While the refinement isn’t as great as that of the Hyundai i20 & even Mahindra XUV300, the car can hold 100 km/h at ~2000 rpm without breaking a sweat.
BHPian vedirah recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Taking delivery of Carbon Steel Grey Polo HLP AT
Hi all, I’m overjoyed to share the delivery of my Polo HLP AT today after a very long wait of two and a half months!
I usually drive an XUV300 W8 diesel. The Polo in comparison felt much more mature and capable. The road manners are impeccable and the engine is a gem of a motor. The torque converter unit doesn’t really feel like a torque converter and has quick shifts. I was nervous initially due to the creep function set a tad bit higher than other torque converters I’m used to, but I quickly understood the behaviour. The Polo feels planted at all times, unlike the XUV300. The car is much more compliant. The only gripe I have is the sub-par braking performance of this car. I have driven it around 60 km so far and initial impressions are spectacular, to say the least. Excellent fit and finish, everything feels built to last.
Special thanks to the Team-BHP review that helped me finalise my car purchase decision. I was torn between this and the i20 N8, but I’m happy to report that I’m more than satisfied with my purchase decision. Here are some pictures clicked during delivery.
Initial impressions after 200 km
I took the car out for a drive and here I share my initial impressions of the car, compared to my other car – the XUV300 W8 diesel.
Engine & gearbox
The very first impression I formed of the car was the one that made me nervous. The showroom folks asked me to start the engine and drive it over lemons placed ahead of the tires. I enter the car, key in and put the gear lever into drive mode, and as soon as I lift the brake pedal the car jolts forward. Immediately applied the brakes. The creep function is indeed set very high as mentioned in several reviews online, but I wasn’t expecting this much of a surprise. It was a bit scary.
I had the chance to drive it through mild city traffic after taking delivery. I quickly got accustomed to the uncanny creep behavior of the car. As I drove on, I felt like I was driving a car that was much bigger and mature (as compared to the XUV300). The engine, though not the most refined, feels like a grown-up engine with a sense of immediacy that I wasn’t used to. It is hard to describe this feeling in words, but suffice to say I was thoroughly impressed. Although I must also point out there is some turbo-lag low down, but it doesn’t bother me at all. Coming from the world of Hyundai i20s and even the XUV300, refinement levels are not up to standard. Vibrations can be felt at idle, and once the car crosses 120 kmph mild vibrations do creep in and can be felt on the seat and the pedals. But the cabin is well insulated and noise from the engine isn’t heard at low revs. At higher revs, the engine note is properly sporty!
Initial impressions of the gearbox were also positive. The gear shifts are imperceptible once you are in third gear. First to second can be felt, but the jerk is very very mild (compared to first gen i20 torque converter that I use back in Bangalore). Put the pedal to the metal and the gearbox is pleased to offer you immediate downshifts and the engine revs all the way up until you are pushed back into your seat, almost as if the car wants to hug you tight through the seat. That feeling is nirvana! But on the other hand, drive sedately and the gearbox upshifts soon, but the engine still feels very sprightly. As the TBHP review mentions, “this engine begs to be driven hard”!
Had the chance to take it for a spin on the highways. The engine stays around 2000 rpm at 100 kmph, doesn’t feel strained at all. It has more than enough grunt on offer even at 100 kmph. At 120 kmph, the low frequency engine vibrations start to creep into the cabin. It is not unsettling, the car still feels very much planted. Highway driveability is astonishing, it hardly feels like a 10 Lakh car.
Suspension & driving dynamics
The roads in Nagercoil are in pretty bad shape, but the car felt much more compliant than the XUV300 which throws you around on bad roads. My mom now hates the XUV300 because she has neck pain which is worsened by the bumpy ride of the Mahindra. This is not the softest suspension mind you, it still is stiffer than the Hyundais I have driven.
On the highway, the car feels super planted and tight around curves even at high speeds. So much so that you never realize how fast you are going. You will easily do silly speeds without even noticing! Compared to the XUV300, the driving dynamics are sorted. However, at high speeds, a moderate amount of body roll is present which can be noticed. The ride and handling are definitely superior to the XUV300. There is a bit of understeer at high speeds, but I think that’s because of the Good Year tires that the car came with. An upgrade to better tires is a must.
The steering is well-weighted at high speeds, but there is very little feedback from the tarmac. But that isn’t an issue, because the steering is accurate for the most part.
My mom was thoroughly impressed with how the car handles itself. She usually hates long drives on the XUV300, but on the Polo, she is demanding a long drive to Coimbatore which will happen soon!
Creature comforts
The first thing I noticed as I stepped into the car was how nice the cabin feels. Yes, it is dated, but it doesn’t feel dated because of the quality of materials used at touchpoints. My dad especially loved the tight leather stitching on the steering wheel. The dashboard is built from hard-bearing and high-quality plastic that, although is hard plastic, feels very premium. The center console looks nice in the grey-silver shade.
ICE setup is acceptable as it gets Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The usage is slick and responsive. It is a small touchscreen unit but doesn’t feel small on the dashboard. I wasn’t expecting much from the audio quality department, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good the audio system is. I am an audiophile and have a pretty expensive setup at home for music, so take my word for it. There is rich mid-range and bass is just about right. However, treble is not the best. This setup will do good with silk dome tweeters. Voice clarity is brilliant. There isn’t much in terms of the soundstage, but for what it does offer it is pretty nice.
Air conditioner works really well, but the fans can be quite loud. MID is nice and crisp. I haven’t tested out all the features of the car yet, but I’m impressed with what is on offer.
Mileage
On city roads under sedate driving, I observed a FE of around 10 kmpl. Which is a bit disappointing, but I expected this. On the highway, if you drive 80-100 kmph speeds, you’ll see 14 kmpl mileage. But push the car beyond 120 and the mileage drops to 12 kmpl. Overall, on average I would say expect 12-13 kmpl.
Here’s what BHPian androdev had to say about the matter:
Congratulations! When it comes to Polo, age is just a number and class is permanent.
Please do share what made you pick Polo over i20 – would be helpful for others in a similar situation.
Here’s what BHPian Shreyas_H had to say about the matter:
Firstly congratulations on getting the Polo! This engine+gearbox combination is fantastic and should definitely be more reliable than the earlier DSG box.
On the creep, you are right – that was startling for me as well when I first got my Polo last year. However as many BHPians pointed out to me back then, it is more of an issue with a cold start. After starting the engine, let it run for 40-50 seconds, you will notice the RPMs come down below 1K and then put it in D and drive off, it will be much smoother.
Another suggestion, try Indian Oil’s XP95 petrol for this engine. I have seen that it improves fuel efficiency and makes the engine sound and feel a bit smoother too. On sedate driving in the city assuming not a lot of back to back traffic, you should be able to extract around 12. On the highways, I have got numbers as high as 20 kilometers to the litre when driven at low RPMs & high speeds!
You are probably still running in the engine, but when you try the Sports mode and rev it till the top, you will realize how much fun this tiny 3 pot engine can actually be.
Keyword: My VW Polo Highline Plus AT: Delivery & initial impressions