How a VW Polo Legend Edition became a part of our garage

The German hatchback came in as the replacement for our 2008 Hyundai i10.

BHPian Legender recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

I've been driving a 2008 Hyundai i10 Magna MT which for the most part served the purpose which is to crawl through the Bangalore traffic between home and work. In between, there were some memorable long drives mostly with friends but most of the 65k kms on the odo was within the city. The ownership was largely uneventful, with usual overpriced Hyundai maintenance but the car did its job.

But age was surely showing - the suspension needed an overhaul, a few creaks while going over bad roads, AC efficiency going down, quite a few marks and dents all around. Also had to replace the clutch twice - the second occasion was the only time the car failed on me while driving. I quite loved driving this in the city and decided that I would go through an overhaul in 2023 and get the car registration renewed. In any case, I was in Bangalore for maximum 2 weeks a month so spending on a new car didn't sound like a wise choice. Then Mar 2020 happened and since "offices were to be closed for 2 weeks", I drove down to my hometown in Kerala.

We have two cars at home - a 2019 Ford Ecosport Titanium+ petrol AT which my wife drives and a 2020 Hyundai i10 Nios AT for my parents. So when the old i10 came home, I had to park it in the yard. Who knew it would lie there for 2 years in the sun and rains of Kerala.

Lack of running plus exposure to the severe rain and sun really took a toll on the car. The window beading started coming off, plastics and rubber parts were breaking off, the car started smelling weird, the AC became almost useless and there was quite some suspension noise. The final straw was in early 2022 when the EPS failed while driving around and I couldn't turn the steering wheel at all.

We had an old Ambassador in the late 90s so hard steering wasn't really new to me but that was 20 years ago. Managed to drive it home and took it to the ASC the very next day. They suggested replacing the motor for the power steering to see if it would fix the issue, else they would need to replace the ECU which would cost more. After a week or so, the part arrived and once the motor was replaced, the EPS worked ok. I felt the feather-light steering feel was gone and the car didn't feel right. That's when I felt the 14-year-old car had to go.

Here are some pictures:

Muzhuppilangad beach

Somewhere in Muthanga

The search

I knew the usage would be limited but since my employer made it clear that it would be a mixed-mode of working - whenever that would be, I needed a vehicle.

I started looking at possible options. It had to be a petrol AT hatch, no dual-clutch and certainly no AMTs. This meant most of the options were out. The three options I considered were Honda Jazz, VW Polo and Renault Kiger. I was keeping an eye on Altroz but I came to know that it came with a dual-clutch tranny. I felt the Honda Jazz was bigger and frankly unremarkable since Honda seems to have lost interest in it in India. Kiger was new, looked funky (a bit too funky) and came loaded but the reviews I read here made me a skeptic. To be honest, I wasn't sure about Renault sticking around in India. I did take a test drive but didn't like the feel of the car.

Mar 2022. Now down to my last option - the VW Polo. I wasn't even sure if it was available anymore since I heard the news about VW stopping the production of the Polo. I called up VW Kochi and the SA told me they were still taking orders for it. I have driven my friend's 2014 Polo GT MT quite a bit and also the DSG version and I felt it was the best car to drive in this price range. But yeah, the backseat was a joke and the interiors were from another century.

Nevertheless, I took a test drive and found the interiors slightly more appealing. Heck, the ICE had Android Auto which seemed to do the business. I made it clear to the SA in Kochi that I would be getting the car from Bangalore to conform to the CLC (company lease car) policy of base location. I started pushing the paperwork and in a week it was all sorted out. I got the reference of an SA from Apple Auto Whitefield and made a booking for the Highline+ variant. I didn't see a point in spending 26k extra on the ex-showroom price just for the GT badging and a spoiler. And the higher-priced GT was missing the central armrest, rear AC vents and an extra 12V port. Selected the Carbon Steel color and I was told the waiting time was 2-3 months.

Meanwhile, I saw the announcement from VW that they were ending production and there would be a final lot of 700 cars. I wasn't sure of getting one but no harm in waiting, right.

6 weeks passed and the last week of April, I got a call from the SA. He informed me that a Carbol Steel GT was available if I was interested. He said it's from the last lot with 'Legend' branding and there wouldn't be anymore. I decided to go with the GT and got an updated quote. I was shocked to see the on-road price increase - almost 75k compared to the Highline Plus - thanks to the '10L tax slab'. So I lose the central armrest, rear AC vents and have to pay 75k extra for a GT badge and a (frankly) useless spoiler. The SA didn't really give me too much time to decide and finally, I said yes. Within a week, the quote was updated and the car was ready. All this while I was in Kerala, so I didn't do any PDI. I knew it was a new car since it was the Legend Edition and hoped that nothing was broken, not very smart I know.

The sale of the old

I decided to get rid of the old car in Bangalore since it was registered there. So I drove down in my trusty i10 one last time to Bangalore and immediately called up Cars24, Spinny and CarDekho. I also mentioned it to the VW dealer. In two days, all parties did their vehicle inspections and the bidding 'war' started. It started relatively low at 1.7L from Cars24 but every hour since, I was getting better quotes. VW folks said they wouldn't go beyond 1.85L but Spinny and Cars24 were in no mood to let go! I had decided I would give it to the VW guys since I would at least have a place / contact to follow up on the RC transfer. Finally, Cars 24 folks called up and said "what if we transfer 2L in 15 minutes". I respectfully rejected their generous offer and decided to go with the VW folks. I was hoping I would get some 'goodwill' from them, only time will tell if I made a stupid decision of going with a lower sale price.

Bringing home the new

Apr 29, Friday. I decided to go to the office for the first time in over two years. So for one final time, I drove down in my i10 to the office. The plan was I would drive the car to the VW dealership, drop it there and drive home the new one. I reached around 3.30 pm and handed over my old friend which barely had any fuel left in the tank! And just like that, my 14-year association ended.

On to the present - the Legend was ready for delivery all wrapped up. The formalities were quickly completed and I unwrapped the car. And saw the Legend for the first time - all gleaming under the showroom lights. Did a quick walk-around check and didn't find anything off. Tyres weren't overinflated and it had 5L of petrol. The good thing about buying the Polo is that the SA didn't have much to explain as far as features were concerned. After the customary photos, I shook hands and drove home in the new car. I was aware of the aggressive creep of the GT so I was extra careful.

Customary delivery pic

Drove straight to the Shell on Old Madras Road and asked them to do a full tank. I was slightly taken aback when I looked at the bill. They had filled Shell Super and I had specifically told normal petrol. Fuel attendant said, "saar, it's a new car and Super is super for it"! Well, Super it is then and I drove home.

I had asked the dealership to fix the number plates and Fastag since I was planning to drive back to Kerala on Sunday morning. The number plates were fixed, but not the Fastag. They promised they would send someone on Saturday with it. On Saturday, they registered the Fastag over the phone but I still didn't have it in hand. Afternoon, I was planning to meet friends so I couldn't really go and get it myself. The guy who dealt with the old car lives nearby and he said he'll bring it on his way home. And I went on my merry way to meet my pals. There was a bit of drama though. Since it was the last day of April, the dealership folks supposedly had to work late into the night. By the time, I got the Fastag, it was 12 am! I was fretting till the time I got it in my hand. And my plans for starting at 5 am on Sunday were no longer viable.

Well, I decided to wake up whenever I did and slept off. Maybe it was the excitement to drive the new car, I woke up at 6.30 and was out by 7.15. Fixed the Fasttag first thing and I spend a few minutes trying to set up Android Auto but for some reason, it wasn't working. No wonder since I was using an almost 5-year-old phone! So with nothing to distract, except for some music on a thumb drive, I started off. Pretty slow till I crossed the eCity toll. The Fastag worked and I was relieved.

Traffic was light as it was a Sunday morning and the weather was pleasant. The car was eager and so was I. I felt the TC gearbox was much better and smoother than in our Ecosport. The car was well planted and the response was great, so I couldn't help flooring it a bit. There was no comparison with the old i10. I didn't really push it since it was brand new. Not sure if the run in / break in stuff is valid in newer cars, but I didn't want to risk too much. I was very happy that the speed warning beeps were barely audible, unlike in the Nios. The rest of the drive was fairly uneventful. Took a break for breakfast and another one for a quick lunch and I was home by 3 pm.

Legend is home

Observations

The car is a hoot to drive, though a bit thirsty in the city limits.

Surprisingly, Android Auto works just fine. I now have a AA Wireless (via Kickstarter) adapter connected to the Polo and it works just fine. Need to figure out a cleaner way to connect the cable. Hate that the USB port is way up on the ICE and is visible prominently. I was worried that the dongle would be powered on even after I switch the car off, but the USB port seems to lose power after 15 mins or so, which is great.

Accessories are no longer in stock, I did manage to get floor mats and the central armrest from VW Kochi. But I would have preferred the Highline+ AT which was significantly cheaper and came with the armrest / rear AC vents and a 12V port.

Even though I love the stock seat design on the Polo, I decided to get a (relatively cheap) seat cover done since fabric seats tend to get shabby. RightFit in Kochi did a decent job and the seat looks good and comfortable. The only downside is that it gets way warmer than the stock fabric seats.

The car completed 1k on the ODO just after a month and I got it serviced in Kochi. I'm yet to get the Jio dongle setup, VW Kochi said I should get that sorted out from where I bought the car!

Headlamps are just adequate, I suspect it might need an upgrade if there is some night driving. I don't like the OVRM adjust joystick thingy, but I guess that's how it is on VW cars(?). I miss the auto headlamps from the Ecosport.

Generally happy with the car so far, hoping for a decent VW service experience. Fingers crossed.

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