Long ago, but not too long ago, about
early March or April 2014 actually, I was handed the key to the
locally assembled Volkswagen Polo 1.6 Hatchback which I promptly
tested and reviewed. It was a very accomplished hatchback. I did
enjoy its well though out simplicity and I thought that it was one of
the most pleasant sub RM90,000 car that Malaysian Ringgit could buy
at that time. This time, that same model has now been around for a
while and many are seen plying the Malaysian roads.
The Mk 6 Polo has been in its current
form since 2008. Of course, by now Volkswagen had face lifted the car
as it has been around for a while. Malaysia got the face lift sometime
mid last year. And this face lifted Polo Trophy Limited Edition was what I
managed to get my hands on. The face lift adds some redesigned
bumpers (front more noticeable than the rear), a new Blaupunkt touch screen infotainment unit (which looks
better than the one with the tiny LCD readout with a few lines on it)
and a new steering wheel (that looks like the one used in the current
Golf TSI).
The Trophy Edition adds some large stickers and a boot lid
spoiler that even a Polo GTI would be jealous of. Of course, the Polo
GTI would just think that this is just some pretender as the Polo
Trophy still keeps the tiny 15 inch wheels and tyres and the same
105ps / 153Nm normally aspirated 1.6liter engine. But the Trophy
Edition was launched to commemorate Volkswagen's victory in the 2015
WRC. Race on Sunday, Sell on Monday. And yes, the facelift is
actually nothing to shout about. Its basically the same ol', same
ol'.
I have to report that this car is still
a bit of gem in terms of what is offered. Last time, I used to Polo Hatch on the usual urban routes and
I also took the car on my favourite bit of hill climbing route –
Jalan Gombak to Genting Sempah. It performed well and was one of the
nicer cars that one could buy in the sub RM90,000 price range. You
see, it is one of those cars that costs under RM90,000 and it is sold
in the hotly contested B and C segment of cars. I remember writing
this:
“For
RM87,888 (without insurance) the Volkswagen Polo 1.6 Hatchback is
indeed a nice car to own. If anyone is looking for a car in this
RM90,000 region this is one of the cars you should look at. Of course
being Malaysia the tax structure is darn frustrating as you could buy
a Proton Inspira which is a larger car and is actually a better buy.
The Polo is very well designed and has a certain perceived quality in
a car that is not from this price range. If you want this car as a
capable second car, one that you could use for outstation trips, this
Polo is it. If you are one that does not travel outstation and want a
nippy city car. This car would do well too. More than you'd think
too.”
I did say that this is a capable
second car and one you could use for outstation trips. So what I did
with the car this time was use it for a roadtrip with the family on
board. I drove all the way south to Desaru, Johor with the Polo
Hatch. About 1,000km was covered by Yours Truly and family in it and
the tiny car is darn capable. In this compact hatchback, I basically
did what I usually do with our larger C segment or D segment cars
that we usually use for our short three day two night family
getaways.
As you can see we managed to load it up
with some cabin sized bags, a laptop bag, the kid's float for the
pool, a bag full of shoes and (not in the photo) a few more plastic
bags full of food and miscellaneous stuff. These were stuff for four
people to go on a short three day two night trip to a beach report
somewhere. We left early that day from Petaling Jaya and headed to
our first stop which was the Johor Premium Outlet located some two
and a half of non-stop driving (if the traffic was good) from PJ.
As there was not much traffic, we were at JPO after about two hours or so. The Polo hatch performed as it should and it was a stress free drive on the North-South Highway. The car was actually able to cruise at the national speed limit quietly. Even if you took it up to about 140kmh it was still able to cope with ease. You have to give credit to the 6 speed automatic gearbox that the car has. It would give ample acceleration even with four persons and luggage inside as well as long legs to allow cruising at speeds of about 130-140kmh with ease. The revs were basically kept low because of the gearbox. This also means less fuel consumption. It also shifts smoothly and efficiently. Anyway, after a bout of shopping (I bought a shirt!) we pushed off for Desaru by about 5.30pm.
Desaru is about an hour and a bit more from JPO using the Senai-Desaru Expressway. This highway is relatively new as it only opened in June, 2011. This tolled highway is a combination of a four-lane dual carriageway (Senai-Cahaya Baru section) and a two-lane single carriageway (Cahaya Baru-Penawar section). The first stage is basically quite straight with some sweeping high speed corners. This means that you make great progress in the first stage where you can drive at highway speeds and overtake slower moving vehicles. But when you reach the single carriageway sections, the skill of overtaking comes into play. The road is still straight with sweeping bends most of the time but it has a surface that has a lot more undulations, bumps and crests than the first part of the highway. But whatever the case, it still cuts short the travel time from a good two and a half hours to about an hour these days.
As
stated, the Senai-Desaru highway is that it isn't as smooth as the
North South Highway. This is especially so on the single carriageway
section. But it is a great place to test the Polo Hatch's suspension
and body control. On the bumps, crests and undulating surfaces the
little Polo was unfazed and still blitzed its way on the road towards
Desaru. The small 15 inch balloons work well with the suspension
which throughout the trip did not bottom out one bit and kept the
little Polo planted. Even with a full load I have to say again that
the Polo's body control is excellent and handling is good for such an
entry level car. What the Polo Hatch showed me when I road tested it
alone on the roads to and from Genting it could do the same with more
people on board. So getting to Desaru was really easy in the Polo
Hatch. No pressure or fatigue whatsoever. When you driving this car
on the small kampung (village) roads in and around Desaru it is also
easy as it is essentially a compact hatchback. The turning circle is
good too.
I had
one complaint the first time I tested the Polo Hatch was that the
seat squab was a little thin. Actually it wasn't. I drove over a
thousand KM in the car from PJ to JPO to Desaru and back without any
complains that my thighs and my bum was suffering. It was all okay.
And I am a chubby boy you must remember. Even the passengers did not
complain. My eleven year old daughter could also sleep at the rear
seat without any complaints. I even asked her about the level of
comfort and she (who usually spends her time in large sedans) thinks
that the back seat is a pretty decent place to be seated in. I also
think that the Polo Hatch's NVH levels are low for a B segment car. I
think it is closer to something that you could buy in the C segment.
It is that refined.
I
suppose this is because the Polo is designed by Germans who also
designed the Autobahn, that highway where some stretches of it are
without a speed limit. So most German cars would have automatically
been designed for high speed cruising. This is why high speed
stability and good levels of NVH is a must for even the smallest
German car out there. This Polo is excellent. I already stated that
it has good body control, and now I have to add that it has good NVH
too. It may have been designed with the most basic, normally
aspirated engine and gearbox that Volkswagen has but when it comes to
being a good drive, it still scores well. I also have to say that Desaru scores well as a holiday destination too. Nice scenic beaches without much of a crowd compared to Penang, Langkawi, Port Dickson, Melaka and anything on the west coast of the Peninsular.
Of
course, no car is without faults. I didn't like the new touchscreen
infotainment unit. It may now have more colour displaying on its screen but I
think radio signal tracking in this Blaupunkt unit is horrid. If you
are just commuting in one area like the Klang Valley it is okay but
if you have to go outstation a lot I am of the opinion that the
signal tracking is a bit weak. This could be due to the built in
antenna. It needs a bigger antenna for it to receive radio signals
better. It was a hit and miss with the radio in and around Desaru and
along the Senai-Desaru Highway. This radio signal reception is an
issue if you do a lot of roadtrips. And the number plate holder came loose....which has nothing to do with the car really.
Fuel
consumption is great too. I filled up the Polo's tank from empty to
about three quarters full when at Desaru and then on the trip back where we ended up at Putri Harbour / Nusajaya and the surrounding area before heading back home towards PJ late in the evening (the light work well, illuminating the road ahead of us on out trip home). After an average of 140-150kmh on the highway on the trip back I
topped up for fuel somewhere in Kajang. The car basically sips petrol
and does not like guzzling one bit. Even with a hard right foot the
little car came back with about 8.2liters/100km with a full load on
board. Holy crap! This car really saves you some petrol.
The
Polo Hatchback is still an enjoyable car to drive. Now add the fact
that this is the only Volkswagen that comes without a turbocharger
and a dual clutch gearbox reliability should be extremely high and
maintenance costs low .Remember folks, this is the only Volkswagen out there that is simple enough for anyone to even DIY its maintenance. This is why I recommend it to everyone unlike the other models which add the complexities of a TSI engine and that dual clutch gearbox (DSG). It may only lack outright grunt if you are
used to something more powerful. But it took me to Desaru and back
without missing a beat.
I actually enjoyed that smooth traditional torque
convertor gearbox that actually added to the refinement of the car (as well as being sporty by kicking down at least two gear ratios when you need it the most).
The engine, just a basic, no frills 1.6 is actually quite good with
torque at the right place and at the right time.. Not
a scorcher, 11 seconds to 100kmh from 0 if you're alone but if you
carry your family, you need about 13 seconds. But note that most
family cars in the B and C segment out there only manage 12-13
seconds most of the time. You also have that higher than usual
cruising speed from such a small car. You need this to get from one
far away place to another quickly without feeling fatigued. This
little car actually allowed me this pleasure. Not many small cars
have this ability to cover long distances without making the driver
feel worn out. This Polo is one of them.
Conclusion:
Still highly recommended. Does not feel long in the tooth even though
it has been around since 2008-2009 (globally) but most manufacturers
out there also keep their cars out on the market longer these days
(eg Ford Fiesta - 2008, Suzuki Swift -2010, both over 5 years on the market). In stock (non-performance form unlike
the Polo GTI) it is still as good or better than some of its
competitors out there. The long legged 6 speed automatic helps a lot
as does the torque of its 1.6liter engine (most of the cars in the B
segment come only with a 1.5liter which may have some valve timing
and other wizardry still loses out on 100cc – you cannot beat
displacement still). It is one of the small cars which could replace
the bigger car you already have if the need arises.
Oh, if you do buy this Trophy Edition, do remember that this is just the normal regular Polo with some make-up on. It still is the same thing and not a fire spitting hot hatch. Even though marketing says it is.
VOLKSWAGEN POLO TROPHY LIMITED EDITION
Price (RM) | ||
---|---|---|
Version | 77 kW (105PS) MPI | |
Recommended Retail Price - Peninsular Malaysia 1) | RM 89,888 | |
Recommended Retail Price - East Malaysia 1) | RM 92,888 |
Engine, gearbox, electrical system | ||
---|---|---|
Engine type | 4-cylinder petrol engine | |
Cubic capacity, litres/cm³ | 1.6/1598 | |
Injection method | Multi-point fuel injection | |
Max. Output, kW (PS) at rpm | 77 (105)/5250 | |
Max. Torque, Nm at rpm | 153/3800 | |
Emission category | Euro 4 | |
Gearbox, standard | 6-speed automatic with Tiptronic | |
Fuel tank capacity, litres | 45 |
Weight, kg | ||
---|---|---|
Gross vehicle weight | 1570 | |
Unladen weight (kerb weight) | 1020 |
Top speed, kph | ||
---|---|---|
With automatic gearbox with Tiptronic | 184 |
Acceleration from 0-100 kph, s | ||
---|---|---|
With automatic gearbox with Tiptronic | 11.1 |
Fuel consumption, litres/100 km 2) | ||
---|---|---|
Fuel grade 3) | Premium unleaded, min. 95 RON | |
Combined | 6.3 | |
CO2 emission combined, g/km | 162 |
Exterior dimensions | ||
---|---|---|
Body type | 5-door hatchback | |
Length/width/height, mm | 3970/1682/1453 | |
Wheelbase, mm | 2456 | |
Track front, mm | 1463 | |
Track rear, mm | 1463 | |
Wheel size | 6J x 15 | |
Tyre size | 185/60 R15 | |
Turning circle, m | 10.8 |
4 comments:
You know what, after 2 years I still keep coming to this article. Well written review. I think this is possibly the only comprehensive review of VW polo 1.6 in Malaysia. No other reviewer seems interested to review this little car. Kudos to you
Thank you for the kind words. 2 YEARS? A long time...but I have to say I still think that this is still a very nice car to drive in 2018.
Regards,
Puchased Volkswagen Polo 1.6 since 2017.
PRO: awesome entry level hatchback into the grand auto world of continental cars.maintainance every 15,000km.
CON: after awhile, you realized it is an entry level car and you want more.
VERDICT: I still love the car. still working fine. but I want a bigger one soon.
Bertayar - Yes, it is still just the start of a whole range of cars. Entry level but still one which I would personally buy if I needed one.
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