Volkswagen India has transplanted a bigger heart into the Polo — transforming an ordinary car to a slightly less ordinary car, writes Kushan Mitra
There is a small problem about the ‘new’ Polo. The problem being it is not really a new car. To the untrained eye, from outside, or inside for that matter, it does not look any different at all. Sure, there is the occasional new chrome accent, a nip and tuck to the front grille. Even to the trained eye it is not really easy to find the differences. This is like figuring out which parent a pink day-old baby looks like.
OK, so it has some new paint options. But if it is not new, why call it newIJ Given that the average lifespan of a car in a single generation, despite what Maruti would have believed, is about six-seven years. Mid-life upgrades to cars are a standard practice on almost every car model sold today. Usually, they include more cosmetic exterior modifications and some interior changes than there have been on the new Polo, but they rarely include the change that Volkswagen India has actually made to the ‘new’ Polo.
What is that changeIJ
A new engine, at least on the diesel model, which is the one we drove. Although the new 1.5 litre turbodiesel (TDI as the Volkswagen group dubs such motors) engine on the Polo is not exactly a new engine for the car either. It was previously fitted on the (very expensive) GT TDI model, which back when it was being sold cost Rs7.99 lakh (all prices quoted are ex-showroom New Delhi, add between Rs30-40,000 for the on-road price).
A buyer can now buy an entry-level Volkswagen Polo for Rs6.27 lakh, one and three quarter lakhs less. No matter what you consider with equated monthly installments and all, that is still a lot cheaper. And the fully-loaded Highline Polo TDI is now for Rs7.37 lakh; sure there is no ‘GT’ badging on the ‘new’ Polo but short of that, the car is the same. And that performance, seriously, there is no diesel small car in India that comes close.
This is an outstanding small diesel engine, the turbocharger kicks in without much of a hint of lag (the delay that most turbochargers face) and the car rockets off the blocks. The fun about a peppy diesel engine is the dramatic feeling of the power coming on, thanks to the torque of a diesel motor. Of course, in a petrol the power comes and stays for longer, in this you are shifting out of first and second fairly quickly if you do floor the accelerator. The old three-cylinder 1.2 litre diesel unit on the previous iteration of the Polo, felt asthmatic if you put the colloquial ‘pedal to the metal’, this does not.
The fun does not just stop at the start-line, it carries on through the entire range of gears; this car is fun to drive. It is fun in the corners as well, as the Polo handles with aplomb, the heavier diesel unit up front keeping the wheels planted. India is not a country where you usually throw cars into corners with sharp steering movements, but you can not but help making quick turns on this car. The suspension can handle the corners, but it is not what one would describe as uncomfortable, although it does feel a bit more taut than some competing cars.
There it is then, the new Polo TDI is sort of the perfect small diesel hatchback, in fact Volkswagen India is also the only car company to provide dual front airbags as standard, and for this they ought to be rightly commended. The audio system on the ‘highline’ model we drove is fairly capable, it (unlike many other vehicles from the Volkswagen Group) has a USB port and bluetooth connectivity. The functions on the steering wheel are well-placed, the displays are easy to read. It is an excellent car for regular commutes and long-distance driving.
But there are some issues. The Polo is not what you would call really large inside. It is a perfect car for a single person or a young family, not a car that one would expect to usually sit at the back in. The feel of the plastics has improved from earlier variants of the car, as have the feel of the seats.
The car looks similar but feels nicer, although there’s nothing ‘special’ inside. This is a car whose sole merit, it seems, is under the hood. It is a very good merit though and one that we would buy in an instant if we wanted to have some fun.
Yes, you are driving a small, diesel hatchback, it means you are a frugal sort of guy; if you want to really have fun you would drive a small car with a big petrol engine. That does not mean you can not have some fun every once in a while, and with this Volkswagen, you’ll be smiling more often than not.