[kiran_v]

Congrats alex. The car looks amazing.

Wish you many happy mile crunching on this beauty, as you did with your WagonR.

[alexkrish]

Thanks Chetan and Kiran_v, I was just a little inactive as i was out of station officially.

I have already clocked 5K kms within 2 months of ownership.. I drove my polo to my hearts content

Am lovin' it...

[rajeshsundaram]

Here's my take on Alex's Polo.

When I reached Dr.Agarwal's clinic on Velachery - Taramani Road, Alex's car was parked close. Called him and he came out with the key and asked me to go for a drive.

Clicked the remote and the doors unlocked. Hopped in and instantly i could feel the difference. The overall quality and finish is very Good. The chrome inserts on the dash adds a nice premium feel. The view is airy and the seating position is absolutely good. Pushed the seat a few inches back and still my knees were touching the steering adjustment lock. I am 5'10" and it was little uncomfortable.

Turned on the ignition and the engine came to life. Whoa! it sounded like a diesel. Very similar to Petrol Fabia. Since I already knew this fact, I ignored it and slotted the gear. The clutch travel was bit long and the car moved gently ahead. Took a U-Turn near the Sony Center showroom. The torque was amazing and the engine performed silkily. Just ignoring the diesel like sound, the engine pulled this beauty very effectively.

The Apollo Acceleres handled the potholes and bumps effectively and the ride was almost-bump-less, save some tyre noise. The suspension was good enough and the body did not dance (I am comparing my Alto here ). The NVH levels are good and I did not hear any distractions. Moved on the bumpy road till the Velachery Bus Stand signal. Fell in love with the steering. It was light and lovely. Contrary to Fabia's bit-heavy felt steering, Polo's steering was very good and easy to maneuver.

Decided to test the torque and slotted the gear to 2nd and waited for the Green signal. Signal came alive.. and I released the clutch. Without any hiccup the car moved on. Pretty much like the Petrol fabia owned by my colleague. I was grinning. (Well try this on a petrol Alto with AC on, you will get to know the difference)

Crossed the McDonalds and climbed the Velachery Railway Station bridge. Apart from the thadak-thadak thumps because of the irregular concrete road, the car was moving spiritedly. The torque helped Polo to climb the steep without changing the gears. The signal was on in the Adambakkam junction. So I pressed the gas and Polo vroomed ahead easily. Crossed a couple of hatches in a zig-zag fashion and whoa.. the car did not roll and was running rock-steady. The speedo showed a 90+ mark and I was already nearing the Kamatchi Hospital fly-over.

Polo climbed the fly-over effortlessly and interestingly the needle did not climb down. Now thats a diagonal opposite in my Alto. When climbing down I maintained the steady 90kmph and applied the brakes when nearing the U turn gap in the median. The brakes were spot on! The car came to a 15-20 kmph controlled roll and the light steering helped me to make a U turn without applying brakes! (Okay I am comparing with my Alto again). Only a few cars get admiring looks at such times. Polo is one such car. Instead of cold stares from the two-wheelers, Alex's Polo received all admiring looks. Such a lovely European style.. and people instantly admire it.

The return drive was pretty much refined and great. Never felt any lag or issues. All the time the AC was on and the cooling effect was good. Looks like it can handle Chennai's hot and humid weather.

Parked the car alongside the platform and returned the keys to Alex. I stepped out of the car with all smiles. I should say the Polo impressed me equally like the Fabia HTP which I drove earlier. Appealing looks and great interiors combined with torquey petrol engine makes this Polo a instant love.

Pros :
1. Light steering
2. Torquey petrol engine
3. easy-to-drive in city
4. Good interiors
5. Comfortable seats in the front
6. Absorbent ride, eats up all those bad roads
7. Gets admired every where.

Cons:
1. Diesel like engine sound
2. Wish the horn pad extends a bit more. Takes time to getting used to.
3. Rear Ingress and Egress is bit cramped.
4. Average seat space in the rear.
5. The steering tilt lever touches my knee.
6. Read window is too narrow, and the rear-view mirror is small too. I wish Polo has a rear camera.


A few pics :

[Reinhard]

Hmm thats a strange place for that steering lever. Well all European cars that we have on our roads today have it on the left of the steering at similar places, but this one is a bit odd. Its bound to touch the knee of an average Indian height person. What surprises is its a VW, a German DNA car, where people aren't even as short as we are on an average. Nice fit and finish btw, and the car looks AMAZING! The black grille adds a class to that already classy silver! Happy Poloing.. Do keep updates coming.

[Utopian]

Too late to say, yet many congratulations for the VW, Alex. Interiors are certainly top-notch. The Blower speed knob snap certainly validates that.

[alexkrish]

Thanks Utopian and Reinhard. Special Thanks to Rajesh for the mini-review. I was again inactive for some time due to my work pressure and travel. I really didnt expect Rajesh to write a review on my Polo when I asked him to take a test drive.

Update : I clocked 12K kms on my Polo this week. The car still feels solid and smooth except that the noise level inside the cabin seems to be more.
No rattling noise and around 10K Kms, i topped up the engine oil as I was planning for a road trip to Chennai.

When I took the vehicle for a 'long-trip' checkup to the service center at 10K Kms, one of the mechanic test drove it and certified that it does not require any service and just a engine oil top up would be enough. He rode the car on different surfaces to test the suspensions.

Am eagerly awaiting my first service due at 15k Kms..

Will keep you guys posted.

[Pancham]

Sorry if I got you wrong, but wasn't your car up for sale in the Team-Bhp classifieds? http://classifieds.team-bhp.com/buy-...gen/Polo.html/

[alexkrish]

You got it right Pancham. I had put it for sale some months ago, as i was about to travel abroad. But my travel got postponed. Its still up for sale, but i would have to revise the pricing again.

Thanks,
Alex.

[Pancham]

Oh!! That is pretty sad since you have to let go of the vehicle. Its a very nice car. I think you will find many takers for this car considering the waiting period of POLO.

[alexkrish]

Thats true Pancham. I bought this vehicle after waiting for nearly 3 months.
I knew i have to part with this car sooner than expected... Thats the reason I drove this car to my hearts content! Hyd->Chennai twice, Hyd->Cochin->Chennai->Hyd once. In 6 months, i clocked 12k Kms.