A change of heart

Early this year, the Volkswagen Polo was in the news for being the only car in a bunch of five top-selling models in India to at least score a four star safety rating in the Global NCAP test results. That score was possible only because, coinciding with the new car assessment programme testing, VW withdrew its non-airbags version and made at least two airbags part of standard fitment for all variants of the Polo.

A few months later the VW Polo is again in the news for a different reason. It is now time for a facelift and a change of heart. Given the fact that VW engineers have unbolted the earlier rather noisy and not so refined 3-cylinder diesel engine, and have instead shoe-horned a new 4-cylinder, 1.5-litre TDI in its place it is a change of heart in more ways than one.

Design So, VW has chosen the opportunity to give the Polo’s design a mid-model upgrade too and for a car that was already one of the best looking in the segment, the small embellishments it has gotten now have only gone on to improve its looks further.

The changes are identifiable and yet rather subtle in places, and so, you might miss it in a parking lot. But get closer and the new chrome strip that runs across the airdam and redesigned front bumper catches your attention. The changes give the Polo a new, a more premium front look. The new headlamp combination and treatment also gives it a more elegant, upmarket feel at the front. Both bumpers are completely new and the tail-lamp combination is also new, though in terms of overall design the lamps look the same.

There is also the addition of the new 10-spoke alloy wheels. But, the rest of the Polo’s exterior largely remains the same.

Inside the Polo’s cabin there are more visible changes, ones that are meant to boost the premium feel of the car. The most significant change is the new leather-wrapped, flat-bottomed steering wheel with controls mounted on either side, adding a dash of sportiness and practicality to the cabin. VW designers have also ditched the European choice of black and grey tones and have instead embraced the increasingly Indian preference for a beige and dark grey dual-tone interior.

There are some more improvements in the cabin like the thin, elegant chrome bits that now boost the premiumness of the interiors. The music system also gets more source options and also gets Bluetooth connectivity and voice commands, enabling handsfree calls. The cabin now feels more airy and the traditional VW strengths can easily be felt in the quality of the seats and the whole driver orientation of the cabin. Fit and finish quality is superb and very European. VW logo at the rear is now the handle and flips over to open the hatch door.

Performance With no structural changes to the car, some of the inherent minuses of the Polo also get carried forward, including the comparatively lesser legroom and the tighter entry and exit access to the rear seat. Here, the new Hyundai i20 Elite will be the segment leader.

The Polo we tested was the Highline variant of the new 1.5-litre TDI engine. The engine has effectively been borrowed from the Polo GT TDI. Though it is called the 1.6 TDI in the Polo GT, the engine is the same 1,498cc, 4-cylinder mill. In the Polo TDI, the engine has been retuned to deliver a lower 90PS of peak power at 4,200 rpm. Torque too peaks out at a lower 230Nm within the 1,500 to 2,500 rpm range.

Both the cars weigh nearly the same, but the regular Polo TDI doesn’t feel like a loser, though surely it isn’t as punchy as the GT TDI. On the road, the new Polo TDI has a bit of turbolag and there is just that bit of hesitation as the turbo spools up. Then much of the torque becomes available past the 1,200 rpm mark. It isn’t exactly like an uncontrollable spurt, nor is it very measured either.

The gear ratios are set just right and there much that you can do even in city driving conditions to exploit the new engine’s performance. Compared to the previous 3-cylinder, this engine is of course much more refined. With a good NVH package, the cabin remains fairly quite and vibration free. The clutch feels a bit heavy, though that is not new to this Polo and will mostly be an issue only in stop and go traffic. Short throw gear stick features prominent slotting, yet feels good to use and is perfectly positioned.

The Polo’s handling has always been good, with excellent straight-line stability and segment-leading cornering ability. The suspension in the new 1.5 TDI feels a bit less stiff, though it still may not be as pliant as some of the other premium hatches.

Bottomline Depending on the trim, the Polo 1.5 TDI is priced between ₹6.27 lakh to ₹7.37 lakh. That isn’t aggressive pricing and actually continues to sport a VW premium, but, surely the car now feels much more refined outside, inside and under the bonnet.

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