Apr 15, 2010 12:43 PM
17162 Views
(Updated May 26, 2010 10:29 AM)
I just had a brief chance to test drive the newly launched VW Polo petrol top end model (1.2 L Highline) last month. I went to Ramani Motors Coimbatore and requested for a test drive, told them that I already own a car (Punto diesel), but wanted to test drive the Polo, and it was readily accepted. :-)
During the test drive I took the car for about 10-12 kms, accompanied by the Sales Person.
Things I noticed:
Sensible and neat design of exterior & interiors.
Good visibility to front and back of the car from the driving seat.
Sufficient & practical storage spaces. Big & thoughtful glove box. (Coin space, Sunglass, document space)
Space for 5 passengers and big boot.
Ride quality was excellent, light steering; good handling esp. on potholes, bumps and curves; v good break.
6. Gear shifting is accurate and easy- a pleasure to play with. Push down lever to put Reverse gear.
Pick up does not make you feel like too quick & punchy , but sufficient and mature.
Good torque, even in 4th gear under 30 kmph moves without engine knocking & fatigue.
It basically lives up to VW pedigree and expectation, despite the power difference in the European version that churns out more than 100 PS from a 1.2 L engine.
ABS, Airbag, 15" Alloys radial on top end model. No auto climate control, steering-mounted controls etc as compared to other models/no USB.
Solid build quality, good interior plastics, no rattling. Rev happy engine(petrol).
With Top End(Highline) petrol model around 6.65 on road - Coimbatore (around 6L ex sh), it could find a place into the forte of the Jazz, Fabias, I20s, Puntos etc.but with similar prices its competitors offer more features (and better A.S.S too!). It certainly is not the best VFM car (the flagship Value For Money car in India is Figo 1.4 undoubtedly (diesel segment)), but it is for the people who would love to own a high brand image at a low premium and distinct quality equipment. A good German Engineering product -Das Auto ! :-).
The concerns may be 'spare parts availability and cost' and 'no. of service points' (authorized). Will VW come up with some term plans(2 yr/3 yr) for low cost ownership..? then they have a clear winner here. VW claims that the variants for India are desinged to be fuel-efficient. It has long service intervals(15k) too. This infers that though Buying seems to be ok, Long term Ownership could be expensive(depends on parts pricing)! A very handy car in city drives(petrol)!
Considering the pros and cons, my rating would be around 8 / 10.
Dileep Narayanan
