Volkswagen Polo 2013-2015 1.2 MPI Trendline

Polo 2013-2015 1.2 MPI Trendline Review

Volkswagen India is a well known car manufacturer and has a lot of renowned vehicles in their fleet. They have launched the facelifted version of its bestselling hatchback, Polo in the country's car market. This hatchback is available in a number of trim levels, out of which, Volkswagen Polo 1.2 MPI Trendline is the base variant. It is powered by a 1.2-litre petrol engine, which comes with a displacement capacity of 1198cc. This engine is incorporated with a multi point fuel injection supply system, which allows it to deliver a decent fuel economy. It has the ability to generate about 16.47 Kmpl on the highways, which is rather good for this segment. It comes with a lot of exterior changes that gives the hatchback a sporty appearance. These aspects include redesigned headlamps and bumper. The radiator grille and enlarged air dam comes with a thin chrome strip. It is designed with an overall length of 3971mm along with a total width of 1682mm and a decent height of 1469mm. Its large wheelbase measures about 2469mm that ensures enough leg space for all passengers. The minimum ground clearance of this vehicle is about 165mm. It has a 280 litre boot compartment and a 45 litre fuel tank as well. At present, this hatchback is available in quite a few exterior paint options for the buyers to select from. These colors are Flash Red, Carbon Steel, Candy White, Copper Orange, Reflex Silver and Night Blue with metallic finish option.

Exteriors:

The manufacturer has designed the exterior appearance of this hatchback very stylishly and fitted with a lot of interesting features. To begin with the frontage, it has a bold radiator grille with a single chrome slat and is embedded with a prominent company emblem in the center. This grille is flanked by a black finished headlight cluster that is incorporated with halogen lamps and side turn indicator. The body colored bumper is equipped with a wide air dam for cooling the engine and it has a single chrome strip. The front windscreen is made of heat insulating glass and it has a set of intermittent wipers with 4-step variable speed setting. The sleek bonnet has a couple of visible character lines, which gives the hatchback a complete look. The neatly carved wheel arches are fitted with a sturdy set of 14 inch alloy wheels, which are covered with full wheel covers. These rims are further equipped with 175/70 R14 sized tubeless radial tyres that ensures a superior grip on any road condition. It has body colored door handles and outside rear view mirrors, which are internally adjustable. The rear profile is quite impressive with a stylish tail light cluster, windscreen with a high mounted stop lamp, a body colored bumper with a pair of reflectors and a curvy boot lid with variant badging.

Interiors:

The spacious internal cabin is incorporated with well cushioned seats, which are covered with fabric upholstery. The dashboard is made of high quality scratch resistant plastic and is equipped with features like sporty flat bottom steering wheel, AC vents, a large glove box and an instrument panel with a few functions. The body colored inside door handles and silver accentuated center console gives the cabin a decent look. It is bestowed with a number of utility based features like storage compartment in front doors including bottle holders, sunglass holder in glove box, a 12V power socket in front center console , single folding rear seat backrest, a 280 litre spacious boot compartment with rear parcel shelf and driver side dead pedal. The illuminated instrument panel houses a digital tachometer, odometer, speedometer and an electronic tripmeter as well.

Engine and Performance:

This Volkswagen Polo 1.2 MPI Trendline trim is fitted with a 1.2-litre, In-line petrol engine, which comes with a displacement capacity of 1198cc . This three cylinder based power plant is cleverly mated with a five speed manual transmission gear box with accurate shifts and smooth handling that makes it easy to use at the right engine speed. It has the ability to propel the hatchback from zero to 100 Kmph in close to 13.3 seconds. At the same time, it can achieve a top speed in the range of 145 to 150 Kmph, which is quite remarkable for this segment. This petrol motor can churn out 73.9bhp at 5400rpm along with a peak torque output of 110Nm at 3750rpm.

Braking and Handling:

The front wheels are fitted with a set of ventilated disc brakes, whereas the rear gets conventional drum brakes as well. On the other hand its front axle is assembled with a McPherson strut that also has a stabilizer bar, while the rear axle is equipped with a semi independent trailing arm type of suspension system. It also has a electronic power steering system with tilt and telescopic adjustment, which supports a minimum turning radius of 4.97 meters.

Comfort Features:

This trim comes equipped with a digital clock, fuel gauge, sun visors with passenger side vanity mirror, ticket holder, push to open fuel lid, lane change indicator, front power windows, speed sensing electronic power steering and several other aspects as well. The air conditioning system comes with dust and pollen filter for purifying the cabin air . It has radio preparation with partial pre-wiring and also a roof mounted antenna for better reception of FM radio.

Safety Features:

Being the base variant, this Volkswagen Polo 1.2 MPI Trendline is equipped with quite a few protective features. These aspects include dual front airbags, height adjustable driver seat and head restraints, electronic engine immobilizer with floating code, internal rear view mirror with anti glare adjustment and L-shaped rear headrest. Apart from these, it also has 3-point ELR (emergency locking retractor) seat belts for all occupants along with lap belt in the middle, a centrally located high mounted stop lamp, emergency exit and galvanized body with six years anti corrosion warranty.

Pros:

1. Exterior appearance is impressive.

2. Price tag is quite reasonable.

Cons:

1. Fuel economy can be better.

2. A few more safety and comfort features can be added.