The Polo 1.2 GT TSI is VW`s answer to the performance cravings of a hatch buyer. Of course, the Polo came with the 1.6 engine earlier, but didn`t do very encouraging numbers, sales wise. VW have cleverly integrated the elements of Turbo charging and Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) and coupled it with the brilliant 7 speed Twin clutch transmission, the DSG in the form of the Polo GT TSI.
While we have raved about the DSG and the TSI motor in the past. The GT TSI rightly fills up the void of a “hot hatch” which has been left after the demise of the Fiat Palio 1.6 GTX and the S10. The American philosophy of big capacity equals big power has been dismissed by the advent of German tech, small is no longer a crawl!
Click here for reading our VW Cross Polo and Polo GT TDI reviews, which cover the interior, exterior and features of the Polo in totality
This 4 cylinder 1.2 litre mill churns out 103 bhp @ 5000 rpm and 175 Nm of torque between 1500-4100 rpms. While the power figure is acceptable, what should surprise you is the peak torque which is at your disposal right from few hundreds of revs above idle! Sadly, the exteriors of the TSI aren’t much different from the other variants of Polo on sale apart from a GT TSI sticker on the C pillar, the GT badging on the front grill and the individual GT-TSI badging on the tail gate. That apart, the TSI comes with 15” Estrada alloys while the headlamps get the black finish. The interiors of the TSI are similar to the Cross Polo we reviewed earlier.
So talking about the drive experience, the Polo takes it a step further. While the sedan version of the Polo, the Vento tips scales at 1220 kgs, the Polo does so at 1140 kgs and as we know, lower weight equals more fun! Fire up the small 1197cc turbo charged unit, and it settles into a highly refined idle. Upon shifting into D and releasing the brake the TSI starts coasting effortlessly and will upshift anywhere around 2500 rpms depending upon the load and throttle position.
Such is the brilliance of the DSG`s mechatronics that it is seldom found in a confused state with respect to the gear selection and a generous spread of 7 ratios only helps its case. The D mode remains most efficient as well as user friendly and with the beefed up clutch (keeping in mind Indian traffic conditions) ambling around the city or even chugging along in crawling traffic makes it a breeze.