Volkswagen Polo (Petrol)

One of the premium hatchbacks in town, the Volkswagen Polo was launched in February 2010. Over the past 3 years, the car has been one of the hot-sellers for the company in India. The latest variant, the GT TSI was launched in April this year. In terms of specifications, the Polo comes equipped with a 3 cylinder 1198cc engine that delivers a max power of 75 PS at 5400 RPM. This translates to a torque of 110 Nm at 3750 Nm. The Polo has a decent acceleration that can help you reach 100 kmph in just around 14.2 seconds at a max speed of 162.9 kmph. The overall dimension of the car is 3970mm x 1682mm x 1453 mm with a wheelbase of 2456mm. At a kerb weight of 1020 kg, the Polo is heavier than Brio which also has a smaller wheelbase and a higher power. The Volkswagen Polo comes at a starting price of Rs. 4.89 lakhs ex-showroom.

Manufacturer Fuel Claim:

We have discussed a few 1200cc cars on this blog. The Brio was one that the manufacturers claimed would deliver 19.4 kmpl which is the highest we have seen so far. The petrol variant of Maruti Suzuki Ritz on the other hand came at a lower 18.5 kmpl while the Suzuki Swift and Renault Pulse claimed to deliver 18.6 kmpl and 18.1 kmpl respectively. Compared to these figures, the mileage claimed by Volkswagen looks rather low. The company claims a consumption of 16.47 kmpl on the petrol variant. Although the Polo is a premium hatchback unlike a Swift, this difference in FE is definitely something to consider. In any case, do note that all the numbers discussed here are under standard testing conditions and real world performance may vary. So let us take a look at real customer reviews and test drive reports before arriving at a conclusion.

Customer Feedback Reports

Let us first start with the user reviews on ZigWheels. There are totally 4 reviews in all who have rated the car 4.5 on 5 for fuel efficiency. The reported number is somewhere between 14.5-15.5 kmpl on city roads. The owners however report that while the Polo does have a premium feel to it, the interiors could do with some improvement. Also, while it is not very spacious on the inside, the seats are still comfortable. However, if you are looking for a good boot space, the Polo will definitely make you happy.

AutomobileUpdates in their review of the Polo do not offer any particular insight with respect to the performance or rather anything. However, they report that the petrol variant should deliver a mileage of around 12.1 kmpl on city roads and 17.2 kmpl on the highways. This looks to be a more realistic expectation from the car than what was reported on Zigwheels; not that I am dismissing the review of the users there.

Carzy in their review of the 1.2L Polo note that the ‘trimmed’ interiors will make you fall in love with the car at first glance. This is in marked contrast to the user reviews we saw on ZigWheels. However, they concur on the fact that the interiors are pretty spacious even for tall passengers. On the topic of fuel consumption, the petrol variant of the car is noted to offer close to 13 kmpl on city roads and 17 kmpl on highway roads. It is not just the Carzy reviewer who finds the interiors impressive. Case in point, the review on Yahoo that says the interiors reflect the ‘sportiness’ of the car. In terms of FE, the test drive delievered around 12-14 kmpl which is along expected lines.

Next up, let us look at what the reviewers on MouthShut have got to say. There have been around 64 reviews for the petrol variant of the car and these reviewers have given the Volkswagen Polo 3/5 on fuel consumption. That’s a pretty low figure on an average. However, when you actually read through the reviews, you notice that while there are issues with after sales service, inadequate availability of spare parts, etc., the mileage itself is not bad. While you may notice a low fuel efficiency of just about 9-10 kmpl initially, this is likely to go up to 13-14 kmpl post the first service. Do note that this figure has been reporte by users driving primarily on bumper-to-bumper city road traffic.

So this concludes our review of the Polo’s mileage. I have summarized the figures from various sources in the table below. My verdict is that Polo is definitely a premium hatchback when you look at it from a price perspective. When it comes to mileage, the Polo is not bad and is definitely something you can bank upon.