[karan86]

It was late 2019 when the entire BS6 hullabaloo had begun peaking and manufacturers were announcing their decisions to let go of small-capacity diesels. A decision had to be made quickly. So a 2-year-old 1.2 Baleno went out and in came a VW Polo 1.5 TDI Highline Plus at a whopping 2.3 lakh discount


This was one of the last-remaining TDI-powered vehicles although the Polo had just gone through a facelift a few months ago. After a thorough PDI, the car was registered and delivered on the 1st of November, 2019. Prior to that, it had been driven all the way from Goa to Bombay as I made a last-minute change from White to Sunset Red.

They had disconnected the speedometer for this journey but I know that most dealerships do this when they have to call for a car from elsewhere if they don't have what the customer wants and they aren't going to pay for the truck fare for just one or two cars. One may choose to fuss about it or just move on if there's no damage done. What about the bedding-in process as the guy who drove the car all the way must've not cared? I chose to put my faith in modern engineering.


The GT TDI was the first choice, however, there were none available at the time of purchase. The other choice was a Figo TDCi but it somehow felt a little poorer in comparison to the Polo. Since the buying process involved two people, the person whose say mattered more, struck the Ford down for feeling too plasticky in comparison to the VW. Although if driving pleasure is the primary priority and I was the only person involved in the buying process, this review would've been about a Ford.

The diesel-powered Polo just cannot match the agility, the involvement, the alacrity, and the "connected to the chassis" feeling one experiences in the driver's seat of the Ford. Between the two, according to me, the Polo is a great GT car which needs the right journeys (and the roads) for the car to delight the driver, while the Ford offers a quick fix to your glum, almost anywhere.


Prior to this, I had had a fair amount of experience with the 2015 version of the TDI on 15" wheels and Alnacs and so I knew what to expect. Out of the box, the Polo felt tight like it should've, although immediately, I could sense that the road manners weren't the same. I could blame the bigger 16" wheels but I was to discover other things a little later.


The first 1,000 kms were covered within a week and then VW called for what they called their "Swagat" service, which is nothing but a reason for the service centre to understand what kind of a customer they will be dealing with. I'd refrain from mentioning here what happened during the service as it was a painful experience to say the least but a few calls to important men at VW got the issue fixed. I had bought the car knowing that I'd be buying a great product and a hit or a miss service experience but this was next level.

Anyways, the car has gone through its 6-month / 7,500 kms check and annual service at 8,500 kms and after the first episode, the service centre guys now know it's a car not to mess with.. What I would like to mention though is that in the last one year, my service experience has gone from worse to better, although Maruti is still top dog when it comes to fixing issues. They replaced the steering column on the Baleno twice because I complained that the steering won't self-centre after a turn. They gave up after several attempts, stating that it's not a feature of the wheel. However, I knew it long before they could tell me that


What I love about the Polo 1.5 TDI is its ability to munch miles at speeds which make objects in the mirror appear farther, until they disappear. And it does that while returning 20 kmpl, even while the engine spins northwards of 3,000 rpm in fifth gear, as I recently discovered during a drive to Goa. While at it, it displays stability no other hatchback in the same zip code can match. The calm inside the cabin while everything else blurs past is what makes European cars special and the Polo 1.5 TDI is no exception. For all that planet-saving, I wonder if a turbo-petrol hatchback with its one less cylinder, lesser refinement, hurried nature, and fuel-gulping capacity once its pushed, does make for a more greener vehicle? Let's consider a 600 km journey, and since the petrol car will definitely consume more fuel and then smoke it out (which is more expensive), won't it be letting out as much or more carbon and everything else for the same distance?


I've been using cruise control quite often lately as the speed limit on the Sion-Panvel highway and the Bombay-Pune expressway is being monitored very strictly. No longer can one blast all the way to Pune, unless you're ready to receive SMSs for every violation, each asking you to cough out a 1,000 bucks! I've been caught on camera once doing 105 kmph in an 80 kmph zone and I've been extra careful since then. For those visiting Goa, the scenic stretch after Margao towards Canacona will surprise with Police interceptors who are armed with a speed gun and will tell you that the limit on that road is a mere 70 kmph and not 80 kmph as you might've guessed.

Coming back to the Polo, it's a 3-seater at best, a great 2-seater for long journeys, and can carry four for everything else which is shorter in terms of distance. For someone who measures 6.0" in height, the seats have been comfortable even after 12-hour+ journeys. Everything else has already been discussed here many times so I'll skip on that. But I would've wanted better sound deadening in the door pads because the stock music system sounds alright to my taste but crank up the volume and then you turn it down immediately as the plastic begins to creak.


As of now, the car has covered 12,000 kms on the odometer and in this duration, here are the things which could’ve been better:

# The driver and passenger-side vents’ adjusters have broken for being flimsy

# Even after a double-barrel setup, the headlight intensity is seriously poor. VW has had plenty of time to fix this but then I experienced the poor headlights of the Seltos and now I don’t feel all that bad

# Experienced the braking-related steering judder when the car was just 4,500-km old. The service centre fixed it by polishing the discs with sandpaper. The judder went away for some time but has now come back in a mild form while braking from speeds north of 100 kmph. The brakes need a good amount of force on the pedal to shed speed.

#The suspension has become extremely harsh and noisy over bad patches (The service centre recommends some oiling under the strut cap). It feels like all four struts have lost all their rebound and compression when the going gets rough. Things are alright on paved surfaces though. Although on cemented surfaces, things get seriously busy. Around corners, the rear section feels rigid and mid-corner bumps do unsettle the car. Having run all sorts of air pressure combinations (got a portable compressor), I run 32 PSI on all four tyres with two passengers inside the cabin. Recommended values are 36 and 33 for the front and rear tyres respectively. Anything above 32 for the front makes things too rigid and the front section floaty.

# The factory-fitted Goodyear Assurance 195/55 R16 tyres are seriously shitty. They are really noisy, grip levels are just about okay, and the rubber compound is hard like a rock.

# The dead-centre zone in the steering has slightly increased and there’s some tak-tak noise from the column (doesn’t happen always) when the wheel is turned to the right and the car is being driven on a rough patch.


# When the car is driven with the windows open, a loose bearing-like sound from the left, which isn’t too high pitched, bounces off into the cabin from parked vehicles, buses, bridge barriers, etc. The famous hissing sound from the front struts is heard too. Inside the cabin, the left front strut makes a damped sound like it’s hitting something rubbery when the car is driven on roads which are paved but topped with ripples for some reason. Example:- The recently paved road on the Andheri Flyover on the western express highway. It’s just so sad that even our paved roads are shitty!

# The engine has been performing alright, although the car as a whole, feels a little lazier than it did.. Although the car maintains all its speeds at the usual rpm level. A bottle of liqui moly in the diesel has hushed the initial clatter and improved response. But the engine doesn’t feel as eager as it did for the first 7-8,000 kms. Like all other TDIs, it did gulp a litre of so oil which was topped-up during the 6-month check. Have been keeping an extra bottle inside the boot. On a side note, there’s a decent amount of smoke from the exhaust when I accelerate hard in 2nd and 3rd gear. It has been happening since the car was new and I guess it’s normal behaviour for a diesel engine. Feels embarrassing to make that quick move sometimes though. And this happens even when the air filter is clean.
# On an incline, only while driving downhill, there is a small hiccup in the throttle where the power is cut for a second or even less before it comes back again. This isn't a one-off situation for sure and happens even when the car is rolling down in gear while still being accelerated. Anybody experienced anything similar with the 1.5 TDI?

# Besides all these, the car has been a great purchase, considering the limited choice of diesel cars available now under the 10 lakh mark and the insane pump price of petrol. The cabin is still noise or rattle-free and there’s nothing in terms of features I miss. If only they had fitted a dial to shut the air flow to the rear AC vents.

What I need now is some assistance from the good folks here to solve the engine lethargy and harsh and noisy suspension issue. None of the struts are leaking and the tie-rods seem tight enough. What am I missing? Is this normal behaviour since the car runs 16” rims? But the suspension felt quite damped until about 10,000 kms or so. I understand that after some time, a new car will lose some of its densely-packed feeling and maybe this could be normal behaviour. Some advice will be of great help. Many Thanks!

[vishy76]

Congratulations on owning a dying breed of cars! The Polo 1.5 TDI and Figo TDCI are cars that diesel lovers like me list over. It's sad that VW has decided to axe TDIs altogether while Ford continues with the trusty1.5 TDCI.

Coming to the issues you are facing, the suspension and braking issues are purely down to use of substandard components. The TVS brake pads and localised rotors offer sub par performance and the latter are prone to warping under high speed braking.

The suspension struts and many components such as the steering rack and tie rods are all localised from 2014 onwards. The Sachs struts on the pre-2014 Polos were replaced by localised Gabriel's which just like you and many other owners have testified are nowhere close to the former in terms of durability or performance. They are known to lose damping very early on in life and leak. I would suggest removing one of the front struts and manually checking for rebound.

Unfortunately, the only solution is to replace these components with quality aftermarket ones. The brakes can be upgraded using a Big Brake Kit (BBK) and the suspension components especially the struts can be replaced by Sachs parts. The BBK upgrade will end up costing a fair bit but the Sachs struts should not cost much. The only catch is you will end up losing warranty

You can refer to moderator Suhaas307's GT TSI ownership thread to see how he upgraded the struts and suspension components and what sort of a difference it made.

[karan86]

Thanks for the suggestions Vishy. Since I was one of the last customers of the 1.5 TDI, the car came with a 5-year warranty. Although it's not a DSG, I think I'd keep the warranty intact and check with the service centre if any components which require replacement can be replaced under warranty. Since these aren't items which generally qualify, I don't mind replacing them with stock components. Even if they need a replacement every 15k or 20k kilometres, I'd take that route rather than paying a bomb if something major goes wrong.

Originally Posted by vishy76

Congratulations on owning a dying breed of cars! The Polo 1.5 TDI and Figo TDCI are cars that diesel lovers like me list over. It's sad that VW has decided to axe TDIs altogether while Ford continues with the trusty1.5 TDCI.

Coming to the issues you are facing, the suspension and braking issues are purely down to use of substandard components. The TVS brake pads and localised rotors offer sub par performance and the latter are prone to warping under high speed braking.

The suspension struts and many components such as the steering rack and tie rods are all localised from 2014 onwards. The Sachs struts on the pre-2014 Polos were replaced by localised Gabriel's which just like you and many other owners have testified are nowhere close to the former in terms of durability or performance. They are known to lose damping very early on in life and leak. I would suggest removing one of the front struts and manually checking for rebound.

Unfortunately, the only solution is to replace these components with quality aftermarket ones. The brakes can be upgraded using a Big Brake Kit (BBK) and the suspension components especially the struts can be replaced by Sachs parts. The BBK upgrade will end up costing a fair bit but the Sachs struts should not cost much. The only catch is you will end up losing warranty

You can refer to moderator Suhaas307's GT TSI ownership thread to see how he upgraded the struts and suspension components and what sort of a difference it made.

[Aditya]

Nice review. This one is going to our homepage tomorrow!

The Polo still looks very good. The colour you have chosen enhances its looks.

The TDI was definitely 'the' engine for the Polo. It gave an balanced combination of performance and fuel economy. Between the Polo and current-gen Figo, the former feels way more solidly built. The latter has gone for a lighter build compared to its predecessor.

What you say about the seating is right. The interior space is very limited, particularly at the rear. That's the only complaint I have about the Polo.

12,000 km is a good distance to cover in a year. Wish you many more years and miles of happy motoring.

[karan86]

Many Thanks Adi!

As someone who has silently learnt so much from this forum, I'm just giving a little back for a lot that I took. Coming back to the car, thanks to all the localisation VW has resorted to, the Polo just doesn't feel like the well-built, bulletproof car it once did. I only hope that with the Taigun/Kushaq and everything else coming our way, the even heavier localisation doesn't change the perception people have about VAG cars.

The experience at the service centre is still not-so-great. I was once told by the advisor that warranty will be void even if I ask THEM to change the engine oil, before the specified interval.

Brakes going bad in just 4.5k kilometres, suspension issues, ABS sensor issue with almost every car they sold, these are vital components, and although not as expensive to replace, such short life of things does make you feel if German quality is even a thing anymore?

Originally Posted by Aditya

Nice review. This one is going to our homepage tomorrow!

The Polo still looks very good. The colour you have chosen enhances its looks.

The TDI was definitely 'the' engine for the Polo. It gave an balanced combination of performance and fuel economy. Between the Polo and current-gen Figo, the former feels way more solidly built. The latter has gone for a lighter build compared to its predecessor.

What you say about the seating is right. The interior space is very limited, particularly at the rear. That's the only complaint I have about the Polo.

12,000 km is a good distance to cover in a year. Wish you many more years and miles of happy motoring.

[samuelv]

Congratulations on owning one of the best driver oriented cars! Wishing you many more miles of driving pleasure.
I was in a similar situation where I had to make a decision to switch over to a diesel as I was anxious on hearing that the small diesel engines would be discontinued.

I moved from an alto K10 to an i20 Diesel in April 2019. Decided to go with the Hyundai after considering Ford / Maruti and Tata. Felt Hyundai was a safe bet as the number of dealers were more and the quality of Service was acceptable.

[gaurav.kokra]

Originally Posted by karan86

# The engine has been performing alright, although the car as a whole, feels a little lazier than it did.. Although the car maintains all its speeds at the usual rpm level. A bottle of liqui moly in the diesel has hushed the initial clatter and improved response. But the engine doesn’t feel as eager as it did for the first 7-8,000 kms. Like all other TDIs, it did gulp a litre of so oil which was topped-up during the 6-month check. Have been keeping an extra bottle inside the boot. On a side note, there’s a decent amount of smoke from the exhaust when I accelerate hard in 2nd and 3rd gear. It has been happening since the car was new and I guess it’s normal behaviour for a diesel engine. Feels embarrassing to make that quick move sometimes though. And this happens even when the air filter is clean.

# On an incline, only while driving downhill, there is a small hiccup in the throttle where the power is cut for a second or even less before it comes back again. This isn't a one-off situation for sure and happens even when the car is rolling down in gear while still being accelerated. Anybody experienced anything similar with the 1.5 TDI?

Firstly, I'd like to say congratulations for choosing the 1.5 TDI. The charm of diesel engines is going dead year by year as we advance. Hence, enjoy the same while we have the chance.

As per the issues faced by you:

1. The engine seems to be too new to have loss of power in just 8000 kilometers. My 1.6 TDI still pulls like a train even after 144000 kms but I religiously follow the idling rule for turbo cars. Hope you're doing the same.

You should really show this to the VW ASC and try driving some other 1.5 TDI to compare.

2. Yes, the liqui moly diesel additive does decrease the clatter and knocking in the 1.5 TDI to a very great extent.

I have extensively driven the 2014 Polo 1.5 TDI of my friend and loved every bit of it. The only issue we faced was heavy clattering and knocking. It was till the extent that we used to face loss of power due to knocking. The liqui moly additive solved every bit of it. And the engine noise has reduced by almost 70-80 percent. That was the amount of knocking we were facing in the engine.

Would suggest it to use on regular basis for healthy injectors and 0 knocking.


3. As for the smoke from the exhaust, I believe the amount should be minimal as your engine is new. My 1.6 TDI smokes the rear very rarely under hard acceleration. I am not saying that there is no smoke but seeing the mileage of my car, it is given.

I would request you to again show this issue to the ASC guys.

Good that you have the extended warranty.

4. I have this small stretch on my daily driving towards my office which goes downhill suddenly. And the engine does cutoff the fuel supply/power to the engine on this small stretch while downhill. I believe this to be a feature in itself and nothing to worry about as I have been facing this everyday for the past 3 years and on other slopes too.

Just get these small issues fixed.

The TDIs are reliable machines if taken we care of. Wish you great number of happy and safe miles with the car.

Attaching a picture of my friends Polo we purchased pre owned back in Sept 2020.

[carfreak]

Nice review karan86. Personally I prefer such brief and to the point reviews. I feel you took the right decision to go in for this shade rather than the boring and more common white shade. Wishing you many more happy miles with your car. Do keep updating as your journey together goes on forward.

I purchased a pre-worshipped Rapid diesel automatic in October 2020, a car that was sold in June 2019 to the first owner, and though I had initially meant to use it as a stop gap arrangement till the Jimny launch, I have fallen totally in love with it so much so that I am planning to hold on to it for some more time. It is indeed a fantastic workhorse.

Originally Posted by karan86

# The engine has been performing alright, although the car as a whole, feels a little lazier than it did.. Although the car maintains all its speeds at the usual rpm level. A bottle of liqui moly in the diesel has hushed the initial clatter and improved response. But the engine doesn’t feel as eager as it did for the first 7-8,000 kms. Like all other TDIs, it did gulp a litre of so oil which was topped-up during the 6-month check. Have been keeping an extra bottle inside the boot. On a side note, there’s a decent amount of smoke from the exhaust when I accelerate hard in 2nd and 3rd gear. It has been happening since the car was new and I guess it’s normal behaviour for a diesel engine. Feels embarrassing to make that quick move sometimes though. And this happens even when the air filter is clean.

I feel the consumption of a litre of oil is a bit on the high side. My car consumed around 300ml of oil in 9000 km. In a span of 9 months since the first service (which was carried out by the previous owner). Anyway I may be wrong but do check with other owners about this.

Like you, I too feel the front rotors and pads do a very poor job in shedding speeds, especially during panic braking. I have decided to upgrade to a big brake kit immediately after the second service. I will update you regarding my experience.

I haven't tried the Liqui Moily additive yet. I will give that a shot soon.

[sanyog26]

Many congrats on completing a year with this wonderful car, that too with a 1.5TDI heart. Best combination one could ask for in a hot-hatch. A complete package.

As regards the localisation issue, I am also a bit confused. I have a VW Polo 1.2 MPI 2010 model. Keeping the sluggishness of the 1.2 MPI engine aside, the car overall is an excellent package. It's built like a tank. You feel extremely safe while seated inside. However, my dilemma is regarding the similar cars being produced by VW/Skoda these days. Recently I brought home a Skoda Rapid 1.0 TSI and frankly I can say that a 2010 Polo feels much more sturdier than a 2020 Rapid. The metal on the 2020 Rapid, though solid, doesn't inspire the same amount of confidence which my 2010 Polo does.

[vinya_jag]

Originally Posted by karan86

For all that planet-saving, I wonder if a turbo-petrol hatchback with its one less cylinder, lesser refinement, hurried nature, and fuel-gulping capacity once its pushed, does make for a more greener vehicle? Let's consider a 600 km journey, and since the petrol car will definitely consume more fuel and then smoke it out (which is more expensive), won't it be letting out as much or more carbon and everything else for the same distance?

Exactly. I wonder the same. We bought our Polo TDI in 2015, when Diesels were the darlings of the automotive industry. VW then would say that their Diesels were greener than anything that there was. Those days, it felt like owning a Petrol was a sin. There were top gear videos where jeremy Clarkson would drive the 2L Audis till the last drop and say how fuel efficient they were.
And then, the scene changed altogether after the dieselgate.

I feel, there is no Green or Red here. The new emission norms became so strict that making small diesel cars were not economical anymore. VW, for one, did over correction by stopping diesels altogether, to repair their image. This reminds me of Mahatma Gandhi's last lie, the ring story, and he never lied there after

Actually making a small car doesn't seem economical anymore. There is very little margin for these manufacturers to play with.

Also, I don't think Electric cars are any greener than the worst of the diesel cars. They are here, just to offset the CO2 emissions from next to your nose, to somewhere into the countryside. A plain math says, you need to drive your new Petrol car 30,000 miles before it can start polluting more than the electric car. And if your country produces electricity through coal, then you might never offset the CO2 difference.

Another math. If you are spending 26Lakhs on buying a Kona electric, over a similarly sized Venue, you are actually spending almost 2x the manufacturing cost, which roughly would mean, your car, while it was being built, would have released 2x amount of CO2 into the air. (Not exaclty)

It gets more complicated, as to where these battery raw materials and components are mined, and how Cobalt, lithium, molybdenum etc are extracted.

So, don't feel bad about holding onto your old car. You are actually not hurting the environment by keeping your old car parked in the garage, or driving a little of it.

And if you are really interest in saving the environment, walk, Use public transport, or cycle instead. Us the car sparingly, and only when going out with the family.

And lastly, our Polo has been a dream machine, ageing like Wine. It returns to around 25Kmpl these days, on those long trips. Drives butter smooth still, no rattles. Hard suspension aside, the mature handling of this car has made me a better driver.

[karan86]

Well, almost everyone who's rational in their head, and their grandmother, are skeptical about EV technology and if it really is the way forward. But Governments and auto companies are all excited about it, which suggests that maybe they know something which we don't or (insert your conspiracy theory here).

Whatever it might be, the sad part is that large-scale adoption of EVs is extremely difficult in a country like India where just yesterday I experienced load shedding for being just 200 kilometres outside of Bombay. If their plan is to charge EVs using gensets which burn fuel, only God can save us! The bigger question is, where are we going to get all that power to charge so many vehicles from? Burning more coal is definitely a bad option and nuclear energy will only invite more roadblocks even before the first brick is set.

All this is besides the fact the EV technology on its own is a step down in terms of convenience from what we already have. It takes too long to charge an EV, fast chargers are too expensive to install, there's the different type of connector headache, the range is laughable for most EVs, you can't explore the outdoors properly with them, they cannot be trusted on as primary vehicles (imagine if there's an emergency and your car is out of charge). Once the amount of vehicles go up, imagine the long queues outside charging stations. And even if some magic happens which shortens charging time, each vehicle would still take a minimum 5 minutes to charge. With all these concerns and many more, it is surprising that most Governments are hellbent on switching completely to electric tech, ours included. Some might argue that it's for the greater good and we are all for it, but is it really?

Coming back to the Polo, it's a charming automobile and I wish to keep it for as long it's possible. Mine hasn't shown a 25 kmpl figure except for a short while when the fuel is freshly filled and the computer is reset. But my right foot knows why and I'm okay with it. Except for the ride on broken sections, brakes, and that heavy, snappy clutch which gives me a good workout and still won't allow for faster shifts, everything else is just how I like it.

Originally Posted by vinya_jag

Exactly. I wonder the same. We bought our Polo TDI in 2015, when Diesels were the darlings of the automotive industry. VW then would say that their Diesels were greener than anything that there was. Those days, it felt like owning a Petrol was a sin. There were top gear videos where jeremy Clarkson would drive the 2L Audis till the last drop and say how fuel efficient they were.
And then, the scene changed altogether after the dieselgate.

I feel, there is no Green or Red here. The new emission norms became so strict that making small diesel cars were not economical anymore. VW, for one, did over correction by stopping diesels altogether, to repair their image. This reminds me of Mahatma Gandhi's last lie, the ring story, and he never lied there after

Actually making a small car doesn't seem economical anymore. There is very little margin for these manufacturers to play with.

Also, I don't think Electric cars are any greener than the worst of the diesel cars. They are here, just to offset the CO2 emissions from next to your nose, to somewhere into the countryside. A plain math says, you need to drive your new Petrol car 30,000 miles before it can start polluting more than the electric car. And if your country produces electricity through coal, then you might never offset the CO2 difference.

Another math. If you are spending 26Lakhs on buying a Kona electric, over a similarly sized Venue, you are actually spending almost 2x the manufacturing cost, which roughly would mean, your car, while it was being built, would have released 2x amount of CO2 into the air. (Not exaclty)

It gets more complicated, as to where these battery raw materials and components are mined, and how Cobalt, lithium, molybdenum etc are extracted.

So, don't feel bad about holding onto your old car. You are actually not hurting the environment by keeping your old car parked in the garage, or driving a little of it.

And if you are really interest in saving the environment, walk, Use public transport, or cycle instead. Us the car sparingly, and only when going out with the family.

And lastly, our Polo has been a dream machine, ageing like Wine. It returns to around 25Kmpl these days, on those long trips. Drives butter smooth still, no rattles. Hard suspension aside, the mature handling of this car has made me a better driver.

Thanks Sanyog

I agree with the built like a tank part as the sheet metal, the structure, and how everything else is put together feels really robust. But some of the running gear isn't complimenting all that sturdiness, which wasn't the case earlier. Enjoy the new ride! Wishing you a lot of happy miles!

Originally Posted by sanyog26

Many congrats on completing a year with this wonderful car, that too with a 1.5TDI heart. Best combination one could ask for in a hot-hatch. A complete package.

As regards the localisation issue, I am also a bit confused. I have a VW Polo 1.2 MPI 2010 model. Keeping the sluggishness of the 1.2 MPI engine aside, the car overall is an excellent package. It's built like a tank. You feel extremely safe while seated inside. However, my dilemma is regarding the similar cars being produced by VW/Skoda these days. Recently I brought home a Skoda Rapid 1.0 TSI and frankly I can say that a 2010 Polo feels much more sturdier than a 2020 Rapid. The metal on the 2020 Rapid, though solid, doesn't inspire the same amount of confidence which my 2010 Polo does.

Thanks Carfreak

It was a last-minute decision to change the colour and I'm glad I took it. The oil consumption quantity is pretty normal as another friend who has a similar car confirmed. I have been keeping an eye on the dipstick since then and everything seems too be in control. The Rapid diesel auto is a fantastic ride and I envy you DSG guys for those two extra ratios and those snappy shifts. You guys get to have your cake, eat it too, and still be left with some to smear it on the face. About the Jimny, I wonder if you will ever be able to live with anything else from Eastern Asia, once you've experienced European. I'm only talking about mass-market cars so we can leave the LCs, the Patrols and all such machines aside.

Originally Posted by carfreak

Nice review karan86. Personally I prefer such brief and to the point reviews. I feel you took the right decision to go in for this shade rather than the boring and more common white shade. Wishing you many more happy miles with your car. Do keep updating as your journey together goes on forward.

I purchased a pre-worshipped Rapid diesel automatic in October 2020, a car that was sold in June 2019 to the first owner, and though I had initially meant to use it as a stop gap arrangement till the Jimny launch, I have fallen totally in love with it so much so that I am planning to hold on to it for some more time. It is indeed a fantastic workhorse.

I feel the consumption of a litre of oil is a bit on the high side. My car consumed around 300ml of oil in 9000 km. In a span of 9 months since the first service (which was carried out by the previous owner). Anyway I may be wrong but do check with other owners about this.

Like you, I too feel the front rotors and pads do a very poor job in shedding speeds, especially during panic braking. I have decided to upgrade to a big brake kit immediately after the second service. I will update you regarding my experience.

I haven't tried the Liqui Moily additive yet. I will give that a shot soon.

Thanks a lot Gaurav for addressing the issues I face. Much appreciated! You own the 1.6 TDI man! It's a wild animal that thing!

About the 1.5 TDI I drive, the engine isn't losing power. It just doesn't feel as energetic as before. It's one of those problems which are slightly difficult to explain. The closest that comes to mind is that it isn't as responsive as it used to be.

Glad to know I'm not the only one facing the issue with the power cut while driving downhill. My uneducated guess is that it is probably some sensor related to fuel supply which takes into account the grade of the slope. Will get the smoke and other issues checked at the ASC. Thanks again for sharing your wisdom!

Originally Posted by gaurav.kokra

Firstly, I'd like to say congratulations for choosing the 1.5 TDI. The charm of diesel engines is going dead year by year as we advance. Hence, enjoy the same while we have the chance. And yes, I do follow the idling for at least 30 secs rule after ignition and before switching off the engine.

As per the issues faced by you:

1. The engine seems to be too new to have loss of power in just 8000 kilometers. My 1.6 TDI still pulls like a train even after 144000 kms but I religiously follow the idling rule for turbo cars. Hope you're doing the same.

You should really show this to the VW ASC and try driving some other 1.5 TDI to compare.

2. Yes, the liqui moly diesel additive does decrease the clatter and knocking in the 1.5 TDI to a very great extent.

I have extensively driven the 2014 Polo 1.5 TDI of my friend and loved every bit of it. The only issue we faced was heavy clattering and knocking. It was till the extent that we used to face loss of power due to knocking. The liqui moly additive solved every bit of it. And the engine noise has reduced by almost 70-80 percent. That was the amount of knocking we were facing in the engine.

Would suggest it to use on regular basis for healthy injectors and 0 knocking.


3. As for the smoke from the exhaust, I believe the amount should be minimal as your engine is new. My 1.6 TDI smokes the rear very rarely under hard acceleration. I am not saying that there is no smoke but seeing the mileage of my car, it is given.

I would request you to again show this issue to the ASC guys.

Good that you have the extended warranty.

4. I have this small stretch on my daily driving towards my office which goes downhill suddenly. And the engine does cutoff the fuel supply/power to the engine on this small stretch while downhill. I believe this to be a feature in itself and nothing to worry about as I have been facing this everyday for the past 3 years and on other slopes too.

Just get these small issues fixed.

The TDIs are reliable machines if taken we care of. Wish you great number of happy and safe miles with the car.

Attaching a picture of my friends Polo we purchased pre owned back in Sept 2020.

Attachment 2125692

Thanks Samuelv

The i20 diesel is powered by an extremely refined engine, which been paired with a gearbox to match that silky punch. How I wish it could be matched to the dynamics of the Polo. But there is no perfect car like they say and we've all experienced. Wishing you plenty of memorable and happy miles!

Originally Posted by samuelv

Congratulations on owning one of the best driver oriented cars! Wishing you many more miles of driving pleasure.
I was in a similar situation where I had to make a decision to switch over to a diesel as I was anxious on hearing that the small diesel engines would be discontinued.

I moved from an alto K10 to an i20 Diesel in April 2019. Decided to go with the Hyundai after considering Ford / Maruti and Tata. Felt Hyundai was a safe bet as the number of dealers were more and the quality of Service was acceptable.

[gaurav.kokra]

Originally Posted by karan86

Glad to know I'm not the only one facing the issue with the power cut while driving downhill. My uneducated guess is that it is probably some sensor related to fuel supply which takes into account the grade of the slope. Will get the smoke and other issues checked at the ASC. Thanks again for sharing your wisdom!

I believe it is rather calculated by the load on the engine. Once, the engine is itself freed from the load due to the slope, the fuel supply is cutoff I feel it is from a safety point of view, although the acceleration is still the maximum on WOT on the slope.

I really wish that you get the car back to it's original glory.

Just check the following things please I couldn't mention in the last post. Hope it helps.


1. Check the air filter. Check out this post by a fellow bhpian.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...-filter-7.html (Solved: VW Polo GT TSI power drop after service! It was the air filter)

Maybe this would've happened after the first service.

2. Check the condition of the engine oil. I found a significant difference after I changed the old engine oil with new (in my petrol swift though). Yes, in the performance.

[karan86]

Originally Posted by gaurav.kokra

I believe it is rather calculated by the load on the engine. Once, the engine is itself freed from the load due to the slope, the fuel supply is cutoff I feel it is from a safety point of view, although the acceleration is still the maximum on WOT on the slope.

I really wish that you get the car back to it's original glory.

Just check the following things please I couldn't mention in the last post. Hope it helps.


1. Check the air filter. Check out this post by a fellow bhpian.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...-filter-7.html (Solved: VW Polo GT TSI power drop after service! It was the air filter)

Maybe this would've happened after the first service.

2. Check the condition of the engine oil. I found a significant difference after I changed the old engine oil with new (in my petrol swift though). Yes, in the performance.

The engine oil was last replaced at 8.5k kms. Will replace it in another 1,000 kms and ensure it gets done while I'm at the ASC. Thanks for sharing this post about the air filter. It could be playing a hand in the dullness. Will try out the methods listed and update. Thanks again for the assistance

[karan86]

A quick update at 24,000 kilometres

Had the car go through its 30,000 km-service, which included an oil change, all filters changed, and a scan for any errors. Additional work which was asked to perform was an EGR return pipe cleaning and MAF sensor cleaning. Also, there was a noise from the front suspension, only when the car was driven on weathered roads, which was akin to someone hitting a drum at a low frequency, in quick succession. The service centre guys retorqued the suspension and zeroed down the noise to the brake pads which were past their life and the front left caliper. Post changing the pads, the noise has disappeared, although a faint noise which is similar, still pops its head at times. If it increases, the caliper will require replacement too is what I've been told.

However, what made me really happy is the improvement in overall performance, after cleaning the EGR return pipe and the MAF sensor. I had requested these two tasks to be performed as the performance in the lower rpm range had become dull and one had to downshift from 5th to 4th, even at 65-70 kph, for a clean move on. I planned an intercooler cleaning too, however, the service centre guys found it unnecessary. Post all of this, the 1.5 TDI is performing like new and has become smoother. Throttle responses are crisp as before and the engine feels eager throughout the rev range.

Total damage to the wallet for all of this at the VW SC: INR 16k