Volkswagen Polo GT TSI review

Volkswagen Polo GT TSI

Introduction:

Welcome everyone to the brand new Polo.. err.. well.. it looks like a normal Polo yes but this is the Polo GT TSI. Considered as the hottest or let’s say, the warmest hatchback in India along with its twin, the Polo GT TDI. This is Volkswagen’s way of attracting the younger generation to the brand and adding some excitement to the line up.

Exterior and interior:

The Polo GT TSI looks like a normal Volkswagen Polo from the outside. It now has a GT badge on the grille and “GT TSI” written on the D-pillars. Moving to the rear, the “Volkswagen” and “Polo” badges have been replaced by “GT” and “TSI” badges. Other than this there are no visual differences between the regular polo and the the gt tsi which is a shame. The wheels are the same alloys found on the high end polo,. 185/60 R15 tires. It comes with fog lamps, halogen headlamps and heat insulating windscreen as standard.

Coming to the interior, it still has the same layout of the regular polo. But there is an increase in the quality of plastics used and the fit and finish is good. The accelerator and brake pedals are made from aluminium and looks sporty. The GT TSI comes loaded with equipment. You get a new 2-DIN audio system with aux-in, USB and a SD card reader. You also get ABS, dual airbags, ESP and hill hold function.

Drivetrain:

Volkswagen have concentrated on the drivetrain of the car. It comes with a direct injection, turbo charged 1197cc petrol engine producing 103bhp at 5000rpm and 17.8kgm of torque at 1500-4100rpm. It is mated to a 7-speed DSG gearbox. This is a dual clutch automatic transmission feeding the power to the front wheels. Turbo lag is contained and it is hardly noticeable. Turbo kicks in at about 1400rpm.The power delivery is linear and pulls well upto 150kmph. The 1140kg kerb weight allows the GT TSI to hit 100kmph in 11.34 seconds from standstill and reach a top speed of 185kmph.

The transmission comes in 3 modes- D, S and M. D is the normal drive mode, S is the sport mode and M allows you to have manual control of the gear changes.

In D, the gear changes are seamless and can hardly be noticed as there is hardly in loss in power during transition. It upshifts quickly in the interest of fuel economy. In Sport mode, it holds the gear longer and upshifts at the redline. The shifts are more brutal when compared to the drive mode.

The engine is on the noisier side and sounds pretty unpleasant. But while driving its sounds a bit sporty. Volkswagen claim a fuel efficiency of about 17-18kmpl on the highway in drive mode and 12kmpl in sport mode.

Ride:

The suspension setting for the GT TSI is different form the regular polo. But the ground clearance remains the same. Considering the name and sporty intent of the car, I was expecting a harder suspension setup. But I was surprised by it’s soft setting. This results in a smooth and comfortable ride. Only the sharper bumps are registered as a thud.

Brakes:

The only disappointing part about the drive was the brakes. They did not have a linear feel to them. The initial part of the pedal travel did not cause any reduction in the speed of the vehicle. After that, it causes a sudden reduction in speed which is unpleasant and takes some getting used. The brakes after that initial bit, were linear. The brakes issue may be down to that particular car. It needed servicing and was driven hard by prospective customers.

Specifications:

Engine
Engine Type		4 Cylinder
Displacement (cc)		1197
Max. power output [PS (kW) @ rpm]		105 (77) @ 5000
Max. torque (Nm @ rpm)		175 @ 1500-4100

Transmission
Gearbox		7-speed DSG Automatic

Exterior dimensions
Length (mm)		3970
Width (mm)		1682
Height (mm)		1453
Wheelbase (mm)		2456
Track (mm)		Front-1463, Rear-1463
Tyre size		185/60 R15
Minimum ground clearance (mm)		168