According to JD Power Initial Quality survey, which took into account vehicles purchased during the period December 2017 to October 2018, the Volkswagen Polo scores over the Maruti Swift and Baleno in the Premium Compact Segment.
The survey spanned 7,710 new car owners who had purchased these cars during the months in question. The study took into account problems faced by the new owners in the initial 2-6 months of purchase. The team examined over 200 problems under categories of engine and transmission; heating, ventilation and cooling; driving experience; exteriors; features; controls and display; and interiors in terms of audio, entertainment navigation and seating.
Volkswagen Polo and its variants – Cross Polo and Polo GT, received PP100 score of 64 as against a PP100 score of 69 for the Maruti Baleno and a PP100 score of 78 for the Swift. This resulted in an average of PP100 score of 81 in the Premium Compact Segment. The problems were summarized as number of problems per 100 with lower PP100 scores indicating lower incidents of problems and therefore higher initial quality.
Mr. Steffen Knapp, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars said, “Polo has been one of our most successful models in India that has maintained its premium-ness by witnessing more than 80 percent first-time buyers. We are glad to be receiving a hat-trick that is expected out of this powerful carline. Along with this, our made-for-India Ameo ranks 2nd in the Entry Midsize Segment that truly delivers our continued commitment of offering a value for money proposition to our customers.”
VW Polo is priced from Rs.5.70 lakhs to Rs.9.58 lakhs while the Maruti Suzuki Baleno is priced from Rs.5.46 lakhs for the petrol variant going up to Rs.8.77 lakhs while diesel variants are priced from Rs.6.61 lakhs to Rs.8.60 lakhs. Baleno is offered in 11 variants and 6 color options. Prices of the Swift range from Rs.4.99 lakhs to Rs.7.85 lakhs for its petrol offerings and from Rs.5.99 lakhs to Rs.8.85 lakhs for the diesel engine counterparts.
Volkswagen Polo is powered by a 1.0 liter MPI, Trendline, 3 cylinder, in line engine offering 75 bhp power at 6,200 rpm and 95 Nm torque at 3,000-4,300 rpm. It is also offered with more powerful 1.2 liter petrol on the GT TSI model, which delivers 105 PS. 1.5 liter diesel Polo is on offer in two tunes of 90PS and 110 PS. The Maruti Suzuki Baleno and Swift are powered by the same petrol and diesel engines. Petrol engine is a 1.2 liter VVT petrol engine capable of 83 bhp power at 6,000 rpm and 115 Nm torque at 4,000 rpm. Diesel engine is a 1.3 liter mill delivering 75 PS.
