This is a car thoroughly enjoying its success in India. With a past history of uncountable awards like the ECOTY to the best advertisements in various parts of the world , the Volkswagen Polo seems to be the flavour of the month. The last time , when i reviewed the petrol variant , the car had impressed me no end with a lot of positive traits. For example , its looks that in my opinion , put the Polo up there at the top of the ladder among the crop of premium cars in India. The front bumper chin , the sporty 15-inch alloy wheels , the slightly bulging wheel arches and a modern flawless design lend a very graceful look to the Polo. In fact , this car in Flash Red looks Superb , helped by the outstanding fit and finish on the outside. I don’t remember the last time people took so much notice of a small car on the road. The two big VW logos on either end do their job well. In fact products like the Jetta , the Passat and the Touareg have taken the image of VW to a completely different level all together , that of a high society and classy brand. It helps in the case of the Polo too.

I have talked much about the car’s cabin last month and don’t mind repeating the fact that the quality of the Polo’s interiors is far better than most of the competition , including its cousin , the Fabia. The material used for the fascia is top notch and the quality and feel of the switchgear are in a different world all together. Practicality and functionality are top priority here. Take for instance the multi-information speedometer console which not only houses average fuel consumption and average speeds for two different trip meters , but also has a first in class gear indicator as well as indication about when to upshift or downshift for optimum efficiency or performance. If you drive with a light right foot , it indicates upshifting early whereas if you go down hard , the sign for upshifts comes later. Brilliant. It also has a display for the next service and of course , the distance to empty. Ironically , it misses out on very basic things like the seatbelt and door open icons. Also , I miss the steering wheel mounted controls for the audio system here. As much as I love listening to music while driving , I hate taking my left hand off the wheel to change tracks or adjust the volume. The steering wheel can be adjusted for both reach and height. The front seats of the Polo are quite comfortable and can be adjusted for height as well. There is enough room for a tall guy like me , however , this is where a small problem comes up. With me up front , space behind the driver’s seat is good only for a medium sized adult. This is where the Polo suffers and the fact might be a hindrance for those looking at a chauffer driven car.

The Polo ranks very high when it comes to the right balance of ride and handling. Even with 15-inch wheels and low profile tyres , the car’s ride quality is impressive , though a tad on the stiffer side. However , with a load of three or four passengers , it becomes much better , eating up bad roads with aplomb. At the same time , the steering transmits oodles of feedback to the driver. The tyres hold on well and only when you push the car around the corners at insanely high speeds does it understeer. The steering remains light even at highway speeds , but never does it become lifeless or make the driver nervous while changing lanes aggressively.

With a 1.2-litre oil burner under the hood , performance was never going to be scorching. Surprisingly , it almost manages to keep up with the likes of the bigger engined Marutis , registering a 15.2 second timing for the 0-100km/h sprint. The surge of torque starts building around the 2000rpm mark and the Polo registers quicker roll-on timings as compared to other diesel offerings like the Ritz and the Fabia. Once on the boil , especially on the highways , the Polo runs very well. At 100km/h in the top cog , the engine is just about waking up , spinning at 2500rpm. This also translates into fabulous fuel efficiency figures. In fact , driven at 80km/h , we managed 25km to a litre! The figure drops to an impressive 18kmpl in the City , making the Polo very light on the pocket to run. Worthy of a mention here are the NVH levels which don’t allow any sort of vibrations to creep in through the pedals or the gear lever. No doubt , the motor isn’t as smooth as its Multijet counterparts with that typical three-cylinder clatter , but on the move , the diesel sound fades out to a large extent.

The Polo diesel range extends from Rs 5.4 lakh to Rs 6.8 for the top end model (ex-showroom , Delhi). Least to say , for a car of this class , quality and brilliance , the VW Polo turns out to be One hell of a value buy. If you can live with the slightly cramped interiors and omission of gadgets like stock reverse sensors or steering controls , this might be the car you want to take home among the premium hatch offerings. Just remember , you’ll have to hold on for a while as the waiting period for this car is already running into months.

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