[Subaro123]

Originally Posted by carfanatic007

Xingy,

Tough question as different people perceive USP's differently so for me USP's were:
1) good ride quality as lets face it 95% of the time you are in normal city traffic where spirited driving is very hard and if you want it to pull on a highway it's pretty decent and easily reaches 120kmph and max i heard is 140kmph which for a hatch and keeping the safety considerations IMO is important
2) Something new & unique - If you had enough of japs & koreans then go for it
3) Sucker for quality - IMO build quality helps in the long run and you feel more confident about the car and less headaches
4) Safety - Most people in India and not very concerned about this but if you are traveling with your loved ones you definitely want them to survive crashes (which hopefully should never happen). So in this regard also I found it a bit better than other cars in the same league (Punto is an exception)
5) Looks - Clean lines look pretty good and I guess Polo and Punto are best looking cars

Hope this helps

I would like to add to it.

Its one of the best looking hatch available in India. I fell in love when I saw at Auto Expo '10. The three pot engine is only the concerning thing but with the TD i took it doesn't feel a deal breaker. The engine is a bit louder but its hardly noticeable inside the Cabin. It took me three TD to get finally decided on POLO. Every now and then I get a comment on booking POLO, why not any of the maruti's. I feel its something different and not bad either. However, it would have been the best deal if VW would have provided 1.2 TSI Engine 105bhp but we are not that much lucky.

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by Subaro123

I would like to add to it.

Its one of the best looking hatch available in India. I fell in love when I saw at Auto Expo '10. The three pot engine is only the concerning thing but with the TD i took it doesn't feel a deal breaker. The engine is a bit louder but its hardly noticeable inside the Cabin. It took me three TD to get finally decided on POLO. Every now and then I get a comment on booking POLO, why not any of the maruti's. I feel its something different and not bad either. However, it would have been the best deal if VW would have provided 1.2 TSI Engine 105bhp but we are not that much lucky.

IMO, problem with 3 pot is only with respect to noise because of lower refinement. When it comes to performance or durability - no problems what so ever. I think we are over stressing on this subject. Future car - Micra is also with 3 pot. Beat- Diesel will also be a 3 pot. Merc is coming up with one I heard. May be, we will see more of them in future and get used to it.

In cabin insulation in polo is very good. In fact engine noise has decreased after I completed 1500kms. My friends/ relatives who have sat in the car after that, have not commented that the noise is more then other cars.

Some how, I have seen that whenever Polo or Punto is discussed on this forum, people tend to take it personal. I feel that it is because they are involved passionately with these cars.

1.2 TSI and 1.6 TDI should have been an option atleast.

[formel_eins]

I have booked a Polo Petrol HL, the day I saw her, it was like love at first sight, just could not take my eyes of it. No man or machine is perfect, i guess we all try to settle with the best compromise based on our priorities. Somethings which I liked about polo are,
- A German product at affordable price
- Clean and Fresh design which is being launched globally, so no third world country treatment for India.
- Frugal engine
- Fit and finish is top class, quality of materials used inside and outside is class-leading
- Suspension setup is tuned at its best, simply swallows the potholes without any discomfort
- Butter smooth gears, class-leading

With so many options available today it is not easy to choose a car, so Xingamazon I would say TD the cars, get the feel of them in person and seal the deal

[AvonA7]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

The prices for some of the optional extras are online. Work your way through the "Car Configurator" from-->here

Thanks Ginathom, but there is no mention of Power Windows(rear) in the website. Also dealer says sun film would be Llumar where as the website doesn`t mention the brand. I have not much idea about these prices. Are these prices resonable or is it too high.

[xingamazon]

Originally Posted by carfanatic007

Xingy,

Tough question as different people perceive USP's differently so for me USP's were:
1) good ride quality as lets face it 95% of the time you are in normal city traffic where spirited driving is very hard and if you want it to pull on a highway it's pretty decent and easily reaches 120kmph and max i heard is 140kmph which for a hatch and keeping the safety considerations IMO is important
2) Something new & unique - If you had enough of japs & koreans then go for it
3) Sucker for quality - IMO build quality helps in the long run and you feel more confident about the car and less headaches
4) Safety - Most people in India and not very concerned about this but if you are traveling with your loved ones you definitely want them to survive crashes (which hopefully should never happen). So in this regard also I found it a bit better than other cars in the same league (Punto is an exception)
5) Looks - Clean lines look pretty good and I guess Polo and Punto are best looking cars

Hope this helps

Guys,
Thanks for the inputs for my question. But anyway most of the answers were subjective ones.
I am only seeing people say things like build quality, straight lines, looks that you can fall in love etc.
And mind you in terms of safety there are other cars too which are ahead of it viz i20 etc. with airbag and ABS etc.

I am not able to find one good differentiator that can define what Polo is better at. I guess as Chetan mentioned its a factor of all features put together as a package.
Anyway thanks for your suggestions. My friends wife is already a lot tilted towards i20.
(BTW she said straight no to Figo despite me pushing hard )

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by yash.giri

I really love diesel engines for their torque and fun they offer while driving. Not to mention the fuel efficiency. I expect to drive around 1300 kms per month.

But ... initial opinion was petrol engine is better that diesel and turbo lag in diesel is very painful. hence, I decided to book polo petrol trendline and booked it in march, am expecting delivery by month end.


Question 1: Now that we have few diesel owners, I wanted to know their experience of diesel when compared to Petrol
Question 2: Dealer has offered me diesel(instead of petrol) polo if I want to take immediately. So I was confused, as I didnt get a chance to TD the diesel polo. What would you suggest me, as TD is not available?

Cheers ... Yash

Yash,
I was in exactly the same situation around early May. When I read all the details about the Polo at the Delhi Auto Show in January, my mind was set on the Diesel Polo. It is a world class product and we are being offered the Bluemotion Diesel before even Europe gets it! Talk about India not getting a second hand treatment at least this time!


Then came the press about the car. It was in late February - I read the overdrive magazine which praised the Petrol engine to heaven and thrashed the Diesel engine. Also the GTO review. I was ready to put down my deposit and book the car in late Feb, when I read these. I was totally confused at that point.

After mulling over for a day or two, I decided on the Petrol fearing the Diesel will be so bad that it will be un-drivable in the city.

After a lot of missed deadlines, I was told by the dealer in early May that there would another one month delay because VW had send a truckload of Diesels instead of the petrol’s they ordered. By then, a more detailed test drive report had come out from Overdrive and I had also managed to read a lot of reviews of the Diesel engine in UK, Australia and European car web sites. All of them mentioned the turbo lag but not in a sense of being a show stopper. Also I heard the VW had done a lot of tuning in the months of March & April to make it suit the Indian conditions. I guessed that the early test drive vehicles provided to the test drivers were probably not as thoroughly tuned for Indian conditions. I took a chance and asked the SP if I could have the Diesel instead of the Petrol. Since he was feeling guilty about the missed deadlines, he agreed after a day after consulting his manager.

Finally the car arrived in mid-May and after driving it for a few weeks now, I can confidently say I made the right decision, due to the following:
1. Turbo lag is not an issue while pulling away from traffic lights or in bumper-to-bumper traffic. In the former situation, you are a bit slow in the first 100 m, but you really accelerate after that once you have engaged the 3rd and 4th gears. The in-gear acceleration in these gears is terrific due to the rush of torque and you can leave those bikers far behind. In the bumper-to-bumper situation, the car is able to run with just the pulling power at idle. You do not have to use the accelerator at all, so there is no question of turbo lag. The one situation where the turbo lag is felt as a handicap is if you are traveling at ay 50-60 kmph and slow down for a big bump. Then trying to resume your speed, you do feel the turbo lag. But this situation is far less common than the other 2 above at least in Chennai.
2. You are getting a latest world class product and you are getting it before anyone else in the world, including UK, Australia and Europe, who are yet to get this engine. This is THE latest engine of VW and it is being made in Germany only right now and being directly imported. IMO, the feeling of being given the importance and pride of place is what tips the balance at the end of the day. We as a nation worship the latest technology and for once, we are getting the second largest global automaker’s (soon to be the largest) The petrol engine is older, although it is also very current and being sold throughout the developed world.
3. I have read posts of petrol owners complaining about the actual mileage being less than what they expected (in forums other than team-bhp) – I have read reports of 9-10 kmpl. Although I do not know how much credibility to attach to these, I have only heard positive surprises from the Diesel owners. I have myself experienced 15+ kmpl in city driving. There are report s of 18+kpl in Highway driving right here on Team-bhp. I have read in many forums in US about how the Polo Diesel is delivering over 70 mpg – much better than Toyota Prius which gives 60 mpg and much more expensive.
4. Environment – whether you care deeply or not, no one can ignore the rapid change that is going on and visible all around you. The Polo Diesel is today the greenest internal combustion engine in the world. It has the lowest CO2 emissions of all similar vehicles globally.
For the above 4 reasons, I am glad I went for the Diesel and would highly recommend it to you.

[theragingbull]

Originally Posted by formel_eins

I have booked a Polo Petrol HL, the day I saw her, it was like love at first sight, just could not take my eyes of it. No man or machine is perfect, i guess we all try to settle with the best compromise based on our priorities.

Congrats! What's the waiting period?

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

Yash,
I was in exactly the same situation around early May. When I read all the details about the Polo at the Delhi Auto Show in January, my mind was set on the Diesel Polo. It is a world class product and we are being offered the Bluemotion Diesel before even Europe gets it! Talk about India not getting a second hand treatment at least this time!


Then came the press about the car. It was in late February - I read the overdrive magazine which praised the Petrol engine to heaven and thrashed the Diesel engine. Also the GTO review. I was ready to put down my deposit and book the car in late Feb, when I read these. I was totally confused at that point.

After mulling over for a day or two, I decided on the Petrol fearing the Diesel will be so bad that it will be un-drivable in the city.

After a lot of missed deadlines, I was told by the dealer in early May that there would another one month delay because VW had send a truckload of Diesels instead of the petrol’s they ordered. By then, a more detailed test drive report had come out from Overdrive and I had also managed to read a lot of reviews of the Diesel engine in UK, Australia and European car web sites. All of them mentioned the turbo lag but not in a sense of being a show stopper. Also I heard the VW had done a lot of tuning in the months of March & April to make it suit the Indian conditions. I guessed that the early test drive vehicles provided to the test drivers were probably not as thoroughly tuned for Indian conditions. I took a chance and asked the SP if I could have the Diesel instead of the Petrol. Since he was feeling guilty about the missed deadlines, he agreed after a day after consulting his manager.

Finally the car arrived in mid-May and after driving it for a few weeks now, I can confidently say I made the right decision, due to the following:
1. Turbo lag is not an issue while pulling away from traffic lights or in bumper-to-bumper traffic. In the former situation, you are a bit slow in the first 100 m, but you really accelerate after that once you have engaged the 3rd and 4th gears. The in-gear acceleration in these gears is terrific due to the rush of torque and you can leave those bikers far behind. In the bumper-to-bumper situation, the car is able to run with just the pulling power at idle. You do not have to use the accelerator at all, so there is no question of turbo lag. The one situation where the turbo lag is felt as a handicap is if you are traveling at ay 50-60 kmph and slow down for a big bump. Then trying to resume your speed, you do feel the turbo lag. But this situation is far less common than the other 2 above at least in Chennai.
2. You are getting a latest world class product and you are getting it before anyone else in the world, including UK, Australia and Europe, who are yet to get this engine. This is THE latest engine of VW and it is being made in Germany only right now and being directly imported. IMO, the feeling of being given the importance and pride of place is what tips the balance at the end of the day. We as a nation worship the latest technology and for once, we are getting the second largest global automaker’s (soon to be the largest) The petrol engine is older, although it is also very current and being sold throughout the developed world.
3. I have read posts of petrol owners complaining about the actual mileage being less than what they expected (in forums other than team-bhp) – I have read reports of 9-10 kmpl. Although I do not know how much credibility to attach to these, I have only heard positive surprises from the Diesel owners. I have myself experienced 15+ kmpl in city driving. There are report s of 18+kpl in Highway driving right here on Team-bhp. I have read in many forums in US about how the Polo Diesel is delivering over 70 mpg – much better than Toyota Prius which gives 60 mpg and much more expensive.
4. Environment – whether you care deeply or not, no one can ignore the rapid change that is going on and visible all around you. The Polo Diesel is today the greenest internal combustion engine in the world. It has the lowest CO2 emissions of all similar vehicles globally.
For the above 4 reasons, I am glad I went for the Diesel and would highly recommend it to you.

+1 on that. Monsoon84 - I appreciate the way you have explained things. I also had a similar experience with these reports. GTO's report is definitely good and unbiased. But I feel that he has not thought on a common commuter perspective. This is important, since 95% of the people who read these reports are common commuters like us. We almost always give a lot of importance to these reports and sometimes, will be misled.

May be, the moment you say VW, enthusiasts expectation increases!!

That is another plus for VW!!

[poloman]

Looks like this forum is going to get flooded with Polos. A look at the 'booked my car' thread confirms this.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...thread-60.html
VW, please reduce the waiting time and return the goodwill.

[formel_eins]

Originally Posted by theragingbull

Congrats! What's the waiting period?

waiting was for 3 months, and I am expecting the delivery in first week of July. Today received call from SP saying that the day is coming closer, a Silver petrol HL will be yours, and I was like hey you mixed with the color, I had changed it from silver to white and SP is like hmmm ahhh, ok Sir no problem I will call you back and tell you the formalities. Now I dont know what he is upto because didnt receive any call for past 3 hours. Man they make me nervous

[carfanatic007]

Originally Posted by formel_eins

waiting was for 3 months, and I am expecting the delivery in first week of July. Today received call from SP saying that the day is coming closer, a Silver petrol HL will be yours, and I was like hey you mixed with the color, I had changed it from silver to white and SP is like hmmm ahhh, ok Sir no problem I will call you back and tell you the formalities. Now I dont know what he is upto because didnt receive any call for past 3 hours. Man they make me nervous

That is another fear I have, what if they mix colors and variants too then what should a consumer do? Wait again 3 months or take whatever is available?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

GTO's report is definitely good and unbiased. But I feel that he has not thought on a common commuter perspective.

Turbolag is turbolag. Its either there or it isn't. Personally, I am not that bothered with turbolag; however, keeping in mind the commuter perspective, I report that turbolag can be extremely annoying in bumper-to-bumper traffic. A driving condition that all of us encounter everyday. Please understand that our reports are keeping the average car buyer in mind (and not necessarily only enthusiasts). And it is this average car buyer who the turbolag will affect most.

If you've gotten used to the lag, good for you. If you don't see it as a problem, even better. But that still doesn't take away from the fact that its obvious...and there are other diesel hatchbacks with FAR LESSER lag.

[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

+1 on that. Monsoon84 - I appreciate the way you have explained things. I also had a similar experience with these reports. GTO's report is definitely good and unbiased. But I feel that he has not thought on a common commuter perspective. This is important, since 95% of the people who read these reports are common commuters like us. We almost always give a lot of importance to these reports and sometimes, will be misled.

May be, the moment you say VW, enthusiasts expectation increases!!

That is another plus for VW!!

relax buddy, and you were saying other people take anything negative said about their car personally. IMO you are being the same.

i think GTOs reports are based on the average consumer otherwise most of the cars would have been labeled useless if they didnt have a powerful engine, or perfect handling. they will hardly mislead anyone because the reports tell it like it is.

if it has turbolag let it be. one negative in an otherwise great package.

[agm]

Today got a chance to test drive Polo diesel HL .

Overall it looks good ,2nd best to Punto . Interior quality is no match, way better compared to other car in the same segment .butter smooth gear shift . Handling is pretty good ,was doing 120 and was pretty happy with the handling.

Bad:-
1 - Noisy,very noisy 3 pot engine . i find 1.3MJD and 1.4TDCi way better .

2- Turbolag , which can get irritating in b 2 b traffic .

3 - I find it to be cramped ,especially the rear legroom is shocking .Very disappointing :(

I (we) have been critising Jazz but when i saw the onroad price for both Polo HL petrol and diesel i was like .

Atrocious pricing ,both the 3 pot engine not worth that price tag . Petrol - 6.90L onroad , Diesel HL 8+L huh !

[amoghchaphalkar]

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon

In the former situation, you are a bit slow in the first 100 m, but you really accelerate after that once you have engaged the 3rd and 4th gears. The in-gear acceleration in these gears is terrific due to the rush of torque and you can leave those bikers far behind.

100 m is a considerable distance !! In fact when you say you are "bit slow" in the first 100 m : that is EXACTLY where you are experiencing the turbo lag !!

In the bumper-to-bumper situation, the car is able to run with just the pulling power at idle. You do not have to use the accelerator at all, so there is no question of turbo lag.

You won't experience turbo lag when you don't press the accelerator !! As simple as that

4. Environment – whether you care deeply or not, no one can ignore the rapid change that is going on and visible all around you. The Polo Diesel is today the greenest internal combustion engine in the world. It has the lowest CO2 emissions of all similar vehicles globally.

Source ??? As far as I know Fiat topped the 2009 rankings for low carbon emission cars. Volkswagen did not feature anywhere.

Check this report : http://www.jato.com/PressReleases/Sm...0Emissions.pdf