VW Polo 1.2 Petrol: Brief Test Drive

sushantr5 · 8th February 2010, 16:19

Note from Mod : Team-BHP's VW Polo Testdrive report has been uploaded at this linky. Please continue the discussion over on that thread.

This thread = closed.

I happened to be lucky yesterday by experiencing VW Polo first time. It was mere coincidence that I got to drive VW Polo. Yesterday I missed Pune TeamBHP meet due to some reason but this gave me an opportunity to drive the Polo. Without wasting your time here is my experience.

The Polo I test drove was company test vehicle having 1.2 ltr 3 pot Petrol heart. As you get closer to this car you get to see it's feature lines. You will notice its headlights, they define the characteristic of Polo. From front, you will missjudge it as a sedan. It looks amazing from front. It is big. Rear is not that much pleasing but will do work. ORVMs are having different than usual contour lines but looks amazing on this car. Placing of Antenna is on rear side which also looks good. By looks it easily fits into family car segment.

Rear hatch opener really says that it is VW car. For opening hatch you have to press VW logo on the hatch and it feels like it is VW. When you open a hatch you will be surprised by boot space. It is so huge that families do not need to worry about it.

Time to be in drivers seat. Seating is very comfortable, thigh support is right on place. Now greatest moment, firing the engine. As soon as it starts, oh man engine sound and exhaust note is very very pleasing. You will love the sound at higher rpms and that forces you to push it more hard. Somewhat different gear arrangement. Reverse gear is near first gear. To slot reverse gear you need to Push down gear lever and slot it as first gear. Feels different first time but I think it is more convinient. Gear ratios are nice except second gear, it is more on higher side and it breaks rhythm of racing heart. I think it is designed for city driving. The track where I tested was in very very bad condition. Car's suspension did wonders there. Very very comfortable ride. Tried to push this car hard at corners, passed this test with smile. Felt like handling is better than any other car but not a Punto beater. I am sharing first thoughts which came into my mind because I hardly drove Polo for three kilometers.

Time to get into rear. Amazing space at rear. Three will be no problem. Spot on firm thigh support. Second in class Leg room, none can beat Indica Vista. Rear is very much comfortable with very good suspension. The car was Base varient having very pleasant interiors in this version also.
1) Dual tone interiors
2) Front power windows
3) Central Locking
4) Huge map pockets.
5) Very good plastic quality.

Though it was base version it was having a very good Feel inside. Pricing to be declared on 23rd February. Rumors are Base petrol variant will come for Rs.4.3 Lakhs exshowroom. At this price I can easily say it is total VFM car. Polo is going to kill the competation. VW is having winner in their hands.

The sad part of this Test Drive

I was not having camera with me. My phone cam is very outdated and clicks milky images. But no problem I think, we have lot of pictures floating around in web.

WindRide · 8th February 2010, 16:27

What would interest most of us here would be the quality of the 3 cyl 1.2. How was the low speed drivability? Also, a little more info on how you managed to bag this test drive will be interesting.

sushantr5 · 8th February 2010, 16:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by WindRide

What would interest most of us here would be the quality of the 3 cyl 1.2. How was the low speed drivability? Also, a little more info on how you managed to bag this test drive will be interesting.

We were four in the car and I felt that car pulls decently. You will love grunt of engine while accelerating. I never felt that 3 pot heart is the problem. I could not take car at higher speeds because road was very bad and the test ride was unauthorized. I am sorry, I can't really comment on how I got to test drive this car.

quadmaniac · 8th February 2010, 16:45

Congrats sushantr5 on bagging a TD of the much awaited Polo. Man, first the Beat, then the Figo, and the Polo - 2010 is THE year for hatchback buyers in India!

MileCruncher · 8th February 2010, 16:53

Any pictures of the test mule that you drove?

Would be interesting to see the pricing of this one

Daewood · 8th February 2010, 17:02

Congrats for being the first person on T-Bhp to drive the Indian Polo.

What was the colour of the car?
Asking because it was mentioned that the base version comes in only 2 colours.

mail.jaiswal · 8th February 2010, 17:04

wow. Lucky you Sushant.

Was this polo the one which we first saw in the spy pics or is it more like the european model look which is being discussed?

do provide a more detailed writeup of your expereince if you can.

rajivn · 8th February 2010, 17:17

Wow. Thanks for putting your quick initial observations here. I can predict/guess few things from your report.
- I guess 3pot 1.2L is not going to be that much of a deal breaker for people wanting a petrol hatchback.
- I guess rear seating will be on par with Figo or slightly better than Figo.
- Good to know that ride was plush. I guess it should be as good as Puntos and Figos or slightly better.
- On looks and quality of interiors, Polo might score over others.
-- I am keen on 1.2 Tdi, will it be a match for Figos 1.4 TDCI ?

HammerHead · 8th February 2010, 17:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushantr5

1) Dual tone interiors

Thanks for the initial report.
Dual tone = Black+Grey or Black+Beige?
Also hows the space at rear? Comparable to say Punto or better then Punto?

anekho · 8th February 2010, 17:28

Nice review.

From the looks of it you were impressed with the engine - how was it in terms of NVH and initial pick-up?

I definitely like the car a lot though

sushantr5 · 8th February 2010, 17:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by HammerHead

Thanks for the initial report.
Dual tone = Black+Grey or Black+Beige?
Also hows the space at rear? Comparable to say Punto or better then Punto?

Base version has Black and Beige color combination. Rear space and legroom is better than Punto. I already said it is second to Indica Vista. It has more than sufficient leg room.

Boot is huge almost comparable to Punto. And one more thing I forgot to mention. The tools, Jack all these things are very very neatly arranged, no more unmanageable pouches. Everything is kept neatly in Foam Boxes.

Quote:

Originally Posted by anekho

Nice review.

From the looks of it you were impressed with the engine - how was it in terms of NVH and initial pick-up?

I definitely like the car a lot though

Engine sound comes into cabin and I think that is by design. It is most beautiful feature in the car. You will love the sound. From outside first I felt that it is diesel car but I was wrong. Petrol was louder with amazing engine sound. You will love to floor the pedal for this sound. Exhaust note is simple beautiful.

I could not experience road noise as the road was bad and drive was short.

No sign of vibration at all. Car was very smooth.

toxicator · 8th February 2010, 17:45

Congrats for the TD and nice description. How is the seating position ? I mean do you sit low in the car or is it upstraight enter in the car at least as driver ? and how is rear seat resting angle ? in most of hatches it is a problem.

Soccerfan · 8th February 2010, 17:50

Nice review. Polo seems to be one worth waiting

Mpower · 8th February 2010, 18:39

What was the trim level of the car. Comfortline or Highline?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushantr5

Time to be in drivers seat. Seating is very comfortable, thigh support is right on place. Now greatest moment, firing the engine. As soon as it starts, oh man engine sound and exhaust note is very very pleasing. You will love the sound at higher rpms and that forces you to push it more hard.

Let me get this right, you loved the sound of a 3 cyl engine at high rpms??

recshenoy · 8th February 2010, 18:47

Quote:

Engine sound comes into cabin and I think that is by design. It is most beautiful feature in the car. You will love the sound. From outside first I felt that it is diesel car but I was wrong.

generally people test drive modern day diesel and say "i thought its a petrol car" but this is other way around

Quote:

Petrol was louder with amazing engine sound. You will love to floor the pedal for this sound. Exhaust note is simple beautiful.

is it like how Fabia petrol sounds? Engine note may be sweet but for a family car, high engine sound isn’t good IMO. Engine sound is irritating unless you are an enthusiast! Again for enthusiast 1.2L 3 pot engine would be underpowered.

Only if VW comes with an aggressive pricing, this will be a HIT!

Have you driven Kappa or K-series engines with 1.2L? How is this engine compared to Kappa and K-series!

Quote:

I could not experience road noise as the road was bad and drive was short.

No sign of vibration at all. Car was very smooth.

how many kilometer the test car had run! How were the brakes!

GTO,

where are you? we are waiting for detailed report

8th February 2010, 16:19	#1
sushantr5 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Nuremberg Posts: 670 Thanked: 582 Times View My Garage	VW Polo 1.2 Petrol: Brief Test Drive Note from Mod : Team-BHP's VW Polo Testdrive report has been uploaded at this linky. Please continue the discussion over on that thread. This thread = closed. I happened to be lucky yesterday by experiencing VW Polo first time. It was mere coincidence that I got to drive VW Polo. Yesterday I missed Pune TeamBHP meet due to some reason but this gave me an opportunity to drive the Polo. Without wasting your time here is my experience. The Polo I test drove was company test vehicle having 1.2 ltr 3 pot Petrol heart. As you get closer to this car you get to see it's feature lines. You will notice its headlights, they define the characteristic of Polo. From front, you will missjudge it as a sedan. It looks amazing from front. It is big. Rear is not that much pleasing but will do work. ORVMs are having different than usual contour lines but looks amazing on this car. Placing of Antenna is on rear side which also looks good. By looks it easily fits into family car segment. Rear hatch opener really says that it is VW car. For opening hatch you have to press VW logo on the hatch and it feels like it is VW. When you open a hatch you will be surprised by boot space. It is so huge that families do not need to worry about it. Time to be in drivers seat. Seating is very comfortable, thigh support is right on place. Now greatest moment, firing the engine. As soon as it starts, oh man engine sound and exhaust note is very very pleasing. You will love the sound at higher rpms and that forces you to push it more hard. Somewhat different gear arrangement. Reverse gear is near first gear. To slot reverse gear you need to Push down gear lever and slot it as first gear. Feels different first time but I think it is more convinient. Gear ratios are nice except second gear, it is more on higher side and it breaks rhythm of racing heart. I think it is designed for city driving. The track where I tested was in very very bad condition. Car's suspension did wonders there. Very very comfortable ride. Tried to push this car hard at corners, passed this test with smile. Felt like handling is better than any other car but not a Punto beater. I am sharing first thoughts which came into my mind because I hardly drove Polo for three kilometers. Time to get into rear. Amazing space at rear. Three will be no problem. Spot on firm thigh support. Second in class Leg room, none can beat Indica Vista. Rear is very much comfortable with very good suspension. The car was Base varient having very pleasant interiors in this version also. 1) Dual tone interiors 2) Front power windows 3) Central Locking 4) Huge map pockets. 5) Very good plastic quality. Though it was base version it was having a very good Feel inside. Pricing to be declared on 23rd February. Rumors are Base petrol variant will come for Rs.4.3 Lakhs exshowroom. At this price I can easily say it is total VFM car. Polo is going to kill the competation. VW is having winner in their hands. The sad part of this Test Drive I was not having camera with me. My phone cam is very outdated and clicks milky images. But no problem I think, we have lot of pictures floating around in web. Last edited by GTO : 27th February 2010 at 00:58. Reason: Adding thread closure note
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 16:27	#2
WindRide BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 682 Thanked: 479 Times	What would interest most of us here would be the quality of the 3 cyl 1.2. How was the low speed drivability? Also, a little more info on how you managed to bag this test drive will be interesting.
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 16:45	#4
quadmaniac BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 430 Thanked: 119 Times	Congrats sushantr5 on bagging a TD of the much awaited Polo. Man, first the Beat, then the Figo, and the Polo - 2010 is THE year for hatchback buyers in India!
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 16:53	#5
MileCruncher Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: MH01 Posts: 4,235 Thanked: 592 Times View My Garage	Any pictures of the test mule that you drove? Would be interesting to see the pricing of this one
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 17:02	#6
Daewood BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 940 Thanked: 234 Times	Congrats for being the first person on T-Bhp to drive the Indian Polo. What was the colour of the car? Asking because it was mentioned that the base version comes in only 2 colours.
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 17:04	#7
mail.jaiswal BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 82 Thanked: 50 Times	wow. Lucky you Sushant. Was this polo the one which we first saw in the spy pics or is it more like the european model look which is being discussed? do provide a more detailed writeup of your expereince if you can.
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 17:17	#8
rajivn BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 332 Thanked: 33 Times	Wow. Thanks for putting your quick initial observations here. I can predict/guess few things from your report. - I guess 3pot 1.2L is not going to be that much of a deal breaker for people wanting a petrol hatchback. - I guess rear seating will be on par with Figo or slightly better than Figo. - Good to know that ride was plush. I guess it should be as good as Puntos and Figos or slightly better. - On looks and quality of interiors, Polo might score over others. -- I am keen on 1.2 Tdi, will it be a match for Figos 1.4 TDCI ? Last edited by rajivn : 8th February 2010 at 17:32.
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 17:28	#10
anekho Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: . Posts: 1,995 Thanked: 684 Times	Nice review. From the looks of it you were impressed with the engine - how was it in terms of NVH and initial pick-up? I definitely like the car a lot though
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 17:45	#12
toxicator Newbie Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Pune Posts: 3 Thanked: 0 Times	Congrats for the TD and nice description. How is the seating position ? I mean do you sit low in the car or is it upstraight enter in the car at least as driver ? and how is rear seat resting angle ? in most of hatches it is a problem.
	() Thanks

8th February 2010, 17:50	#13
Soccerfan BHPian Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Kochi Posts: 591 Thanked: 59 Times	Nice review. Polo seems to be one worth waiting
	() Thanks