14th October 2011, 11:13
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| Distinguished - BHPian  | Welcomed into the family of Das Auto - VW Polo1.6 The year 2011 is truly a special one having met most of the resolutions put out at the beginning of the year. Owning a German car was one of them. And October 13th 2011 was the day, when I took posession of the Premium German Hatch - The Polo1.6. Re-intro Why German? This dates back to 2003 when opportunity struck for me working in Germany. it was that period that I understood the approach Germans take in their designs - Built to last is one of them. It was then I was using the Golf and was like love at first sight. Possibly due to this ia ma one who would always vote for a premium (rocket!) hatch over a sedan! Just a wish that was later etched in my mind - to own a German car (Indian made -affordable!) back in India. Back in India 2005 never saw this being a reality with Suzuki's, Hyundai's , etc no signs of any German manufacture setting base in India. Never was in the market for a car as there were the Zen ,Swift, and Figo in the family. It was in early 2010 when VW had launched the Polo1.2 I did realize - now there is a chance of having a build to last kinda vehicle. But though VW is not a truly premium brand back in Germany the quality and build of their vehicles were a notch above than those build here. Though not a TBHP member at that time was glued to the threads and official review of both Polo and Vento. GTO's review of the Polo1.2 reaffirmed that Polo would be my next car and somewhere down the review mentioned on the probable launch of the 1.6! This I decided would be my next car for sure! It was with the release of the Polo1.6 that I had an urge to be a TBHP member. Lucky to be a member in late 2010 and this is when I had interacted with some of the members and put forth some doubts and clarifications which made buying process. Threads titled 'German dilemma, buy @launch or wait were in particular reference to aiding my buying decision.  The wait I am a bit finicky when it comes to purchasing cars. I would rather wait a few months after launch before making the final decision. This too was no exception and hence glued to the threads of all Vento and Polo topics. The next wait since purchase is done by the company (lease) had to wait for the approvals. Well that suited me well as the research on the 1.6 continued. Dealership Varied opinions on dealerships were floating. VW Palace Cross or Downtown ? Well the latter being closer in proximity and had a more than cordial welcome decided on VW-Downtown. The SA was more than eager to answer queries, etc to the best of his knowledge on the car , but all of us know a bit more(thanks to TBHP), so mostly I restricted to the formalities of TD, payment , discounts,etc. TD was arranged and accompanied by the SE hit the road. My driving pattern would be partly on highways so had taken the drive on the ring road. The intial was the engine response at lower rpm's were not rgreat but nothing to complain of. Bumper-bumper city driving was comfortable . Ground clearance together with the suspension the ride never did once bottomed out on the abnormally high Bangalore humps that one normally encounters. But the true color of the car can be seen while touching the highway. Truly a fun to drive car in both city and more particular on highways. Have tick marked the car and decided on the next steps of purchase. The Temptation Jazz was a very elusive car to me as was never considerd since it was overpriced. It was in week 33, Honda decided to slash the Jazz prices. This now from attractive as a 'VFM' proposition and decided to take a look at it. More so, pressure was from home front to check it as the pictures of the attractive Jazz was spalshed across the media. Had been to Whitefield Honda on Aug 20th. The place which looked deserted a week back was now buzzing with activity. More over arrogance of the executives put me off as they said no TD available in the next 3 days. Anyways to be fair decided to have a TD when available. Was called a few later and the TD began. In looks the displayed Jazz in red was a looker. However seeing on road, IMO, looked like a baby Innova! City driving was good but need to work frequently on gears. On highway steering seemed lifeless, speeds >110 km/hr seemed to push the engine to its limits. The ground clearance was disappointing and added to the stiff suspension it did scarpe to most of the humps on the TD path. Thus the Jazz was thus struck off from my list and stuck with going with my heart - Polo1.6 The Process begins Wentto Downtown on 27th August. Was pleasently surprised when there was an offer on the Cars. They said it was limited (but still there!)and was scanned through the documents before making the advance. Got and selected the following. 1. Corporate discount -INR 10000 2. Free insurance with 0 % depreciation (paid the diff) 3. Free accessories -INR 15000 Mud flaps Cover- car Rear sensors Door Strip- stainless steel Seat cover 4. Extended warranty Next was the color, left that to the'Home minister' and chose the black (since have another in white). Unfortunately black was not in stock and was told a waiting period of 10 days. Suited me again as the cheque from the company was not yet ready. Never followed up but during that period had a travel planned for a week. Informed the SA on the same and would need the car only in first week of October - but with another twist. Now decided to change the colour to the ever majestic White. The colour Black is great but needs constant cleaning to do justice to the looks of the car. The SE willingly obliged though the previously orderd black car had arrived! Rumors of other manufacturers reducing prices, adding features that would be available during the coming festive seasons were splashed across most forums. Polo was no exception to this too. Steering mounted stereo controls, addition of USB / Bluetooth, etc were doing the rounds. Checked with the dealer, but as usual they were not aware. However the SA was accommodating and assured he would re-allot the car with new features if released. Later it turned to just be a rumor and the limited edition of the Breeze was released. Have reassured the SA to go ahead with the earlier version. The D day dawns The color white was delivered in stock yard in less than a week and got the VIN number as requested. Got the manufacturing date and details of the car. thanks to Wildon. Being a BHPian proceeeded to do the PDI at yard to which the SA seemed amused saying they too do the PDI. Everything seemed good and signed (coroprate) the form 20 and the car was registered! Now everthing about the car seemed moving in a fast pace and was told the car would be ready at 11am on 13th Oct. Reached VW Downtown at the said time. SA not to be seen around, enquired and was informed he would be a bit late. Was shown the car and the cleaning process has started. Was informed on a delay due to the body colored sensors need drying time (late arrival of paint). Told them no issues fearing that could lead to paint issues if done in a hurry. Car at Downtown - cleaning process  SE arrives and informs that seat covers were not in stock and to have them fixed at a later date.Time seemed to remain standstill. Took the opportunity in ordering the 3D Kagu mats with the intention of picking it after the delivery of the car. Called on the service personnel, got a demo of the functions as part of the ritual. Got all the assistance and service numbers, all warranty duly signed. Now comes the invoice, shows lower by 21K than the cheque given. Decided to see accessories for the differential amount. Then comes the shocker, finance says there was an error in totalling. Anyways was not bothered as long as it never exceeded the invoice! Clock ticks to around 4pm, was given tea a welcome relief to the headache coutesy DT. In summary a very disappointing experience even at their finance. T The only nice thing was the SE was very helpful right from the start to the end. Was informed the car is now ready and was informed on the shortage of petrol coupons(INR 1000) and could be collected later. The customary photo session was over. Handed the gift as token of appreciation to the SE, thanked him and hit the road. The first drive of ownership erases the hardships and painful waits at the dealership. The Polo's and Vento's sell due to its performance, stylish looks and brand value, very little is contributed by the dealerships. Last edited by volkman10 : 18th October 2011 at 10:27. |
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17th October 2011, 22:29
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| Distinguished - BHPian | Re: Welcomed into the family of Das Auto - VW Polo1.6 Ownership Report Am not yet got completely used to the car but at the odometer at 100 km am penning my thoughts and would be updated in due course. Exterior Styling and Design According to me, the Polo is currently the best looking hatch on sale. It is the mark V version and yet to be released in many countries.The exterior of the Polo is beautifully styled with the right creases and lines shaping the car. The front end with the VW logo in the middle of the stylish grille and the wide slanting headlights give it a stunning look. Interiors The black and beige color combination looks pleasing. The hugging deep seats are great. The steering wheel feels nice with the rake, reach and the height adjustment in the driver's seat are big plus points. The stylish gear knob feels great to hold. Short and slick to use. Big disappointment in the clutch position, seems a tad high. There seems a sudden surge in power when the accelerator pedal is depressed. Something like an initial lag. Need to get used over a period of time. The dash looks good and the tilt of the console towards the driver looks cool. Performance At start the engine seems a bit loud, after which it is difficult to know whether the engine is on. Engine in lower rev bands could be used even in 4th gear which makes it a fun car even in city rides. Though not experience the performance to the full as i intend not crossing the 3k rev band in the 1000 km break in period. However, the TD car revealed its capabilities on the highway. You are clocking a surprisingly fast speed, 0-100 in ~ 11.5 seconds, putting some sedans way behind! The Polo has a good suspension. The front uses a pair of McPherson struts with stabilizer bars and the rear is fitted with a semi-independent trailing arm that makes it smooth even on rough and uneven roads. Seems adequate GC combined with the suspension saves the underside of the vehicle getting scarped. It feels well planted like a larger car. The 15 inch alloys don’t really make things better. The car came equipped with Apollo Acelere 185/60/R15 tires. Time would tell whether they are good or not. Aftermarket and service is still too early to gauge, hoping for the best! The more you drive this car the more you fall in love with it again, again and again! Overall Likes Great pickup Ride Quality Well built solid hatch- Great Road presence City and Highway driving with ease Customized driving position AC efficiency Good Noise insulation Nice remote fob foldable Great boot space Split type rear seats A tad disappointment Auto door locking at pre-determined speed. Lack of USB/Aux Single reverse light Screwed on antenna- prone to theft? Inadequate coverage of rear view mirror Clarifications from Polo owners Is the deadlock mechanism provided? Is the Anti theft alarm provided? Future upgrades 3M sun control Later HU Before signing off the ownership review, would like to thank all Polo/Vento BHPians contribution here which enabled the decision making process simpler. Special mention to GTO (though missing was the 1.6 review), rtm_8055 for the review of the 1.6, gaurav_chopra04 (VW- Polo maintenance schedule and do's and dont's), noopster, sauravc, nowwhat?,evilshantanu,suhaas307,speed_kills. The German on guard and the ever reliable Jap on standby  The CAR  Last edited by volkman10 : 18th October 2011 at 10:36. |
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18th October 2011, 10:59
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18th October 2011, 11:28
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| BHPian  Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 133
Thanked: 25 Times
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18th October 2011, 11:43
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| BHPian  Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: -
Posts: 134
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18th October 2011, 12:09
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| Distinguished - BHPian  | Re: Welcomed into the family of Das Auto - VW Polo1.6 Hey Congrats on the POLO and wishing you unlimited happy & safe miles with it. Great that you bought the 1.6. The 1.2 simply doesn't do justice to the car's persona. I wish they launch the 1.6 TDI also! As for the antenna, don't worry, almost all out there are screw type. So as the choice is plenty the probability of you being a victim is negligible  Happy riding! |
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18th October 2011, 12:32
| #7 |
| Newbie Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: New Delhi
Posts: 19
Thanked: Once
| Re: Welcomed into the family of Das Auto - VW Polo1.6 Congratulations volkman! Your white 1.6 looks great (I am admittedly biased as a fellow owner of the same combination ). I haven't quite figured out the deadlock yet either, though the car does respond to the remote lock button being pressed twice as stated in the manual.Does your anti-theft red LED in the driver's door blink every 4-5 seconds after locking the car? Mine does, and was wondering if this was normal. I think some of the anti-theft features such as alarm if key not inserted in ignition after unlocking car within 15 seconds have been modified/deactivated for India. They really do need to create an India specific manual. Drive safe and have fun! |
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18th October 2011, 12:52
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| Distinguished - BHPian | Re: Welcomed into the family of Das Auto - VW Polo1.6 Quote:
Yes the LED blinks after locking the car. So it looks like there would be no alarm alert in the Indian versions.  Cheers! | |
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18th October 2011, 13:23
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| Senior - BHPian  | Re: Welcomed into the family of Das Auto - VW Polo1.6 @volkman10 Congratulations on the Polo 1.6, this one's sure a pocket rocket  . The colour looks good on the car. So how did the convincing the home minister part went as far as the colour change was concerned.Happy mile crunching and drive safely. Whats mods are planned immediately/in future? |
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18th October 2011, 13:35
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| Distinguished - BHPian | Re: Welcomed into the family of Das Auto - VW Polo1.6 Quote:
Of course in this case it was easy as most black cars on road are not maintained (with respect to color) and would give the opposite effect. Whenever on road brought the topic on color and easy to get convinced. Cheers! | |
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18th October 2011, 13:45
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| Distinguished - BHPian | Re: Welcomed into the family of Das Auto - VW Polo1.6 Quote:
With the rake and reach adjustment, driver's seat height adjustment, to and fro movement of the seat, it is easy to customize the driving position. I did not have any issues on left knee comfort yet. Cheers! | |
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18th October 2011, 14:41
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| BHPian Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Pune
Posts: 129
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18th October 2011, 14:47
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| BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 133
Thanked: 25 Times
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18th October 2011, 14:56
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| Distinguished - BHPian | Re: Welcomed into the family of Das Auto - VW Polo1.6 Quote:
Understand most 1.6 available are May built and mine is no exception too. Cheers! | |
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18th October 2011, 15:05
| #15 |
| BHPian Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 303
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