Though, many of us maybe very familiar with these types of things going in India but still certain issue lacks importance on the immediate note of second-hand purchase due to some of its drawbacks-related results pinned underneath the buying psychology. Buying a used car for many of us feels a bit tad to the money value in our country, which hence many of the people bet to avoid going for second hand version. To be true, due to the rising cost of fuels and as well as cars, used car industry had now been witnessing large chunk of footfalls in their respective showrooms and even the exclusives like BMW and Merc aren’t left for exception. Hence, to get the best out of both i.e new and old, we pitted the used German i.e. Volkswagen Vento and a new Korean Hyundai i20 against each other to see how they fare in the fight of vying price bracket. The badges that we have taken here are of the following categories:

• Used Volkswagen Vento: 2012 make, Highline variant, Diesel;
• New Hyundai i20: 1.4 CRDi Asta variant, Diesel.

The diesel engine is chosen here because whole of country is running after the same and even the price rise of oil burners not even loosing the grip in spite of many downturns.

Let’s start the things, taking a lot of time is pushing us harder to the end of both, because we love both of them and does not tend to miss out any of them at any point. The price band of Rs. 9 lakh is what we had found the catching trend of our local market which is gradually drawing powerful hatchback, and in an opposite a used car dealer is also selling the three box sedan in immaculate condition for, just a year old, at almost the same cost. Clearly stated, the 1 year old used car is as good as our daily usage car, not many nick nacks and the maintenance issues, condition slated as if maintained very suavely. Well, finding that sorted one is not an issue in India, plenty of showrooms and dealers here to help out with. One of the used Vento that we had seen at a dealer, was of nothing to say bad at it, everything was working perfectly, not even a minute electrical issue to come up for barging in trade-offs at, but in actual the German cars are famous for the disturbances with electrical gremlins, so it’s better to have a second view at them, and moreover the maintenance service history book will give in a perfect idea of what lies inside creeps.

Meanwhile, an additional help of an expert is also a recommended option. However, the 1 or 1 and a half year old Vento will be in a stealth condition if maintained correctively, but we say also ask for the warranty of it. VW provides warranty of two years which it will bestowed on the name of first owner itself, and can be easily transferred to the second owner too, where just needed to fill in the form at dealership and the things will be done on your way easily. On the other hand, Hyundai is providing two years-unlimited kilometers warranty with free service on first year duration. Talking about the service we got trickled something in our mind, being a German VW badged cars runs very well on road but all those swifts need cool amount of money in pocket for servicing them at their respective centers. In short, the single service of Vento will fall between Rs. 6,500 – 17,000 which the i20 will notch between a mere Rs. 2,000 – 7,500 gap, depending upon the duration and the usage of car, these are normally expected figures it may be lesser or more seeing as per the situation and conditions of one’s metal. And in the case if it happens, the need is felt to replace spare parts and such then German will munch a good amount of money from the pocket comparatively to the Korean counterpart.

Very importantly, enquire about the reasons for which the seller is selling his bug in used car market, if the reason is genuine then it is okay, but when something fishy like accident or other this type of plethora is smelt underneath his/her decision then leave that bonk, lot of others lay there in market waiting tentatively for good buyers.

Coming to the i20 for a while, it is a big rocket packed in a small carton, and truly the 1.4L CRDi diesel feels tempting to surf throughout the city roads. No clogging here and there at all, thank to swift yet fluidic dimensions, light steering wheel, soft suspension setup and many more. Talking drivability, the steering that was felt comfortable in the city comes as a drawback factor when given stroked high on an open stretch, we mean highways, even those cute aerodynamics also tend the car to dangle on turns in high revs. This is the point where Vento scores more than this, the 1.6L diesel producing 104 bhp mated with a five speed manual gearbox given in that bolster of rigidity, can be handled on any of the stretch thrown at it. Even the 454 liter boot space is an added advantage, as need not worry about anything for any kind of trips. Ending the technical here itself, the 1.4L mill of i20 Asta is good for the city rides, the 84bhp power and six speed manual gearbox whips more than the desires quotations on town roads, in terms of efficiency and as well as performance, which the highways will not feel it sufficient to grope in.

Talking cosmetics now, not the outer crisps instead, but here we will learn what the interiors had to say, where does actual monetary value fills in the block. As we all are aware, i20 is very well equipped with the gadgets-type-frenzies Bluetooth connectivity for music system, dimming function for mirrors, reverse parking camera, automatically controlled ORVMs, with further advancements like airbags and rear disc brakes as an optional deal, and many more, making itself a strong contender in the segment, which the Vento is also not leaving battle ground very easily, grueling with features like CD player, climate control and rear AC vents amongst others for this league. Hopefully both of them are perfect in their ways, tending an extra mile type of clipping in the advancements of their respective level. Comparatively the overall aura of Hyundai is the factory fresh and Vento’s is of a bit old cladding, but the fit and finish of latter is derived via true German quality, build to last longer than anything else. And one will also miss those steering mounted controls in Highline, which the Asta sweeps credits in just a single take.

However many of you’ll would have understood what we are trying to say. Hence, clearing the clutter by ourselves we conclude “Vento” to be the winner in this naked rivalry. No glamorous buff and such, but practicality had made German to stand tall in this shootout. The only factor that had kept us pinching from inside is the maintenance cost of VW, freaks to be costlier than any other model plate in this segment. And yes, the 0-100 kmph sprint of Vento is also faster by a whole two seconds against the i20, must say those additional 200cc really pays off.

Also check the competitive difference in the mentioned table below:

Specifications	Used Volkswagen Vento	New Hyundai i20 Asta
Mileage	15.2kmpl (overall)	16.6kmpl (overall)
Engine	1598cc, 4 cylinders	1396cc 4 cylinders
Power	104bhp	89bhp
0-100kmph	11 seconds	13 seconds
Fuel Tank	55 litres	45 litres

Hence, if seen overall then it will be known that Vento is beneficiary in all the dimension, whereas the only tradeoff between both of them is a mere amount of ‘mileage’, which is considerable when given such a big lot of booties.

Also recently, the CrossPolo too is spied on Indian tarmacs doing test rounds without any camouflage, and this time the same thing happened with GT TDI as well, no camouflages at all, really great shots captured!

Only speculations for present, the 1.6L ongoing diesel meant to be replaced by the 1.5L sibling of same horizon, which intends to reduce the fuel consumption and also tends to increase the power via weight reduction technique, hence the standards of GT badging can be matched for on-paper markings at least. As mentioned in our test drive, the petrol powered Polo GT is not something to expect figures of a racing like quotient, we hope something similar clauses to derive here too whilst of the costly gearbox and other minute tweaks to compensate for the so called highly priced tags. As learnt, the spied hot hatch flaunts black colored interiors looked being driven from Rapid and Vento, whereas our expectations of price tags also bags to fall in their respective brackets itself, totaling near to Rs. 9 lakh band and more; whilst those advanced features like ESP hill assist etc. not to be excluded from the list of diesel, meant necessary for the niche marketing factor.

Till the confirmation arrives, check out the technical specifications of 1.2L Polo GT TSI mentioned below:

Technical Details:

Engine Type	TSI, 4 CYL
Capacity	1.2 L / 1197 cc
Bore x Stroke	71 x 75.6 mm
Max. Output PS (KW)@rpm	105 (77) @ 5000rpm
Max. Torque Nm @ rpm	175 Nm/1500-4100 rpm
Gear Box	7 speed DSG gearbox
Gear Ratio	Gear Box Ratio
1st	3.76
2nd	2.37
3rd	1.58
4th	1.11
5th	1.14
6th	0.94
7th	0.78
Length	3970 mm
Width	1682 mm
Height	1453 mm
Wheel Base	2456 mm
Front/Rear Track	1463/1463 mm
Ground Clearance	168 mm
Tyre Size	185/60 R15 alloy wheels
Kerb Weight (with 90% fuel)	1140 Kg
Airbags	Dual frontal airbags, driver & co-passenger side
Fuel Tank Capacity	45 Ltrs.
Fuel Consumption	17.2 Kmpl (As per ARAI)

Image Courtesy – www.oncars.in

The image which is posted on this blog is taken by Indiancarsbikes, on the outskirts of Pune named Chakan, near the manufacturing unit of this German auto brand.

Ripping off the peel from whole, it’s found, CrossPolo is burgeoned with off-road kits, silver roof rails, rear mounted spare wheel, re-styled front and rear bumpers, taller alloys, and some more tit bits here and there, giving a feel of total SUV figured to climb the very steep uphill at ease.

However, not much of the revelations can be made, but we expect the new 1.5L diesel jag to be hanged hang under the hoods, which will give it the complete feel of off roader right from the steering.

As also leant, the Volkswagen is having pipeline empty till 2016, no newbies to be breaking ground at this attempt, hence the CrossPolo is also not an exception, making grounds clear for the Ford EcoSport to play cash collection with the a couple of lucky draws opened in its flip. Our suggestion will also remain for this German carmaker, making things happen after the trend is outdated decreases the life of product, hence which then had to be taken care like putting up the facelifts and special offers to reach chokingly on the other end.

Image Courtesy – www.indiancarsbikes.in

The newly showcased concept car is based on 7th generation Volkswagen Golf GTI that got rolled out during 2012 and has been fabricated especially for the special occasion.

But, this is not the initial time that the well known auto maker has constructed a crazily influential Golf.

Around 5 to 6 years back, they had fabricated a one off Golf with a 6.0-litre biturbo W12 engine that produced a whopping 650PS and 750Nm of torque.

The new coupe bags power from a double turbo 3.0-litre Vsix engine, which generates 510PS of maximum power along with a torque of 559Nm.

Power is channelized to all 4 wheels through a direct-shift gear case (DSG) double-clutch mechanical transmission as well as an all-wheel drive arrangement.

All this control is able to take the vehicle from 0-100 kilometers per hour (kilometers per hour) in just 3.9 seconds and then to a maximum pace of 299 kilometers per hour (kilometers per hour).

In order to reduce speed of the vehicle, the German maker has equipped gigantic carbon ceramic brake discs and 20-inch wheels, which are made to give vent to the brake systems.

The vehicle is broader and grimmer that it’s standard sibling and overall, it looks really futuristic. It is thought that the designers have taken a modest interior in proportion to trackbred Porsches with the intention to keep the device driver concentrated on road. This entails that they have annihilated a lot of keys, switches in addition to a few expediencies such as door knobs, turning the vehicle a racetrack screamer.

The Worthersee carnival is held by Volkswagen Group on an annual basis for all the firms under its poster as a stage to showcase their design as well as technological potentialities. The new vehicle is not expected to be rolled out ever in the mass market.

Well, this one is not a complete GT in the sense which one maybe thinking of in the particular aura but, let’s be clear the existing only Polo had been worked out to derive the GT derivations, so expectations should go that way itself. We are not marking some negative points on it right now, but making a segmentation understand in the proper manner gives in right amount of overall insight.

Engine and Performance:

The 1.2L TSI engine is officially said to yield 103bhp of peak power @ 5000 rpm and 17.8kgm of torque starting at 1500 RPM and staying comfortably till the meter clocks 4100 RPM, made us felt diving in again and again in the same bracket. Though we can say that additional 2.2kgm than the 1.6L Polo is impressive than the existing model range. Kicking the ignition in GT, one cannot feel the difference till 1500 RPM, because the turbo gets awaken after that particular figure, below the bespoken figure it feels a bit tad to drive. Once when the pointer crosses 1500 mark then the actual excitement starts pulling on drivetrain, that fun and frolic start gaining boost from the roost of metal, giving a shot of adrenaline at every action, but all this stays for 5000 RPM, above that the harshness starts pouring in. However, as said above the combination of direct injection and turbocharger doesn’t gives in that punch of GT badged car, making it to stand on the side of all GT monikered horizon. In spite of a smaller jag namely 1.2L TSI mid range proves quite peppy for the ride, but as an overall calculations, the makers could have done more in the sense of output, which nowadays diesel are yielding better than it. Taking the steps again to pavilion, VW’s motto behind the TSI strategy was to deliver the output of petrol engine but the efficiency should be stricken to that of diesel, hence the quite low powerful profile is maintained on the Polo GT. 17.2 kmpl is the official figure claimed by ARAI on the new Polo, lest the GT moniker on this hatchback is for India spec only, so there is no comparison of it at an international level.

Lest of the TSI talks, another important thing bestowed to this Volkswagen model plate is DSG dual clutch 7 speed gearbox, assimilated accurately with the 1197cc, 4 cylinder petrol motor, that drives all the forces from front wheel. Now shifting the concentration from powerplant to the ‘dual clutch’ intimation, the evidence of betterment is felt from straight line acceleration itself, made us to swoop from 0-60 km/h in just 4.9 seconds and 0-100 km/h in 11.27 seconds (not subjected to the standard test conditions), which had stood neck to neck with 1.6L Polo manual. Meanwhile, the acronym of straight line acceleration also hadn’t let our hair down, some cool flickering is registered on our notepad. Taking the highway cruise, it had proven fuel efficient and quick as well, given with the 6th and 7th as overdrive gears. If one really wants to put in efforts and churn out maximum then “Sport” shift will give him the longer gear holding ratios, and also keeping the stimulation tending above 2000 RPM only, not falling below than that. As aforementioned, the GT type of feeling seems lacking here on this board but if anyone out there is screaming to feel at least the belt of GT, then switch to manual mode, because the actual prowess type of feel can experienced in the par 6000 RPM which the derivation is better in manual shifting. The only thing we had found lacking here is the pedal shifters, if added then the excitement would have been raised by several notches. Though the Volkswagen had already fitted petrol engine and such expensive gearbox, so this particular further addition must have risen the cost aggressively. And for the safety, ABS and ESP are added as its standard fitment.

Handling the new Polo cannot be concluded to that of GT standard, suspensions and other bits had taken the charm of original segmentation and have added only the extra sportiness to it. But it wasn’t that worst when we rode the bumpy roads of city, suspension gobbled up potholes mildly letting only a small amount of force inside cabin, where the steering is light and direct. The drive felt understeered, yet can give in the right amount of prediction to drivers. Dual airbags and hill hold are also added for the extra money-value punch.

Exteriors:

Outers remained all same to the ongoing Polo, front grilles, tyres, nothing is changed to mark the remarkable note at a glance. Whereas, the chromed GT badging on front and the back, whilst of watermarked hologram on side are the only tweaks which this 1.2L TSI differ from its any of the other siblings. The hologram on side looks can be peeled of very easily unless and until any sort of coating is not provided to it.

Interiors:

Interiors had also remained pretty same, but there are some factors that had stretched comparison on the different platform but it is not so to be called a ‘distinct identity’. New seat fabrics, refreshed music system with bigger screen, aux, Bluetooth, SD card and USB connectivity whilst of the automatic climate control are the aura of freshness inside, nothing more than that remarkable, except some additional chrome bits here and there.

Conclusion:

Conclusion is straight forwardly can be seem from the attitude used in this post, very hopefully we were expecting something lot more on the GT bag but sadly that much of output is not delivered segment oriented (GT to be precise). Hence, the better refinement can be felt from that of the conventional 1.6L manual Polo, and on that basis it a better option, but not something to buy while taking GT into consideration. Getting back to the basics again, we have the mentioned in the first stanza itself, young professionals and ladies are the core buyers of petrol automatic and so this one is not an exception. Polo GT is good than any of the badgings in automatic hatchbacks horizon but not something very exclusive on the part of ‘Gran Tourismo’ peculiarities.

Ratings:

Priced at Rs. 7.99 lakh (ex showroom Delhi), the Polo is anytime better than the regular hatchback and its regular sibling conventional Polo too, but the GT moniker fails to fuel our aspirations not even till the belt of core.
5/10 is the perfect terminology for this VW bug.

Polo GT TSI Technical Specs

Length	3970 mm
Width	1682 mm
Height	1453 mm
Wheelbase	2456 mm
Ground Clearance	168 mm
Kerb Weight	1140 kg

Capacity

Seating Capacity	5 Person
Doors	5 Doors
No of Seating Rows	2 Rows
Fuel Tank Capacity	45 litres

Engine & Transmission

Engine Type	4 Cylinder
Displacement	1197 cc
Fuel Type	Petrol
Max Power	103 bhp @ 5000 RPM
Max Torque	175 Nm @ 1500 RPM
Cylinders	4, Inline
Transmission Type	Automatic
No of gears	7 Gears

Suspensions, Brakes, Steering & Tyres

Suspension Front	Mcpherson strut with stabiliser bar
Suspension Rear	semi-independent trailing arm
Front Brake Type	Disc
Rear Brake Type	Drum
Steering Type	Electronic Power Steering
Front Tyres	185 / 60 R15
Rear Tyres	185 / 60 R15

Upcoming Taigun in the kitty is for the range of starting compact SUV segment, or the conventional ones, but not to its actual sort of the customer base who prefers exclusivity in every bit, and taking the plight further Touareg – the larger SUV, is well positioned under the hat of Rs. 70 lakh band, and having a waiting period of more than 1 year in Mumbai showrooms.

Expecting the another compact SUV in luxurious like its elder sibling (Touareg), it is learnt, Audi Q3 platform can be pinned underneath, and it can the similar type of engine to belted in the bay, so we can assume a price lesser than the Audi’s moniker and hence a nice amount of sales balancing the company’s performance sheet.

No confirmation right now from official channel, but as learnt the lined up section in Volkswagen badge is empty till 2016, and all products will fall directly in the period just after that, so a this type of vehicle is a temptation in the bespoken particular era.

This declaration has been made by Volkswagen Group head Dr. Martin Winterkorn at the global Vienna Motor conference.

Volkswagen Group’s aim is to bring down the European innovative vehicle fleet’s carbon dioxide emission level to 95 gram of carbon dioxide/km by the next 7 years (2020).

Dr. Martin stressed that over the medium as well as long term diverse drive system technologies would subsist side by side. These would vary from extremely resourceful interior combustion engines plus natural gas structures to hybrids as well as electric cars.

Dr. Martin stressed that subsisting internal combustion engines still present huge potential and said, “Since 2000, we have lessened the fuel intake of the TDI as well as TSI engines by over 30%. I’m confident that by the next 7 years, we can attain further augmentations in competence of about 15%.”

Components making this promising, Dr. Martin added, would comprise augmentation of the combustion procedure, quick lightweight devise, pioneering operating plans and optimization of friction standards and thermal supervision.

The company also witnesses huge potential for natural gas drive methods, “The gas engine is eco-friendly, inexpensive and appropriate for daily use. The know-how is completely explicated and the cars are already for sale.”

The top notch illustration is the pioneering eco-up! – at 79g of carbon dioxide/km the globe’s most affordable natural gas vehicle. The company will be introducing natural gas know-how together with the Golf TGI Blue Motion as well as the Audi A3 g-tron in a systematic or consistent manner.

Winterkorn added, “We have to turn the community even extra cognizant of the advantages of natural gas engines. Everyone requires to play their part in this: car manufacturers, political leaders and the fuel business.”

The assortment of drive method techs is going up: the group-wide Volkswagen modular constituent arrangement and its supple architecture allow every type of drive structure to be incorporated speedily into the novel models.

The company also presented at the conference innovative technologies, which are detecting their way into the modular diesel component structure’s future engine generation.

Lest of all, the biggest piece of news for this German oriented brand in India is that, it now had rolled out new 1.2L Polo GT TSI at Rs. 7.99 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi), which one can say, is a cosmetic and technical makeover to the existing hatchback Polo.  The new avatar is made available in petrol variant itself, but yielding benefits of both fuels petrol as well as diesel, inclusive of a 7 speed DSG gearbox.

Taking technicalities, Polo GT is engulfed in the bay with 1.2L 4 cylinder TSI delivering maximum output 77 KW @ 5000 RPM and a maximum 175 Nm of torque @ 1500-4100 RPM.

When compared both the generations, differences are chalked out as, “Estrada” 185/60 R15 alloy wheels, halogen headlamps with black inputs and “GT” chrome front grille, to name bits of refurbished exteriors, whilst of exclusive niche interiors comprising leather, aluminum and chrome extensively used inside.

Digging a breathtaking space inside, it reveals us with more of them, namely:

• Superior ‘Milan’ Titanschwarz fabric upholstery
• Leather wrapped steering wheel
• Leather wrapped gearshift knob and handbrake lever handle
• Chrome interior trims
• Aluminum pedal cluster
• 3 grab handles above doors, folding with coat hooks
• Sunglass holder inside glove box
• Front centre console including 12V outlet
• Luggage compartment cover/parcel tray

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Arvind Saxena, MD of Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Volkswagen Group Sales India Pvt. Ltd. said ”In the current market scenario, fuel efficiency has become vital for every customer looking at purchasing a new car. Under these circumstances we strongly feel the need to provide our customer with a choice to opt for an efficient petrol car. The Polo GT TSI is the perfect answer with Maximum Power and Minimum Consumption.

Lastly, Volkswagen in India tends to fall in the category of a little-bit up market fragment that trusts only German engineering though whatever it may cost them on pocket, we basically mean those exclusive niche buyers of BMW and Benz, so the automaker does not want to collapse tilting side on the audience hence comfort features namely lane change indicator – triple flash, instrument cluster with tachometer, speedometer, odometer, and trip odometer, remote control central locking, tilt and telescopic adjustment for steering rim, etc are given a shot in this flip.

Dual airbags and ESP are also not overlooked when the discussion heads towards safety. The complete GT package is debuted in Candy White, Deep Black and Flash Red paint job. Lest we hope for good sales figure, after all it is the next launch to the recently unveiled avatar of Polo in SR (Sports Racer).

Technical Details:

Engine Type	TSI, 4 CYL
Capacity	1.2 L / 1197 cc
Bore x Stroke	71 x 75.6 mm
Max. Output PS (KW)@rpm	105 (77) @ 5000rpm
Max. Torque Nm @ rpm	175 Nm/1500-4100 rpm
Gear Box	7 speed DSG gearbox
Gear Ratio	Gear Box Ratio
1st	3.76
2nd	2.37
3rd	1.58
4th	1.11
5th	1.14
6th	0.94
7th	0.78
Length	3970 mm
Width	1682 mm
Height	1453 mm
Wheel Base	2456 mm
Front/Rear Track	1463/1463 mm
Ground Clearance	168 mm
Tyre Size	185/60 R15 alloy wheels
Kerb Weight (with 90% fuel)	1140 Kg
Airbags	Dual frontal airbags, driver & co-passenger side
Fuel Tank Capacity	45 Ltrs.
Fuel Consumption	17.2 Kmpl (As per ARAI)

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Right now the Apollo Tyres is having existence in 14 European countries whilst of ongoing efforts to reach other of them as well, this sparkling announcement came as an icing on the cake for them.

Back again to the Indian shores, Apollo will bestow its homeland with the new product named 4G series ranging in between sizes 12”-18”, moreover the Vredestein brand to make debut here by end of this year, which is now restricted for only being the official partner of Audi Racing Experience at Buddh International Circuit (BIC).

Very instantly, the India-bound-launch range will also include names like Sportrac 5, Ultrac Cento, inclusive of SUV tyre range namely Ultrac Sessanta and Ultra Sessanta; Tier I and Tier II cities are called to be placed on the hot targets, with prices still kept under wraps.

Creating a buzz before the launch, followed by a soft launch at BIC in June, Vredestein is expected to draw the competition against Pirelli, Bridgestone, and Michelin, and some other international brand to roll out on India-wing too.

A new report stated that the Polo sedan will be locally set up in the Malaysian market in the coming time.

The sedan is a costly affair for the Malaysian customers because of high import duties.

With the intention to turn it more budget, Volkswagen is ready to fabricate Polo sedan or Vento in the Malaysian market with CKD kits approaching from the company’s Pune based facility.

This will result in 215 fresh jobs in the firm’s parts and components division plus at suppliers.

At the moment, the Indian content in the Vento is around 70% whilst the engines and gear cases are being brought into the Indian market.

The VW Polo Sedan that got introduced in the Malaysian market as a CBU precisely a year back is valued at 99,888 Malaysian Ringgits (around Rs. 17.74 lakhs).

The Malaysia spec VW Polo Sedan is the top of the line petrol variant. The sedan is powered by the 1.6 litre 105 bhp petrol engine that is mated to a six speed automatic gear case. The common security traits such as ABS and airbags are presented as usual traits.

The local assembly would cut down the costs in a strong substantial way, and will go a long way in bettering the sale facts of the Polo Sedan that’s not selling like a hot cake in the Malaysian market.