The Volkswagen Polo is a premium hatchback available in the Indian market. The car was developed in Germany and first introduced in 1975. Currently the Polo is in its fifth generation and there has also been an additional launch of a GT model in both petrol and diesel variants. The car comes in both petrol and diesel but the most impressive engine is definitely the TSI turbocharged petrol engine. The Polo competes with the Hyundai i20, Maruti Suzuki Swift and Fiat Palio.
Design & Styling
The VW Polo follows a very sharp design that is edgy and modern, and that makes it one of the best looking hatches in the country. The cars stance is low, with nice tyres and wheel arches and sharp line running down the body of the car. The front hood is narrow and long with a very nice sporty grille and decent looking headlamps. The rear section is well design as well and the car looks like it is perfect in terms of its proportions.
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Interiors
The Interiors of the Polo are also very nicely setup but there definitely isn’t much space for passengers. The driver is probably the most comfortable in the car, however the front and rear windshields are very small and there isn’t a very good view to see outside of the car. The seats are nicely designed and comfortable but if you are a tall fellow you wont find any comfort in the rear. However the ergonomics are sport on and the dashboard is also very nice with a clean and very easily visible instrument cluster.
Engine & Transmission
The Polo comes with a 3-cylinder 1.2 litre petrol engine with 75bhp that is very well refined. There is also a 3-cylinder 1.5 diesel engine that comes with 90bhp, and both engines are mated to a very well made 5-speed transmission. Then there is the 1.2 litre turbocharged TSI petrol engine with 104bhp and is mated to a beautifully built 7-speed DSG gearbox. This engine is phenomenal in terms of its refinement and performance. The Polo also now comes with a 1.6 litre diesel engine in the TDI GT.
Performance and Handling
We drove the new 1.2 litre TSI engine with 104bhp and it was a fabulous car. The engine and transmission setup is beautifully engineered to provide a very exciting drive. The car picks up speed very well and accelerates very quickly. You get to feel the power as the automatic gearbox takes you into higher ratios. The suspension setup is also very good also the car is very stable even at very high speeds, and it can reach up to 160kmph without a problem. The steering response is also spot-on and the car handles very well. Overall this is definitely a drivers car, and if you engage the manual sports mode, the car becomes even more responsive. The 1.6 litre GT TDi is also spectacular to drive and the gearbox works just the same, but there is a better initial acceleration in this variant. The non GT variants are much more tamed because they have less power, but the 1.5 TDI is quite good to drive as well because of the torque.
Fuel Efficiency
Thanks to the 7 gear ratios, and the highly refined engine, the Polo GT TSI gave us about 13kmpl. The diesel variant however will provide around 15kmpl.
Features
The Polo comes with great features such as speed related power steering, power windows, climate control, an inbuilt audio system and a front centre console.
Safety
The GT version also comes with dual front airbags, stability control, and ABS.
Quality & Reliability
The Polo is built by the Germans and so you can expect superior build quality and also great overall quality. Everything is in the right place. There are no vibrations and the cabin is nice. Overall the Polo is one of the better premium hatches in terms of quality.
Value for Money
The GT version is a little bit on the expensive side, but it gives you great value for your money. The other variants are also costly but don’t give you as much value.
Verdict
If you want a very stable and well built, plus good looking hatch, the Polo is right up there, but the base engine variants don’t have that much power, but they do have phenomenal ride quality and handling. Pay a little extra and go for the GT variant.
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It is a perfect car in the world Volkswagen has made, Built quality is excellent , control , driving experience , every thing is ferfe ctly blended. use it . olour quality is best in class. POLO is all in all with perfect mach of engineering. and design.owner has the proud of owining polo the best car .
Its a great car nice interior, performance of the car is superb. The way its engine roars during pick up its just awesome, the car runs very smoothly having a fine grip on the road even on high speeds and it gives the felling of driving a smooth car I personally would recommend all the people to buy this car so, just go for it.
Amazing trouble free car with full safety. I have driven it for three years now and I am totally in love with it. This was one of the first cars that I took from Bangalore. This is a world wide tested and appreciated car.
Very stylish and good looking car in this segment. Segment leader in build quality and ride comfort. Stable even at high speeds, good suspension, has all panles double zinc coated thereby. Giving anti corrosion warranty of 6years. Must buy in this segment.
Comparing Maruti Vdi and Polo Comfortline 1.2 L diesel, the polo is far better if you love to drive wirh quality. The inrerior quality and ambience is far better than Vdi Swift. If polo is expensive than Maruti Swift Vdi is too expensive. I love this car, the engineering and research used is just perfect in polo whereas formality in Swift Vdi. If u planning for Swift than just go for Polo Comfortline.
Polo giv u excellence in quality look, the service cost wud approx be same as each service wud bwe on every15 k kilomtrs or once in year. It uses synthetic oil so wud be just as similar as Swift Vdi for particular year. So dont worry just feel the difference in quality and features.
The car is fabulous. I have done 50,000 kms on it. But after sales service is a big issue. The service providing companies are not able to do justice to the world class standards of this car. With weak consumer laws in India, the parent company and the service providers get away with a lot of things at the cost of the car owners. Volkswagen does not have a proper consumer redressal mechanism. All complaints to their customer care contacts are referred to the dealer. There is not a single phone number or contact to deal directly with Volkswagen on their website. The toll free numbers are a joke.
Another big issue I have with Volkswagen are their criminal labor charges and cost of spares. I would rate these as EXORBITANT. But someone like me who has been a hatchback and small car wallah for the last 30 years I have found that the same spares sold by Volkswagen are also available in local spare market shops. Will definitely get rid of the car once the 4 year extended warranty lapses.
I have also been duped into BUMPER TO BUMPER insurance by my dealer only to find myself paying through my nose when my font wind-shield cracked.
Amazing handling and ride quality. Strong built and superb stability. Noisy engine but linear power transmission with very good acceleration. Need to work a lot with gears but amazing driving experience. Support is an issue with Volkswagen. Go for it
Its a wonderful Car... although it lacks a little bit in terms of interior but the performance of the car is terrific.
The way its engine roars during pick up its awesome, the car runs very smoothly having a fine grip on the road and it gives the felling of driving a smooth car I personally would recommend all the people to buy this car..
German and Volkswagen are known for superior engineering and luxury however if this is their standard (POLO) then India is better off with Maruit, Hyndai and Tata Motors.
The POLO lacks the power, space, comfort, efficiency and value for money!
VW, in India, has remained an automaker for the elite class till 2010. But surely, they had different plans for the Indian market. Models like Jetta and Passat could not help them establish the brand among the middle class Indians, for whom the Swifts and i10s were obvious choices. They had to come up with a small car that offers extremely good value for money, not compromising a bit on the VW quality standards. The Polo.
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