Ownership Experience of Polo

Exterior

 Looks awesome with absoultely no panel gaps(when compared to any other car in the segment).The wheel caps fits in really tight into the wheel and the chances of it getting off due to hard braking or hitting a pothole at high speeds might be very remote.The car comes with halogen lamps fitted in as standard fitment, the illumination at night is quite adequate.The ground clearance is good at 168 mm,even with 5 passengers onboard at times and running on some of the biggest speadbreakers the car did not bottom out.

Interior (Features, Space & Comfort)

 The interiors has a very good feel with dual tone interiros of black and beige.It is very basic and easy to use.It gives an upmarket feel and again the panel gaps are very minimal and the plastics used are of good quality.The glove box is huge and also has coin holders and a place to keep your sun glasses.So far the best interiors that i have seen in the B+ segment(except Jazz) in terms of quality.however the floor carpet is also beige in colour and might me an issue in indian conditions since it will be difficult to maintain and clean.the seats are quite comfy and are neither soft or hard its just perfect.Did not have any fatiguness even after driving for more than 350+ kilometers.The interior space is slightly cramped.but quite comfortable for four passengers who are around 5'10 inches(if the driver and the co-passenger is about 6 feet with passengeres in the rear seat are 5.8 it will not be a problem).the passenger(a fully grown adult) is possble but for short journeys.

The AC is an absolute chiller.Cools the cabin really fast.

One thing i found surprising in the car is their is no engine temperature guage,very strange.

The central lock is just their because it had to be provided with the car.Neither does it lock automatically(has to be manually locked) but the doors can be opened by pulling the door lever without unlocking the doors,is a safety issue for me when childrens on board or accidentaly a sleeping passenger opening the door. 

The car could have had come with some basic features such as vanity mirror,dead paddle,lever to open the boot from inside,music system with USB and AUX,etc if not for expensive features such as electrically adjusted ORVM,climate control,better tyres.etc

But ,except the central locking all the features offered in the car are good.the build quality is very impressive.With additional features the cost of the car would have definately shot up and would have been in the league of Jazz which would have made it out of reach for many.

Engine Performance, Fuel Economy and Gearbox

 The engine is a 3 pot,1200 CC which churns out 75 HP.It is very peppy and driving in city is a breeze.Yo can pull the car in the first gear a little over 50 KM/HR.This really helps in stop and go traffic.However the clutch pedal has longer moment when compared to other small cars in the segment.The cars pulls up really fast upto 120 KM/HR and post which it takes some time to reach the top speed.

The engine is fairly audible when you are working around high speeds at lower gears.It is not at all an issue till you touch the 120 - 125 KM/HR.It becomes a little bit noisy post this in 5th gear.but with the music system on its not at all an issue.

Though the car shakes when you start it,their is no sign of vibration at all post that.

The FE in City is around 12 KM/LTR and around 16 KM/LTR on the highway with the AC on about 90% of the time.

The car is very stable at even higher speeds.Was able to touch a top speed of 155 KM/HR and man the car was planted on the ground and never made me feel that i was crusing at 155 KM/HR.No car in this segment has given me this feel till date.You definately feel that you are driving a much bigger car. 

The braking even without ABS is good.Had to brake harshly at around 90 KM/HR and the car stopped with the wheels not getting locked.only in the end the wheels did lock a bit while stopping.It was a surprise for me and was very satisfied with this.  

The gear shit is really smooth and has short throws.one must get used to the gear box since at times you might accidentaly shift to reverse in the process of shifting to the 1st gear.Here am just trying to say that it is so smooth that you wont realise.to shift to the reverse gear you have press the gear lever downwards and then move it reverse which is next to the first gear.

Ride Quality & Handling

 Ride quality at higher speeds is outstanding,however the ride quality at lower speeds is a bit stiff.The car handles really well on corners.tested it on HP bend curves at slightly unusual speeds and it manges to hold on to the road really well with absolutely no body roll.The stock tyres are a let down if you are looking at perfomace driving. i recokn an upgrade to a Michelin or a Yokohama.The stock tyres at high speeds are noisy and do not give you that comfortable feel while braking hard.

Final Words

 A good package.Though some expensive and basic features are missing in the car.VW has done a great job of building this car for india at this price.The list of features might be less when compared to the competetion but the quality of whatever is been put in is much superior than the competetion.For me it's value for money.

Areas of improvement  

 More powerful engine,Basic features to be added,improve dealership,Change the central locking.refinment of exisitng 3 pot engine.

 

Stability at high speeds,quality of interiors,Handling and braking.Some basic features missing,engine refinement,slightly underpowered,thin dealership