VW Polo TSI– Big Surprise in a Small Package
The new Volkswagen Polo TSI may be a small car, and has an engine displacement of just 1.2 litre, but in terms of performance, it will make much bigger and higher capacity cars eat dust. The VW Polo sets new paradigm for small cars with small engines. It does come with a premium attached, being fully imported, which helps to explain why you have to pay RM108,888 for one, considering that you can get a Myvi or any of the many small cars available here in Malaysia for about half of this amount.
Part of the premium comes from the fact that one has to pay higher duties, whilst the technology accounts for the other part of the premium. Be that as it may, I assure you that you will have no regret whatsoever, because every time you drive the Polo, it will bring smiles to your face. The Polo TSI has the power to excite, yet will only take fuel in sips.
The secret of the Polo, and why it should be a ‘must try’ car before you buy any car, if you are in the market for one in this segment size, is in its TSI engine and its DSG gearbox technology. In a very recent test drive session during which the media drove the Polo to Terengganu from Kuala Lumpur, the Polo earned nothing but praises from the media, and raised many an eyebrow from the other cars that it passed on the road. One comment I heard was, “I was going at 180, and this blue Polo went right past me and disappeared.”
The 1.2 litre TSI engine in the Polo comes with 102 horsepower, which is a good 40 or 50 percent higher power output than any of its competitively-sized engines, thanks to a turbocharger. Whilst turbo charging used to connote high fuel consumption, overheating, and generally poor reliability, the new generation of turbocharged engines are very reliable, and are very frugal on fuel consumption. The Polo 1.2 can get from zero to 100 km/h in 9.0 seconds and has a rated fuel consumption figure of 5.5 litres per 100 kilometres. With turbo charging, torque is available at a low engine speed, and the torque curve remains flat throughout a wide rpm range. The maximum torque for the 1.2 litre Polo is 175Nm, which is the highest for its class. As a comparison, the Honda Civic 1.8 has a maximum torque of 174Nm, while the latest Corolla Altis has a maximum torque of 170Nm. On a much lighter body, the Polo becomes a pocket-rocket, especially when this power is transferred to the road through the 7-speed DSG gearbox.
The DSG gearbox is currently the best automotive transmission available for cars – when I first drove a Golf GTi with a 6-speed DSG a few years a go, I predicted that one day, all gearboxes would be like this, and true enough, other car makers are developing gearboxes along the same lines (e.g. Mitsubishi and Ford). Other brands under the Volkswagen group are also adopting the DSG. The DSG is the gearbox of the future – it has the flexibility and ease of use of an automatic, but does not have the transmission slip, and resultant power loss associated with automatic transmissions. Translated to the real world, it means better power delivery, smooth, seamless gearshifts, and better fuel consumption.
Put together, the TSI engine and the DSG gearbox, now with seven speeds, makes the Polo a great car – and I have not even talked about its great looks. In terms of size, it is a little smaller than the Golf, and if you are not very familiar with the car, you might be forgiven if you mistook it for a Golf – even with the two cars put side by side, you would have to look very carefully to be able to tell the two cars apart. Inside, there is enough space for four, and five if you don’t mind a little bit of a squeeze.
On the road, the Polo TSI is a real pleasure to drive. With zippy acceleration and a relatively small size, it is very agile and can outrun many other cars. Response to throttle is almost instantaneous, as there is little or no lag from the very small turbo unit. On the twisty bit between Bukit Tinggi and Bentong, along the old and seldom used Bentong road, the Polo was in its element, taking the bends with ease. It makes an average driver look good, and a good driver look like an expert. Light and easy to handle, it is very predictable and like putty in your hands. I guarantee that you will like it.
The wonderful thing about the Polo TSI is that you can have your cake and eat it – you can get power when you want to have some fun on the road, yet if you choose to drive it like any normal other driver, you can do so too, and enjoy very good fuel economy at the same time. If all I could afford is a car at around this price, I would have no hesitation picking the Polo TSI.
