[Driver2000]

Hi all,

I got my Black Polo Highline delivered last Friday, on 20th August. Am falling in love with this car as I drive it around! Before I go off about the car, let me do a little justice to the winding path as well.

My search has been as contorted as it gets! I recently sold off my old Zen, a 2000 model. And was on the lookout for another car. My other car is a Scorpio - which I absolutely love for its sheer presence, driveability and family carrying abilities. Which is also why my wife drives it more than me (do I hear sighs of sympathies?) – and hence I needed a second car rather urgently!

Stage 1 (early June):
So my requirements were that of a Premium hatch. I did my round of driving all hatches - liked Punto, Polo and i20. Punto got ruled out because of power and Tata service. i20 wasnt as much fun to drive in the city. Polo, even though it was a little vocal, looked like a great deal. So decided on Polo (waiting period 2 months). Family deliberations in progress.

Stage 2 (First twist in tale – car change, mid June): My wife has always liked a Corolla. We thought it might be worth checking out a 1-2 year old Corolla Altis. Lo and behold, Nandi UTrust second hand car showroom had a couple of used Altis', which were earlier used by Toyota for visiting dignitaries. Negotiated etc, got a price of 10.6 lakhs for a 2009 registered car, with 9000km on the odo. So we were ready to take it, through a corporate lease program. Paid an initial deposit of 25K to block the car, while we sorted out the lease.

Stage 3 (Second twist in tale - car change again, mid June): The corporate lease program, did not allow for a second hand car where it couldnt issue a check to the original owner! So this deal fell through. Interestingly, I had to forfeit 4.5K of my initial deposit - since an auto driver put a scratch on the front bumper while we were test driving the vehicle. The dealership agreed that it wasnt our fault, yet wanted us to pay 50% of the 9K it claimed was required to repair the bumper scratch. A bit of a sour taste in the mouth (second hand car seekers, be warned of scratching dealer vehicles while TDing them!) So back to Polo then, and of course, it had to be the fiery red!

Stage 4 (car finalized, colour changed, 3rd week June):Talked with Girish, the corporate SP at VW Downtown. He promised a car within 5-6 weeks of booking, since it was a corporate booking. However, he said the colour had to be a Silver as he was expecting a few more of them in near future. So we completed the formalities, and expected delivery around mid August. Briefly toyed with 1.6 variant, but was supposed to start only around early mid September, so couldn’t wait that long (I was getting tired of Bangalore autos – anyone wonder why?)

Stage 5 (mid August, colour change again!): Girish called up saying Silver was being tough to ‘adjust’, there was a black Highline if I was interested. Saw that Chethan, Subaro and a couple of others had Blacks, so was ok with it. Saw the car, and man-oh-man – it certainly looks impressive. It is not as photogenic as the red, but certainly in a league of its own. Am uploading some pics - let me know what you think. My OTR worked out to around 6.85 lakhs as opposed to 7.05 lakhs – 10 K corporate discount, 10 K insurance discount since the company did its own insurance outside the dealership.

Stage 6 (Black Highline comes home): The black beauty came home on 20th August, the auspicious day. Since this was the day when VW downtown made about 20 deliveries, we had to compromise on getting no. plates, accessories etc. fitted at a later date. Went back couple of days later to get these fitted. Still awaiting the floor mats (they’re out of stock at the dealership) – till then, using the multi coloured bathroom mats in the car and creating a new fashion fad!

Stage 7 (Falling in love…): There has been a lot written about pros and cons in other threads. The car is a tad underpowered, in the second gear. However, there is no issue if you can maintain the rpm at around 2000. Am loving the looks that people give the car, and the respect the horn gets on Bangalore roads. I am used to the Scorpio muscling its way through unruly traffic – the Polo seems to be doing that. Love the wide 15’ allows on the superior tyres – I am able to easily take bumps a tad faster and overtake some other cars on the way. Am looking to get my car fitted with molded seat covers this weekend, and maybe a better music system in the near future. Beyond it, the highline is well loaded with ABS, air bags, alloys, fat tires, music system, fog lights, electronic folding key… and lots of fun!

Next stage (could be of interest to other Polo owners): I am clocking a shade over 16 kmpl of FE (from the MID) from my home to office (HAL airport to Electronics City), a ride of 22 kms. Will wait to confirm this from the empty tank. However, the point I want to make: the best FE in any gear is around 2000 rpm. That’s a very easy target to maintain in the city driving, in the upper gears. Am planning to see how I can stretch this further, and will keep posting developments on this front.

[extreme_torque]

Congrats and am I am very glad to see a brand new car without those ugly showroom installed mud flaps!

[Driver2000]

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Congrats and am I am very glad to see a brand new car without those ugly showroom installed mud flaps!

Thanks, mate. Although, having driven it in the slush and the weird marks on the gleaming black - I did get the mud flaps installed on my second visit. But I agree that the car looks better without them! Maybe, once the rains are over, the flaps might disappear?

[rejoycjohn]

@ Driver 2000 , cheers mate , awesome the car looks . In between , I think I saw your car yesterday or day before near the EGL business park .
Well there can be many Black polos , but just thought it might be yours as you said you travel from HAL airport to E City .

Originally Posted by extreme_torque

Congrats and am I am very glad to see a brand new car without those ugly showroom installed mud flaps!

Exactly , extreme_torque , I was wondering what is the change which made it look so good . First I thought it would be the angles from which the photos are taken , or may be the background .
Infact we have couple of polo highlines in the forum though all with the mudflaps . Trust me removing them from the vehicle had made it a killer .
Extreme_torque , you have an eye for details .

[theragingbull]

Congrats on the Polo!! But you ahven't mentioned anywhere whether it's a 1.2 petrol or TDI?

[Vik0728]

Awesome Acquisition Driver2000 and everything about this post is close to "Perfect"!!!

Gorgeous Hatch, Arguably THE BEST colour and my 200th Post!! LOL

Congrats buddy and drive safe.

[Driver2000]

Originally Posted by rejoycjohn

@ Driver 2000 , cheers mate , awesome the car looks . In between , I think I saw your car yesterday or day before near the EGL business park .
Well there can be many Black polos , but just thought it might be yours as you said you travel from HAL airport to E City .

I do indeed take that road, rejoycjohn It is indeed thrilling to spot another Team-Bhpian. One of the advantages of being on this site!

Exactly , extreme_torque , I was wondering what is the change which made it look so good . First I thought it would be the angles from which the photos are taken , or may be the background .
Infact we have couple of polo highlines in the forum though all with the mudflaps . Trust me removing them from the vehicle had made it a killer .
Extreme_torque , you have an eye for details .

During the rains, I think the flaps do a service by containing the spray at the rear - to other cars and bikes on the road. However, once the rains are over - have made a note to get them taken out!

Originally Posted by theragingbull

Congrats on the Polo!! But you ahven't mentioned anywhere whether it's a 1.2 petrol or TDI?

Ragingbull, it is indeed a 1.2 Petrol. Apologies for missing that out - just when I was thinking I did justice to this post.

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Awesome Acquisition Driver2000 and everything about this post is close to "Perfect"!!!

Gorgeous Hatch, Arguably THE BEST colour and my 200th Post!! LOL

Congrats buddy and drive safe.

Thanks so much, Vik for encouraging the post and the colour!!

May you continue to be a prolific poster and reach the 1000 mark soon

[Veels n Rhodes]

Many Congratulations Driver2000. The POLO is an awesome car and it definitely looked impressive in black. Please post your initial driving experiences. If you have your old car, compare your driving experience and adjustment (if present) with that of Polo.

[anekho]

Congrats buddy! Nice write up - and fantastic looking polo! I was dead against black on the Polo, but the more I see your's and Chetan's, I think black has got to be one of the best colours!

If you're going in for the t-bhp stickers, I'd recommend putting the black 'Got BHP?' one on your ride - it would look great

Will you be going in for some black sun film?

Congrats again and please post more pics!

[blackasta]

Looks wicked man!
Enjoy your Duetsch machine.
Drive Safe.
also - could you please post some interior pictures please (after you have put in the floor mats etc).

BTW whats wrong with prices in Bangalore - This guy paid 6.96 for a 1.6 highline in Kolkata!
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2037713,
while your quoted price before discounts on an 1.2 highline is 7.05!

[adimicra]

Congrats buddy!
The Polo looks best in Black (along with white).
The thing I like about Polo is the quality - interior/exterior/everywhere and very good ride and stability!

Wishing you many happy miles in the car.
It seems like raining Polo's on T-BHP. If TBHP is any indication, then VW does have a huge winner in their hands.

[sagarpadaki]

Congrats on your hot hatch polo.Black indeed looks stunning.Also the "Volkswagen" at the rear is a eye turner for sure!How does the 1.2 petrol fare on the highways?Is the power adequate?

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by adimicra

Congrats buddy!

It seems like raining Polo's on T-BHP. If TBHP is any indication, then VW does have a huge winner in their hands.

For once it seems people's choice and tbhpians choice are matching!

[Chethan B G]

Congratulations Driver2000!

16 avg in City for 1.2L Petrol car is great. You can probably expect 10% variation WRT MFD and actual FE. Even then, a worst case of 14.4 Kmpl in city is fantastic!

Wish you all the best with the car. My friend will be getting 1.6 Petrol by next month end - White color! Will post Black & White pictures of Polo, on my thread after that!

[Driver2000]

Originally Posted by Veels n Rhodes

Many Congratulations Driver2000. The POLO is an awesome car and it definitely looked impressive in black. Please post your initial driving experiences. If you have your old car, compare your driving experience and adjustment (if present) with that of Polo.

I earlier had a Zen, and currently have a Scorpio. Cant compare the Scorpio and Polo as they are in totally different segments. I can compare the Polo to a petrol i20 (friend's that I have driven for some time) and the good old Zen. This is my view on drivability (features etc have been compared many times elsewhere on this forum): the i20 is super smooth, almost glides. Its also large - so one has to be careful when taking the tight spaces. The Polo I feel is sportier - gives you slightly better visibility, more road grip and more driving pleasure. This is of course subjective, so would request i20 owners not to pounce on me for this!

The good old Zen of course - zippy warhorse. Sure footed driving, can take all the abuse... but no seat adjustments etc (none required either!) Was sad to let it go earlier.

Originally Posted by anekho

Congrats buddy! Nice write up - and fantastic looking polo! I was dead against black on the Polo, but the more I see your's and Chetan's, I think black has got to be one of the best colours!

If you're going in for the t-bhp stickers, I'd recommend putting the black 'Got BHP?' one on your ride - it would look great

Will you be going in for some black sun film?

Congrats again and please post more pics!

I got a very light (20%) sun film done - primarily because I had already paid for it through my company lease when I had originally booked the Silver colour. Will post more pics over the weekend.

Was thinking of the BHP sticker - will keep your suggestion in mind!

Originally Posted by blackasta

Looks wicked man!
Enjoy your Duetsch machine.
Drive Safe.
also - could you please post some interior pictures please (after you have put in the floor mats etc).

BTW whats wrong with prices in Bangalore - This guy paid 6.96 for a 1.6 highline in Kolkata!
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ml#post2037713,
while your quoted price before discounts on an 1.2 highline is 7.05!

Thanks Blackasta, the car indeed has a presence! On road prices are absolutely horrid in Bangalore, with killer road taxes

Originally Posted by adimicra

Congrats buddy!
The Polo looks best in Black (along with white).
The thing I like about Polo is the quality - interior/exterior/everywhere and very good ride and stability!

Wishing you many happy miles in the car.
It seems like raining Polo's on T-BHP. If TBHP is any indication, then VW does have a huge winner in their hands.

Thanks adimicra, have been reading your car experiences for quite some time. I agree, the Polo inspires confidence. I gave up the endless comparisons on buttons and features after my initial rounds, and just went for the Polo because it feels like a great drive. As they say - a television is meant for showing good pictures and sound, doesnt really matter whether it can also chill water or not!

@ Everyone, I will be posting some interesting notes on the FE tomorrow. Watch this space!