Polo GT priced at Rs 9.33 lakh is worth every penny

The Volkswagen Polo GT TSI offers tarmac scorching performance from its 1.2-litre engine writes Faisal Ali Khan of MotorBeam.com.

The Volkswagen Polo was launched in India in 2010 and the German automaker has since then updated the vehicle with more features and a correction in prices.

The Polo is a fantastic car but the 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder engines never lived up to the expectation of buyers. Sure these 75 BHP engines offered good mileage but competitors were offering mileage with performance.

Now Volkswagen has launched the Polo GT TSI, which is not only a frugal car but is here to win the enthusiast's heart. It replaces the Polo 1.6 as the hot variant of the Polo.

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On the exterior front, the Volkswagen Polo GT TSI is similar to its siblings. There is very little to differentiate the top of the line Polo GT with other variants.

However subtle changes do give away what lies beneath. On the front grille, you get the GT badge while on the C pillars you get GT TSI written.

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The Estrada alloy wheels on the Polo look sporty and the paint quality is simply fantastic. Overall the Polo GT TSI doesn't look different from the regular Polos but it is attractive and sporty.

The clean lines work very well in making the Polo one of the most attractive hatchbacks in the country.

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Volkswagen is known for excellent built quality and the Polo GT TSI carries the same solidity. The interiors of the Polo have excellent quality.

The dashboard is similar to the regular Polo but you get sporty seat fabric and GT TSI branded scuff plates. There is good amount of space at the front but the rear is known to be a bit cramped.

Volkswagen has scooped the front seat back to improve knee room at the rear which works to improve rear seat comfort.

The rest of the equipment is the same as the regular Polo Highline and you get a 2-din audio system with USB/AUX/SD card capability along with Bluetooth. There are audio controls on the steering wheel and the pedals have a sporty touch too.

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The major thing which differentiates the Polo GT TSI from the regular Polo is the engine powering it.

The Polo GT TSI draws power from a 1.2-litre petrol engine which is turbocharged and belts out an impressive 105 PS of power at 5000 RPM.

What is more impressive is the torque of 175 Nm is produced right from 1500 RPM (up to 4100 RPM).

This makes the Polo the most powerful hatchback in India, with 0-100 km/hr taking just 9.7 seconds. Top speed is 190 km/hr, while ARAI certified mileage is 17.2 kmpl.

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This 4-cylinder engine offers fantastic NVH levels and sounds quite sporty at high revs too. Power delivery is smooth and the Polo GT TSI pulls in a linear manner, building speed with urgency.

The low and mid-range of this engine is fantastic and redline comes in a bit early at 6000 RPM.

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Mated to the Polo GT TSI's award-winning engine is a 7-speed DSG automatic gearbox. This transmission is the most advanced box in its segment and uses a dual clutch to offer seamless shifts.

Lag between shifts is extremely low and gear ratios are well-spaced out for both city and highway driving.

You can manually shift gears using the tiptronic function and paddle shifts on the steering wheel would have truly completed the package. There is a sports mode too which holds gears till the redline in each gear before upshifting.

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The Volkswagen Polo is known for its well-balanced dynamics. The suspension setup is spot on and the Polo offers excellent handling.

There is ESP to prevent wheel spins and loss of traction. The steering wheel offers good feedback and weighs up well at high speeds.

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Ride quality is very good and the Polo is pliant over most of the roads. The 185/60/15 tyres offer good grip and the 168 mm ground clearance is decent enough to glide over the worst of speed breakers.

The brakes are good and there is a Hill Hold function which makes it convenient while going uphill (it holds the brakes for 3 seconds giving you time to move your foot from the brake to the accelerator pedal without rolling back).

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The Volkswagen Polo GT TSI is undoubtedly the best performance hatchback in the market today.

Not only does it have segment first technology in the hatchback segment (TSI, ESP, DSG), it is also very engaging to drive.

The Polo GT TSI is a hot hatch in the true sense and at a price of Rs 9.33 lakhs (on-road, Mumbai), it's an excellent deal too.