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-   -   Polo 1.6 Red - from the dealer visit to home in 7 days! (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/88758-polo-1-6-red-dealer-visit-home-7-days.html)

Having had a BMW 325i and a VW Jetta (wife) in the US, we have been big fans of German cars. They are solidly engineered, hug the road and great fun to drive.

However, once back in India, I have owned a 1998 Zen (bought in 2003), which was a great fun car and a 2004 Scorpio, which has been a very reliable vehicle (only major repairs have been change of AC compressor, everything else is wear and tear). Zen was sold off a few months after the Scorpio was bought, and I have not really thought of a second car to complement the Scorpio.

With the Scorpio turning 6 years old some time back, it started to show its age and a few niggles are cropping up here and there - nothing that cannot be fixed, but odd creaky noises keep cropping up here and there, none in the engine bay. Even before this, wife & I have been talking about adding one more car. It does not make sense to sell the Scorpio at this stage, it is great for driving vacations with the kids (2) & the parents. Also - what one selling price can expect as for a 6 year old Scorpio in Mumbai is maybe around 2.5 - 3 lacs, even that I am told is ambitious.

We have been looking the getting the BMW 320d for a while, and the corporate edition made it all the more tempting. However, I wanted to get it on a corporate lease through the company, but this is taking longer than expected for various reasons.

We have been testing various cars just for finding out what is going on. The punto was test driven when launched. We also saw test drove the Honda City back 6 months back, everything is good about the car but nothing compelling in it for me to buy it.

So the car decision was put on the back burner till I started reading about the Polo 1.6 petrol delivery reports on team-bhp. Especially:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ip-report.html

Now this seemed like a great small car to have as my primary office commute vehicle and even for weekend breaks with the kids. With that in mind, we said no point in getting a car with a boot (city, linea, vento, cedia, SX4 etc ruled out). Liked the power/torque numbers of the engine too. And while diesel cars a great (especially on torque), I wanted a good, fast, petrol car. Fuel efficiency numbers are not so much a concern as long as it can give 10+ km/l. Plus, having owned a VW car in the past (Jetta), we know what to expect.

Last Sunday (September 5), we just decided to go to the VW dealership to see if the Polo 1.6 was in the showroom (team-bhp had already educated me that this model was not available for test drives). We went to the dealer at about 4 pm. There was good amount of traffic of prospective customers. The Vento was in wraps (covered up) in the showroom that day. The sales person said that it was to be "unveiled" tomorrow.

We asked for details about the polo 1.6 and then a test drive. Got informed that the polo 1.6 was not available for a test drive, but we can test drive the 1.2. Also since the Vento was in wraps in the show room, Sales person said we can take a look at it in the service area. We thought why not have a look at the car (just to see it) since we are already at the dealership. When we were taking a look at the Vento, I saw a red polo 1.6 beside the Vento. I asked the sales person if that vehicle has been sold/allotted to anyone. He replied in the negative. Next question to him was straightforward: if it is not allotted/sold, then can it be allotted to us in case we were interested. I emphasized that I do not like to wait weeks/months for getting a car delivered. (All our new cars have been bought off the dealer lot - the BMW, the Jetta and even the Scorpio). He said he would have to check.

Anyways, we went for the test drive of the 1.2 petrol. This has been covered by GTO in his review very thoroughly, but here is what the highlights were for us:
* Solid build quality as expected
* The car is very sure of itself on the road, handles well
* It can eat potholes for breakfast, lunch and dinner
* The 1.2 litre was not unresponsive as such - so we expected that the 1.6 would be very good.
* A key safety part was the one where if your fingers are stuck in the window between the glass and the frame when the glass is rolling up, its reverses the direction. With 2 kids who are always up to some mischief, this was one feature that we liked immediately.
* Height adjustable seats

The key missing item for me was:
* Lack of USB/AUX support.

Also, felt that the view from internal rear view mirror was not quite up to the mark. But then, I am used to the large Scorpio rear view. On the other hand, the outside rear view mirrors are excellent. Also noticed that the under bonnet insulation was missing (which GTO mentioned in his review that is present for the petrol version too. However, some threads are confirming that this is present only for the Diesel.

All in all, we liked the Polo. We asked the sales person after the test drive whether we can get the 1.6 immediately. He said he would have to check. I called him back the next day (Monday at 5 pm). At 6 pm, he said that they can allot the car as they are having 2 cars coming to the dealership. I asked for the corporate discount, and this took some more time. I told him that I would like the car on Friday/Saturday (Sept 10/11) since it is the start of the Ganapati festival. Finally on Tuesday, we completed the paperwork and to save time (Friday/Saturday are holidays for the RTO), I paid the complete money via electronic transfer on Tuesday itself!

And a short wait of 3 more days, we picked up the car on Saturday, Sept 11from the dealership.

As expected, the 1.6 engine is great and will get better as it breaks in. We drove about 20 kms today on various types of roads. Love this car’s suspension. However, I kept mixing up the indicator stalk and the wiper stalk as they are reverse on the Scorpio. The AC works great! The gear shifts are excellent.

There is one quirk though:
* The front wiper starts when the engine is turned off and the front lights are on.
* I noticed today morning that when I unlocked the car, the left side parking lights come on.
* The rear wiper comes on randomly.

I will have to take it to the service center to get all the above checked out.

Whats next:
* This replaces the Scorpio as the office commute car
* Incidentally, I am going to Germany next week might even explore getting a few items from there (especially the front lights etc).

Pictures were taken by dad and my son, so will upload as soon as I get a chance. But it is a red Polo 1.6, and there are enough red Polo pics on Team-BHP already!

congrats on the car.

what is the difference between 1.2 and 1.6 polo ? is it just the engine OR there are some other changes too ?

Cosmetic ? interiors ? tech (like disc brakes etc) ?

Also, how much is the difference in the pricing ?

Congratulations on the car! Very lucky to get it in one weeks time. Which dealer was it in Bangalore?

While you are in Germany, please try to enquire about alternative Head units. :)

Thanks in advance!

Congrats h_man! You are very lucky indeed!

It is three months now and i am still waiting for my car to be alloted. :Frustrati

Please do draw a comparison between the 1.2 and 1.6 polos!

Congratulations, h_man! You are one lucky guy to have such a short wait!

The quirks you mention seem to be specific to your car. It does not happen in mine. Please have it checked ASAP.

When you unlock the car, both the left and right parking lights blink twice. Did you by any chance install some after-market accessories in your car?

Congrats,bangalore seems to the capital of 1.6 polos!
And you are lucky to get one so soon.

That parking light thing,strangely sadnabrina had mentioned the same thing about his car,only that he expected the parking light to turn but it did not!
This a feature which allows you to lock/unlock in dark unlit places.
Apparently it gets turned on by putting the indicator stalk in the right/left indicator positions while taking the keys out.

Thanks. Seems pure chance that I got the delivery so early.

The Polo 1.6 comes only in highline and is same as the 1.2 petrol highline in all respects except the engine and price. Price difference on road is around 40,000, i think (not sure about exact figure).

Two items on my list:
1. Head units
2. Front headlights - I like the European spec headlights.


No after market accessories added. Both sides parking lights blink properly when unlocking. Kinda surprised to see the erratic behavior on the electrical items. It may be that I must have fiddled around the stalks a bit too much! Anyways, let the service center folks see it. Will also do some additional testing when I get a chance.

PS: I am not in Bangalore. I am in Thane, Maharashtra. Just updated my profile as well. Have moved from Bangalore since registering to team-bhp.

You are right, the left parking lights came on when the car was locked, not unlocked. My post had a typo where I mentioned that they came on when unlocking, which is incorrect. The correct term for it is "follow me home" if I am not mistaken. But only the left side lights came on. Have to read the manual! :)

Whoa! A Polo 1.6 in just 7 days!! :Shockked: People have waited 3-4 months for the same! You're one lucky bloke! Congrats!

Regarding the rear wiper coming on randomly, check the position of the wiper stalk. You must have left it in that position which activates the rear wiper intermittently. Also, when you unlock/lock the car, the parking lights blink once/twice.

Since you're going to visit Germany, do find out about the blacked out eoro-style headlamps :)

One of the rare times that factory horses are cheaper than after-market ones. Effectively, you are getting 30 BHP (and an extra cylinder) for only 40,000! I'm going to be spending about 60,000 for an additional 20 BHP on my Civic (exhaust, intake & remap).

Congrats on the definitive hot hatch on our roads today. Drive safe!

P.S. Where are the customary pictures, might I ask?

Congratulations
You are very luckyclap:

eagerly waiting for the pictures

though not valid;just for curiosity, Seriously how do you feel the power and handling when compared to Scorpio?

Congrats on the Red Hot Hatch.

Getting the car in straight 7 days from VW is sure a first after the launch of the Polo. People still waiting in the queue ;)

Do enjoy many more happy miles with the 1.6 Polo.

Check if parked warning light feature is switched on in your vehicle. This is the option to leave on the parking lights (front & rear) when you are parking the car in a dark/tight street and want to warn traffic regarding your vehicle being stationary/parked. To save the battery the feature allows the parking lights on the traffic side to be parked (left or right & 2 bulbs vs 4). All you need to do is cancel the feature unless it is some other glitch. The procedure to cancel would be the same as in your US spec Jetta.

WOW, you got your 1.6 in 7 days !
h man, you gotta be a very happy man, congrats.

Congrats!!
Photos bhai, Where are the photos?? :D

Congratulations on your new ride and polo 1.6 is definitely a good choice. I am sure polo 1.6 is gaining more attention amongst car enthusiasts.