2014 Volkswagen Polo 1.5 diesel review, test drive

Volkswagen has substantially updated and reconfigured its Polo hatchback for India. Whereas the earlier car promised a lot but was hobbled by a weak and noisy 1.2-litre three-cylinder diesel engine and little equipment, this new car gets an all-new 1.5 diesel unit and more kit.

What’s new?

Volkswagen has made only small changes to the exterior of the Polo, which are so subtle that it's easy to miss them. Yet, these small tweaks are a step in the right direction. The bars of chrome in the chin and in the grille are well executed, the detailing in the headlights is quite classy and there are some new alloys too. Walk around to the back of the car and the details are even more difficult to spot. The tail-lights are new and the bumper has been re-designed to look a bit fuller. However, these changes are only visible when you take a closer look.

There are plenty of updates and improvements on the inside too. There’s a beautiful leather-wrapped, flat-bottomed steering wheel that wouldn’t look out of place even on a car twice the price of the Polo. Audio controls are now standard as well on the higher trim level.

VW has updated the centre console of the new Polo as well. The vents, two DIN audio system and climate control system get a metallic surround and the audio system now gets Bluetooth, USB and aux-in compatibility and memory card slots as well. The red display in the centre of the instrument panel has been replaced by a white one, and VW has increased the font size to make it more readable. Our test car also came with a beige and grey two-tone dash that brightened things up considerably.

Good bits that remain on the new car are the comfortable front seats, the solid build and the good cabin insulation. Passengers sat in the rear seats, however, still don’t have too much legroom and you feel quite hemmed in as visibility from the back is poor.

What stands out is the feeling of quality inside the cabin. The fit and finish and tiny details like the stitching on the seats and the leather-wrapped hand-brake lever simply smack of VW’s attention to detail which no other carmaker can match.