Update (12 Dec 2018): I am selling my Polo GT TSI. Color:Red. Odo Reading: 20,000 Kms. In perfect condition (No scratches or dents). If you are interested, drop me an email on gauravgupta123@gmail.com
If I told you that there’s a car which gives you a bite-sized package of all the tech you get in luxury cars like the BMW and Audi in an affordable price point of under 10L, would you be interested? Hell, yeah. Read on- The Polo GT TSI is the car you should look out for.
What you’ll love:
1. Great engine – 175 Nm of torque which kicks in as early as 1500 rpm. If your engine is idling at close to 1000 rpm, you can imagine that getting it to 1500 rpm doesn’t take much effort. VW says it has a 0-100 time of under 10 seconds but the car definitely feels faster. Infact, here’s a video that proves that it can be done in about 8.8 seconds. It’s an absolute rocket. With an engine like this, you can compete (and win!) with cars maybe 2-3x the price.
2. Fully loaded – Packs all the goodies including front airbags, ABS, steering mounted controls, voice command, Mirrorlink, bluetooth stereo, rain sensing wipers, alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, turning lights, cruise control etc. The dashboard feels extremely premium and feature loaded. Only the very high-end features like electrically adjustable seats, sunroof etc. are missing which I’m personally quite OK with.
3. Dual clutch transmission – This is the highlight of the car, by far. Here’s an amazing blog post on how to play the “DSG game” and win π The gear shifts are seamless and you’ll be surprised to see your car in seventh gear by the time you barely come out to the main road from your locality. The sports mode is awesome but the real fun is in the tiptronic mode with traction control off.
4. Understated timeless designs that never go out of style – A signature of all cars from the VW group I feel. They never make the headlines when it comes to styling but their classy designs never go out of fashion either.
5. Affordable – At around 10-10.5L on-road price, I think it’s a complete steal. I don’t think it’ll ever be possible to get your hands on such a piece of technology at this price point. Maybe VW is doing it intentionally to give everyone a flavour of what they have in offer and then sell us the Audi’s π
Dislikes:
1. VW sub-standard sales and service experience. The Gurgaon service center is literally next to a sewer and almost impossible to locate. The dealerships and showrooms are no better.
2. Rear seat space is almost non-existent. Even a four year old kid will find it difficult to sit if the front seats are occupied.
Suggested viewing:
1. Hidden features of the Polo (2 part series)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qixw4eWmEAo
2. Polo GT TSI 0-100 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQTrwDSSjHU