts in question. Since it isn’t a smooth finish, the chances of bubble formations and peel off will be high.
I have ordered sporty aluminum peddles from aliexpress and I’m still waiting for delivery. Its been 3 weeks now, fingers crossed.
At the time of writing this review, the car has run 330 odd kilometers. Might I add that I still have more than half a tank of gas left after topping her up after delivery.
I’m getting around 16-17 kmpl in the city and it went up to 18 in the highway. Things will only get better with time.
I shall keep updating this thread at all the major milestones. Looking forward to many miles of blissful driving. Thanks for listening.