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July

Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TDI Highline – Diesel – 112000 km – Ownership Review

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by Sunderdeep Singh // in Car Reviews, Detailed Ownership Reviews, Volkswagen

Car Details

Name

Vishwaraj Khore

City

Mumbai

Car/Brand/Variant

Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TDI Highline

Year of purchase

2013

KMs on ODO

112000 KMs

Avg. Service Cost

10000

Fuel Efficiency

25 kmpl

Fuel Type

Diesel

Ratings

Sales Experience

Service Experience

Reliability

Fuel Efficiency

Looks

Ride & Handling

Suspension & Comfort

Overall Ratings

Niggles Faced
  • High Service Cost
  • Expensive Spares
  • Non helpful authorized service center
Review Comments
Overall Ownership Experience
  • The Volkswagen Polo 1.2 TDI was my first car and truly a dream come true.
  • Purchased second-hand at 8 years old, yet never felt outdated or lacking.
  • Still impresses with its solid build, timeless design, and sharp driving dynamics.
  • Driven for over 1.12 lakh kilometers, and the car has aged gracefully.

The 1.2L 3-cylinder TDI engine, though modest on paper, delivers:

  • Strong mid-range torque
  • Lively highway performance
  • Top speed achieved: 160 km/h, with stable and composed behavior.

Fuel efficiency is a major strength:

  • Consistently delivers 27–28 km/l on highway runs.
  • Regular use of fuel additives like Liqui Moly Diesel Purge has helped maintain efficiency and injector health.
Service & Maintenance Experience

Faced ODO meter restarting issue — service center replaced the meter but:

  • Failed to reprogram the second key, causing the car to enter safe mode when using that key.
  • Required a separate visit to resolve — poor attention to detail.

Booked pickup-and-drop service for routine maintenance:

  • Car broke down midway due to complete coolant loss — water pump had failed.
  • No prior signs or warnings were present before the pickup.

Reported steering squeak — initial fix involved replacing ball joints, but the issue persisted.

  • Root cause was different, showing poor diagnosis and resulting in wasted time.

While replacing the water pump:

  • A screw on the lower engine guard was left loose.
  • It struck the oil tank over a bump, causing complete oil drainage.
  • Fortunately, caught it in time — but this could have led to engine failure.

With only one major authorized VW service center left in Mumbai, it results in limited accountability, lack of alternatives, long wait times, and often rushed, careless service.

Things You Like & Dislike
What I Love
  • Build quality remains premium — doors still close with the iconic VW 'thunk'
  • Handling is tight, responsive, and confidence-inspiring on curves
  • Timeless design — clean and elegant, still turns heads
  • Still delivers a true driver’s car experience — a rare trait in modern cars
What I Don’t Like
  • Service quality and costs are poor
  • Spare parts are expensive and often hard to find
  • Volkswagen discontinuing Polo in India remains my biggest regret
  • If possible, I’ll keep this car running for life

Disclaimer: Information is submitted by the owner of the vehicle through online form medium. Volklub-Sunderdeep Singh doesn't take any responsibility to confirm accuracy or authenticity of the information provided. Readers are requested to make their opinion by reading from other means as well and do take a test drive of the car you are interested in and ask all doubts from the authentic service/sales advisors in a particular brand.

Sole purpose of this review is to try providing readers with factual information where other readers have shared their ownership experiences that may help readers for their car buying decision.

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