Volkswagen has a limited product lineup in our country compared to the international market. The Polo is the highest selling product out of the five cars being offered in India. Now the German automaker is pushing the Polo in our market with several engine options and trim levels. The engine options with the Polo includes 3-cylinder 1.2-litre petrol and 1.2-litre diesel along with a 4-cylinder 1.2-litre turbocharged TSI petrol and recently launched 1.6-litre TDI diesel derived from the Vento. Both the diesel engines will be replaced by a 1.5-litre TDI unit in May 2014.
Along with the new 1.5-litre diesel engine, Volkswagen India will also launch the Polo with a minor facelift in May 2014. The exterior updates are likely to be mild that would include redesigned bumpers and headlights. The interiors will also get a few changes to differentiate with the existing model along with some additional features to keep up with the competition. The 1.5-litre TDI diesel in talks is a downsized 1.6-litre TDI, which will also be eligible for the lower excise duty for small cars, so we can expect a drop in price for the Polo GT TDI.
The 1.5-litre TDI diesel engine will come in two states of tune – 89 BHP and 104 BHP. The 89 BHP version of the diesel engine will power the Polo hatchback, while the 104 BHP version is expected to come with a variable-geometry-turbo (VGT) that will be featured in the Vento sedan. The current 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder diesel on the Polo produces 75 BHP of power with 180 Nm of torque, mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. The 1.6-litre 4-cylinder diesel produces 105 BHP of power with 250 Nm of torque. So there will be not much of a difference in terms of power output on the 1.5-litre diesel in the higher state of tune.
Source – Autocar India
