Hello All,
This is my first post and also the story of how I got my 1.6 Polo Highline in 18 days flat.
In December 2010, I was changing jobs and had decided to give up my Ford Figo 1.2 Petrol Zxi acquired in May 2010. The reasons for this were-
1. The under-powered engine
2. Soft suspension which lead to frequent underbelly scraping when I had more than 1 passenger in the rear seat.
What I liked about the car were its handling capabilities at higher speeds and all together value-for-money appeal. I had acquired this car on the company’s car lease program. A colleague was willing to take the car off my hands and so I didn’t think twice about handing over the car to him.
And just like that, I was once again in the market for a new car in less than a year’s time. I had the following criteria for the next car-
The must haves1. Good engine
2. Good handling at high speeds and in the city.
3. Good ground clearance
4. OTR price of 6,50,000 INR Bangalore
5. Enough space for 3 passengers and a boot big enough for short weekend getaways.
The nice to haves1. A mileage of over 10 KMPL. I drive around 900 kms per month so I wasn’t concerned with diesel cars.
2. Good build quality
3. Good looks
4. Good after sales service
Since I had been researching cars for close to 1.5 years at this point I was clear in my head about the choices available in the market. I was also clear about not wanting to wait for
<insert-name-of-upcoming-next-best-car>. So what were my options?
1. The Swift
2. The i20
3. The Punto 1.4 Petrol
4. The Figo Diesel (just for my curiosity)
5. The (now classic) Ford Fiesta 1.6 Zxi
6. The Indica Vista 90 HP and the diesel (because my father owns and loves his Indica V2)
The Swift was rejected because it wasn’t roomy enough and frankly the interiors disappointed me. It is however a decent drivers car. I do feel that in comparison to the competition it is now overpriced. 2-3 years ago, it would have been the right choice.
The i20 was rejected because of (terrifying) light steering and lack of power in 2nd gear. I found myself having to shift between 1st and 3rd gear in moderate Bangalore traffic during the test drive. I did like its interiors and found the cabin space acceptable.
The Figo diesel was rejected because of the defective demo car from Metro Ford. It had problems starting. I tried an uphill test and found it wanting in power. Whilst driving this car I kept thinking only one thing – it drives exactly like the petrol variant. It had exactly the same advantages and disadvantages as the petrol variant (See above). Lathangi Ford didn’t show any interest in coming to give me a test drive.
The Ford (classic) Fiesta Zxi was over budget. The lowest I could get any salesman down to was 8 lacs OTR Bangalore. So long Paprika Red Zxi.
Next I went to the VW Downtown showroom and as always, the sales staff seemed least interested in selling a car to me. “No sir, no test drive vehicle available”, “There’s a 4 month waiting list”, “No test drives on Sunday”. This was discouraging, to say the least.
Yes, VW salesmen I get it. Middle class folk like me who can’t afford the Jetta and Passat are now polluting your pristine show rooms, but guess what? VW is and will always be a mass market player in every market they are in – so deal with it. In a visit to VW Downtown in March 2010, I had even lost my temper with the sales head after being subjected to his disinterested and anaemic attitude to my queries. It was insulting to say the least.
The Indica Vista was rejected because I felt that Tata has overpriced this car. Tata and Fiat now share showrooms. When you see an Indica Vista 90 HP which costs 6.2 Lacs INR standing next to a Punto 1.4 Emotion which costs 6.5 Lacs INR; you have to wonder what Tata allows their marketing execs to smoke! (Aria anyone?) This car’s engine is rough, stutters when you let your foot off the accelerator and don’t even get me started on the clutch!
Maruti, Hyundai and Tata if you’re listening – I know you sell tonnes of cars every hour. But please reconsider your pricing strategy. Your top end variants aren’t as good as (premium for the Indian market) offerings from Fiat, Honda and VW.
The Punto 1.4 Emotion: Liked this car, loved its handling, loved its gorgeous exteriors; liked its power. I overlooked its bad stereo, mediocre gear shift and modest interiors. So I booked this gorgeous machine in Medium Grey 1.4 Emotion. Then I began to wait.
I was initially told to wait 3 weeks,
“5” I thought to myself. The car was booked in the 3rd week of February and I thought I would have it around mid-March. After 2 weeks I’d upgraded to the 1.4 Emotion Pack in hopes of getting the delivery faster. Mid-March came and there was no sign of the car and even the sales rep was unsure if the car would get to Bangalore before April.
So now what? A friend of mine is a fellow car enthusiast who owns a Palio. He’d been after me to go look at the Polo 1.6. Despite loving the Palio, he’d assured me that the Polo was the hatchback in the Indian car market. And keeping in mind VW’s intention to be the #1 car maker in the world by 2016(?), the after sales service would improve.
(Keeping my fingers crossed!)
In mid-march, prodded by my friend and Radio Indigo’s frequent ads for VW – I went to see the Polo 1.6 at VW Downtown. For a change, they had a vehicle available for TD and most importantly, there was none of the snooty and surly sales staff attitude I had been subjected to in previous visits to every VW showroom.
Fun fact: VW doesn’t believe that under 30 year olds can afford their cars. It is true, I had to add ‘< 30’ to their enquiry form just for laughs (well, mostly for my ego)
30 minutes later I had come back from a test drive of a blue 1.6 Polo. It was fast, it handled like a dream and it gave me a big, goofy grin (which lasted the rest of the weekend). I didn’t care that it had no leg room at the back or that the visibility wasn’t as good as the Ford Figo.
This was the car I had to buy. Yes, it was over my budget by more than a lac. But I had to have it and I was not going to wait for it. So, I told the sales rep that I would be interested in purchasing the car if and only if I could be assured delivery of a Polo 1.6 manufactured in 2011 before 1st April 2011. I didn’t care for the colour – no black or red though. I have disliked the red on the Polo and the Punto with a passion. Give me “Paprika Red” from the Ford Fiesta or any other dark red metallic shade. My neighbour has a black Polo 1.6. It is stunning but impractical for the Indian climate.
Well, this sales rep didn’t fail me. On 30th March 2011 I drove away from VW Downtown in my Blue Polo 1.6
Note: The management of Metro Ford and VW Downtown do not allow PDI checks. I did manage to get the VIN numbers before delivery to pacify my inner neuroses. To be fair, I didn’t insist strongly.
I’ve done 2800 Kilometres in this car since then and every time I put my foot down on the accelerator or when I go over bad roads my love for this car is only strengthened.
Till date I’ve driven this car around the city, and a few times on the highway. It is fast enough to force the impatient cab drivers and rash drivers of big vehicles to behave themselves since they’re used to intimidating hatchbacks. It has a loud enough horn to get jay walking pedestrians to pay attention. The suspension is good enough to go over most speed humps and uneven roads without hassle. I have yet to scrape the under belly of the car. The steering gives the right amount of feedback at low and high speeds.
Driving 70% of the time on Old Airport Road to WhiteField I get a mileage of about 10.5 KMPL. This is measured with the tank-to-tank method. The rest is in regular Bangalore traffic. I do avoid bumper to bumper traffic when I can.
This is not a car you buy if you have (older) kids. This is not a car you buy if you’re over 5’8”. And apologies if you’re elderly and have back problems (my father complained non-stop in the front seat). This isn’t a car for the mileage conscious. Nor is it a car for the speed junkie.
Wait, what? Yes, you heard me right. This car has a 1.6 litre petrol engine capable of belting out 108 Bhp; but it isn’t tuned for speed. The Palio 1.6 GTX will still beat it in a straight line. The Polo will however, handle better, stop faster and give more mileage than the GTX.
Special mention for the stereo – the speakers are fine, but I will be replacing the stock stereo which lacks Bluetooth, Aux, USB inputs. For the moment, I am listening to the radio and beaming music via the built in FM transmitter in my N900 and N8.
So this, folks is how I came to own this peppy German hatchback.