Volkswagen Polo 2010 - Price in India & Compare the signature style, solid city car for you!

German auto major Volkswagen is the market leader in China and is eager to replicate its success in India. However they have launched the flopped Jetta in India at double the price and hopes to sell it with huge advertising blitzkrieg! However their marketing team, in my opinion will hopefully touch gold with the pricing of new Polo, a hugely successful volkswagen car in germany and europe!

See the details below and my verdict at the end.Also note that the german word volkswagen(meaning "people's car") is pronounced "folkswagen" in english.

Volkswagen has launched the New Polo in India, it was showcased at the Auto Expo 2010 but prices were not announced. It was first unvieled the all new 2009 Polo at the Geneva Auto Show '09. 

Engine Options of VW Polo
New Polo is available with three engine options:

1. New Polo 1.2 Petrol - 1198cc - 75 Bhp Power and 110 Nm Torque
2. New Polo 1.2 Diesel - 1199cc - 75 Bhp Power and 180 Nm Torque
3. New Polo 1.6 Petrol - 1598cc - 105 Bhp Power and 153 Nm Torque

Variants
You have the option of buying the Volkswagen Polo in highline, comfortline and trendline trims.

1. New Polo 1.2 petrol Trendline, Comfortline, Highline
2. New Polo 1.6 petrol Highline
3. New Polo 1.2 diesel Trendline, Comfortline, Highline

The top of the line Highline variant comes with Dual SRS Airbags, Alloys, ABS, Climate control, Leather Interiors, Rear washer/wiper & Parking sensors. The 1.6 Petrol is available only in Highline variant.

Features
The cars has some unique features that include storage compartment in front doors for 1.5 litre bottles, sunglass storage inside glove box, folding rear seat backrests and the two-tone dashboard. Polo also offers remote keyless central locking that includes remote window up/down on the highline, which is unique in the segment.

No other car in this class has such a mature and high-end image as the New Polo. It may not have the flair of the Grande Punto or the futuristic shape of the Jazz but it looks every bit a Volkswagen with its strong haunches and solid look. The typically Volkswagen grille and stunning headlights only add to the appeal. All in all New Polo looks awesome from almost all angles. The squarish tail lamps may not be very new in design but looks very good and suits the overall stance of Volkswagen Polo.Same is with headlamps which have a black outlining like we have seen in the Ford Fiesta. 

Volkswagen New Polo is the best in terms of looks and styling in comparison to other B+ segemnt cars which consists of Skoda Fabia, Honda Jazz, Ford Figo, Hyundai i20, Tata Indica Vista and Maruti Suzuki Ritz. Only Fiat Grande Punto is the car which looks better than the Volkswagen New Polo

Talking about the standard features - the tilt and telescopic steering, green-tinted heat-blocking glass, body coloured bumpers, halogen headlights and galvanised body with 6 years anti corrosion warranty.Right from the high-grade materials to the exquisite workmanship, the New Polo promises an optimal blend of design, comfort and functionality. The interiors are functional and offer a host of pockets to store various knick-knacks. The materials used are neat and the cabin generally offers an overall feel good factor. 

Safety
Comfort, quality and safety have all taken a considerable leap forward. Polo was specifically designed to attain the recently established, stricter and more comprehensive, 5-star EuroNCAP rating. The higher structural rigidity of the Polo’s bodyshell contributes to these results. In the footwell area alone, intrusion - related to the car body’s deformation strength in a frontal crash – was lowered by 50 percent! In the case of a side impact, the intrusion value was reduced by 20 percent. The New Polo is loaded with a wealth of advanced safety equipments, which makes every journey as safe as possible. A comprehensive airbag system for occupant protection, along with an ultra high-strength steel frame, makes for an indigenously structured passenger cell. Add to that, an Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) which provides individual wheel braking preferences. It’s all about sitting back and enjoying the drive with the reassurance of security.

Mileage
The Volkswagen Polo petrol offers a mileage of about 12 kmpl in the city and 16 kmpl on the highway

Resale value
Volkswagen announced an ambitious plan for india and going by that resale value should be good for VW Polo (and it should not go by the way of opel!) Anyway, except for Suzuki, rest of teh clan doesnot command any high resale value either! Fiats are obviously the lowest of the lot though!

Vehicle Summary

• Model: New Polo 1.2 Petrol High
• Car Body Type: Hatchback
• Segment:B+ Segment

ENGINE SPECIFICATIONS

• Displacement: 1198cc, 3 Cylinder
• Engine Type: Petrol
• Maximum Power: 75 Bhp @ 5400 rpm
• Maximum Torque: 110 Nm @ 3750 rpm

OTHER SPECIFICATIONS

• Seating Capacity: 5
• Tyre Size:185/60 R15
• Turning Circle: 4.97 mtrs.
• Steering: Power
• Brakes: Front Disk, Rear Drum
• Ground Clearance:168.00 mm
• Trip Meter:2
• Airbag: 2
• Gears: 5 Manual

DIMENSIONS

• Length: 3970 mm
• Width: 1682 mm
• Height: 1453 mm

The Volkswagen Car Configurator
Volkswagen Car Configurator, is an easy to use online tool which leads you in four steps to your favourite car. The car configurator intuitively helps you combine the desired car variant with your preferred choice of option / accessories, to address your needs perfectly.Checkout the simple Car Configurator

Interesting TV commercials/video you would like to see

• The Polo Safety and toughness (indian tv commercial)
• VW 2010 (europe - polo accessories video)

Price

The Volkswagen Polo is available on the road between Rs ~434,000(trendline) and Rs ~700,000(highline).

Waiting period
In the booming indian market as of May 2010, waiting period for Polo is around 5 to 6 months.Please note that it is around 3 months - 6 months for other top selling cars in this range like Suzuki Swift Dzire(maximum waiting period of say 6 months and best buy for value for money, service, space and resale), Hyundai i20 (korean make with top class features and low class engine with say 3 months). Readily available cars are Skoda fabia (Volkswagen owned czhech car, which is notorious for its service), Fiat punto(solid and great value for money car with good engine, but with  low class interiors and notorious resale).Toyoto Etios sedan, as I heard from the toyota showroom in Bangalore, will arrive in January 2010 in this range and already have thousands shown interest.Volkswagen Polo sedan is also expected to arrive India in last quarter of 2010.

Verdict
Compared to competition, polo has demerits like little lower backseat space inside, low power from 1.2 litre(engine is not the best in class where even the suzuki fares much better!). Driveability of Polo in city is fantastic, but in highways you would crave for more power as focus for Polo India is fuel efficiency! And what you get is a Solid, stable, safe, SIGNATURE STYLE car, high in image and self esteem primarily for use in city - there, it fares high on competition like swift dzire, hyundai i20, skoda fabia, fiat punto - you have a solid german car in hand! So, if these are high on mind, just go for Volkswagen highline model!