Lada Granta vs Volkswagen Polo comparison

The habit of considering the comparison of foreign cars and domestic cars as bad manners is gradually becoming a thing of the past. Yes, the Russian car industry is progressing, albeit not at such a pace that allows it to be on a par with world leaders. But if earlier the main argument was the expression “did you want a supercar for such ridiculous money?”, Today not everyone can afford AvtoVAZ products. So it really makes sense to compare. This is exactly what we are doing by offering Lada Granta sedan and Volkswagen Polo as duelists, which, by the way, is also assembled in our country, that is, it no longer falls under the concept of "foreign car" by 100%.

Features of the models

For comparison of technical characteristics, we have chosen modifications with power units of the same displacement and mechanical transmission.

Appearance

The sedan can be called the most conservative body style in terms of design, however, evolution does not sleep here either. A striking example is the latest generation Volkswagen Polo. Despite being a B-class, it doesn't look lightweight at all. The designers of the German automaker have done everything possible to ensure that the Polo has a modern and even slightly sporty appearance. And they succeeded! Amazing perfection of semicircular lines is surprisingly combined in this sedan with expressive edges and relief.

Lada Granta in this regard lagged behind at least a decade, but we know examples of less successful exteriors, take the same Renault Symbol. However, in comparison with the classics and Grant, it will look like a spaceship against the background of a glider, so we will not be particularly critical here.

Salon and trunk

Inside, the Polo does not look so compellingly better. Moreover, its interior can even be called Spartan - the Germans do not like to clutter up the interior with unnecessary bulges. The main emphasis here is placed on the quality of finishing materials and their assembly and interfacing. Well, the ergonomics are at their best, nothing superfluous, and everything is within the reach. Except that the joystick for controlling the position of the exterior mirrors is not very conveniently located.

Passengers in the second row do not have to raise their knees - after all, the wheelbase here is slightly larger than that of Grants. But the trunk is smaller, by as much as 60 liters. However, for a compact sedan and 460 liters is a very solid figure.

But it cannot be argued that the Lada Granta cabin is cramped, there is enough free space here. Not to compare with Vesta, but still ... Moreover, the back of the sofa here can be folded entirely, and if desired, it can be completely unfastened. The steering column has vertical adjustments, but this is unlikely to add convenience to the driver due to the not very successful design of the seat.

The lack of a temperature scale for heating the engine is also surprising, even by the standards of the VAZ classics, this is a clear anachronism.

In general, the interior of Grants cannot be called completely outdated - in comparison with many other representatives of this class, it looks good.

Engines and transmissions

The range of Volkswagen Polo engines includes three power units - 1.6-liter MPI (with distributed injection) with a capacity of 90/110 liters. from. and a 125 PS 1.4-liter turbocharged TSI engine.

LADA Granta is equipped with only 1.6-liter eight- or sixteen-valve engines with a capacity of 87/98/106 horsepower, so if we compare which is better, Grant or Polo, the German sedan has some power advantage.

As for transmissions, both cars have both a manual transmission and an automatic transmission, but the Russian sedan also has a robotic transmission.

Dynamics, fuel consumption

The 87-horsepower power unit Lada Granta has the following indicators of efficiency and dynamics:

• maximum speed - 184 km / h;
• acceleration to 100 km / h - 10.5 seconds;
• gasoline consumption in the city - 7.2 liters;
• on the highway - 6.5 liters;
• in mixed mode - 6.8 liters.

A similar in displacement and slightly more powerful 90-horsepower Volkswagen Polo engine loses in dynamics, but it is more economical:

• maximum speed - 178 km / h;
• acceleration to 100 km / h - 11.2 seconds;
• gasoline consumption in the city - 7.7 liters;
• on the highway - 4.5 liters;
• in mixed mode - 5.7 liters.

Controllability and cross-country ability

Although the Polo's suspension is traditionally excellently balanced, this car cannot be called sporty or gambling. Yes, there are a minimum of breakdowns or rolls here, the steering wheel is by no means slow, but you will not see the sharp reaction necessary for an active drive.

When cornering, the German's steering wheel becomes moderately heavy, giving the driver a feeling of extreme clarity of response to steering wheel manipulations. On a straight and level track, nothing can knock the sedan out of the way, the brakes are effective, the pedal is responsive and informative. For a B-class car, the Polo sound insulation can be called ideal.

Compared to the Polo, the Granta obviously loses out on almost all components, with the exception of driving on bumpy roads. Here, the suspension is really energy-intensive, one feels that the car was created taking into account the Russian reality. Any road irregularities Grant overcomes with resistance unattainable for foreign cars. However, rolls in high-speed corners are also minimal here, but the presence of an electric power steering deprives the steering wheel of adequate feedback with the road.

Safety

Comparing Grant and Polo in terms of safety is extremely difficult. The Russian sedan, even in the maximum configuration, will please only with two frontal PB and active ABS / EBD / BAS systems. The ESC / TCS / HSA functions are available only in the version with automatic transmission and AMT.

Polo, without exaggeration, can be called the safest car of the compact class, which is convincingly evidenced by five stars according to the results of crash testing according to Euro NCAP. For the safety of the driver / front passenger, the German sedan received an assessment of 90%, for the safety of the child and rear passengers - 86%, for equipping with active / passive safety systems Polo was rated at 71%, and only pedestrian safety is relatively low - 41%.

Options and prices

Already the initial equipment of the German car, which costs 680 thousand rubles, is equipped with good sets of options for safety and comfort. These are frontal front airbags, anti-lock braking system, on-board computer, electric power steering with dynamically variable force depending on the road situation, steering column adjustable in tilt angle and length, daytime running lights and central locking.

In total, the Polo has four types of trim levels, and the top-end Comfortline with an automatic transmission and a 110-horsepower engine costs 900 thousand rubles.

Lada Grants has six complete sets. The basic one is "Standard", with an 87-horsepower engine and a manual transmission worth 440 thousand. She can only please with a driver's airbag and an immobilizer. In the "Classic" configuration, there are front power windows and power steering, central lock and BC. Air conditioning becomes available to owners of the Classic Optima modification, Airbag for the front passenger and some active safety systems appear in the Comfort trim level.

In the top version of the Luxe Prestige, there are parking sensors, rain and light sensors, as well as ESC / TCS / HSA systems. Such a car costs 620 thousand.

In general, the cost of Lada Granta is lower than that of the Volkswagen Polo by 200-300 thousand rubles. This is a lot, but the level of equipment will be very different.

Which is better: Polo or Granta

A good car, even if it is a budget class, should be comfortable, safe and economical enough.By all these indicators, the Russian "German" is one step ahead. But if these notorious 200 thousand are of decisive importance for you, then the choice of a domestic sedan will be quite justified - especially since the cost of maintenance and repair will be much lower.