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2021 Volkswagen Polo Comfortline AT: Ownership experience

12th August 2021, 14:16 by Rahul Nagaraj

While I'm still running in the car, the eagerness with which it moves ahead is really aggressive and addictive.

BHPian Shreyas_H recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I’ll focus on this new variant (yes, another variant of the decade-old Polo), how my requirement changed from a SUV/crossover to a sub-Rs 10 lakh hatch and also share a few pictures, which will hopefully provide visual respite and get you to do some virtual Mumbai darshan.

The 3rd-generation Honda City (2009 model) had been our trusted steed for the last 6+ years. I bought it pre-used in 2015 and it has been a relatively trouble-free experience with the car. Super reliable, fun to drive, good engine and a fuss free ownership made it an easy ride (not the tyre ad kind). Except for an AC compressor issue and the rear power window motors refusing to work occasionally, the car did not give any trouble at all.

Here it is in all its glory:

Here it is, all decked up during my baraat. I arrived on a different kind of horse power

Naturally, the car holds a special place in our hearts. The itch to replace it, however, started around end of 2019 when I started looking for an SUV with a proper automatic gearbox and a slightly more premium feel. My left knee had started protesting regularly with every clutch press and Mumbai traffic ensured my left leg worked out as much as a metal drummer’s. Also, rust had started becoming very comfortable around the edges of the car doors. With a relatively open budget looking for C or D segment SUVs, I commenced my hunt and also innocently started a “What Car" (thread) – Not knowing what is in store for the future. It was also around this time, that I realized how difficult it is to replace the 3rd-Generation Honda City. I even rented the Harrier and Compass for 2-3 days for trips to Lonavala / Pune to get a good sense of the cars. (Oryx MyChoize rentals – would recommend)

Of course, COVID came in - much like Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball, and wreaked havoc upon everything we know in life. Suddenly necessity overtook luxury. What would have been a daily running of around 20 km suddenly changed to zero and if LinkedIn posts by enlightened leaders were to be believed, remote working was here to stay. Of course, all budgets needed revisions and a cautious approach to big spends became the need of the hour. On top of that, an entrepreneur friend of mine gave me this nugget of wisdom – “Don’t buy the car you can afford, buy the car you really need”. While this can be interpreted in the complete opposite way by some, it did resonate with me. A fancy crossover/SUV could wait – “sabr ka fal” and all.

I decided to relook at my car needs from scratch. What was it that I was exactly looking for?

Fun to drive (extremely important)
Safe car (at least 4-star GNCAP rating and a car/brand known to be safe)
Automatic (the nicer kind, not AMT)
A strict budget of 10 lacs on road
SUV/crossover car shape became a not-so-important factor

It was almost as if I was setting myself up for the Polo. Younger me would be very happy with this decision. A test drive of a shiny red GT TSI sealed the deal in its favour. It's amusing to see how my requirements changed over the course of 18 months.

My better half had been growing tired of me poring over Team-BHP threads & used car buying sites and saw a glimmer of hope when I finally started talking seriously about buying a Polo. We were discussing about how the car looks - While adjectives like ‘classy’, ‘timeless’ & ‘elegant’ ran across my mind, she declared the Polo looks ‘cute’. Not one to argue with her, I decided to let my feelings be – after all it is ‘technically’ her car registered in her name

I then seriously started looking into the newly launched variant “Comfortline TSI Automatic” Volkswagen decided to introduce this new variant in May 2021 continuing the legacy of innumerable variants of the same old car. Trying to remember all possible variants, engines and combinations that Polo has had in India is more complicated than understanding “Dark” on Netflix. While some might say VW is beating a dead horse, I would disagree – it is new wine in an old bottle, one with 108 horses to boot thanks to the smashing new engine under the hood.

In typical VW fashion, the dealers, website and their helpline were hilariously clueless & unaware of the details of the variant. I literally had to go see this variant physically to be convinced that it has ESC. To the SA’s credit he did go the extra mile to get me all the info I asked.

So, what’s different in this AT variant?

The nice 1L TSI engine and the slick torque converter (both are mated quite well) brought down to the Comfortline trim as well
Automatic Climate Control
All electronic safety features from the higher variants
A nice Blaupunkt touchscreen system slapped on the dashboard in an attempt to appear contemporary
Rather nice-looking alloys (with R15 tyres) – the ride is cushier for sure than the 16s on higher variants

The Polo’s rear wheel arch is quite large, giving it a jacked-up stance. The front looks much better. The 185/60 R15s are pretty decent.

What does this variant miss?

Rain sensing wipers (meh, ok with me)
It has electrically adjustable ORVMs but they won't fold electronically (not a big deal, personally)
Silver accents on the AC vents – everything is piano black
Auto dimming IRVM – you have to flip a switch
The nicer steering wheel (a big miss IMO – this variant gets a basic one without any mounted controls and no leather wrap)
Cruise Control (I’m okay without it – more than 90% of my driving is in the city)
Few other trinkets

Overall, it’s not a very feature rich variant (the Polo itself being not very feature rich in the top variant), but for the price I still feel it is fantastic value. Don’t get me wrong, it is an old car with a basic interior, and costs more than more modern looking competition. For someone looking for a plush experience or loads of features, this won’t make the cut.

In true Team-BHP fashion, I shall attempt to pen down Positives and Negatives of this variant

Positives of Polo Comfortline AT:

The awesome 1L TSI engine mated to the nice auto box at a really good price point
A dynamically sorted car, with good handling, lovely road manners and super fun to drive
Good quality – interiors & exterior, everything feels well put together and built to last – even the hard plastics. Absolutely feels solid everywhere.
IMO the car is a looker (if you feel otherwise, hopefully my pictures below will force you to rethink). The alloys on this variant are pretty nice too
Safety – feels solid & planted, has the GNCAP rating to back it and has ESC, hill hold control too
This variant gets some good to have features like Auto AC, cooled and illuminated glovebox, reach & rake adjust, nice tinted windows etc.
The Blaupunkt touchscreen ICE is surprisingly decent. While it won’t win any trophies against the Hyundai/Kia units in responsiveness or features, it is more than sufficient for my daily needs. Speaker quality is also above average.

Yours truly on the screen!

Negatives of Polo Comfortline AT:

The steering: Like seeing the real Domino’s pizza after seeing the one in the ad, I was quite sad to see the steering in the flesh. The Highline & GT variants get the nicer steering and this one doesn’t even have steering mounted controls or the leather wrap & the nice chrome/gloss black treatment. I got a basic black leather wrap done to partially hide my disappointment.
Interiors are plain & plastic. If your elbows and fingertips are used to the softer things in life, this isn’t the car for you. The fit & finish is top class though – but it is hard plastic.
Misses so many of the features you will come to expect in any car today. No rear view camera (I got it installed at the dealership) or wireless chargers, no Android Auto/Apple CarPlay, old school MID, very sad halogen lights (I upgraded to LEDs), no keyless entry and *gasp* no air purifier!
They say 2 is company, 3 is a crowd – I wonder if they said this specifically for the Polo. On a serious note, the rear bench is best for 2 average sized folks for shorter journeys. Be prepared to see grumpy faces in the rear seat on longer journeys. (Ok this is a general negative for the Polo not just for this variant, but still)

So, is this the right variant for you? If your heart is set on the Polo and you are on a budget and the incremental features of Highline or GT TSI don’t matter too much, go for it!

Purchase experience

I got the reference of a Volkswagen SA from another BHPian, Vandit. I was actually in touch with the SA for the T-Roc, and when I asked him about this newly launched variant of the Polo, he confirmed that he had it in ready stock, in the colour of my choice! I called him for a test drive the next day and was completely sold on the car after that. From the get go the engine & gearbox was eager, fast and really fun to drive. It didn’t take much time after that; I made the booking amount payment the same evening and asked him to block a Comfortline AT in Lapiz Blue for me. Partial payments, other formalities etc were done within a few days and the car was brought to their workshop for my PDI. Reaching the rear gate of the workshop through some seriously skinny streets of Sewri safely was a task. If that alliteration made your head spin, well that’s how I felt when seeing the car for the first time!

Much like a kid’s glee in opening their birthday present, I was super excited to see the car in the flesh and it did not disappoint. Here’s my first view of the car

Don’t miss the Beetle next to it!

Went through the PDI document step by step and all looked fine! The car had only 7 kilometres on the odometer. Made the complete payment soon afterwards and asked them to proceed with the registration.

Dealer Experience

The SA, Ankit from VW Downtown, Worli was very responsive, helpful and generally good to deal with. Despite there not being a lot of details about this variant online, he managed to get all the details to me, sent me pictures of this very variant and always was quick to respond. He wasn’t trying to push the variant or colours he had in stock and told me all pros & cons to help me decide – I appreciate that.

I visited the dealership twice, once to see the Lapiz Blue colour in the flesh and the other to take delivery of the car. The delivery was slightly underwhelming since it was already post 4 PM (the lockdown restrictions in Mumbai) and for some strange reason the SA went to give a test ride to another customer after asking me to come there by 3:30. I was waiting in the closed showroom with no one to attend to me and renovation work happening all around me. Not a great way to culminate what has mostly been a fuss free experience. All got sorted and his supervisor came and helped me out with the delivery. I had got a small gift for the SA (a Japanese good luck charm from Tokyo) which I handed over to his supervisor and quickly took my car – no ribbons, no giant key or other fanfare. They arranged for a small Pooja to which I obliged and I was off. There also was one minor irritant about me having to pay the insurance amount separately again and them initiating the refund from the amount I had already paid (the refund is still in process btw)

Overall experience was positive and I would recommend this dealership and Ankit for anyone looking to buy a Volkswagen car in Mumbai.

Drive experience and mileage

Much has been written about this car and this engine, so I won’t bore you with repetitions. All I will say is that it is as good as you are reading / hearing about. What I hear from a friend is that the DSG was marginally better in shifts, but this torque converter is no slouch and this engine + gearbox combination is mated really well. The ride is sorted, the 15 inchers on this variant make the ride feel even plusher than the higher variants. Overall, it is mechanically solid, nimble yet feels safe at high speeds. The creep is aggressive and takes time to get used to. While I'm still running in the car, the eagerness with which it moves ahead is really aggressive and addictive. I am loving how the engine responds to the throttle, especially above 1800 RPM.

Probably too early to talk about the mileage right now, having only driven around 250 odd kilometres, but what I hear is that depending on how you drive, it can range from 8 - 9 km/l (pedal to the metal) to 14 - 15 k/l (relaxed cruising on the highway) – not bad. I put in about 20 litres of fuel on day 1 and just refuelled at 210 km (with fuel to spare). So easily 12+ km/l as of now.

Exteriors and interiors

Most people will agree that the Polo is a looker. Clean, straight lines, and a timeless design. While the Polo looks hot in red too, I personally love this Lapiz Blue colour. With a name inspired by the Lapis Lazuli, this shade does look regal. But don’t take my word for it, have a look:

The Comfortline alloys are pretty cool too and give the car a slightly more contemporary look

ICE ICE baby

Now that I have probably got the iconic bassline stuck in your head, let me talk about the in-car entertainment in this variant. The Comfortline manual variant does not get a touchscreen unit, and specifically for the AT, Volkswagen have sourced a unit from Blaupunkt called the San Marco 370. The unit is a basic one but has the usual features you might need. To my surprise, the touchscreen is quite snappy and not laggy at all (I was not expecting a lot having seen some of my friends’ aftermarket units). The display is crisp, although not very high resolution, and the brightness is quite good – so good in fact that I need to keep it around 60 to 70% brightness levels.

For some reason the screen looks a bit washed out in this pic – it isn’t actually the case. You of course have the radio controls, Bluetooth connectivity, aux input, USB input and a nifty phone mirroring (via USB) – the phone mirroring is fluid and the phone can be operated through touch controls on the ICE unit – useful when you want to project Google Maps onto the screen. The equalizer is fairly comprehensive (being Blaupunkt after all) and you can set the sound to your liking in no time. Thankfully there is a dedicated volume knob as well. There is no Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and the UI is pretty basic.

The unit is also capable of integrating with steering mounted controls (for a future update if I plan one).

Here you see a ‘cute’ remote for the ‘cute’ car.

Don’t look back in anger

Yes, Oasis famously crooned these words, and to help me achieve this I got a rear-view mirror installed by the dealer before delivery. It cost me 5,000 Rs but I didn’t even look at aftermarket options (don’t want to go on the wrong side of VW warranties). The camera quality is decent, not exceptional. One of my concerns was the quality in low light situations, which thankfully is good. The camera view in the Blaupunkt screen appears instantly by engaging Reverse gear and a nice touch is that the audio volume automatically goes down when I put it in reverse. Interestingly the unit also gives the option to have adaptive guidelines, but I don’t think the Polo supports it by default (I am sure some nice DIY fellow here could guide me how to do that)

Camera integrated neatly below the number plate – would have preferred it slightly higher but the dealer said this is the only place allowed by Volkswagen.

As you can see, dynamic range is not its strong point – but it gets the job done

Shine bright like a diamond!

Ok I get it, enough with the song references. The stock lights on Polo are poor. If you don’t drive at night or rarely hit non-illuminated streets, it’s fine else an upgrade is highly recommended. The accessories guy at the dealership gave me an option of going for these LEDs for both the low & high beams. They’re called Maxxlink Z4 and he mentioned they are fairly similar to the ones used in the Vento. I was pleasantly surprised to see their performance – even on a rainy night the light was decent and unlike a lot of aftermarket white LEDs, they are not unfocused blinding rays randomly thrown out to dazzle the oncoming traffic.

The nice folks at Maxxlink wish us all well:

Future mods / upgrades / beautification

I am someone who likes his cars mostly stock. The engine is fun enough and does not really need a remap for me. There are a few things on my mind that I want to look at, though not immediately:

Blackened ORVMs and roof wrap (I think the combination of Lapiz blue and Black looks really nice – still not completely sold on doing the entire roof in Black – let’s see). I thought about getting a spoiler but decided against it.
Steering wheel upgrade – I surely want to upgrade to a nicer steering in the next few years, go the whole hog in fact with paddle shifters and all. I loved what BHPian sarfraz1997 has done with his Vento and the MK8 GTI steering wheel – the warranty is something I’ll need to figure out.
The current set of wheels (MRF ZVTV) are not exceptional, but they do the job well enough and I don’t plan to change them immediately. When the time comes for a replacement, I will hunt for stickier Michelins.
I’ll mostly upgrade to a shark fin antenna to replace the current ‘dandi’.

I am also in awe of the multitude of Polo threads with so many DIYs and upgrades on this forum. Phenomenal stuff! The recent ownership thread from BHPian fluidicjoy was also helpful in making me choose this car.

Closing thoughts

Bottom-line is that I went for the car that fulfils all my driving needs for now, plus gives me a broad grin when I drive it! I will continue to keep an eye out for my elusive SUV/crossover search but in no rush now – we won’t need a 2nd car of the house at least in the near future.

This car, especially in this variant is not for everyone. If like me, your main criteria is safety + driving pleasure & you are not too bothered about high quality soft touch interiors or a car missing some features & gizmos, go for it. I promise you will have the biggest grin on your face every time you push the car hard!

Do remember that rear seat space is at a premium. We are not quite a vertically endowed family nor too large. At 5’8”, I am the tallest person in the house. I am also the widest, but that’s beside the point. 90% of the times I drive alone or at most with 1 passenger. The car matched our current needs well! I will of course have to be a bit more careful on bad roads and waterlogged streets.

If your priorities are different, the good thing is that the Indian car market now offers really good options so choosing the best fit car for all your needs is now easier.

Ending my ownership thread with few of my favourite clicks of the car!

Facing the Sea Face