A perfect hatchback with world class features

What you'll like:

• A well-built solid European hatchback
• Clean and contemporary styling. Absolutely no quirkiness
• "Big car like" ride quality. Suspension setup ideal for Indian roads
• Neutral handling & mature road behaviour
• Fuel efficient range of engines
• 280 liter boot. Figo-like & substantially larger than direct competition
• Short-throw slick gearshift (petrol especially). Amongst the best in India

What you won't:

• Commuter 3-cylinder engines. Neither hits the sweet spot nor matches the segment benchmarks
• Some niceties missing. Climate control, USB / AUX audio input, electric ORVMs etc.
• Ordinary rear bench legroom. Comparable to the Ritz
• Thin 40 dealership network
• VW's cost of ownership is yet unknown territory
• 1.6L 104 BHP petrol variant some time away

Reported Fuel Efficiency:

•1.2 Petrol : 11.4 (City) / 15.0 (Highway)
•1.2 Diesel : 13.3 (City) / 17.8 (Highway)

Akhilesh mehtas Review:-

Excellent brakes, in terms of ability, responsiveness and modulation
Handling that does exactly what you tell it to, even when pushing hard
A levelled and non-bouncy ride even at the back
A gearshift thats a pleasure to work with
Electric power steering makes it easy to throw around, though theres barely any feedback. Also, when slowing down whilst turning (eg. into a hair-pin bend) the sudden change felt in the weight of the steering can be a bit unsettling
The 1.2 Petrol is surprisingly revv-happy and eager - though fairly vocal
The 1.2 Diesel is terribly lethargic below 2,100rpm and nothing special past that. On paper it might have looked like the winner, but in reality the petrol seems like the better pick
Rear bench legroom is at a bit of a premium
Solid build. Even though cost cutting is evident there is no loss in terms of the quality of the product

All in all, the Polo doesn't have a glaring weakness that will stop prospective customers dead in their tracks. Sure, enthusiasts would have liked a better engine (and might get one) but for the majority - the car does everything its supposed to do, and does it very confidently. How the Indian masses take to this car - with its clearly euro styling is yet to be seen. The enthusiasm and spread of VW's dealer network, initial tales of cost of ownership and fuel efficiency will all greatly determine the Polo's future in India.

The doors open & shut with a mild thud and via a 3-stage action (a la European cars). Thanks to the lower stance of the car, you don’t walk into the Polo as you do with the tallboy hatchbacks; instead you have to “sit down” inside. The elderly as well as those with back problems would do well in making note of this factor. The Polo is well-screwed together. There’s not a single uneven panel gap, or anything at all that feels loose on the inside. The interiors feel durable and fully capable of handling abuse. As an example, there’s no way you could break the glove box lid, even if you tried! The design is straight-forward in a very German way.

The colour combination of black, beige & chrome accents is sheer class and will keep both camps happy (the ones who like black or those who prefer beige). A generous greenhouse lends an airy ambience to the Polo's interiors. Lateral support from the driver’s seat is A+.

The dashboard looks good overall, with the center panel tilting subtly toward the driver for that cockpit effect. All crucial controls are within an arms length.
Boot space at 280 liters is amongst the largest from this segment. The boot is nearly identical to that of the Figo (284 liters), yet substantially larger than the Swift (232 liters), i10 (225 liters) and even the Indica Vista (236 liters). The rear seat of the Comfortline / Highline variants splits into a 60:40, or can entirely fold away for added load flexibility. No 60:40 split on the base variant though.

Allow me to dedicate a paragraph to the poorly thought out door locking mechanism. Firstly, the doors don't auto-lock when you start driving. To add to it, there isn't a visible lock / unlock knob sticking out of the door panels, reminding you to lock the doors (some cars have an orange marking on each door lock / unlock latch, others have a lock / unlock stalk that sticks out at the top. However, only the lock icon is illuminated, not the unlock one. A Maruti 800 with a 1,500 rupee central locking kit offers a more practical lock / unlock solution.

The Polo's air-conditioner is extremely chilly, even on the petrol variant. I was sitting on the backseat and, with the blower setting only on position 2, the ice cold air was hitting my face. Further, the interiors are well insulated from external sounds. The minute you roll up the windows, the outside world stays outside.