[abhi_k007]

my friend has recently brought a VW polo comfortline variant (petrol) and i managed to get my hands on this German car yesterday for a long test drive on the greater noida expressway.

here are some of my experiences:

• Front: one look at the front of the car and you get a real fresh feeling, the crystal clear headlamps which blends sharply into the front grill gives you a fresh and stylish looks and lower part of bumper has also been setup nicely it looks great from the front, headlamps stands apart completely.

• Rear and side looks: The car looks great from side as well but has a lower stance when we compare it to other Small cars from maruti and Hyundai, crome lining would have definitely enhanced the looks,
  Rear of the car is also smartly done the rear lamps looks beautiful with a VW logo between them which acts like a boot lid opener.

Comfort and Space inside:

• Since we all were waiting for this ride so i was accompanied with 3 of my friends, i was the happiest one after having the chance to grab the wheel, the moment you open the door of this small car there is a sense of being greeted by something special, i being a 6 footer felt that the ingress and egress is not that easy as i am used to driving a santro which is definitely higher in stance then the polo.
• Front seat are comfortable and offer a decent support to the driver and the co-pilot, although i felt that the headrests are not very supportive if you happen to be a tall guy.
• rear seats are possibly the pain area of all the small cars and this one is no exception, the rear space is just about OK, one of my friend who is a big man mind you, found it really difficult to sit behind me, there is no leg room at the rear and if you are a tall guy that is not the place where you would want to sit for too long, i think it is designed keeping in mind that the average height in India is around 5.8 or thereabouts, if u are of that height then you will not find any problems with the rear seats, the seat are wide and are comfortable though.

Ride and handling:

• The engine starts with a very decent purrrr...so very German, although i could feel the engine noise inside the cabin but it was not audible when the car gets moving, the gear Knob is something which we have not seen in the small cars, it is a round shaped stick like appearance which looks fresh and is very small in height, but good to hold with a very small play there were no false gears experienced and i managed to get the correct gears all the times.

• initially i was a little circumspect to take it above 80 but when we reached the expressway, there was almost no traffic and i couldn't resist the feel to take her above the triple figure to see how sh fairs, i have to admit that she moved from 80-100 very quickly i wanted to push her above 100 and managed to take her till 140, she was very stable at that speed thanks to the lower stance given by WV, but once you take her to 130-140 she seems to be running out of breath due to the small heart that she has but i must say a small car reaching 140 and offering you great stability and control on the road is a great combination, she was very stable and held the road i feel the car is having great on road manners when you are zipping it fast.
• finally we were off road and headed to the service lane where we were greeted by some heavy traffic most of which were trucks and tractors, i had to make lot of gear changes and did not feel the lack of power in the lower gears at all, step on the gas and she does overtakes beautifully, i just loved the horn of the car it is so very big car like feels like the ones we have on Skoda's.
• we had some very bad stretch of road thanks to all rains and govt , it managed to go over the bumps easily showing that she has been blessed with some very good suspension, VW has certainly done their homework before coming to India.

summary:

1. the car looks great from all angles.
2. The build quality of the car is superb.
3. the interiors looks nice but could have been better.
4. the quality of plastic used inside is better then we have seen in small cars which are already on Indian roads.
5. The Space inside could have been better but just about OK.
6, The Ride quality is great, with good handling and comfort.
7. The indicators and wipers control are offered in opposite directions when compared to our Indian cars.
8. One very strange thing which i noticed was if you car's engine goes off when u are pulling her from first gear you just cant start her straight away u have to turn the key first to the off position and then have to turn it all the way to start again, not sure it would be helpful in any sense.
9. The steering is good to hold and turns very easily in the right direction it has a very feather lite feeling to it but offers great control.
10. the Boot of the Car offers decent space,
11. i just love the Horn.
12. the car really gives you a premium feel.

verdict : if you are looking for a small car which looks great have a fresh feel to it, offers good handling and shows great on road manners, have a great engine and a premium feel to it then this is the car for you.

[RROD]

Can you please provide an update on the mileage ?