August 2021 - Volkswagen Polo Petrol Variants Explained - Which One To Buy?

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Volkswagen Polo Petrol?

The pros or advantages of Polo petrol are:

• Fantastic torque output of the 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine makes it easily drivable in the city and relaxing on the highways
• Only a small premium for turbo petrol in the Comfortline variant
• A decent number of features like auto AC, cruise control, touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, auto wipers, auto headlamps, auto-dimming inside mirror, power mirrors, front armrest, etc.
• Straight lines and a clean, understated styling ages well and looks acceptable even after being around for a decade
• Mature and neutral manners on the highway and in the city
• Long front centre armrest is very practical - unlike rivals which offer small armrest - just long enough to use it as an elbow rest

The Volkswagen Polo petrol has the following shortcomings or problems:

• Underpowered 1.0-litre normal petrol engine. Its torque-to-weight ratio of around 92-93Nm/tonne is similar to that of the Alto 800 and Aura CNG.
• Turbo petrol option is not available in the base variant.
• No rear parking camera - although it’s an easy and cheap aftermarket upgrade.
• Other missing features are - projector/LED headlamps, keyless entry with push-button start/stop, split-folding rear seatback.
• Cramped rear-seat legroom. It’s a rare car in which two 6-footers can’t sit behind each other.
• Surprisingly, the Polo GT doesn’t get front centre armrest and rear AC vents.

Volkswagen Polo Petrol - Latest August 2021 Prices

The Volkswagen Polo is available in 4 variants with a starting price of Rs. 6.17 lakh for the Trendline variant. The base variant is only available with a 1.0-litre normal petrol engine while the mid-spec Comfortline trim also gets the option of 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine with a manual and as well as a 6-speed automatic. Comfortline turbo costs Rs. 7.41 lakh while the non-turbo saves you Rs. 30,000 and costs Rs. 7.11 lakh. For the automatic, you’ll pay another Rs. 1.1 lakh.

The Highline variant is only available with the turbo petrol engine and it costs Rs. 8.49 lakh with the manual and Rs. 9.6 lakh with the automatic. The top-spec GT variant is only available with the automatic and costs Rs. 10.0 lakh.

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Volkswagen Polo Trendline Petrol - Base Variant Features And Review

The Polo’s base Trendline variant costs Rs. 6.17 lakh. It is available with only the 1.0-litre normal petrol engine and a manual transmission. For the metallic paint job, you’ll have to pay another Rs. 10,000.

 

The Polo Trendline base variant has lots of missing must-have features, such as rear power windows, electrically adjustable ORVMs, remote central locking and a music system with steering-mounted controls. For this reason, we cannot recommend the Trendline variant.

Volkswagen Polo Trendline vs Comfortline Variant - Price and Features Comparison

The Polo Comfortline variant is almost Rs. 1.0 lakh more expensive than the Trendline. However, if you choose to upgrade to the turbo petrol engine, then, that will add only another Rs. 30,000. Compared to the underpowered 1.0-litre normal petrol engine, this is a significant upgrade and worth the additional premium. Metallic shades will cost you another Rs. 10,000.

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The Comfortline variant comes with several essential features such as a rear defogger, rear wiper, speed sensing auto door lock, cooled & illuminated glovebox, parcel tray, electrically adjustable ORVMs, fog lamps, audio system, rear power windows and remote central locking. It also gets ambient lighting and 15-inch alloy wheels.

 

This variant gets a good number of features and is worth buying for budget buyers. We strongly recommend buying at least the Comfortline variant with the turbo petrol engine as it’s very attractively priced. The turbo petrol engine’s higher torque output will make your highway and city drive a lot more relaxed without compromising on fuel efficiency.

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The Comfortline turbo is also available with a 6-speed torque-converter automatic transmission for an additional Rs. 1.1 lakh. This asking price is also acceptable for the torque converter automatic. The only notable feature missing in the Comfortline trim is the steering-mounted controls. Otherwise, it appears reasonably loaded.

Volkswagen Polo Comfortline vs Highline Plus Variant - Price and Features Comparison

The Polo Highline Plus variant costs Rs. 8.49 lakh with the manual and Rs. 9.6 lakh with the automatic. The Polo Highline Plus petrol is Rs. 1.1 lakh more expensive than the Polo Comfortline.

 

The Highline Plus variant mostly adds good-to-have features to make the package more alluring. Some of its key additional features include 16-inch alloy wheels, auto-dimming IRVM, 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and steering-mounted controls, leather-wrapped steering wheel, front armrest, auto AC with rear AC vents, power-foldable ORVMs, cruise control and auto wipers.

 

The upgrade from the Comfortline turbo to Highline Plus turbo is almost justified. But, most of the additional features are good-to-have. If you wish to have these features, then the VW Polo Highline Plus is worth buying over the lower variants.

Volkswagen Polo Highline Plus vs GT TSI Variant - Price and Features Comparison

 

The top-of-the-line Polo GT TSI variant is only available with an automatic transmission option, and costs Rs. 40,000 more than the Highline Plus automatic. The GT TSI variant comes primarily with cosmetic features like black ORVMs, black rear roof spoiler, black interior but with an added black rear spoiler and black ORVMs. Surprisingly, this variant doesn’t get rear AC vents, front centre armrest and rear 12v power socket. Keeping that in mind, the Highline Plus variant becomes a little difficult to recommend. Buy the GT variant only if you like styling elements and don’t mind the missing features.

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Which Variant Of The Volkswagen Polo Petrol Should You Buy In August 2021?

Now let’s sum it all up. The base variant only gets the normal petrol engine and barely enough features for the asking price. Skip this one and consider at least the Comfortline trim with the turbo petrol engine. The non-turbo engine will feel underpowered outside the city limits and the turbo isn’t all that expensive.

If you want some more creature comforts, then you can go with the Highline Plus, although it doesn’t offer as much value as the Comfortline.

 

With the automatic transmission, again, the Comfortline turbo is our top recommendation. The Highline Plus automatic is worth upgrading for the additional features even though it’s not a total VFM package.

The GT variant adds some cosmetic features to the feature list but takes away the front centre armrest and rear AC vents in exchange. We do not recommend buying the Polo GT petrol.

What Are The Engine Specifications Of The Volkswagen Polo Petrol?

The Polo’s 1.0-litre normal petrol engine makes only 76PS of maximum power and 95Nm of peak torque. In this segment, this engine is the least powerful and has a torque-to-weight ratio of less than 100Nm per tonne. This engine offers a claimed fuel efficiency of 17.74kmpl, which is just better than what the Jazz offers.

 

On the other hand, the Polo’s 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine makes a healthy 110PS of power and 175Nm of class-leading torque. We strongly suggest buying the Polo with this engine as it doesn’t cost a lot but offers way better torque and performance without compromising on the fuel efficiency. The Polo turbo petrol is also available with a 6-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.

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*Unofficial

What Are The Dimensions Of The Volkswagen Polo?

The Polo is a B2 segment hatchback and its length is almost 4m. In terms of width, height and wheelbase, the Polo is smaller than its market rivals. The Polo’s boot space is better than only the Figo’s. It comes with 14-, 15- and 16-inch wheel size options.

*unofficial

What Are The Volkswagen Polo Exterior Colour Options?

The Volkswagen Polo is available in 7 exterior colour options:

• White
• Silver
• Grey
• Bright Red
• Dark Red

Please note if you want the Trendline or Comfortline variants of the Polo in metallic shades like silver, grey and dark red, then they’ll add another Rs. 10,000 to the ex-showroom cost.