All about the Volkswagen Cross Polo

The Cross Polo has the same sheet metal similar to that of its earlier version but you will see a matte black band of plastic tightly holding the lower section of this car. Also you will see new front and rear bumpers, 5 spoke alloy wheels, stylish silver roof rails, new chrome grill, silver painted mirrors, moulded covers for wheel arches, halogen headlamps with a black finish and 'Cross Polo' decals on the rear doors in the new Cross Polo. All these upgrades give a much cooler look to the Cross Polo. Length is increased 17mm, width by 16mm and height by 21mm and also it has put on 10kg of weight.

The interiors of the Cross Polo get a titanium black upholstery. The steering wheel, handbrake lever and the gear shift knob are all wrapped in leather. There is a sunglass holder in the glove box and also it has front door storage compartments.

The Cross Polo has a 'Climatronic' automatic air conditioning system with dust and pollen filter. It has a multifunction display (MFD) , an adjustable steering wheel, a music system with USB, auxiliary input, sd card, bluetooth and 4 speakers.

It will be available in three colours: flash red, reflex silver and deep pearl black.

Passenger safety has been given more importance in the Cross Polo. It has ABS, dual air bags, high mounted third brake light, fog lamps and front and rear emergency exits.

Specs:

Engine:

Fuel :      Diesel
Installation :  Front, transverse
Type :     3cyls, 1199cc, common-rail, turbo diesel
Power :   74bhp at 4200rpm
Torque :   18.3kgm at 2000rpm
Transmission
Gearbox :    5-speed manual

Dimensions:

Length :     3987mm
Width  :     1698mm
Height :     1474mm
Wheel base :    2456mm
Ground clearance :   168mm

Chassis & Body:

Wheels :    15-inch alloy
Tyres  :      185/60R15

Fuel:

Tank size :   45 litres
Economy : 13.5 kmpl

Price: Rs 7.75 lakhs (ex showroom Delhi )

Mahindra Verito Vibe

Mahindra made a surprising move when they launched an under four metre hatch.

Verito sedan also known as Logan when Mahindra and Renault were together was a huge success story.
Vibe is actually a trimmed version of the Verito. Vibe cannot be called as a hatch because when we open the boot, the rear glass remains at its fixed position. This actually is one of the problems in the Vibe. The fixed position of the glass makes loading luggage or bulky stuff very difficult.

Moving in, Vibe is one of the few cars that can easily and comfortably seat 3 people at the back. There's enough shoulder and leg room for the passengers at the back. That's one of the many good things about this car.

Coming to the fuel efficiency,  it can do just better than 12 kmpl in the city and around 16 kmpl on the highway which are very good figures.

The Vibe has the same 1.5l diesel engine that we saw in the Logan and now in the Verito and also the Duster. It is available in 3 variants,  D2 , D4 and D6. D2 is priced at Rs. 6.8 lakhs, D4 at Rs. 7.1 lakhs and D6 at Rs. 8 lakhs.

At 172mm, the ground clearance of the Vibe is more than some of the SUV's which allows it to take on any kibd of roads.

The major let down of the Verito Vibe is the cost. It is priced at Rs. 8 lakhs which is higher than the expected cost.

The overall on road dynamics are very good. The Vibe can easily reach 100s on the highway and gives a good control. The looks are same as the Verito. The interiors are good but not that great. They could have been better considering what Mahindra have done to the XUV.

The Vibe is a nicely built spacious and a tough car which is a bit low on the styling and also loses out on the price. It could have done much better had Mahindra priced it better.