Nov 17, 2011 07:57 PM
19431 Views
(Updated Feb 19, 2013 05:58 PM)
Since I like cars and since I am searching for a suitable replacement for my present car(Im rather simple though, a hatchback kind of guy, a car that gets the job done comfortably and is easy to drive), I have test driven many cars in the process(i20, Polo, Fabia, Vento, Verna, City) and since the hatch market is the fastest moving market in India and is suited for most buyers and Indian roads, I somehow feel the need to reveal my opinion on the German brand Volkswagen AG.Volks owns Skoda as well and its clear that in India they are riding on their global brand value and nothing else, they strip their models bare of features and engine config before selling the models in India. For those Volks fans who say their models claim to fame is its legendary German build quality, I have driven a BMW, believe me Polo/Fabia do not have anything close to a German build, if you say Im comparing 2 different leagues, well aren't you contradicting yourself by saying "German build quality" has inferior/superior levels based on price? That means German build has no standard spec isn't it?
Volks Polo and Skoda Fabia both have noisy 1.2 litre 3 cylinder engines, rear windows that roll down only 66%, have indicator stalks in the left(European maybe, but everyone knows indicators and gears operated by the left hand is inconvenient) and have only 1 reverse light in the left rear tail lamp. Ok, for those who say big deal, so what if rear windows roll down only 66%, thats good enough and who keeps a window open when a.c is used 80% of the time, Audi(being a Volks brand) has full roll down rear windows and 2 rear reverse lights - that shows that their lesser brands do cost cutting and have design flaws, isnt it? In an era with silent 4 cylinder 1.2 litre engines, Polo & Fabia share a primitive 3 cylinder noisy fuel inefficient engine. Neither of these "premium" hatches have steering wheel controls, 6 airbags(only 2), and auto climatron, compared to i20 that has all of the above+ 2 rear reverse lamps+ 4 cylinder 1.2 engine. Even the Vento has spartan features(no push button ignition/cluster ion a.c/steering audio controls/6 airbags[2] compared to Verna that has it all. Again if people argue with the above saying Volks has German quality and build, well again I disagree, the blueprint is German, but the build assembly happens only in India(Chakan Pune), in that case lets not forget all Hyundai models are designed in Texas/Germany by former BMW designers not to mention assembly plants in Czech, Turkey & U.S apart from India.
I may not be able to afford a BMW or Merc, I value what I earn and I want to get the most out of a car that I will buy using my earnings. Suzuki, while it is affordable, is too common and has none of the comfort or features or style of a Hyundai. Volks/Skoda, while their European models are loaded to the hilt, in India they cut the price, and cut the features heavily and still are 10-20k more expensive than Hyundai always. I wanted to get these facts out in the open, as they are things I felt strongly that consumers should know before buying. Ultimately what matters is the price and the features/comfort I get for it, and Hyundai gives me just that. Sure it doesnt have dynamic handling or super soft plastic or intuitive features like in cars 3 times its price, but its pretty damn good when I get most of the features at 1/3rd the price.
