V-Dub Polo GTI is here
THE Golf GTI has grown up to be a much bigger car so Volkswagen decided that little brother Polo should take up the original Golf GTI spirit.
I am not just saying this. This is what Volkswagen is saying. Honestly, they are putting a lot of pressure on the younger sibling to perform like the brilliant elder brother and I think that’s not fair on the Polo. I used to hate it when my father said that I should be more like my older brother…uuurrghhhhh…
Anyway VW pointed out that dimensionally, the Polo is very similar to the original Golf GTI, except that it is taller than the MkI GTI.
This baby is powered by a fancy direct injection 1,8 litre that is force fed extra oxygen byu a turbocharger and thanks to the rich diet, the motor can kick out 150 horsepower at 5,800rpm but more importantly it can twist the propshaft with 220 Newton metres of torque from as low as 1,950rpm and that should make it a fun car to drive.
Blip the throttle and the low-end grunt should startle the tyres into a short squeal and make this a fun point and shoot city car. The 0-100km/h time of 8.2 seconds is encouraging for a small car like this which typically hit the ton after ten seconds.
The engine itself is a 20-valve, four cylinder motor and as is typical with VAG motors, the turbochargers have been tuned to give linear response from low down, which means that the pressure increase is not sudden or dramatic. This engine can clearly take up a lot more boost and in Europe many tuners offer ways to improve your Polo GTI’s performance and the same service is also available here.
One of the questions asked during the Press Conference was whether they will provide such re-chip service to local POLO GTI customers and if they don’t will the warranty be voided if customers re-chip the engine elsewhere?
OF course VW said the warranty is void if you touch the engine but they will treat each claim on a case by case basis. What does that mean? I am not sure but it appears that VW understands that modding is part of our blood and they don’t want to scare anyone away.
Once this car hits the market I am quite sure that buyers will head to the accessories shop ont he first day itself since the bodywork is very sedate and cosnervative.
Apart from the honeycomb grille and GTI badge, there is harly any visual drama. Sure the front and rear spoilers are bigger than on the standard Polo but they are too subtle. In fact the side skirt is so subtle, it is unnoticeable.
The 16-inch wheels are OK but again, not dramatic. In fact the car would probably look great if if sat one or two inches lower. Wearing 16-inch wheels on the Polo GTI is like living on the poverty line man, you need to up that at least one inch or your friends are going to give pity looks.
Things that I do love about the car is the Interlagos fabric on the seats, which give it a cool classic racer feel and the tiny VW badge on the headlamp reflector (See the opening pictures)
The best thing about the Polo GTI is the price. For RM139,960 (W/o insurance) this red beauty can be in your garage.
Obviously you can get a Civic or Corolla for the same money but if you are so ‘uncle’ that you are looking at those two cars, then you are probably not their target buyers but if you are saving up to get yourself a Type R or Lancer Evo, or something like that then this could be your fun car for now.
By the way this car comes with a five speed manual, no self shifters. They don’t make them in automatic.
As soon as we get a car, we will tell you what its like to drive, warts and all.
