Quote:
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.
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