Adds a lot of fun in driving even in the city traffic

My jottings on the new VW POLO GT TSI

(Bought on 29th July 2013)

When I bought my first VW, the decision was based entirely on buying a city car with performance and economy. GT TSI is not exactly an economic car to buy (at a stiff price tag of Rs. 9.5 lacs on road in Pune), but the value it gives an owner far outweighs the price you pay.

My first driving impression was nothing short of extraordinary. The car feels taught and handles quite firmly. The steering is quite precise but is a bit too light to touch. It does not transmit the feel of the road with fidelity and in a way lets down the vehicle with an alleged sporty design.

Handling: The car has a modest body roll in a fast corner. and. I found the behavior of the suspension a bit jittery when thrown fast in a corner and there is a feeling of the back sweeping out particularly on a rough road. Curving fast on a corner the car holds the line pretty tight. On the whole the handling of the car is pretty descent and inspiring. Ride quality is very descent for a car of such a short wheelbase, but there is nothing more to say about it.

As for acceleration, the car behaves pretty ordinary in the D drive mode. However with a judicious use of the throttle pedal, you can exploit a performance which is better than the ordinary. Although this depends on the selection of the gear by the car’s brain, you can use the pedal logically to allow the car select the lower gear. This can come up by some practice but naturally, the throttle response cannot be as good as you would expect in the S mode.

In the S mode, however, the car turns into a beast. The tachometer promptly springs to a higher rev range and the power begins to unleash promptly. It is an extremely useful slot for overtaking even in the city traffic. But you feel like going back to the D mode after the job is over. The most striking experience is felt, however, in the Manual Mode of the gear settings. This gives the brisk acceleration and adds real kick to the driving experience. This is particularly agile in the first three gears and adds a lot of fun in driving even in the city traffic.

Having said all that, there are some areas where the Polo TSI could have done better.

The downside of this car.

1. VW have chosen to give its customers a city car with the sporting experience. However it is disappointing to see no sporting character in the exterior design. It looks no different than the ordinary Polo. This is utterly disappointing.

2. The steering is too light and lacks the FEEL you expect in a car of such performance and power.

3. The same criticism applies to the brakes. It is a pity that the rear brakes are conventional drums.

4. VW maintain the same tyre width and profile as for an ordinary Polo. Do they expect an ordinary Polo experience on highway driving and on fast curves for their customers?

5. VW also boast about the fuel economy of the TSI. Although I have not estimated the fuel consumption on my vehicle, I suspect the fuel consumption is much higher than claimed, particularly when the car is driven in the way it is designed for.

But all said and done, this is a highly capable car. Although it does not ooze its sporty character from exterior, there is a real gem under the skin and is potentially the sportiest hatchback on the Indian roads to date.

Dr. Shirish Yande,

11 November 2013

Performance, refinement , HandlingBland exteriors, steering without feedback, economy