Road Test and Review: Volkswagen Polo GT TSI & GT TDI

‘Hot hatch’ is often a loosely used term to describe any good-looking hatchback with impressive performance figures. But in reality, the hot hatches in India can be counted on the fingers of one hand – and the Polo GT is arguably the best among them. Truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the Polo GT is already proven to tickle a hardcore enthusiast's fancy. Now that Volkswagen has updated the GT along with the new Polo, let’s find out what’s in store with the new Polo GT.

Design

One needs to work at Volkswagen to spot the design changes to the New Polo. But that’s not a downer because Polo is widely admired for its classic, sober design. Along with the subtle changes to the New Polo, the TSI and TDI get GT badging on front grille and the tailgate. GT TSI gets the badging on the C pillar as well. What add some sportiness to the New Polo GT’s exterior are the black rear spoiler and ORVMs.

Open the door and the GT garnish on the doorstep welcomes you to a cabin that gets a more serious makeover. Contrary to the dual tone dashboard on the regular Polo, the GT gets an all-black, impeccably put together interior. The flat-bottomed steering wheel fits well in the hands and it makes ingress and egress easier. Aluminum pedal cluster adds to the sporting flair and, overall, the cabin feels premium.

Performance

The sweet combination of 1.2 TSI and 7-speed DSG is a formula that Volkswagen doesn’t want to mess with, so the mechanicals of the GT TSI remain unaltered. 174 Nm of torque is a remarkable output for a car of this size; even sweeter is the fact that the peak torque is available from as low as 1500 rpm and all the way to 4100 rpm.  Since the superior performance is achieved with the help of a turbocharger, there’s an inevitable lag but the clever ratios of the DSG gearbox mask it well.

The Polo TSI can sprint from 1-100 kmph in 9.7 seconds and onto a top speed of 190 kmph. The DSG box offers three driving modes – ‘D’, ‘S’ and manual. In the ‘D’ mode, the DSG upshifts earlier and ensures better fuel efficiency while the Sport mode holds on to the gear till the rev limit before shifting. Manual shifting is lever-actuated and I missed paddle shifters big time when looking for some engine braking and a quick burst of power thereafter. But the DSG gearbox anyway shifts quickly and smoothly, and is sure to put a smile on your face.

The Polo GT TDI gets some changes under the bonnet as well. The 1.6 TDI motor has made way for the 1.5 litre unit from the new Polo. However, it has been tuned to deliver an extra 15PS of power and 20Nm of torque, and the result is the same output as the 1.6 TDI – 105 PS of power and 250 Nm of torque. The diesel feels punchier than the petrol variant but will be available only with a five-speed manual transmission. Although there is some turbo lag and the 1.5 feels a bit ho-hum compared to the outgoing 1.6 litre unit, the closely set gear ratios along with slick and precise gearshifts ensure pleasant driving.

Both TSI and TDI engines are superbly refined and they return 17.21kmpl and 19.91kmpl respectively, which is really remarkable considering the fact that both are performance machines.

Ride and Handling

Carmakers generally play it safe while selecting the route for test drives and journalists often end up on long stretches of highways where there is hardly any prospect of testing the car’s handling capability. But in a bold attempt to highlight the handling prowess of the Polo GT, Volkswagen chose the winding narrow roads of Lonavla and as an icing on the cake, they even set up a handling circuit on the Aamby Valley airstrip.

The track had an autocross course, low and high-speed slaloms, 0-100 and hard braking tests. The GTs stuck well under most circumstances but there’s slight understeer due to the added power to the front wheels. However, the extra weight of the TDI engine and ESP on TSI keep things under control. There’s precious little bodyroll and minimal dive under hard braking, and both GTs came out in flying colours in the rigorous track test.

Equipment

The GT range gets an integrated audio system with USB, AUX, Bluetooth connectivity and voice command control. They come with airbags for the driver and passenger as well as anti-lock braking system (ABS) as standard. Being an automatic, the GT TSI also gets Electronic Stability Programme and Hill-hold functions. The GTs are equipped with parking sensors instead of a more convenient reversing camera.

Bottom-line

Both Polo TSI and TDI are priced at 7.99 lakh, ex-showroom New Delhi. The GTs come only in the top trim level, which makes them a very expensive option. The performance of both cars is sensational. Since the Polo GT TSI achieves better performance from a smaller engine, it’s fun to drive while being economical. The GT TDI, on the other hand, comes as a blessing for diesel lovers who craved a real ‘hot hatch.’

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