[NevGin]

Initial observations

• Buttons like those for the A/C, window lock and air recirculation are of the touch variety and not push up/down or in/out type. Felt strange at first not knowing how hard to press them in order to engage
• The Multi Function Display has a mode in which it displays the fuel consumption on the fly. I feel this is very good feature to drive economically. I plan to capture the best fuel economy in 5th gear for long highway drives
• The gear change prompter: I started following them and then soon realized that I was already in the sweet spots as indicated by them. In fact you can shift up a tad earlier if you are driving with a light foot.
• Changing bulbs: Changing the passenger side head light bulb was was quick. The driver side bulb however required the head lamp assembly to be removed in order to access the bulb. The bottm part of the assembly fits into plastic guides and need a firm push from the hand to pull out the assembly. I would recommend all Polo owners to change the bulbs. It makes a huge difference in visibility as I have already mentioned earlier
• I bought Philips anti-static wipes to clean the music system, air conditioning controls and surrounding areas. I had first tried cleaning with the microfiber cloth but it was statically charged.
• The air conditioning in cars that are designed by Germans are very different from what I have been used to. The vents are small, throw out a lot of air even at low speeds and the thermostat when turned to half cold makes the car feel warm. As opposed to this, in my i10, the thermostat when halfway through the cold setting makes the car very comfortable. I don't have sun film on either car nether do I intend to put any.
• I was disappointed with the rubber black mats that were bought from the dealer. I thought they'd have 'VW' or 'Polo' or something embossed in it. These are just plain Jane mats that can be bought anywhere. However overall they make the car look nice.
• I have sometimes noticed that when I start the car, the AC button comes ON on its own despite me having switched it off before I turned off the car. Can anyone confirm if they have had the same experience?
• Fuel Type: My first full tank of diesel was with Turbojet. I'd like to know from other diesel car owners if they use the normal HSD or something with additives like Turbojet? Also there is no mention about the sulphur content in the diesel anywhere. In Bombay, are we being supplied with diesel with sulphur content of 50 ppm? If so, where or is it at all gas stations in Bombay?
• The owners manual is universal to Polo's manufactured in any part of the world. It is not customized to the variants manufactured in India. While that is fine with me, just got me thinking about the other features that the Polo's in Europe come with.
• Another disappointment is the lack of provisions to attach the child seat. There are no ISOFIX anchor points, nor any thether hooks that I have come across. One has to make do with the seatbelt fastening method which is archaic in these times. The little occupants should be thought of first. VW please include these as standard on all cars!

[anekho]

Fantastic pics and write up, NevGin! Congrats on the polo!

I think I've found my new favourite colour for the polo

Keep Posting!

[uvmallya]

Great write up and lovely pictures of your car Neville. I am sure you are quite happy with the car and its performance. Congratulations & welcome to the VW Polo family.

[nowwhat?]

Originally Posted by NevGin

To begin with managed to get just a few. Hope you like them.

In the first two snaps, the Glacier Blue colour seems to be a lot darker than what I saw in the showroom.

I think this is a difficult colour to capture on camera. I remember sidindica had taken some initial snaps and the blue looked different in each snap.

Originally Posted by NevGin

The bulbs were sourced from Powerbulbs, a UK based online retailer and arrived today. It takes about 6 to 7 working days to get them to your doorstep.

The H4 Philips X-treme Power bulbs are available in India. I got them through Chethan B. G. in Bangalore for Rs. 1,050. At GBP 22, it appears that you may have ended up paying more.

Originally Posted by NevGin

Initial observations

• Changing bulbs: Changing the passenger side head light bulb was was quick. The driver side bulb however required the head lamp assembly to be removed in order to access the bulb. The bottm part of the assembly fits into plastic guides and need a firm push from the hand to pull out the assembly. I would recommend all Polo owners to change the bulbs. It makes a huge difference in visibility as I have already mentioned earlier
  microfiber cloth but it was statically charged.
• I was disappointed with the rubber black mats that were bought from the dealer. I thought they'd have 'VW' or 'Polo' or something embossed in it. These are just plain Jane mats that can be bought anywhere. However overall they make the car look nice.
• Fuel Type: My first full tank of diesel was with Turbojet. I'd like to know from other diesel car owners if they use the normal HSD or something with additives like Turbojet? Also there is no mention about the sulphur content in the diesel anywhere. In Bombay, are we being supplied with diesel with sulphur content of 50 ppm? If so, where or is it at all gas stations in Bombay?
• The owners manual is universal to Polo's manufactured in any part of the world. It is not customized to the variants manufactured in India. While that is fine with me, just got me thinking about the other features that the Polo's in Europe come with.
• Another disappointment is the lack of provisions to attach the child seat. There are no ISOFIX anchor points, nor any thether hooks that I have come across. One has to make do with the seatbelt fastening method which is archaic in these times. The little occupants should be thought of first. VW please include these as standard on all cars!

I have the X-treme Power lamps but haven't installed them yet as I haven't had a chance to go to the dealer. Since you did it yourself, can you tell me if there is any danger of moisture getting inside the assembly? Was there a need for headlight alignment?

The beige rubber mats I got have Polo embossed on them. I would have thought the same would apply to black.

I think from what I have read so far on this forum everyone recommends regular petrol or diesel. If I recall correctly, there were some instances of Skodas having clogged fuel lines, etc. due to the additives in premium diesel.

Are the owner's manuals still "Made in Germany"?

As far as I know, Skoda is the only one who provided ISOFIX anchor points on the Fabia. Not sure if it is still there after the price cut.

[NevGin]

Originally Posted by anekho

Fantastic pics and write up, NevGin! Congrats on the polo!

I think I've found my new favourite colour for the polo

Keep Posting!

@anekho: Thank you. The colour is as true as I could get on camera

Originally Posted by uvmallya

Great write up and lovely pictures of your car Neville. I am sure you are quite happy with the car and its performance. Congratulations & welcome to the VW Polo family.

Mr. Mallya, thank you very much. Hope you are having fun driving yours as well.

Originally Posted by nowwhat?

In the first two snaps, the Glacier Blue colour seems to be a lot darker than what I saw in the showroom.

I think this is a difficult colour to capture on camera. I remember sidindica had taken some initial snaps and the blue looked different in each snap.

Absolutely true. Have tried to capture the colour as best as I could

The H4 Philips X-treme Power bulbs are available in India. I got them through Chethan B. G. in Bangalore for Rs. 1,050. At GBP 22, it appears that you may have ended up paying more.

100% right. My i10 Xtreme power bulbs were bought from Opera House in Bombay for Rs 750 or there abouts. This time I thought I'd see what they are selling in Europe. Different packaging (not sure why) and the well the beam dispersion is definitely better. Not sure if its my mindset but that is how I felt when tested on a really dark road. Me and my wife took both cars on a really dark road and tested this yesterday.

I have the X-treme Power lamps but haven't installed them yet as I haven't had a chance to go to the dealer. Since you did it yourself, can you tell me if there is any danger of moisture getting inside the assembly? Was there a need for headlight alignment?

The assembly is not opened at all. It was just removed from its mounting in order to reach the driver side bulb. There is absolutely no danger of moisture getting inside. Choose a dray day though to replace them and ensure the rubber seal is put back on completely when done.

The beige rubber mats I got have Polo embossed on them. I would have thought the same would apply to black.

Thanks for that. I feel cheated on this actually now that you have mentioned this.

I think from what I have read so far on this forum everyone recommends regular petrol or diesel. If I recall correctly, there were some instances of Skodas having clogged fuel lines, etc. due to the additives in premium diesel.

Good point. Let me call the workshop and ask.

Are the owner's manuals still "Made in Germany"?

I haven't checked where they are printed. Let me do so and get back to you.

As far as I know, Skoda is the only one who provided ISOFIX anchor points on the Fabia. Not sure if it is still there after the price cut.

Is that right? That would have been really nice to have

[nowwhat?]

NevGin, definitely the packaging of your Philips bulbs is different.

By the way, I just chanced across this recent post regarding what a Toyota dealer has said about fuel -> http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/2126891-post108.html

After your post, I finally feel confident to install the Philips X-Treme Power lamps on our Polo. Thanks!

[theragingbull]

Polo in Glacier Blue looks nice too! Now we have a Polo of every color on the forum

@Nevgin, how about a Polo owners meet in Mumbai?

[W.A.G.7]

Congrats! Thats a snazzy looking color that you selected. To tell the truth, there are now too many red and white polos running around, so this blue color would look really really cool and eye catching on the road. And yes, more pics awaited from every angle!!

[NevGin]

Originally Posted by theragingbull

Polo in Glacier Blue looks nice too! Now we have a Polo of every color on the forum

@Nevgin, how about a Polo owners meet in Mumbai?

Thanks Zohaib. Count me in for a Polo meet.

Originally Posted by W.A.G.7

Congrats! Thats a snazzy looking color that you selected. To tell the truth, there are now too many red and white polos running around, so this blue color would look really really cool and eye catching on the road. And yes, more pics awaited from every angle!!

Thank you W.A.G. Yes, will take some more pictures and share.

[NevGin]

This weekend I made a roundtrip of about 370 Km of which ~ 220 km was on a clear highway and the rest of it was congested city driving. Some observations after this trip:

• I do not find the car difficult to drive in congested city traffic. The turbo lag was a non issue. Completely satisfied on this count.
• The electric power steering: It is very light in the city and makes the car very easy to drive. Believe it or not, it gives some very good feedback at high speeds as well. The steering inspires and at no point in time did I feel that it was too light for me to handle at high speed driving. Again, very satisfied having experienced this in person.
• Going up inclines: This posed little no problem as well. As luck would have it, I had a Figo TDCi for company going up the hills with a driver who was really pedal happy. My brand new engine was matching it, if not bettering (Am I being over zealous?) the Figo every step of the way!
• Visibility from inside the car: While the rear headrests do block some vision at the ends, it really did not hamper my judgment in anyway.
• I have an issue with judging the front skirt. While angular parking, I am tending to park much further away from the curb; even more than I do when driving the Civic!
• Fuel economy figures: It returned a respectable overall efficiency of 16.5 Km/l. You can drive this car in whatever way you like but she is going to return very respectable fuel economy figures. Amazing! I was overjoyed at this.
• The results of upgrading to the Philips Xtreme power were there to be observed during night driving. Very good beam dispersion and much better overall visibility
• At 120 Km/hr at about 3000 RPM is when you see the MFD giving a very high value of km/l. For now, this seems like an optimum speed to drive at. Not super fast but not overly conservative at the same time returning good mileage.
• As far as I know, the glove box is not supposed to be a cold box but it got the hand sanitizer bottle quite cold when I picked it up after a long drive. Next time shall try some cans of soda and update
• My seating position: I am sure this is going to evolve further over time. For the moment it is: Seat height at the lowest setting. Telescopic steering right inside and the tilt such that every part of the instrument cluster can be seen clearly without obstruction. Left leg just under 180 degrees when the clutch is depressed completely.
• Sound system: Will do for now. No complaints. The buttons on them are just a joy to operate. Such well finished buttons and the facade of the display. Superlative quality.
• Wind noise: I think I had some wind noise at higher speeds. I am not certain and will try this again when I am driving alone. I checked the door seals and they all seem fine to me
• Someone mentioned on their thread about feeling that the doors could close better and that there is some play even when the door is completely shut. I felt the same. I am not sure if this is intentional or if door lock settings are required.
• Even after a long drive, the bonnet was super cool. Wow! Some insulation they have provided!
• Cabin noise: For the most part, the cabin is very well insulated from the engine & outside noise. It can get noisy at high revs.
• Horn: The dual German car kind of horn commands respect on the road! How nice.

All in all, this little 3 cylinder engine has me completely blown away; in its performance, its efficiency despite the kerb weight being ~ 1.7 T and drivability. Tremendous thought has gone into building this lovely vehicle and I feel privileged to own and drive one.

[McLaren Rulez]

Stunning colour! Really beautiful. Like anekho, this may well be my favorite colour for the Polo. Congratulations!

[NevGin]

Originally Posted by McLaren Rulez

Stunning colour! Really beautiful. Like anekho, this may well be my favorite colour for the Polo. Congratulations!

Thank you very much. From what I read, this is the only colour on the Blue Motion Polo available in Europe. This apart from the fact that my wife and me really liked this colour, went a long way in its selection.

[Chethan B G]

Congrats NevGin!! Sorry, did not notice the thread earlier. Nice write-up! Will wait for more pics! I am happy to know that my Ownership thread has helped you to decide. Thanks for the compliments!

Originally Posted by NevGin

Initial observations

• I have sometimes noticed that when I start the car, the AC button comes ON on its own despite me having switched it off before I turned off the car. Can anyone confirm if they have had the same experience? If the fan is ON, AC comes on automatically. We have to switch it off, if not needed.
• Fuel Type: My first full tank of diesel was with Turbojet. I'd like to know from other diesel car owners if they use the normal HSD or something with additives like Turbojet? Also there is no mention about the sulphur content in the diesel anywhere. In Bombay, are we being supplied with diesel with sulphur content of 50 ppm? If so, where or is it at all gas stations in Bombay? Use only normal Diesel. That is the best for the fuel line - Any day.
• Another disappointment is the lack of provisions to attach the child seat. There are no ISOFIX anchor points, nor any thether hooks that I have come across. One has to make do with the seatbelt fastening method which is archaic in these times. The little occupants should be thought of first. VW please include these as standard on all cars! 100%

Originally Posted by NevGin

This weekend I made a roundtrip of about 370 Km of which ~ 220 km was on a clear highway and the rest of it was congested city driving. Some observations after this trip:

• I do not find the car difficult to drive in congested city traffic. The turbo lag was a non issue. Completely satisfied on this count.

All in all, this little 3 cylinder engine has me completely blown away; in its performance, its efficiency despite the kerb weight being ~ 1.7 T and drivability. Tremendous thought has gone into building this lovely vehicle and I feel privileged to own and drive one.

How much I agree with you!!!

To be frank, I have never been bothered about Turbo-Lag right from the beginning. I have never felt that it has restricted my requirement to advance. In fact, I am throughly enjoying the Car - Both in city traffic and on Highway. More so on the Highway. It can cruse for ever at 140Kmph, without any strain on the engine. Simply superb!!!

Could you find out that it is a 3 pot engine, if you were not told??

[NevGin]

Originally Posted by Chethan B G

...Could you find out that it is a 3 pot engine, if you were not told?? ...

In the Petrol, 100%. In the diesel, as you mentioned, I would have no clue if not told.

[Chethan B G]

Originally Posted by NevGin

In the Petrol, 100%. In the diesel, as you mentioned, I would have no clue if not told.

Same here - Performance does not let us suspect any thing under the hood!

Happy motoring!!