[ajmat]

Preview

Our 2006 Swift ZXi which had passed 90000km. A recent spend of Rs 32000 for a new steering rack (actually, only the motor had failed!) made me look at something newer for Mrs Ajmat.



While I have a Jetta for all other purposes, the replacement was required for short trips and bumbling around the neighborhood, shopping etc. Being on a tight budget meant that I really did not want to spend more than rupees four lakhs.


So what would I get for 4 Lakhs?

1. 2011 Hyundai i20 44000km – too dull and the mother in law drives a Hyundai
2. 2011 Nissan Micra 74000km – dull and Nissan is on a Death Wish, I prefer the movie!
3. 2012 Ford Figo Titanium 50000km – Nice car, but a bit old and the petrol engine is a bit wheezy, the diesel is a bag of nails
4. 2013 Honda Brio VMT 33000km – Worth a look but a bit of a downgrade
5. VW Polo 1.2 Petrol >50000km – Nice face, shame about the legs – my views were validated further in the thread.
6. Fiat Punto 1.2 50000km – As in the Polo 1.2 , show but no go, also did not want to play hunt my part
7. Honda Jazz 2011 35000km – Great car but a bit weedy. Fellow mod Suhaas told me that it is ultimately underwhelming, also newer ones were available for not much more
8. Chevrolet Sail 2013 35000km – A possible option, good value but where are the dealers?
9. A later Swift – lots of tired ones around – made more sense to keep mine – the devil I know etc.

What a set of boring, tired, mundane choices! I was resigned to perhaps soldering on with the Swift. I even considered used Honda City’s but they were rather tired also.

To cut to the chase, the opportunity knocked. Let’s makes make this interesting! If you want the “Official” format, go here!

If you want a wilder version, read on !

[ajmat]

The wild version

Lights, Camera, Action!- Poetically speaking

It all started with the "muddled mod"
Playing with his gadget and not his bod!
Not swiping right or left on a screen
More like wiping for a better sheen.

Let’s cut to the chase
He never reached First Base
But this poor chap
Got pinged on WhatsApp

A single young lassie
Needed life in her chassis
A call to assist
Yet the muddled one thought to desist

Us gang of mods
Threatened with rods
Stop being single
Go get someone to tingle

Fit and able
He pulled out his cable
He descended below
And found her Polo

Her expression looked a bit bored
Being hooked up to a Ford
Yes, it’s a bit of a barge
But the Polo needed a heck of a charge

“Needs to charge for a coupla days”
She did not understand that phrase
He took home the battery
The poor jilted girl went back to her cattery!

Come the weekend
When he could attend
He rang her bell
And said, let me insert the cell

He undid the bonnet
Thank god, he did not sing her a sonnet
He inserted the key
And she cried with glee


He walked around in a daze
Found the body had many a graze
Being a VW, it was far from rusty
But the car did sure smell musty

Suddenly, he thought his eyes played him tricks
The boot lid had the suffix one point six
It was quite a lark
Finding this rare car in the dark!

The car was a gift from my brother
Not from any significant other
Its nice to be given
However, she had never driven

She invited him up to her flat
“If you’re upto it, you could play with my cat”
He scampered up
Panting like a frisky young pup

The “juice”, he does sip
Then she lets slip!
After all that baiting,
She says she’s relocating

Getting organized for this is hell
That damn car, I got to sell
What do I need to do now?
The insides smell like a cow

The muddled was upto his tricks
“Let me take it to Bay Six”
Calls and tells me “t’would make a great gift
Time to rid your wife of her old Swift”

On its way for a check
I drove it for the heck!
It was mangy
The ride was spongy

Nothing was rusty
But the engine was not very lusty
It did not exactly wheeze
But the tyres were made of cheese.

If there was a sting in the caper
This car had no paper!
How the hell
Would this thing sell?

The muddled one wondered how to face her
The garage had ideas to make it a track racer.
After bit of basic care
The Polo was returned to its lair

The muddled one let out a gasp
This car had a deadly rasp
Don’t let it remain
He cried to me- “look again!”

Before I entered the fray
The RTO agents told me a way
This paperwork is not so much a mess
But you need to pay us a cess!

I tested the car, there was no doubt
A good little car trying to get out.
Lots to be done, I could see
So I gave a fair offer of three!

There was a competitive offer much more regal
But I clearly assured her that I could make it legal.
The next day, she had made up her mind
Favoring me, cos the muddled one had been so kind.

Am pleased with a deal so nifty,
To get it up to new, cost me a another fifty!
Ok folks! have run out of rhyme
But this review won’t take too much time!

[ajmat]

If you did not get through the verse or if you lack any sense of humour, the staid version of the story is as follows:

The short story - The Germans came and conquered! A second VW in my predominantly British family diminished any hope of a Brexit. Cutting to the chase,

I got a grimy VW Polo Highline 1.6 with 28000km for Rs 3 lakhs.!

I never actually even considered a Polo ever, the 3 pot engine was weedy and not my cup of tea. The 1.5TDI engine was unsuitable for intended usage and the prices were not worth it. Polo 1.2 TSI's were over priced and had potential issues being a dry clutch gearbox. Polo 1.6's were rare. I saw one advertised for Rs 4.5 Lakhs with twice the mileage.



“Pinch me!”
“Whats da catch!”
“What a catch!”

The Polo had been owned by a Pilot who moved to Dubai and gifted it to his sister. I love cars owned by pilots, they normally ensure cars are maintained and understand the importance of maintenance. However, their sisters might be another matter!

Why !

Read on!

The car was originally on WB plates and the registration was transferred to Karnataka but alas, the new RC card never got delivered. Its complicated but enough to say none of the addresses where the pilot lived and later moved to were current! It was supposed to be sent to the sisters office but it got lost in transit, my guess was it was returned to sender or the agent sat on it. The sister never drove, she employed drivers to commute initially but they kept scraping the car. She gave up and parked it. As her office moved to the other side of town, she moved to company transportation. She forgot about the Polo until she realized that it needed to be sold as she was relocating. After sitting for over 2 years, it would not start. She pinged her apartment "whatsApp" group for helped and our kind but muddled mod stepped into assist! He got the battery charged but it badly needed some basic attention before a potential sale.

The "muddled one” pinged me and I intercepted it on the way to Bay 6 for basic clean up. The car was musty and grimy from non-use. I was getting the hives from the dust and the mould. The ride was choppy due to worn-out tyres. It was wheezy. I was about to walk away.

When returning the car back, the "muddled one" advised me to drive the car again. I waited till she actually put the car up for sale. I rang her and introduced myself as a sensible friend of the "muddled" one" and formally test drove it. (Bit like dating a girl on the sly then later formally approaching her parent for an “arranged” marriage!). Actually,, I was given the keys and told to takeout for a spin.

This is what I saw after it had been superficially cleaned







There are a few more dents and grazes but the basement + pillars limited the pics.

I took it for a drive on the ORR upto Bellandur and back. Knowing the car's condition, I was gentle on the car. Under all that grime, the car pulled like a train, there was a nice rasp. Although the AC vents were broken, the riders suspect, interior was a bit stark, there was a good car trying to get out.

What needed to be done

• Insurance
• Paperwork
• Paintwork
• Service
• Vents
• Any other surprises - its a VW!

However, I knew these before the test drive and was walking into this with my eyes open! Prior to the test drive, I found out from an agent what would be required to get the paperwork up to scratch. There is also plenty of information on this forum itself.

• An FIR
• Ability to contact her brother for signatures etc.
• Insurance

I estimated exactly what would be a fair price and immediately made an offer of Rs 3 Lakhs. I told the lady exactly what it would take to make it legal. She claimed someone in her company had offered Rs 3.3L.

Edit: I forgot to mention that Cars24 would not even touch it as it lacked paperwork

“But does he know what needs to be done?" I countered!

" ", she replied

I walked off. Ideally, I would have offered Rs 2.75L but that would not hit the mark psychologically.

1st April – All Fools Day and its my wife’s birthday,

I get a call accepting my offer. (I later understood that I won due to the "muddled ones" kindness to her!). I immediately transferred a deposit and got the initial paperwork together. This involved getting a copy of the 'B' extract and getting the insurance cover. I even sent her a document outlining the entire process.

In the meanwhile, I apologized to my wife for not getting a present and promised her one by the next weekend.

I transferred the remaining amount the following day. I journeyed back to Sarjapur to collect the car and sort the paperwork. She was a bit overwhelmed by the paperwork (I put all sorts of clauses in since the car was in the brother's name), while I was overwhelmed by her cats – I hate cats.

The car was immediately driven to CarSmiths for the paintwork. Nirmal (Keystone, now Greenz Car Care) had been asked to sort the bodywork from painting to final detailing. The plan was to get the car painted and take it back while the paint hardened and then hand it in again for detailing post service.

Nirmal and Vishwas were very good in keeping me abreast on the progress. They updated me regularly.





The final result!

Paintwork was excellent





Now to surprise my wife with it.

Nirmal had my car delivered to my mothers apartment. I drove my wife there on the pretext that my mothers car had an issue! She spotted the car in the spare parking space

"Whose car is that"


(as sent to me by the delivery driver!)

"Its yours?"

"What?, my car is perfectly fine!!"

“Why did you?”

“How could you?”

and the rant began!

She was more miffed that we kept this secret from her (women hate being fooled!).
My daughter knew!
My mother knew!
My mother-in-law knew!
Her best friend knew!
My father-in-law nearly spilt the beans out when he rang her, 'pre-reveal' after his sundowner and started a tirade about buying a car when he could send her his old Santro! I brushed it off and she believed me!


The next day after the reveal, the car was presented to the Bangalore Mods during the Team-BHP breakfast meet.





They sniffed at it, and clearly highlighted the tyres and residual grime inside!

Next was to slap on some Michelins and that transformed the car immediately. We used the car for a few days to look for niggles. All we could find were soggy brakes. And then ping! the ABS light came on for a while and disappeared. The Polo was stress-tested with a couple of airport runs etc to check for niggles.

The car then went to Bay 6 for a service. They did a reasonable if routine job but it was hell getting there and back. On collecting the Polo, I merely told the “muddled one” who had given me a lift, to drive it, on the back roads of Sarjapur to Electronic City, while I tried following him in his bosses grimy old Fiesta! He emerged in ecstasy. Many things make him happy, but few things make him ecstatic and he is yet to try something orgasmic.

The car was then returned to CarSmiths for the final detailing by Keystone. It was virtually a new car. Even the previous owner could not believe it when I sent the pictures.





ok, that's it, no more shiny Polo pics, lets focus on the bits!

[ajmat]

Then the ABS light pinged again. Took it to Azaan but no error code was found. We cleared the error for it to appear and disappear. I was dreading whether the ABS pump was kaput. Azaan suggested that I change the battery since it had been flat. I changed and upgraded the battery and the light came on again. Groan!

I was having nightmares about the ABS ECU going kaput and how this might not be a bargain! The battery change however generated an error code – an ABS sensor was kaput. Azaan got the car on the hoist and got the ABS sensor changed in 10 min. It cost me Rs 3000.



The ABS distraction over, it was time to begin getting the Polo back into shape. 40 degree summer meant that the vents needed to be sorted! Additionally, the handbrake was weak. One day, the car rolled into the plants. I booked the car into VW Rajajinagar for new vents and to adjust the handbrake. They had the parts in stock. (I had called them and they actually called back to inform me that these were in stock and set up an appointment!). They kept the car for half a day and I spent the other half going there and back. The damage was around Rs 7000, handbrake was adjusted for free and they did a minor update of the engine ECU as per service notification. I never felt anything different though.



More Polo than Vent! - Hole in the middle for sure!



Note the pieces falling out. I used to entertain myself in traffic, pulling pieces out of the vent!

The handbrake was adjusted. It was better but only adequate. Then it was time for the paperwork, the biggest hurdle in this deal. I visited the agent in Ramamurthynagar RTO. A duplicate RC requires the original owner to visit the RTO in person. As the previous named owner was in Dubai, this posed a problem. I had an understanding that he would come over if required. ((he is a pilot so can get over for little cost!). Luckily, the agent assured me that if I pay twice the normal transaction fee, this could be sorted.

He got the affidavit sorted out, I sent this along with the forms to Dubai but the India Post Office delayed the paperwork so I had to resend again via courier. Luckily, I had copies so I used Notary Kart to deliver the e-stamped paper to me and reprinted the affidavit an this time couriered it.

The forms were promptly signed, returned and submitted within a few days. Within 45 days, we were the legal owners of a now mint Polo 1.6!

So is the review over?

Not quite!

But it's still not a complete review. Request to add more information as a comprehensive, unbiased review goes on to help thousands of members & guests.

Take a deep breath!

[ajmat]

All the alternatives that were considered, and why you zeroed in on this particular car

Been there, done that in the initial post!


- Be sure to list the engine type & variant you opted for

1.6 Highline 103BHP engine, makes the Vento wheeze but makes the Polo go whee!

- The good and bad about its features

The good stuff – Lusty torquey engine. It pulls well and does not struggle. It is quite handy in cut and thrust traffic as you don’t have to try hard to either get going or to press on. I drove a 1.2 petrol Polo over a similar route between the city centre and Koramangala in thick traffic and found that it was pretty tiring, having to gun the engine each time. Only thing going for it was 10% less fuel sipped.

In city, at low revs, it is effortless. The Swift used to jerk on the overrun, this car is smooth.



The engine is smooth and refined. My plans to add a freeflow have been banned. There is a lovely rasp when I gun the engine. Power delivery is very linear. No lag, no nothing. Very silent on idle. On a couple of airport runs, the engine pulls well and is never breathless. It holds 5th gear well.



The gearbox is like the Jetta, slots well and precise. Ratios are decent although optimised for economy. I love the short throw! Clutch is well weighted. Wife took to it very easily from the Swift. Previously it was, a major chasm, switching between the Jetta and the Swift!

Steering is accurate, feedback is slightly numb. I need to get the steering leather wrapped.



The boot is deep, well shaped.



Sorry about the yoga junk inside! By the way, when I took delivery, I found a mouldy riding hat and a whip, looks like the "muddled one" missed the ride of his life! There was also a sort of rear seat tray which Samaspire now owns)

Handling is secure and surefooted handling, the ride is smooth but firm ride after the crashy Swift.

Solid build – my ladies are very safe in it. Doors, especially the door handles are stiff from non-use


The Bad

• Mother Hubbard Interiors – bare but not naked. It lacks the climate control of the outgoing Swift but it gets electric mirrors. Plastics are much better though

• Cannot control rear windows from the drivers seat. A weird omission.

• Disguises its speed a bit too well! You keep going fast when you need not!
  
• Brakes lack feel and power is adequate.
  
• Drinks like a General after sundown - In stop/start traffic, it guzzles (7km/l). On holidays and Sundays, it will return 9 km/l. On a highway , it sips 13-14km/l.

- Safety & related equipment

Two airbags and ABS – I love the fact that passenger airbag can be replaced without stripping the entire dashboard



- Number of kms at the time of writing your review

Bought at 29000 now 31000

- Your usage pattern

Mainly short runs ranging from barely 1 km to around 10-15 km in town. Longer commutes, we use the Jetta

- Comments on the exterior styling & design

Timeless! The fact that VW have not updated the Polo helps. I could add TSI stickers and people would be fooled. It looks classy IMHO and the white makes it very neutral wherever it is parked. It blends in whether at the club or in the market.

- Overall build quality, fit & finish, paint quality and panel gaps

Bodywork is faultless, all it needed was a touch up and a thorough detail on purchase. Most people think that the car is brand new. I think you've seen enough pics already!


- Wheels & tyres

The old Apollos were thrown away. As Suhaas commented, they looked like they were made of cheese. We slapped on stock sized Michelin Greens. It transformed the handling and ride.

Wheels are simple and classy. They are easy to clean except for grime collecting in the wheel nut area




- Interior design & quality (plastics, upholstery, fit & finish etc.)

Interior is spartan but well put together. The Alpine double DIN does look a little out of place though.



Main spoiler is that the rear parcel shelf is collapsing under the weight of the aftermarket speakers which were crudely installed. I cannot remove the shelf. Rear door speakers have been disconnected. Have plans to remove parcel shelf speakers, upgrade all for speakers, add an amp + co-axials + sub. I removed the amp and sub from the Swift.




- Interior space & comfort...front & back (seat support, legroom, headroom & width)


Seats, not as good as a Jetta but very comfortable. Original aftermarket covers were retained. My wife insisted on keeping them. Rear feels narrower than the Swift but passengers find it comfortable.






- Driving position, ergonomics, controls & MID

The driving position is spot on, ergonomics are spot on. As this is the second VW in the family. It makes it easier for my wife to use the Jetta as the controls are identical.

The MID is an addition compared to the Swift. Covers fuel range, fuel consumption - average, speed, average speed and journey time. Instruments are very clear.



I do miss the temperature gauge. I need to guess when the engine has warmed up. Even a blue light to tell me that the engine is cold would help!


- Visibility & size of mirrors

Visibility is an eye-opener after the Swift which comparatively was like driving a post box.

The extra side window adds a lot of light and aids visibility in parking.



Mirrors however are adequate. Bit stiff to fold manually(due to non use!)



My wife misses the vanity mirrors in the sun visor! Big omission, chicks love this, Bangalore has the ideal traffic jams to allow them to preen themselves in situ!



Rear Wiper - love the interval wipe facility. Only car in its segment with it. In other cars, it only works when the washer is activated.



Comprehensive wiper switch. Rear wiper actuation is not that obvious.




Air conditioner cooling & effectiveness

It takes a while to cool the car down but maintains the temperature one it has been reached, . More effective in recirculation mode. I generally put the car in recirc mode until the car is cooled down then switch to direct.




- Interior storage, practicality & boot space

The front doors has deep pockets.



Glove Box is well shaped and has decent space



The central console has a very deep recess. Have lost keys there. Thats an Apple XR phone in there to help you gauge the depth!



Flat spaces between the seats. Yes, that's a piece of the old vent over there!



Split Rear Seats are a boon and improve versatility but the head restraint needs to be removed for the seat to be folded flat! That is not very easy especially if you have long fingernails!




- Overall opinion on the engine

Lusty but not busty. I love how it revs and the torque, it never feels inadequate unlike the 1.2 which gets tiring.


- Overall NVH levels (including engine, wind & road noise)

A little road noise at speed. Engine is refined overall. Nice rasp when pushed.

- Suspension & ride quality (at low as well as high speeds)

Being an older Polo, it has Sachs suspension with gas struts made in the Czech Republic (might have been flitched from a Fabia kit!). Azaan showed me a Polo TSI with suspension shot at 21000km. That had inferior Gabriel liquid shocks and decidedly cheaper looking components.


- Handling, on-road behaviour, grip levels, stability, body roll & turning radius

Stable and neutral, have not pushed it too hard as the insurance is third party. Body roll is minimal. Bit of suspension bobbing though. Turning circle is better than the Swift and the Polo is much easier to park. Main plus of this car is the ability to absorb minor bumps and potholes The Swift used to crash through these.


- Steering (size, feedback, weight, EPS / Hydraulic etc.)

Accurate but the EPS does numb feedback. Slight friction sound when turning, sounds like a plastic housing part fouling. Need to investigate.


- Braking (effectiveness, pedal feel...)

Brakes were inadequate. Handbrake was weak. Feedback is poor. I recently gave it in to CarSmiths who replaced the rotors (Rs 3200) and cleaned the drums. Brakes have improved but they are not as reassuring as the Jetta. Still a bit noisy, the noise reminds me of those "power brake" Ambassadors of the day.


- Any niggles, problems or part replacements

Nothing so far, only the brake rotors (Rs 3200) and the interior vents(Rs 7000)


- Quality of after-sales service

I have Azaan and CarSmiths – why bother anymore with the official network anymore! VW Rajajinagar have been helpful in getting parts replaced but it takes so much time to wait to get the car checked in. My average time there is over an hour despite an appointment!


- Cost of upkeep & maintenance

Petrol, petrol and petrol so far!

Checklist completed, whew!

The Finale!

All in all, this deal was too good to be true. No one can believe the deal that I struck. I could make a small profit in selling this car on but this one is a keeper for now. It is built to last, if I downsize to one car when the Jetta gets old, might buy something nice and pass this onto my daughter.

I owe the “muddled one" one for pointing me to this deal. If he can be sweet on a lady to get me a car, think of what he can do for himself!

[ajmat]

Moving to the Test Drives and Initial Ownership Reports Section

[vishy76]

Congrats on the car Ajmat. It's quite difficult to find a clean Polo these days, let alone the 1.6 MPI.

The engine itself isn't quite the best out there but nothing can beat the old school NA charm and the low end torque I guess. Guess VW just got the timing wrong with this one. It was launched in an era when the 1.2 TSI was not too far away and fuel prices had driven Indians to label most petrols as guzzlers. Deeming it a hot hatch wouldn't have been correct either. Might have made for a good limited edition if they had stiffened the suspension and thrown in a body kit though.

Quite perplexed that you can't control the rear windows from the driver's side. I thought this was only the case with the Comfortline and Trendline. Silly deletions. The 1.6 Highline didn't benefit from the addition of climate control on the later Polos around 2013 either.

All in all, an underrated car this one. Cherry on the cake is that one doesn't need to worry about EGR valves and injectors going bad, which is usually the case with most VAG owners (including me) This car is functional German engineering at its best.

Wishing you many happy miles with her.

[Rajeevraj]

Very nice review Ajit. Congratulations on the purchase. Considering the amount of work involved, I think it is fair to say you rescued the car from eternal damnation. Guess it would have just rotted away to scrap-especially since it is VW and regular used car buyers would not have touched it.

And the end of all that work, I think it is an excellent choice at a nice price. Wishing Mrs Ajmat and you many happy miles of ownership.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by vishy76

The engine itself isn't quite the best out there but nothing can beat the old school NA charm and the low end torque I guess. Guess VW just got the timing wrong with this one. It was launched in an era when the 1.2 TSI was not too far away and fuel prices had driven Indians to label most petrols as guzzlers. Deeming it a hot hatch wouldn't have been correct either. Might have made for a good limited edition if they had stiffened the suspension and thrown in a body kit though.

Thanks, the engine was better than I thought, yes, it ain't a hot hatch, a warm hatch, maybe! I think VW were exploring the segment to see how far it could be stretched and the Polo TSI was the answer.

Engine is "stolid", plenty of torque to have it around but no real kick in the pants

[NPV]

Congratulations on the new car acquisition for the missus, wishing you'll an enjoyable, fuss-free ownership and miles of safe drives

How is the situation with respect to availability of spares for VW cars generally in India, can you buy them over the counter or do you have to always buy (and have them replaced) at authorized service centers only ? (I have absolutely no idea about VW cars).

Nice review there ajmat, your intuitions and eye for detail seems to have made your 'risk' pay off with the choice of the nice little 1.6 L Polo.

*A "whois" on "muddled one" didn't get results , but I guess most of us know about that character, it has a very keen eye for details especially when it comes to cars and is always spot on with the assessment!

[keroo1099]

Congrats on a great steal for the better half, and hoping it serves you as well as your old Swift. Is this the same engine that came in the Fabia 1.6P?

[Epic]

Congratulation Ajmat on a fantastic purchase!!

Being an owner of a 2012 Polo 1.6 myself, I can tell you that it is a very unique car to own. It will be 08 years for mine in Feb 2020 but I haven't yet found a car to replace this beauty. It is simple and to the point. No gadgetry and stuff! But it drives like a dream. It is as if VW made this car purely for the enthusiasts.

I hope you enjoy this car like I do and I am pretty sure you would not be able to replace this car for a very long time.

[boniver]

Congratulations Ajmat! The Polo is one car that doesn't look dated even a decade after its launch, and this Polo is extremely lucky to have found a place in an Euro-car expert's garage!

I am a strong believer in buying and restoring rare cars. Not only have you saved this one car, but by documenting all your future experiences on this thread you'll also be of help to many others who would have otherwise not known what to do/where to look for help. Thank you for that too.

[jetsetgo08]

Congrats on the purchase.

Pardon me for the noob question. How good is the Polo 1.6 over the Vento petrol w.r.t performance? The Vento/Rapid petrol is definitely not an uncommon find in the used market.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by NPV

Congratulations on the new car acquisition for the missus,

How is the situation with respect to availability of spares for VW cars generally in India?

Nice review there ajmat, your intuitions and eye for detail seems to have made your 'risk' pay off with the choice of the nice little 1.6 L Polo.

*A "whois" on "muddled one" didn't get results , but I guess most of us know about that character, it has a very keen eye for details especially when it comes to cars and is always spot on with the assessment!

Thanks NPV, the Polo/Vento have been localised and there seems to be a healthy OEM import system. All parts so far have come in within a day.

I dare not sully the reputation of the "muddled one"

Originally Posted by keroo1099

Congrats on a great steal for the better half, and hoping it serves you as well as your old Swift. Is this the same engine that came in the Fabia 1.6P?

Yes it it, underneath, the Fabia and the Polo are the same, they were both built on the same production line in Pune until Skoda bailed on the Fabia. The 1st Gen Rapid used a Vento body shell( we all know that!) with the Fabia bonnet and wings, need I say more!

Originally Posted by Epic

Congratulation Ajmat on a fantastic purchase!!

Being an owner of a 2012 Polo 1.6 myself, I can tell you that it is a very unique car to own. It will be 08 years for mine in Feb 2020 but I haven't yet found a car to replace this beauty. It is simple and to the point. No gadgetry and stuff! But it drives like a dream. It is as if VW made this car purely for the enthusiasts.

I hope you enjoy this car like I do and I am pretty sure you would not be able to replace this car for a very long time.

Thanks, yep, its a keeper! I must confess that I did look at your review which help decide to go in for the kill. When I first drove it, I was having second thoughts initially.

Originally Posted by boniver

Congratulations Ajmat! The Polo is one car that doesn't look dated even a decade after its launch

I am a strong believer in buying and restoring rare cars. Not only have you saved this one car, but by documenting all your future experiences on this thread you'll also be of help to many others who would have otherwise not known what to do/where to look for help. Thank you for that too.

Thanks, I also learnt a lot in the process, the paperwork was the biggest risk, main issue was removing the grime and letting the car loosen up a bit.

Originally Posted by jetsetgo08

Congrats on the purchase.

Pardon me for the noob question. How good is the Polo 1.6 over the Vento petrol w.r.t performance? The Vento/Rapid petrol is definitely not an uncommon find in the used market.

Thanks

The Polo is about 120kg lighter than a Vento, that makes it pretty sprightly, call it a minimum of 10% improvement, the shorter wheelbase and length, make it pretty nifty in town comparatively.