Move over Ford Fiesta 1.6 - Here comes the Polo 1.6 Petrol.

[mclaren1885]

Just got insiders info that VW is bringing out the VW Polo with a 1.6L engine rated at 105PS & approx 15kgm torque.

The car will be coming in only one variant for now, Highline.

No climate control, though it has Dual Airbags and ABS as standard. 15'' Alloy Wheels, Tilt and Telescopic Steering.

The car supposedly handles like a gem, looks killer and the 1.6L engine is apparently a hoot to drive.

Can't wait for it to get on the roads. And hold your breath, the car should be out on the road by July end.

The guy said the pricing will be around 7-7.35L depending on various cities. Forgot to ask the guy if it was OTR or Ex-showroom because the 1.2 Highline sells for OTR price of 7,05,417 in Bangalore. So I would expect the OTR pricing of around 8.5-9L. The 3 pot diesel Highline sells for 8,25,314 OTR in Bangalore.

I am really looking forward to this car. Finally we might have an enthusiasts car after the Ford Fiesta 1.6.

[barneyX]

woww ... but an 8L hatchback without any climate control! Thats not done! Will wait for a road test, though.

@mac ... how do you think this will compare against the Fiat's 1.6 TurboJet ??

[sdp1975]

At a price of 8.5-9L otr the 1.6S is a good buy, the Linea T-jet will possibly be priced in the sub 10L range.

At that price it would appeal to only a handful of enthusiasts, it simply won't sell.

[mclaren1885]

woww ... but an 8L hatchback without any climate control! Thats not done!

True. I was a bit disappointed too when I heard about it.

@mac ... how do you think this will compare against the Fiat's 1.6 TurboJet ??

Sorry, but that would be a completely unfair comparison. To begin with the T-jet is a Turbocharged petrol engine. While the VW mill is Naturally Aspirated. And I would really like to see Fiat bring that 120bhp T-jet engine without detuning it.

And if rumours are to be believed the Linea T-jet will be in the price range of 9.5-10L.

If I were in the market to buy a car in this price bracket, I would buy the VW Polo 1.6 anyday. I just love the looks of that car and love the tilt & telescopic steering that VW has provided. And that thing can be thrown around corners. And for modding enthusiasts like me I am told there are plenty of options as well.

Yes, you can mod the Fiat as well, I am sure Peter will vouch for that. But would you want to mess around with a Fiat and get murdered for parts should something go wrong? With VW I can be assured of getting parts shipped from abroad if need be it.

[drifter]

We will make provisions to ship Fiat parts for reasonable prices to India, Rahul.

On the T-Jet I obviously have all the experience that is needed for the tuning process. No need to worry about the detuned T-Jet. We can re-program the ECU easily. They might do it because of the octane rating. We have at the moment over here a T-Jet done with a genuine 207bhp (some people have done far less and claim 216bhp).

But tuning the 1.6 with 105bhp output should be a walk in the park. A road worthy 180+bhp is possible and if someone has got really deep pockets about 240bhp can be done too.

What I like on the car straight away is that it has got no climate control. Saves me throwing it out.

[barneyX]

What I like on the car straight away is that it has got no climate control. Saves me throwing it out.

You like it????

Btw @mc ... if im not wrong even Fiat parts can be brought from abroad ... easily .... And are you suggesting the 1.6 Polo will be better to drive than the TuboJet Linea?

[Frankenstein]

Barney 1.6 linea if at all fiat launches will out accelerate the puny petrol polo.

It might come stock with around 120bhp and 25+ kgm torque .

Both are sturdy,might be the polo will have an egde in handling but lineas will catch up with its diesel power ,and if its remapped you know what it can do .

Our member shyam who has a getz 1.5 l common rail direct injection engine,his car has tremendous acceleration which the 1.6 petrols can only dream of,and if its remaped i cant even imagine the power it will belt out and the average indian driver cannot handle it.

Some say diesels are turbo charged ,petrols not,well we are not here to prove which is better ,but we are interested as costumers which performs better.

[mclaren1885]

Btw @mc ... if im not wrong even Fiat parts can be brought from abroad ... easily ....

I have had a few friends who found it to be an equal nightmare to get parts from abroad. For Palio specially, maybe because it didn't sell in most countries during the same time. Maybe the scene is different now with the Punto and Linea. But as a Fiat owner, would you want to bring in parts from abroad and void warranty at your TASS? I know a lot of Fiat owners heavily rely on warranty for their car. So not sure how many would try to risk that?

And are you suggesting the 1.6 Polo will be better to drive than the TuboJet Linea?

In city? Definitely. Unlike the T-Jet, the Polo won't have turbo lag. And do keep in mind that a 1.6L turbocharged petrol mill is going to guzzle gas. Which again means only a handful of enthusiasts will buy it.

But I would wait till Fiat launches the T-jet and see what spec engine they bring over here before I pass a verdict. Going by Fiats past record in India I won't be surprised if they messed this one up too. But lets keep our fingers crossed and pray that Fiat comes back with a car like the 1.6 GTX. My only worry is that, the failure of the GTX could actually deter Fiat from bringing in a powerful petrol mill.

[drifter]

You like it????

Yeah, I am not this temperature sensitive. One summer I had to drive with the heating on and the blower on full because I had no time to repair the car. I survived it.

[shyam]

Yeah, I am not this temperature sensitive. One summer I had to drive with the heating on and the blower on full because I had no time to repair the car. I survived it.

At the end of it all was it a "cooked drifter" or "deep fried drifter"