One of world’s top automotive brands Volkswagen recently celebrated a decade of its premium hatchback, the Polo, in India. The car along with the Vento has been the flag bearer of the German car maker in the country. Even in tough times seen recently, the brand has beaten the market trend and to give a further boost to the demand the company has now launched a major facelift of the Polo and that of the Vento. The two cars see many design changes and the feature list too has been updated. Along with that, “GT Line” editions for both the cars have also been launched. The Polo and Vento haven’t seen a generational change in a very long time so this is the next best thing that can help these cars look fresh and modern.
Looks
Volkswagen says the idea is to make the new Polo and Vento appear more vibrant, younger and sportier. This they say has been achieved owing to the new sporty side skirts, new smoked tail lamps and GTI inspired honeycomb front grille and bumpers. The rear bumper now comes with a diffuser and a new signature colour called “Sunset Red” has also been introduced. But if you want your car to be a head turner the GT Line edition does the job better. It features black roof and ORVM caps, GT Line side foil and fender badge along with a rear spoiler. Higher variants of both the new Polo and Vento also get gunmetal-finish alloy wheels in a new design. These changes now certainly make both these cars look sportier than before.
Interiors
A major change inside the cabin is connectivity, as both the carlines now get Volkswagen connect as standard in the Highline Plus and GT variants of the new Polo and Vento. The dongle based feature apart from entertainment option also makes the cars much safer. It allows trip tracking, monitors behaviour of the driver and tracks statistics. Some more useful features of this connectivity suite include location sharing and fuel cost monitoring. The feature can be transferred across different cars from the brand. Some more notable attributes include a rear parking camera, a 3-spoke steering wheel with controls, rain sensing wipers and cruise control. The new cars also get features like voice control, cooled glove box and rear AC vents.
Engines
The engine options do not change with these new cars. And there’s a lot to choose from. In the Polo first is the recently introduced 1.0-litre naturally aspirated petrol that churns out a maximum power of 76 PS and 95 Nm of peak torque. The smaller engine ensures a mileage of 18.78 kmpl. The 90 PS 230 Nm 1.5 litre diesel also gives the same fuel efficiency. The diesel also powers the GT variant and comes with a DSG option. On the Vento too there are 3 engines to choose from in manual and DSG combinations. The 1.2 litre petrol gives 105 PS along with 174 Nm and promises a mileage of 18.19 kmpl. Providing the similar power but lesser torque of 153 Nm is the 1.6 litre petrol which gives 16 kmpl. In terms of mileage it is the 1.5 litre diesel that provides the highest number at 22.15 kmpl. The mill that comes with both manual and DSG options produces 250 Nm and 110 PS. The 1.2 litre petrol and 1.5 litre diesel also power the GT line variants. However some of these engines are not compliant with BS6 emission norms and will be phased out in next few months.
Safety
It’s a well known fact that built quality of cars from Volkswagen are amongst the best in all the segments the brand is present. The new Polo and Vento surely subscribe to that. Both the cars get speed alarm, rear parking sensors, seat belt warning, hill hold assist and dual airbags. If you have concerns about ownership experience the brand is providing a standardized vehicle warranty of up to 4year/100,000 km, 4-year free roadside assistance and three free services. And if you buy a diesel the standard warranty goes up to 5 years.
Prices
Looking at the engine, gearbox and GT models there are a lot of variants to choose from in both the new Polo and Vento. The former starts at Rs 5.82 lakh (ex-showroom) for the base petrol and goes up to Rs 9.31 lakh for the top diesel. The petrol and diesel GT variants are priced at Rs 9.76 lakh and Rs 9.88 lakh respectively. The Vento range begins at Rs 8.76 lakh (ex-showroom) for base petrol and tops at Rs 14.49 lakh for DSG diesel. The GT line variants will set you back by Rs 13.17 lakh for etrol and Rs 14.49 lakh for diesel. The good thing is that this is a great time to buy cars from Volkswagen as current BS4 models will be phased out soon and market is also volatile. Despite being launched recently these cars are available on huge discounts of up to Rs 1.8 lakh depending on the variant you choose to buy.