Real life performance review of the Polo GT TSI.

I bought my Polo GT TSI in May 2015. Since then I have been in love with it. I am a car enthusiast so for me in the (almost) sub 10 lakh range there isn't much of an option. The GT has 1.2 TSI (Turbocharged Stratified Injection) engine that produces 105 BHP and 175 Nm torque and has a kerb weight of 1109 kgs which in all fairness is relatively light. This gives it a power to weight ratio of a respectable 94.68. That means it can do a 0-100 in 9.7 seconds. To put things into perspective a BMW 320d does a 0-100 in 7.2. That means that a 10 lakh little polo is just 2.5 seconds slower than a 50 lakh BMW 3 series. The DSG 7 speed automatic gear box is smooth as butter and it is only when you actually test drive other cars in it's class do you realize how jerky the competitions gear boxes are. Take the Honda jazz for example. When you press the accelerator, there is a lag in power for a good half a second before the car starts moving...and I am not taking about enthusiastic driving. This happen even when you lightly touch the accelerator when you have to inch slightly ahead in bumper to bumper traffic. In Mumbai that is more than enough time for another car to zoom in ahead of you. The GT also has a certain amount of turbo lag but that is only when you put your foot flat down. As soon as you do that you can see how (depending on your speed of course) the DSG gear box will jump from the 7th to the 3rd gear in a blink of an eye and you will be slightly pushed back into your seat while the speed will reach triple digits in no time. If we have to talk about the fuel economy, it basically depends on how you drive. If the roads are empty and you want to have fun and redoine the car in Sports mode or Tiptronic then the avg will be approximately 7.2-7.8 kmpl. However if you are driving with a light foot then it will give you approximately 12 kmpl and around 16kmpl on the highway. That are 2 things that disappoint in the performance department. 1) The brakes - they are not soft by any means, but they do take time to slow down when you are speeding. You could also partly blame the relatively skinny 185/60 R15 tyres. However I feel like they could have out disc brakes on the rear tyres rather than drums. 2) The suspension - it has got the standard polo suspension. The suspension is stiffer than other cars in it's class like the Honda amaze (facelift), however still soft enough for body roll, which means that it disappoints in both departments. If we have to take about features I am really happy. The system (again back in 2015 before Android Auto and apple car play) can connect an SD card, CD, pendrive, AUX and Bluetooth! Even the stock speakers are pretty loud and clear and have held up well even after blasting music on them since the past 4 years. There is very little space at the back seat. Legroom is very crammed and to add to that it has a huge transmission tunnel that passes through which further reduces space. It also doesn't have rear A/C vents. People warned me about the notorious DQ200 DSG gear box, but so far I have not faced any issues and I also keep putting it in tiptronic and changing the gears manually. The cost of ownership is pretty much similar to any other car and I am not being biased, but I think VW gets a bad rep for bad after sale service. I personally have had a pretty hassle free experience. So ultimately it depends on what you want from a car. If you want an SUV then I'd recommend the nexon or ecosport. If you want a hatchback with a ton of internal space and leg room I'd recommend the jazz or amaze. If you want a car for fuel economy I'd recommend the Swift or similar Suzuki cars. But if you want a car that is small enough to squeeze through traffic and easy to park, fast enough to leave all the other cars behind as soon as the signal light turns green, has decent fuel economy, a really powerful A/C and decent amount of features, you cannot go wrong with the Polo GT TSI.