1.2, 1.6 - petty aimless figures on a piece of paper, aren’t they? But put them on a car and a whole lot of sense they will make. Think wheels, think speed, think power, think fun and a hatchback that actually does that all. We’re talking about Volkswagen’s latest in India – the Polo Highline 1.6L launched right after the Polo 1.2L. You get 4 cylinders instead of 3; 0 to 100 in 12.1seconds as opposed to 16.6 and an extra 30 horse for Rs. 30000 more than the VW Polo Highline 1.2L.

The 1.6-litre engine produces 104bhp@5250rpm and the same engine features on VW’s Vento and Skoda’s latest Fabia. A 1.6-litre engine first featured on the Polo Mark III in 1994. On the highway and in the city this engine has a strong mid-range. But the smooth gurgle keeps reminding you of the power resting inside. The top speed of 175.9kph makes you long for for a little road space in traffic. When an unwilling truck suddenly steers onto the fast-lane the front disc brakes and ABS makes their presence felt. On the 80-0kph brake test, the car covered 34 metres before coming to a complete standstill. The mileage keeps up with the engine specification, returning 12.51kpl in a mix of city and highway driving, and 10.78kpl during performance testing.

The car struts around with a chrome strip on the grille, body coloured bumpers and door handles and 15-inch alloys. The JK Vectra tyres on this car were considerably better than the Apollo Acceleres on our long-term Polo as they absorb road irregularities fairly well. A special mention to the horn which considers Indian audibility levels and may well be custom-made for Indian jaywalkers. An absolute asset, it is, while driving through Indian gullies. On the inside, the features remain true to the Polo Highline 1.2L. However the in-dash music system lacks an aux-in and a USB port. The speakers sound all right though they could have been 1.6ised. The gear shift indicator on the instrument cluster and the air-lock on the fuel tank goes missing. The seat height and steering wheel rake and reach adjustment add to the driver’s comfort and the 60/40 folding rear seats ensure agility. The 5-speed manual gear shift is trouble-free but the positioning of the clutch feels ergonomically challenged. While driving the 1.6 you can feel the power hiding in there somewhere. But even above 5000rpm, for some reason, the feeling remains.

In competition stand Hyundai’s popular but steeply priced i20 1.4L AT, Fiat’s youthful Punto 1.4 and Skoda’s elegant Fabia 1.6. But the VW Polo 1.6 has enough oomph and a whole lot of peppiness. The VW Polo 1.6L (ex-showroom) costs Rs. 6,23,717 while the 1.2-litre costs Rs. 5,86,970. If you want a small but spacious car, which turns into your office car, pick up and drop car, road trip car and something you want to show-off-to your-friend’s car. You ‘should’ consider the VW Polo 1.6L.