Car & Bike First car buying choice - VW Polo Petrol or any other hatchback?

sz1266

Disciple
Hi guys,

I am going to buy my first car soon. I need your valid inputs. My budget is 6L off the road and can go 50k extra if required.

My requirements:

1. Good build and great interiors preferably spacious (at least on the front).

2. Good ride quality.

3. Fuel efficient.

4. City driving only, with < 1000 km per month.

5. Good after sales.

I know Polo's engine is under powered, but I am not into all the speed and acceleration stuff. When I rode my friend's Polo 1.2 Petrol Highline, I really liked the ride quality and the interiors when compared to old Swift. I am also leaning towards Polo is for the brand value so that I can say that my first car is a VW.

Another confusion is between Petrol and Diesel. Now that the petrol prices have gone up again, I am really thinking whether buying a petrol car would be a high maintenance.

Please suggest.

Thanks!
 
Well, calculate the difference between the running cost of the petrol and the diesel version for 2 years and if that difference is higher than the additional cost of the diesel version, then buy the diesel, else the petrol.

Although, If you are buying Petrol, I'd say get the Honda Jazz.

-Good Build and Interiors, More Spacious than the Polo.

-Great Ride Quality.

-Reasonably Fuel Efficient

Also, in all probability, there will be more Honda showrooms in your city than VW ones.

Brand Value i guess would be slightly higher in VW but not much.

Even if you ignore the underpowered engine, i found the Polo to be extremely noisy, especially with the windows rolled down.
 
honestly

with the increasing cost of petrol even 1000k per month should be more than enough to cover cost of the diesel engine

also test drive the new swift

i think its a nice looking car...however the waiting time may be a deal breaker
 
Thanks for the inputs.

1. I don't want to wait so long for the new Swift. All my friends have the old Swift and I got really very bored of the car/brand.

2. You mean to say even if the increasing cost of the petrol, for < 1000km I should still consider Petrol? But when I calculated the cost for 2 years with the current prices of the cars and the fuel, Diesel came out cheaper. I could be wrong.

3. Honda Jazz, according to the website, looks great with nice features. I have to visit the showroom which by the way is very near to my workplace and have to see it myself. Also, I feel that it would exceed my budget (5.67L ex-showroom price, Hyderabad) :huh:

4. I just read that Honda would be launching Brio, looks like Jazz's cousin on 27th of this month and rumored to have a cheaper price range.

5. Finally, if Jazz doesn't come within my budget, VW Polo would still be a good 2nd choice, right?

Thanks.
 
2) No, I think what he meant was that you should consider Diesel.

3) You can manage it within 6-6.1 lacs OTR. Insist on free insurance and some cash discounts.

4) Yes Brio would have a similar engine but, it is much smaller than Jazz, and (in my opinion) has ugly looks and interiors. Plus, it will be a volume seller so won't have the exclusivity of a Jazz/Polo. Also, we have already seen how Toyota has done massive cost cutting to produce the Etios (google for the problems) and I suspect Honda might do something similar.

5) Yes, the Polo is still a decent car.

If you are going the diesel way, Ford Figo is a good choice. Has a gem of a diesel engine and you can get the top end titanium version in your budget i think.
 
If Jazz comes at 6.1L, I can afford it. It would be a Petrol car. How do I make a choice between: (Luxary + Features + Petrol) Jazz vs (Luxary + less features + Petrol/Diesel) Polo? Argh.

For Figo, I am a tall guy, about 6 "2, so I didn't consider that.
 
Heyy guys...we shudn't forget the i20.The i20 is doing pretty good these daes...especially the uber cool series.
good interiors...gr8 class and a decent mileage....
Also,
Its not only the difference in pricing of the two varients of the car and the fuel, but also in terms of maintainence...
I own a swift petrol currently. My general service is charged at Rs 987/-.
I also had a swift diesel b4. The service then, back in 2010 used to cost me 1,600change(only general service).
Plus, the carborator lifespan is less in that of a diesel car. I changed my carborator twice in my diesel car....but, not even once in my petrol car, as it has been a good 2 yrs now.
My diesel car maintainence used to come up to 1,200 p.m but, my petrol car now comes only upto a good Rs 650-700 a month.
Also, look for a diesel car only if ur concern is pick up. But, if it is both speed and pick-up, that ur looking for then petrol serves you the best.
Also, in addition, The Honda Jazz has no good road grip, jus like the chevvy beat.
If ur concern is safety and a good leg-room space, then a swift or i20 is a perfect balance to all ur concerns.
Also, the after sales services are pretty good for both. You can find authorised service centres in all corners of India.
but, if waiting time is a concern for you, then i20 is the one for you....!!!
Also, Hyundai has one big concern. The maintainence cost is sky scraping.
 
No road grip in Jazz? and i20 is better? The steering in i20 is very vague man. I've driven the city and from what I have been told, Jazz handles like city only which is pretty decent.

Also Beat? I drive one and the handling is very good. Unlike other cars in its range, it has a Hydraulic power steering and not an electronic one which weighs in sufficiently at high speeds. It is definitely under tyred but then you can always get better ones aftermarket.
 
definitely not VW Polo. Since you said you are bored with Swift, I hesitate to suggest the Indica Vista quadrajet 1.3l - probably the most under-rated car - due to o its taxi cousin! If you can ignore that part, it offers the most bang for the buck. Dont go for the Jazz - Honda service/spares are expensive. Did you try the Toyota Liva, now that even diesel is avlbl? Toyota has a reputaion of buy and forget - low maintenance for cars. Insides are spartan but nice!
 
Here's the update:

I went to Honda and VW showrooms. At Honda showroom, the sales rep was not interested and kept busy himself. The car looked great, very spacious inside and the music player sounded very good. Finally, the guy wrote a phone number on the booklet and told me to call him if I have any inquiries. He told me that the wait period is 6 months now and the base versions is priced 6.7L OTR.

At VW showroom, I checked out the new Polo. It has good looks, the interiors were good with enough space on front and a bit less on the rear. The sales rep was very supportive and gave me an offer on the petrol variants where the trendline is coming at 5.33L OTR and comfortline at 5.91L OTR. He was keen on suggesting trendline and said that the only differences between trendline and comfortlines are 1. body paint on handles, rear view mirrors which he would get it for free on trendline too as part of the offer and 2. the driver adjustment seat up/down where he told me that it would be useless for me considering my height ( i am tall). The discounted price is by subtracting standard accessories price as VW would give accessories as free anyway with the offer and with free insurance and 8k corporate discount. Trendline only comes in red and white, so I am keen on taking comfortline petrol. Also, the offer is valid till the end of the month!

The thing is I don't want to wait so long for Honda Jazz. VW Polo 1.2 Petrol looks like a good second choice. I know there is some negative feedback on Polo but I believe some of the owners or fan boys gave me these answers. So, I hope I won't be risking too much on it.

1. Polo 1.2 has 3 pot cylinder which makes it under powered and noisy.

Friend Feedback: "In the city driving (which I would be using it for) it's not noticeable.Someone on t-bhp said that for a car 3-cylinder or 4-cylinder doesn't matter and only the cc matters. Polo has 1200cc and irrespective of 3 or 4 cylinder, it would get it the required power anyway." Is this true?

2. The car is noisy.

Friend Feedback: "Not really audible especially if the windows are shut." Is this true?

3. Fuel efficiency is bad.

Friend Feedback: "It gives 14 kmpl in city driving." Is this true?

4. Car doesn't come with a CD player.

Friend Feedback: "I can claim one from the free accessories". Is this true?

Thanks.
 
Why don't you test drive it. Everyone has different expectations and standards. Something good for me maybe bad for you, something bad for me maybe good for you. If the car feels good to you in looks, interiors and drive-ability, by all means, go for it.
 
Why not choose the skoda fabia?

I think it has better interiors than the polo am not sure about the running costs though.

Heard skoda is a real rip-off considering its service costs.

Also with a budget of 6 lakhs you can give Nisaan Sunny a look.

It aint a hatchback but for the price it offers great VFM.
 
^^ OMG, this is plain cheating on the part of Skoda, hope you get justice and try and start a new thread here with "Accidental car sold as new" title, this deserves everyone's attention :mad:
 
Back
Top