Team-BHP - Volkswagen Polo : Test Drive & Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amartya (Post 1955288)

May I..............disagree? If you look at the number of old Maruti's (only considering cars in India) that are still running on our roads, I wouldn't go as far as saying that Jap cars have a shorter lifespan. The Japanese have built their success by making cars with fantastic engines, with a reasonably light weight body (mind you, that doesn't mean unsafe), and having bullet proof reliability.

Your point about the highway cars is right. Having a safer car is indeed a boon, the Polo (and the Punto) gives an owner a sense of security because of the solid build, and I'd agree with that. However, it has been proven that lighter cars can be just as safe.

Mighty be going off topic here but Amartya just curious to know that what is the data to say that lighter cars are just as safe, is it based on some rating (NCP 5 star rating etc.),personal experience or crash test data?

Hi tyre experts,

I have a question for you all. I have a Polo Trendline with steel wheels and 175-70-14 tyres. I wanted wider tyres and have looked at various options to upgrade to 15 inch alloys and wider tyres. But frankly, all the alloy wheels I saw look quite garish and ugly. The choice is limited sicne Polo has 5 holes for the wheel bolts and majority of the alloys seem to be made for 4 holes.

With this and the fact that VW is not selling original 15 inch alloys used in their HL variant as accessories (these do look good) I have come around to the conclusion that I will keep my 14 inch steel wheels.

Now the question is, can I fit wider tyres on these stock steel wheels? For instance, 185-65-R14 or 195-60-R14? All the posts I have read so far talk about upgrading the wheels to alloys and then fitting wider tyres, so I have a doubt about how possible and practical it is to stay with stock steel wheels and only upgrade the tyres?

If the answer is yes, any recommendations for tyre brands to go for? I basically want high speed stability especially around corners, also good grip inbad weather and wet roads.

thanks in advance!

thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon (Post 1955482)

I have come around to the conclusion that I will keep my 14 inch steel wheels.

Good. I would say it is an intelligent decision.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon (Post 1955482)

I basically want high speed stability especially around corners, also good grip inbad weather and wet roads.

84.monsoon, what makes you think that the existing Appolos don't handle well at high speeds, bad weather and wet roads. Did you experience anything unexpected with those tyres?

If you look at GTO's review, he clearly mentions and appreciates road holding abilities of polo. Below is the extract.

The Polo is fairly wide. The low stance, with wheels placed out at the corners, give it excellent road holding ability

Quote:

Originally Posted by carfanatic007 (Post 1955442)

Forget NCP ratings, crash tests. After all your car is only as safe as you are (unless you are REALLY unlucky, in which case you need a tank.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon (Post 1955482)

i think you should be able to fit 195/65 r14 on the stock rims. that would be a good size, of course what tyres are available in that size can be told to you by nikhilb :p

if you think 195 is overkill for the puny 1.2 then i think 185 should be adequate. 185/65 r14 that is.

Quote:

Originally Posted by carfanatic007 (Post 1955442)

First of all, notice the difference a single word makes, I said "can be just as safe". It is not the same as "are just as safe".

To give an example, the Honda Jazz has an NCAP 5 star rating, so does the i20. Note, these are for the top spec versions with all the safety kit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amartya (Post 1956139)

Hi Amartya,

I liked the way you justify your point of view!
I am not curios, but your style of writing sometimes looks similar to an experienced lawyer sort of person who knows how to juggle with words and prove his point rt:)
I guess carfanatic007 wanted to know the reason behind car safety in relation to car weight!

Quote:

Originally Posted by AvonA7 (Post 1956167)

Hi Amartya,

I liked the way you justify your point of view!
I am not curious, but your style of writing sometimes looks similar to an experienced lawyer sort of person who knows how to juggle with words and prove his point rt:)
I guess carfanatic007 wanted to know the reason behind car safety in relation to car weight!

This debate about safety vis-a-vis weight is not that simple. There are a lot of factors that dictate the level of safety in an automobile, and I am sure you are aware of them. Weight does play a part - simple laws of physics - but so do crumple zones, air bags etc. By simple laws of physics, I meant that a NCAP 5 rated small car can never take on a truck and come out on top.

Among smaller cars, the ones made by Fiat, VW (Skoda included) have heftier build, and they do feel safer, but that shouldn't undermine the fact that the Japanese (say the Jazz and the i20: I know it is Korean) might be just as safe. This has nothing to do with playing with words, it's a fact.

For the record, I've driven the Polo very recently, and I did like the build quality, I also love the Punto's build. What I found disconcerting was the blatant dissing of Japanese cars without any valid reasons to back it up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinay-JS (Post 1955857)

Good. I would say it is an intelligent decision.

84.monsoon, what makes you think that the existing Appolos don't handle well at high speeds, bad weather and wet roads. Did you experience anything unexpected with those tyres?

If you look at GTO's review, he clearly mentions and appreciates road holding abilities of polo. Below is the extract.

The Polo is fairly wide. The low stance, with wheels placed out at the corners, give it excellent road holding ability

Vinay, I understand. and the car has not done anythign to make me feel otherwise so far. However, GTO did get the 185-60-R15s on his test car. Not that it would have made a huge difference.
Another (and perhaps the main) reason is I have always hated cares with tyres that look skinny. And always loved the cars with fat tyres. That is probably what is swinging me towards upgrading along with some increase in grip, road handlign and safety.

Now while both 195-60-14 and 185-65-14 would keep the outer diameter under the current diameter,, what I am curious to know is:

1. Would 195-65-R14s be OK? This would increase the overall diameter up by about 1.4% - This would be still within the 3% tolerance prescribed by some sites...
2. Woudl these changes increase the weight of the overall wheel+tyre to a point that much more than the original and cause any issues?

thanks in advance for your answers!

IMO with airbags and abs and well deigned crumple zones and steering columns today alomost all hatchbacks are more or less equally safe. sadly all safety features and generally standard only on the top end versions. It is when we are looking at the base models of any vehicle, which do not have the above mentioned safety features, a sturdy well build car from VW or Fiat may feel and atually be more safer than a jap or a korean car of similar features owing to a thicker sheet of metal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 84.monsoon (Post 1956263)

I agree with you that the fat tyres will definitely stand out of the crowd if done sensibly (even otherwise :D). If you are going for this option just for looks (with good grip as bonus), then its a personal choice. If not, then I would suggest you to stick to the stocks and observe them thoroughly how they handle (as this is still unexplored area for polo) and then take your decision.

As far as these changes are concerned, yes, it definitely affects the coordination of different parts; if not right now, but at later stages.

The bottom line would be, do not disturb the setup unless you are completely informed about what is involved in it and what impact it may have on other related parts.

Dear Polo owners,

Have couple of queries regarding insurance ... I am from Blore, am suppose to get my polo in this week.

Question 1:
From where did you take insurance? How much did insurance cost?
Does it cover 100% liability or has some clauses like following ...
1) 50% for plastic, fibre, rubber.
2) Have to pay first Rs. 500 in every claim

Question 2:
For me insuarnce provided by Volkswagen seems costly.
Are there any advantages in taking insurance from Volkswagen itself?

Cheerio ... Yash

Quote:

Originally Posted by yash.giri (Post 1956777)

Question 2:
For me insuarnce provided by Volkswagen seems costly.
Are there any advantages in taking insurance from Volkswagen itself?

If you take the insurance from outside, you will miss the the Road Side Assistance provided by VW (As told to me by Sales Rep at VW Downtown, Blore)