From far and from near, the Polo sedan looks like the Saga. Being the lowest end of VW's range over here, its design cue is drop dead simple and straight forward, targeting at crowds who want to finally and to proudly own a German car. The Polo's CKD kit is from India, so don't expect it is a German made car, though built quality is still good, but most soft-touch plastics are replaced with lower grade of material to enable it to compete in the B-Segment sedan which is heavily dominated by the Vios and City. Love it or not, a conventional Otto Cycle 1.6-litre engine, which has been in VW production for ages, mated to an ultra reliable Japanese Aisin branded 6-speed gearbox. Yes, this is the type of down-to-earth simplicity that could attract the commoner, without the complexity of a turbo engine and dual clutch transmission that keep giving nightmare to most owners! The engine produces 104hp/153Nm of power, which could be a crawl when pitted against its competitor. Even a car dated back in the 2003 could produce similar or better performance. But hey...didn't I just mentioned this car is downright simple! It is a car design only for the emerging market, thus this will not be available back in the Deutschland! It is the POLO Sedan!
Interior is no doubt a VW, with the familiar 3-spoke steering wheel, meter cluster with a central digital multi-info display and a nice gear stalk. The basic audio unit will serve very well, with steering mounted control, which support SD + USB + Bluetooth. Of course, if further comparing the Polo Sedan with a Honda City, it could lose out, by quite a distance. The only wow here is the rear aircon vent and 4 anti-pinch windows...try it by sticking your head out, the window reverse its direction when it hit your head...good for those with kids that like to play with the power windows, and it is not powered by the famous Saga's window winder! It has 4 airbags and ABS, but traction control is not included. Let's hope VW will refresh it with a minimum of 6 airbags and make traction control as standard, then it could be a real contender. The 15" India made Apollo should be swap with our local tires instead, I would think any Goodyear could do better than this.
At almost RM90k, is the Polo Sedan a value buy? Looking at the scarcity of it being driven on the road, the answer could be quite clear, even though one could easily get RM8k knock off the sticker price. It still lack the sexiness of being a German car. 2 Years manufacturer + 3 Years extended insurance warranty could be attractive, but too many fine prints are turning people away. However, at end of the day, if a continental car is what you want, and the French is not attracting your attention, the Polo Sedan then make a good buy. Although from far and from near it still look like a Saga...it is a fact not, it is the Volkswagen Polo Sedan!
