My Budget Beast

I was looking for highly stable and safe hatchback. I studied, watched and test drove almost all the good hatchback cars in the market and finally decided on polo because of its build stability. I bought the car in September 2016, that's the time when Ameo petrol was launched expecting diesel. So, the offering 50000 cash discount for Polo highline variant. The buying experience was average because I didn't had showroom in my district so I bought it from nearby City so I had to do a temp registration then a permanent registration in my town for which I need to pressure the showroom to help me with the permanent registration. In last three years I had driven 45,000 kilometres out of that drove 30,000 kilometre in first one year and also did to paid services within a year. So simply driving Polo is pleasure. I drove extensively in Chennai city and to my hometown in highway I also drove in hills like Yercaud, Kolli hills, Coorg, Kodaikanal. I never faced any issue in driving, once you start driving this car you will always have thirst to drive more. Exterior: it js a standard hatch with nothing to complain. The overall German finish of the car is impressive. Interior: Basically it has all that is expected in this budget. Material quality is a level higher than other cars in the segment. Audio quality is good. I haven't wrapped my seat with leather cover still it is in good shape without any tear. The headlamp and wiper switches are opposite to other brands. So while driving other cars you will be confused. Space: One of the main disadvantage of this car is space. Anybody who sits in the rear seat will complain every time because of the low seat height and lack of knee space. Also rear seat is best suited for two, third person will find extremely uncomfortable to travel. Boot: it officer decent capacity to carry a family's package. Seat folding is awkward it's better to keep the luggage on the seat instead of folding it. Engine: 1.5 litre Diesel engine is a good performer. There will be an initial lag till 1500 RPM, post that it will be buttery smooth. But on the outside it will sound like a tractor. Gearbox: it will take some time to get used to earth because of the reverse gear position but after that it will be so easy to use. But when there is a speed breaker or large path holes then you need to shift to 1st gear because 2nd will jam and stop. Ground Clearance: This is one car with low ground clearance and the segment. Initially it will hit bottom of the speed breaker, after sometime you will find a way to pass it slowly. Suspension: it is too soft for normal roads, but on highway you will feel more comfortable. Combination of soft suspension and low ground clearance will irritate anytime on enjoying drive. We need to be highly conscious when the car is fully loaded with luggage or passengers to avoid damaging the bottom. Service: it has service interval of 15000 km or 1 year. Two main problems 1) not many service centres 2) service cost will be minimum Rs.12,000. On my second service I had complaint of steering vibration during braking, so they changed both disc and pad of front which cost me Rs.8000 for spare and more than Rs.1000 for replacement labour charge. Mileage: On average I get 18 to 20 kilometre on highway and 10 to 12 kilometre on city with moderate traffic. Pros: 1) well built German car in the segment (anybody will love the solid sound while closing the doors). 2) highly stable car, I generally drive 120 + in highway and it won't fail to impress any time i step in. Cons: 1) Poor service network 2) Costly spares/service/maintenance Add-on Note: I am maintaining all the expenses for this cars like fuel, service and insurance renewal from the day of purchasing this car, with my data I spent Rs.4.5/km for fuel + Rs.1.25/km for service + Rs.1.8/km for insurance.