2010 Volkswagen Polo

The success of the Indian Polo is a very big deal for Volkswagen. On the crisply styled shoulders of this all-new hatchback rests not just the weight of its own future, but the hopes of VW in India. If the Polo is a hit, it will give the company the scale it needs for a faster payback on its huge investments in India. It will make selling other VW models easier and establish the German automaker as a volume player in India. Whichever way you look at it, the Polo is a car the German auto giant just has to get right. There’s been no lack of effort for sure. While getting the Polo’s price right was priority number one, the car has also been considerably re-engineered with lots of changes to suit Indian customer requirements and pockets. 

 

On paper the Polo looks a winner – German build quality, engineering, comfort and legendary attention to detail, all at a reasonable price. But has VW sacrificed too much in its quest to price this car aggressively, has the car lost some of its character, is it good enough to make us rule out other premium hatchbacks? It’s only a grueling road test that can give all the answers.