Volkswagen Polo GTi – Affordable & Exciting Car for the Petrol Heads
Sepang, 26 August 2011 – It is here at last, the long awaited Volkswagen Polo GTi. This is a car that petrol heads, or driving enthusiasts dream about – a small car with a powerful engine, DSG, and as an added bonus, economical to run as well. The Polo GTi was launched today to the media at the Sepang International Circuit in conjunction with the Scirocco R Cup race, which is scheduled to run over this weekend, 27th and 28th August 2011.
Presented to the media by Mr. Ricky Tay, the new Managing Director of Volkswagen Group Malaysia, the Polo GTi is set to get adrenaline pumping and hearts beating faster, especially amongst the young and the young at heart.
I tested the previous Polo GTi about 3 years ago, and that model, with a 1.6 litre engine and 150 horses under the hood, had me going crazy over it. Now, the new Polo GTi is even more exciting, with the power boosted up to 180 horsepower from its 1.4 litre twin-charged engine. This engine is similar to that of the Golf TSi, and some tweaking of the ECU gave it the magical 20 horses extra.
Mated to a 7-speed dry-clutch DSG, the Polo GTi scoots from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in a mere 6.9 seconds, and hits a top speed of 229 kilometres per hour. A pleasant surprise is the Polo GTi’s rated fuel economy of only 5.9 litres per 100 kilometres. This is one car that not only gives an exhilarating driving experience, but is easy on the pocket as well.
The media were treated to a test drive around the Sepang International Circuit, followed by a short road test to give every one a feel of the car, an offer that was not refused.
I was given four laps, and these were four fun-filled laps that resulted in many grins stretching from my left ear to my right ear as I put the Polo GTi through its paces. My colleague will be putting up a quick first drive impressions on this site, whilst I shall extol the Polo GTi’s virtues insofar as specifications are concerned.
Mr Ricky Tay went on to announce that two variants were available – a 3-Door and a 4-Door model – priced at RM132,888 and RM135,888 respectively. This price was met with great enthusiasm, and I would expect that many of our readers will be making a beeline to the nearest Volkswagen showroom to check it out.
The Polo GTi comes with GTi seats, and the GTi DNA from its bigger sibling, the Golf GTi. The front mask carries the characteristic GTi grille that has a red accent line across it from left to right, and the red-painted brake callipers. Inside, there is the GTi DNA such as bucket seats with more than adequate side padding, and despite its size, there is plenty of legroom for both front and rear occupants.
Brakes are discs all around, while the suspension is slightly different from the Golf in that the Polo carries a torsion beam at the rear. The car is great to drive, and handles as well as the Golf. Handling remains very sure-footed, and I found the car to be quite well behaved.
Standard equipment, other than the ABS brakes, includes TCS, ESP and EBA. The DSG comes with a manual mode and paddle shifters – just the things that will please the petrol head. As for me, the Polo GTi is a ‘must own one this lifetime’ type of car.
I am particularly fond of it – it is a car that is affordable, is powerful enough to satisfy any petrol head – now I have to go do a little persuasion in the right quarters.
