[vipinjoshi]

Greetings to all fellow TB members. My membership got approved today itself and being myself, i could not stop myself from penning this down. Till very recently i was driving the Swift 1.3, which is one of the best enthusiast car without any doubt, but as everyone would be aware of the build quality, i finally (with a heavy heart) sold it off.

That's where all hell broke loose! I like cars that are identical to the old 1.3 engine for the responsiveness and handling. With no fixed budget, the buying process was even more complicated than i thought it would be. We are 5 people in the family and only 3 drive. We already have an Accent, Ritz and had the 1.3 Swift. Since space, boot and FE wasn't my concern, I shortlisted (so to say) a few cars:

1. Maruti SX4 - Used to like it when it was launched, but somehow not convinced of the looks now. Looks bulbuous and dispropotionate and most of all not too different in the drive feel as compared to my old swift (maybe the power to weight ratio is the culprit). Also the interiors reminded me too much of my swift. Good discounts meant a lucrative price of almost 8 lakh OTR for the ZXi. Still considered.
2. Honda City - I'm not a brand person and spending almost 10 lakhs for just a peppy engine and more so a Honda badge isn't me. The feel of plastics weren't as great as well. Rejected.
3. Honda Jazz - Quirky looks, obscene price, not as peppy as the swift or even my Ritz (K series Zindabad). Huge discounts meant price was around 7.30 lakh OTR (though still unreasonable) but ruled out.
4. Ford Fiesta - Absolutely sexy car to drive. Gem of an engine (Test drove it 3 times, much to the dissappointment od the SE) amazing handler. Pricing was killer and i thought of buying the Limited Edition for 6.30 lakh OTR as the difference in the next model was pretty steep. The deal breaker was Ford maintainence and resale as i don't keep cars for more than 3-4 years. Ruled out.
5. Figo, Beat - Considered for cheap pricing so i could wait till a better car is launched, but ruled out.
6. Fiat Punto - Good looking hatch but sad and uninspiring petrols. Fiat really should put the creamy 1.4 TJet Linea engine to give us a hot hatch.
7. Fiat Linea - Sexiest looking Italian, but a premium for the TJet i wasn't willing to pay when i did not need the boot inthe first place! I wish Fiat would give the same engine in a Polo. Also Fiat service & resale are really scary.
8. Skoda Fabia - I had heard that the German cars are a class apart from the (supposedly) flimsy Japs but got a feel of that on my drive of the Fabia. What poise, ride quality and handling! As soon as i saw the price of 6.65 lakhs OTR, i got tempted. The look part i had mixed feelings, as it was more stately than sporty. As luck would have it, the dealer had a 1.6 which was booked, but he agreed to give a short test drive. I liked the drive but wasn't as thrusty as my old Swift (wife had lost all hope of me buying a car at this point) but when i saw the speedo i realized the car was touching 100 without feeling that speed! Hardly any waiting and such a package tempted me though the lack of Climate control, electric mirrors, cooled glove box, Projector headlamps were missed. Heck not even the wiper/washer defogger seemed weird.
9. VW Polo - Enter Polo 1.6 Highline, Flash Red! This has to be the sexiest looking hatch one can buy in (Unreal gloss) Red. Only 17k extra as compared to the Fabia with sporty chiselled looks (clean & graceful teutonic lines), low slung, 15" alloys, sexier alloys, defogger/wiper/washer, chrome lined dashboard and door handles, VW roundel boot opener seemed too good to be true! Tried to locate a VW Dealer in Noida or nearby through Justdial. Tried calling several Dealers & to my horror got wierd stories like 4-5 months waiting, Polo 1.6 production is stopped due to some technical glitch (VW Helpline said so!), and no TD car at any dealer. One day, out of the blue, on my way to office, i saw a silver Polo with a Gurgaon dealer number on the number plate and called them. The girl gave me the Sales Manager's number and i called. To my utter disbelief, he said he is recieving a Flash Red Polo 1.6 in 20-25 days and i can get it if i want. I went all the way to Gurgaon on 23rd November with my wife to check his delivery schedule and found he was telling the truth. Paid him the booking (the SE Parveen was very courteous) and took a written commitment of 30 days. Walked out of the showroom excited like a child!

Have been waiting for the Red devil to arrive now and trust me the wait is killing me. Will update further developements.

[GTO]

Congratulations on the car! Please note that Team-BHP does not permit booking / buying experience threads in the Test-Drives section anymore. For the benefit of members & guests alike, it is now imperative to include a complete driving / ownership report on your car.

This thread is temporarily closed. Please PM me or report this post once you are ready to update this thread with a complete driving report; that's when it shall be re-opened. Thanks for your support.

[vipinjoshi]

Greetings TBians

I am finally a proud owner of the Vw Polo 1.6 Flash Red
As you are aware, i booked the same at VW Gurgaon on November 23 and they commited me December 23 as my delivery date. As a result of days of praying to god and suddenly becoming religious, my prayers got answered and i got the car on Monday, December 06 (Car reached the dealer Sunday evening) as i could not let the baby be with them.

I reached the showroom sharp 3pm and got the 3M coating done in front of me and started the delivery process. Finally at 5:30pm i took the car out with the usual ceremony by the dealer. I have to say with so many horror stories about the attitude of the VW dealers, which i got a first hand taste of myself, it was a pleasantly surprising experience at VW Gurgaon. Hats off to the Sales Manager Mr. Kamal & Team Leader Parveen for the way they treat a customer. I got admiring glances throughout my way to NOIDA and i had my heart in my mouth several times on my way passing through weekly markets with cyclists, bikers (some bikers they are huh!) trying to squeeze between gaps and raising my BP everytime!

I have clicked a few snaps which i will upload in a while. I haven't driven it as much as would have liked, but the first impression is really satisfying. I noticed the following:

• The power surge is linear, the engine is responsive and NVH levels are well within control. I have not pushed it hard yet though.
• The OEM stereo is decent with good bass but mid range ain't that great. Looking to upgrade to the GPS touch screen HU.
• The car is really beautiful (handsome rather) with clean and crisp lines and the fit, finish is exceptional. The gloss of the Flash Red is unreal!
• Got the JKs as standard and already have that on the Ritz. The grip levels aren't that great. Might swap them with stickier rubber.
• The car is really low to sit in though the GC is not a problem at all. The seats though supportive aren't as comfy as a Swift.
• Steering much lighter than my Ritz, though nowhere as scary as the i20!
• The Red lighting is really cool and the dashboard fit and finish is top notch.
• The VW roundel boot opener is a novel idea. The boot closes without having to forcefully shut it. Close ot to around 90% and it closes by itself. Cool!
• Rear space nothing to write home about. Pretty low on rear seat space, though i usually drive alone or with wife so not a problem for me.

Will update with photos and more about drive feel and other things as i drive more.

[Sn1p3r]

Congratulations!
Its sure a looker and a poised cruiser. Cheers!

[vipinjoshi]

Here's a few pics of the German Supermodel (move over Heidi Klum)

[imjimmy]

Thanks for the thread vipinjoshi. It's great that you are enjoying the Polo.
The red POLO definitely is the hottest hatch EVER to grace the Indian market. One look at the car and sitting inside, one forgets everything else. I had a similar experience seeing the red POLO in person - almost too good to be true!

Anyway, wish you many years of trouble-free, delightful ownership. Please do update this thread regulary. It will surely help a lot of people.

[prince_pervez]

Congrats on the latest purchase (4th time today). The car looks good in red too. Drive safe.

[Klub Class]

Congratulations Vipin on your VW Polo.

Doesn't those dealer stickers on the rear windshield spoil the look of your car? Though, it is a personal choice, I would suggest you to remove them.

Please keep updating this thread whenever you get free time. Drive safe.

PS: I'm looking forward for some high resolution pictures from you!

[vipinjoshi]

Originally Posted by imjimmy

Thanks for the thread vipinjoshi. It's great that you are enjoying the Polo.
The red POLO definitely is the hottest hatch EVER to grace the Indian market. One look at the car and sitting inside, one forgets everything else. I had a similar experience seeing the red POLO in person - almost too good to be true!

Anyway, wish you many years of trouble-free, delightful ownership. Please do update this thread regulary. It will surely help a lot of people.

Thanks man! I'll make sure i regularly update this thread with my experiences as i go along!

[vipinjoshi]

Originally Posted by prince_pervez

Congrats on the latest purchase (4th time today). The car looks good in red too. Drive safe.

Thanks Pervez! It does stand out in Red.

Originally Posted by Klub Class

Congratulations Vipin on your VW Polo.

Doesn't those dealer stickers on the rear windshield spoil the look of your car? Though, it is a personal choice, I would suggest you to remove them.

Please keep updating this thread whenever you get free time. Drive safe.

PS: I'm looking forward for some high resolution pictures from you!

Thanks a ton Man! Yup, i haven't been a fan oy Dealer stickers on the car! Haven't got the time as yet to take 'em off. I myslef like a clean car.

I will keep updating the thread with my experiences as i go along.

Will click a few good snaps with my DSLR once i get the time.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team : Please use "Multi Quote" option for quoting Multiple posts, instead of creating another back-to-back post.

[nowwhat?]

Congrats vipinjoshi!

Nice to see another Polo 1.6. after the hiatus!

Power delivery is linear, but you can feel it take off if you remain in the same gear and step on the accelerator.

[vipinjoshi]

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

Congrats vipinjoshi!

Nice to see another Polo 1.6. after the hiatus!

Power delivery is linear, but you can feel it take off if you remain in the same gear and step on the accelerator.

Thanks! I am yet to rip it for it hardly has any kms on it. Looking forward to it though. One thing though, my car is pulling to the left. I checked the tyre pressure and still the same. Spoke on the phone and the service guys say it is some camber issue. You had similar problems or anyone else for that matter?

[Reinhard]

Hearty congratulations on your new ride Vipin! Yep its a se*y car and Red adds to the glam. And the 1.6 does real justice to the car. 1.2Ls are definitely good, but then its a Polo and 3 cylinders don't fully push her to the capabilities.

If he said its a camber issue, I'd say you visit them at once and get it checked and sorted out. An off center camber may damage your tire tread, ride as well as suspension in worst cases. Are you sure it isn't a steering rack calibration / play / alignment problem?
Eagerly waiting for regular updates about your ownership experience and of course, your DSLR at work!
Wishing you unlimited happy and safe miles with the German red devil!

Cheers!

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by vipinjoshi

Thanks! I am yet to rip it for it hardly has any kms on it. Looking forward to it though. One thing though, my car is pulling to the left. I checked the tyre pressure and still the same. Spoke on the phone and the service guys say it is some camber issue. You had similar problems or anyone else for that matter?

No problem with pulling left...

As far as I can make out, this is some new "feature" that VW has added! Take it to the workshop and get it fixed -- Others had the same problem and as far as I know, it has been solved by VW.

We are really enjoying our 1.6. The thing to bear in mind is that there is no heat-shield in the bonnet of the 1.6 (unlike the Tdi), so all sounds are apparent in the cabin.

Moreover the RPM range is high -- It red-lines at 6,000 with max. torque at 3,750 rpm. So you put in lower gear and let it rip and you can see it pull and break away.

Most of the time, people tend to change gears early on the Polo 1.6.

I suggest put your music in max and let it rip once you break her in, which incidentally is not a requirement as per the manual.

Same goes for overtaking. Down-shift when in doubt and you can feel the rocket take off!

[vebmetal]

Congratulations on your purchase - what is the mileage you get with this car?