Team-BHP - Volkswagen Polo : Test Drive & Review

Quote:

Originally Posted by lancer_rit (Post 1756360)

As a rule of thumb, 3-cylinders can't match the refinement of 4-cylinders. But, I must say that the 3-cyl in Matiz (reworked 800 engine) was very refined, and zero NVH at idle - especially when new...

+1.

The aygo, also has a 3-cylinder engine and I think it's really quite a good engine! Would be perfect for Indian conditions! Not many vibrations or anything. It was a bit loud though... but in a good way! The sound was distinctly sporty :D Very driveable and peppy little engine it had!

Guy's not all three pots are horrible. Agreed they can't match the refinement of 4-cylinder engines but some are really decent and are really peppy for city drives.

Polo, from the review seems to be just another addition to the Crowded Hatchback Market, leave aside the Volkswagen Badge.

I cant see any USP for the car, strictly adequate perofmance from the engines, Netural Handling, Cramped rear bench, missing features (Electric Mirrors, ACC, Steering Mounted Controls etc.) to name a few.

By far the most noticeable factor is the almost non-existant A.S.S Network.

Is it me only thinking like that, or i am missing something.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amartya (Post 1756407)

I cannot see a single thing that the Polo does better than the Punto other than perhaps interior plastic quality. Let me try and compare the two:

1. Exterior Looks - Down to individual choice, I think the Punto is better.
2. Build Quality(not including interiors) - "Tijori /Vault" i.e. Punto.
3. Interior Quality - Polo.
4. Interior Features - Punto, Polo skimps on stuff like vanity mirrors, you must be kidding me!
5. Boot Space - Equal.
6. Rear Room - Punto.
7. Engine - Ruling out the Punto 1.2, the Punto wins. So only in the base variant, the Polo's engine is better. But that means, one is restricted to just a couple of colours (this is a deplorable tactic).
8. Transmission and Gearbox - The Polo carries on in the tradition of the Fabia for having a fantastic gearbox, but in my own opinion, the clutch is an ergonomic disaster and totally negates any gains that the snappy gearbox could have made. The Punto has a long travel clutch, but overall (with a dead pedal) it wins here again.
9. Ride and Handling - Punto
10. Service - Punto. Both in terms of reach and spare parts list (speculative).

There-in lies the problem with the Polo. It lacks an USP. In fact, other than people who think VW is a premium brand, and attach snob value to the car, I don't think it makes any sense.

Service: There have been too many horror stories from Fiat owners versus none from VW owners. Number of dealerships is the (partial) offsetting factor.

Build quality: I think if parts sometimes fall off a Punto, and if interior panel gaps are huge, then the Polo comes out a winner.

Have to agree with you on most of the other points above.

People are raving about the Polo because they think its the same Polo that won all the Car of the Year awards in Europe.

But its not.

That award winning Polo had a 1.2 TSI with a 7-speed DSG. It had rear disc brakes, electrically adjustable OVRMs and electronic climate control. It even looked as good as the Punto with the smoked headlights, LED indicators on the mirrors and beautifully detailed tail lamps.

What we are being offered in India is a poor, ugly cousin of the real VW Polo. Built to a (low) price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by theEnd (Post 1756604)

People are raving about the Polo because they think its the same Polo that won all the Car of the Year awards in Europe.

But its not.

That award winning Polo had a 1.2 TSI with a 7-speed DSG. It had rear disc brakes, electrically adjustable OVRMs and electronic climate control. It even looked as good as the Punto with the smoked headlights, LED indicators on the mirrors and beautifully detailed tail lamps.

+1 to that, the lack of features and meagre engines have dampened the fate of otherwise very good car.

I think the engines (Petrol & Diesel) are the re-tuned / refined versions of the Fabia, correct me, if i am wrong.

If they would have launched the 1.2 TSI, it could have been a game changer of the segment.

Great review indeed!
Talking about the 3 cylinder engines, it still baffles me why VW choose not to bring their better engine options to India… For eg; here in Singapore, the Polo is available only in one engine option ie; the 4 cylinder 1.4 petrol with 7-speed DSG. I feel the Indian auto industry is now mature enough to appreciate world class products. And these new petrol units from VW give excellent fuel economy (claimed around 17 km/litre!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 1755116)

The official ARAI rating is 17.2 kpl, not far off from the Ritz' 17.7 figure. European petrols usually aren't fuel-efficient, so the Polo's ARAI numbers come as a surprise to me.

& the 84bhp K-series Swift is at 17.9 !

Polo FE is a disappointment! If I have to put up with 3-cyl vibration and low power, then the least I expect is 'best in class' FE and best in class pricing, neither of which the VW satisfies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WindRide (Post 1755209)

There was a strange sense of emptyness after reading the review.

+1 to this. And that is not good news for me as a prospetive buyer, keeping GTO's track record in perspective.

I am also a 6' guy with an occasional back ache, with 4 senior citizens in family, so Thanks ! to both GTO and Rehan for special mention of such issues.

In overall summary, looks like Polo wanted to beat Indica first, before taking on the others :D

Also, looking at Rehan's comparision post, it seems the exhaust is tucked away out of sight only in the Indian version ( See the pic of Indian and European Polo, used for comparing suspension ).

Some how, I this car is not having any thing that good.

1) Electric hatch, 90% of the travel, the hatch will automatically go down. Nice touch, and add to that, no slamming. Practical, but somehow, I find this not that necessary.

2) The wiper and indicator stalks. Why cant they change this ? They can work on rear suspension, why not this ? I feel that this is superiority complex and arrogant attitude.

3) Headlights. I was expecting dual headlamp setup, not for aesthetic sense, but for practical purpose. IMO, they are better and help in night driving. This is again cost cutting.

4) No need for specially mentioning louder horn for India. I think they are more focussed on horn than engines. In the video of OD ( posted earlier ), they were speaking of horn special for India. Its as good as saying that we pack in jackets specially for a trip to Switzerland. Its a necessacity.

5) Non availability of diesel is going to hit them initially. Because the focus of car buying public will be FE and not performance. I think this diesel unit is called NEW, so I expected it to be better than Swift's unit, but Fiat SDE remains one of the best.

So coming back, what are exactly positive points of this car ?
Ride and Handling ? Punto takes the tag, Figo up there too.
Looks ( although subjective, here its just IMO ) ? Swift takes the tag.
FE ? Maruti wins.
Rear seat space ? Vista wins.
Driving pleasure ? Currently its Swift. The 1.2 petrol and 1.25 diesel are better than anything market has to offer.

On top of that, we are not yet known to the spares and service cost.
I am not able to find anything good with this car.
May be I need to drive one, but till then, I dont think this car really has something good.
It will sell because of VW tag and the hype around it. Typical of good presentation, but zero core stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by aaggoswami (Post 1756643)

Some how, I this car is not having any thing that good.

So coming back, what are exactly positive points of this car ?
Ride and Handling ? Punto takes the tag, Figo up there too.
Looks ( although subjective, here its just IMO ) ? Swift takes the tag.
FE ? Maruti wins.
Rear seat space ? Vista wins.
Driving pleasure ? Currently its Swift. The 1.2 petrol and 1.25 diesel are better than anything market has to offer.

On top of that, we are not yet known to the spares and service cost.
I am not able to find anything good with this car.
May be I need to drive one, but till then, I dont think this car really has something good.
It will sell because of VW tag and the hype around it. Typical of good presentation, but zero core stuff.

+1. Except for the looks. I luve understated designs.
Nothing that really excites about the Polo. Pleases all;excites none? Perhaps.

And I'm tired of hearing about the perceived luxury image of VW. VW was brilliant enough by bringing the Passat, Jetta, Beetle and Toureg first. But after all this, we get a stripped Polo so that they can price it competetively. Absolutely nothing wrong.

BUT why can't we judge luxury by the car and not by the brand? I mean, what's the point in loathing that you a got a VW Polo that makes the Bettle/Passat when your neighbour is chilling in Auto Climate Control in the i20?

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiku007 (Post 1756689)

Very true, I agree with your point. Leave i20 at side even a top variant of Beat has automatic climate control. These guys still wanna cash on the namesake of their logo's which are easily stolen by vandals!!:D