Comparison of Volkswagen Polo Sedan and Lada Priora cars, choosing the best

Some skeptics may immediately swoop in and say how you can even compare a German and a Russian car. After all, supposedly the German has indisputable advantages and it is simply impossible to compete with him Priora.

But not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance. Yes, at some points Volkswagen Polo really turns out to be much better than its opponent. But the Russian-made car also has something to oppose to the German sedan.

To try to determine the winner and show who is superior to whom, you need to conduct a comparative analysis of the two cars. Moreover, not only technical characteristics will be taken into account, but also consumer parameters. As a result, everyone will be able to draw appropriate conclusions for themselves and make a final decision if it comes to the desire to buy one of these cars.

When comparing Volkswagen Polo or Lada Priora, their chances should be equalized, that is, certain input data should be used so that none of the applicants initially had advantages in certain indicators.

Input data and comparison parameters

You shouldn't start with specifications. We will talk about them a little later.

It is important to note that Volkswagen Polo has been fighting against Lada Priora almost from the very beginning of their simultaneous existence. Moreover, this battle is being waged by the fans and fans of the domestic and German brand themselves. The companies themselves do not have any disagreements and problems among themselves. Although in fact Priora and Polo represent the same class, they have impressive sales figures in the Russian market.

Lada Priora has existed for over 10 years. The release started in 2007, but since 2018 the production was stopped due to the appearance of a more modern solution in the form of Vesta. Although the latter appeared back in 2015, the Priora remained on the assembly line for several years. The last restyling took place in 2018.

The Volkswagen Polo Sedan has been around for much longer. But we will compare Priora with the fifth generation Polo after restyling. The 5th generation itself has existed since 2009, and the last restyling took place in 2014, which made it possible to somewhat update the appearance and improve certain characteristics.

To give an objective assessment of the machines and draw certain conclusions in their comparison, one should start from the following parameters:

• appearance;
• specifications;
• the quality of the paintwork;
• chassis;
• salon;
• motors and their capabilities.

Plus, we will consider some additional characteristics and features of each of the presented machines.

Appearance

Stylistically, the designers used various techniques and ideas. The domestic car is based on smooth and softer lines, the car can be considered more sporty and youth-oriented. But the Volkswagen Polo Sedan, like the vast majority of models of this brand, is strict, laconic.

VAZ 2170, that is, Lada Priora, took a lot from its predecessor in the person of VAZ 2110 in terms of interior and exterior. Their similarity in the sidewalls can be distinguished, although the front and rear models differ significantly from each other. It is somewhat strange to observe such a picture, since the VAZ 2110 is a rather old car, while the Priora was positioned as a new round in the development of AvtoVAZ.

The Polo has standard German rigor and pedantry. Some people love and appreciate it, others want something more fun and sporty.

It is almost impossible to objectively compare the appearance. The fact is that in terms of external characteristics and approach to creating a design, cars are different. And each of them found its own huge audience of buyers and connoisseurs. Therefore, here you should already start from your own preferences, personal taste and individual needs.

Appearance in a car is not the main thing, but the overwhelming majority of buyers always start by choosing a car based on its appearance. Few will agree to buy a car that they initially don't like.

Body characteristics and wheelbase

There are 4 body versions for Lada Priora or VAZ 2170. Namely:

• station wagon;
• sedan;
• hatchback for 3 doors;
• five-door hatchback.

In the case of the Polo, in addition to the sedan, there is also a five-door hatchback and a coupe. Although most often on the roads you can find a sedan.

On wheelbases, the situation is as follows. Lada Priora has:

• 2492 mm. wheelbase;
• 1.41 meters of front track width;
• 1.38 meters rear track width.

Polo responds with the following numbers:

• wheelbase is 2550 mm.;
• the front track is 1.46 meters wide;
• the rear track was 1.498 meters wide.

Also pay attention to length, width and height. Priora in the sedan body after restyling boasts indicators of 4.35x1.68x1.42 meters, respectively. In the case of the Volkswagen Polo, this is 4.384x1.699x1.465 meters.

Based on this, we can conclude that the Volkswagen Polo Sedan turned out to be somewhat wider, thereby keeping the car better on the road. But the German car is inferior to its main competitors from South Korea in the person of Hyundai Solaris and Kia Rio, since they have a much more substantial backseat space. Although this does not negate the fact that the advantage here, albeit a small one, is on the Polo's side in comparison with the Priora.

Paintwork and metal

Parameters such as vehicle safety and comfort are formed at the stage of body development. It is important for any machine to eliminate rattling and ensure maximum resistance to possible damage.

The modern automotive industry has managed to abandon heavy bodies, which was done for their safety. Supposedly, the thicker the metal, the safer it is to be in the car. This position was held by automakers before.

Now the approach to bodywork is somewhat different. At the heart of the body is a kind of capsule focused on protecting people in serious collisions. And here the body torsional stiffness is considered an important parameter.

In the case of Lada Priora, the figures are announced at 12 kNm / deg. Compared to many competitors in its class, even among budget cars, this is a small value. Approximately the same parameters were typical for cars that were produced 20 years ago.

But you need to look at the Volkswagen Polo Sedan too. Here the torsional stiffness was raised to 18 kNm / deg. That is, in terms of the strength of the frame or body, Volkswagen is significantly ahead of the Russian car. This provides an advantage not only in terms of safety, but also better protects against extraneous noise.

To summarize, it's safe to say that the likelihood of being unharmed or getting less damage is higher in the Polo than in the Priora.

Also, over time, almost any car, regardless of its class and price, is faced with problems of paintwork, that is, paintwork. AvtoVAZ uses high quality raw materials that are used to coat the bodies of their cars, including Priora. But we must not forget that the primer plays a huge role in the quality and durability of the paintwork. Priora, which was produced in the period 2007-2009, had a primer only on the nodal units. And since 2009, the primer has also begun to be applied to thresholds and arches. For this, the method of the so-called cold galvanizing or galvanizing was used. The layer was 10 µm thick.

For the Volkswagen Polo Sedan, a complete primer of the entire body is provided by the method of double-sided galvanic galvanizing. Only zinc is applied with a layer of 9-15 microns. In the new Polo, the paintwork thickness will average 170 microns, while in Lada Priora this figure does not exceed 130 microns. The thickness varies between 80-130 microns.

Chassis and ground clearance

No one will argue with the assertion that for any vehicle one of the most important parameters is cross-country ability.

In this component, the two compared cars, that is, the Volkswagen Polo Sedan and the Russian Lada Priora, are largely equal. The ground clearance or ground clearance of the Priora is 165 millimeters. Volkswagen Polo is slightly ahead of its competitor, since it has 170 millimeters.

It is important to note here that cross-country ability and comfort when driving on uneven sections depend not only on the vehicle's ground clearance. The elasticity of the suspension plays a huge role. It should not be too hard, but excessive softness is harmful.

Now on the chassis. For VAZ 2170 and Volkswagen Polo, it is envisaged to use a semi-independent suspension at the rear and an independent suspension at the front. The difference between them lies in what components, or rather spare parts, are used on a particular car. They affect the ability of the car to enter corners at a certain maximum speed, dampen strong swing when driving over bumps.

Priora factory components cannot be called high quality and sustainable. Therefore, those who do not want to sell their Priora and buy another car often tend to supply sports-type components. They do their job better in urban operating conditions, and also make the suspension softer.

The braking system is very simple. The Priora and Polo have rear drum and front disc brakes. Both cars cope with braking well, there are no special complaints or significant difference.

But the true operational parameters of the chassis directly depend on the car owner himself. Therefore, it is important here to monitor the suspension, use quality spare parts for repairs and adhere to the rules of careful driving. Otherwise, even the most durable and reliable suspension can be destroyed in the shortest possible time.

Interior

Plenty of space isn't the case with the Priora and Polo Sedan. Both cars offer a reasonably comfortable seating position for the driver and front passenger. But the back will be most comfortable for 3 children.

But the German sedan outperforms its Russian competitor somewhat, since it gives a little more legroom behind the backs of the front seats. At the same time, do not rely on comfortable accommodation for more than 2 adults. In the Priora, an adult over 180 centimeters tall and weighing over 90 kilograms will probably be uncomfortable behind.

The upholstery of the salons themselves is not bad; high-quality fabric with pleasant tactile sensations is used. Although here, Polo is better than Priora in terms of tactility, since the latter's fabric turned out to be a little stiff.

The interior uses plastic extensively. Many people have known about plastic in the interiors of various Lada cars for a long time. There were no significant changes for the better after the restyling of the Priora. Volkswagen also used non-exemplary plastic before the planned restyling, but then the manufacturer got rid of this problem.

Steering wheels in both cases have a comfortable grip, optimal size. After restyling, the Polo Sedan has an improved multifunction steering wheel, which added one more point to the model's piggy bank, but still did not lead to the obvious favorites in competition with the Lada Priora.

The ergonomics of the Polo Sedan are slightly better. The number of cupholders is higher, there is an armrest option, a factory multimedia system with an AUX output. Although the Priora also received a more interesting and beautiful center console after the update.

Gas tank and luggage compartment

Let's add the parameters of the fuel tanks separately. Both cars are powered by AI-95 fuel, which is indicated in the passport data. Only here Priora will have to refuel more often. And it's not just the engines. The volume of the tank on a Russian car is only 43 liters. And the competitor has 55 liters.

Although the comparison is made for sedans, it would still be correct to talk about the luggage compartment volumes for all body versions in the Polo and Priora.

Let's start with a Russian car:

• in the sedan, the trunk has a volume of 430 liters;
• the station wagon offers 444 liters as standard, but if you lower the rear sofa, you get 777 liters;
• the five-door hatchback version holds 360 and 705 liters, depending on the position of the rear sofa;
• the 3-door hatchback has similar parameters.

The Volkswagen Polo has only 3 body versions.

• the trunk of the sedan has 460 liters of space;
• the hatchback has a standard 280 liters, and if you fold the sofa, you get 952 liters;
• the coupe received similar parameters.

Approximate equality. But judging by the initial parameters, that is, comparing the sedans, the advantage will be on the side of the Volkswagen Polo.

Motors and specifications

Technical characteristics largely depend on the configuration of a particular gearbox. For objectivity, we will compare cars with mechanical transmissions.

For the Volkswagen Polo Sedan, two 1.6-liter manual transmission engines are provided from the factory. Only their power is different. The basic version is 85 horsepower, and the improved motor produces 105 horsepower. These are sixteen-valve motors.

• 1.6 liters per 85 liters. from. It accelerates to a maximum of 179 kilometers per hour. Acceleration from zero to hundreds takes 11.9 seconds. In the combined cycle, it consumes about 6.4 liters of gasoline.
• 1.6 liters at 105 horsepower. Here the maximum speed is already 190 kilometers per hour. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h takes 10.5 seconds. Despite the increased power, consumption rose slightly, to just 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers on the combined cycle.

Specifications for the Russian Lada Priora are somewhat different. Moreover, many perceive them as a victory over a competitor. But the power is not the main thing.

In total, there are 3 petrol injection engines available in the Priora sedan body.

• 1.6 liters at 87 horsepower. It is considered the base engine, which has a maximum speed of 176 kilometers per hour. From zero to hundred gains in 12.5 seconds. On average, it consumes 7.3 liters of gasoline per 100 km.
• 1.6 liters per 106 horsepower. The increase in power is almost the same as the Polo. At the same time, the maximum speed in Priora was 183 kilometers per hour. Acceleration is also worse, taking 11.5 seconds. On average, it consumes about 6.8 liters of fuel per 100 km.
• 1.8 liters at 123 hp The top factory engine on the Priora, capable of accelerating the car to 190 kilometers per hour. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h takes 10 seconds. An average of 7.2 liters of fuel will be required per 100 kilometers.

Then draw your own conclusions. Yes, Lada Priora has engines with the best power ratings in its arsenal. But at the same time, in terms of dynamics, maximum speed and fuel consumption, it is still inferior to its competitor.

Transmissions

It will not be superfluous to mention the proposed transmissions. The Priora was originally offered only a five-speed manual. But in 2013, the Priora with a robotic box began to be released. The manufacturer stated that it will provide better dynamics and help save fuel.

The robot turned out to be not the worst, but there are certain problems in it. Car owners notice a bad reaction to pressing the gas pedal, pedal failure when the gear is reset, as well as untimely engagement during active acceleration. Similar signs appear literally after 5-10 thousand kilometers.

Three boxes to choose from were prepared for the Volkswagen Polo Sedan. A 5-speed manual is considered standard. But you can also take a car with 6АКПП and 7РКПП, that is, an automatic machine and a robot.

The most common options are mechanics and a classic automatic transmission.

Cost and guarantees

For VAZ 2170, official dealers offer a 3-year warranty or a mileage of 100 thousand kilometers. The anti-corrosion treatment is guaranteed for a period of 6 years.

Initially, Volkswagen gave a guarantee of 2 years or 100 thousand km. for your Polo Sedan. This was true for cars that were produced from 2010 to 2016. Since March 2016, the warranty has increased to 3 years and the same 100 thousand kilometers have remained.

It is no longer entirely correct to compare the cost, since Lada Priora was discontinued. But in some car dealerships you can still find samples of 2018 that have not been implemented. Or go to the secondary market, where cars with minimum mileage are offered.

In the minimum configuration, a brand new Priora can cost from 400 thousand rubles.At the same time, the top-end equipment will cost 550 thousand. But mostly only used cars are available now. Priora up to 4 years old will cost from 150 to 200 thousand rubles in simple trim levels. The top version can cost about 250-280 thousand.

In the secondary market, there is a huge number of Volkswagen Polos in excellent condition. For fresh models, they can safely ask for about 400-440 thousand rubles. The new Polo Sedan will cost 660 thousand from the start. If you want to get the Polo Sedan with the maximum trim level, cook about 1.1 million rubles.

In many ways, the conclusions can be made quite objective. Volkswagen Polo Sedan outplayed its opponent in almost all respects. The Priora advantage is actually only in cost.

How correct is the comparison of these two machines, judge for yourself.