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-   -   Scoop! VW Polo TSI spotted testing in India *UPDATE* Fresh Scoop pics on Pg.15 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian-car-scene/127890-scoop-vw-polo-tsi-spotted-testing-india-update-fresh-scoop-pics-pg-15-a-6.html)

From a quick lookup of the VW UK website, it looks like the 1.2TSi is only available with a 6 speed manual.
But then again, the site also says that the 1.2l,70ps polo (the Indian one is rated at 75ps, is it the same?) should be able to reach nearly 170kph, and the 1.2TSi should be able to touch nearly 190 kph !!
On the price front, the models available with a 1.2TSi start from about Rs.13L when converted directly, but then the cheapest polo available out there is about Rs.8.7L so don't know how good an indicator of price this is :P

Personally I doubt VW will bring it only in a DSG guise. The DCQ200 GB mated to TSI/TDI engines is very complex engineering and tecnology and certainly isn't cheap to make. So costs are bound to spiral. If VW have to have any hopes of ringing in some decent numbers on this Polo, they cannot afford to give the 6-speed MT a miss in India.

Anyway assuming the 1.2 TSI is mated to the 7-speed DCQ200 DSG only:

1. I would expect it to be priced at the very minimum at 9-9.5 Lacs ex-showroom which would put it roughly on par with or slightly above the range topping i20 Asta 1.4 CRDI/i20 Sportz 1.4 AT. The Hyundais are seriously kitted though - could even put cars 2-3 segments above them to shame so I'm using them purely as reference here. The 1.4 CRDI is also a very very capable engine in its own right.

Anyway what that also means the 1.2 TSI + DSG will comfortably breach the million rupee barrier OTR for a hatch. Big psychological/societal issue that for us Indians!

2. Ideally, the OTR shouldn't go over that 9-9.5 L threshold. You know, keep it comfortably under a million bucks and folks will give it a serious second look.

Just my two speculative cents. :)

Polo Highline Petrol costs about 6.2L ex-showroom Delhi. Difference between Vento Highline Petrol MT and AT is about 1L but the AT is not a 7-speed DSG. Add a turbo petrol engine. I would be pleasantly surprised if VW prices 1.2TSi with 7-speed DSG anywhere below 8L ex-showroom. So the OTR price is most cities will be close to 9L. Not bad for a turbo petrol with DSG option. But I don't expect it to sell much.

Like I have always maintained in the Ford 1.0 L ecoboost conversations, I would be really curious to know how the 1.2 L TSI behaves in Indian conditions. The owners of premium german sedans maybe filling premium fuel and taking really good care of their cars. But people buying the sub 10 lakh cars with engines that are designed to operate on higher octane fuel may not be able to afford that type of fuel or may not really get that type of fuel everywhere. The performance and reliability in such conditions would be really interesting to see.

Good point. But I assume that they would have done the homework before launching the variant. Infact, it should not be a problem since they already have launched the 1.4 TSI with the Jetta. The 1.2 also should survive well on a similar diet.

I think subsidies on diesel are slowly being lifted and a 15-17kmpl automatic petrol is definitely something loads of people out there not just enthusiasts, would consider.
1. its got badge value in our country
2. its equipped with an automatic
3. its pretty fuel efficient
and then for people like you and me, its even got over a 100 horses :P

Well, I have been filling regular unleaded petrol in my 1.8 TSi Laura for last 26000 KMs and the car has been running like a charm.

So maybe VW/Skoda has some tweaks up their sleeve to manage their engine reliability better with the poorer quality and lower octane fuels we get. Lower octane as it is, is not a problem. You just get lower performance with lower octane. However the quality of the fuel maybe a problem. Where do you fill up usually?

Well, I fill up at decent pumps that have good repute (COCO near RTO office in Pune, Magarpatta pump, Shell) as far as possible, but I have made two decently long trips, one to Chennai and another to Bhopal in the TSi and during those, I have had to refuel at unknown pumps in the interior roads of MH, KA, TN, MP...our petrol is really not an issue.

Agree fully. Have filled up my Superb 1.8 TSi at various places including highway pumps in MH and GA - no problems whatsoever. TSi technology is fantastic - my Superb gives mileage of as much as 16 kph if I drive on highways at a steady 90kph (of course that is difficult to do and Mileage in Bombay traffic drops to 6.5 on an average and 4 on cross town routes). BTW, Skoda strongly recommends normal unleaded fuel. The only issue is oil consumption.

Well that's what customers hope (that manufacturers have done their homework) when they buy their products. But then the 7 DSG horror stories should never have happened. There were so many failures going on that it warrantied a recall. But Skoda chose to continue selling the variant to unsuspecting/ uninformed customers.

On another note, I don't thing there's anything to worry about TSI tech not suiting Indian conditions as its been around for a while with the 1.8 TSI in the Skodas and the 1.4 TSI in the Jetta. Its the DQ200 7 DSG that I am worried about.

+ 1.

Considering that the astronomical repair rates that have been qouted earlier for issues with this gearbox had D segment sedan customers up in arms, a hatchback customer could very well have an attack seeing the repair bills.

One doubt though - Considering the fact that Vento Petrol AT only gets a conventional gearbox, why would VW put a DSG gearbox in the smaller Polo?

Oh definitely! My comment was specifically on the engine. I mean, it would be foolish to launch a mass market car with an engine which cannot take the regular fuel available in that market. And I hope common sense prevails when it comes to the decision on the 7-speed DSG.

More than the size of the car, its about the engine-gearbox combination they deploy in their variants. 1.2 TSI + 7-speed DSG is their standard configuration. AFAIK, they don’t have the combination of 1.6MPI + DSG (or 1.2 TSI + conventional 6AT) in any markets. Its positive news if VAG have really sorted out the issues with DQ200 and bring in that with the Polo 1.2 TSI. If that happens, I guess the Vento/Rapid petrol will also get a makeover soon.

Newer technology is certainly welcome. I'd rather see car companies infuse newer technology in their cars. I mean I'd prefer a Polo with a 1.2 TSI + 7 DSG rather than a Polo with with the Vento's 1.6MPI + torque converter AT. I am sure if VW is going to launch the Polo with the 7 DSG, they are going to do a hell a lot of testing to make sure that its reliable. Skoda may have gotten away with the high failure rate with the 7 DSG on the Superb simply because its not a volume seller in our market. If the same thing were to happen with, say a Vento or Polo class of car, then VW is going to seriously tarnish its image in this country.

For VW's and for the customer in general, I really hope this clicks. Our cities are choking and I see a lot of people showing inclination towards AT cars. If the Govt. gets its fuel pricing sorted out, small engined, high tech fuel efficient petrol cars, with decent power and good AT boxes could be the next big thing.

http://www.topgear.com/india/car-gal...currentid=5981

I would readily exchange my recently bought 3pot Polo for this TSI next year if it comes out with a manual gearbox, haven't driven a dsg autobox yet, but I doubt it can match the flexibility and power delivery of a well driven manual box, esp in Indian traffic.

That being said, the TSi would hopefully give the Polo the much needed peppiness in lower gears given it's torque and more breathing space at 3 digit speeds.

I would be surprised though if they could roll this out in 7-8Lakh range.

VW plans to promote its vehicles under VW brand as more premium, than Skoda, which it plans to debunk to more economical range, this move seems in line with that.
But changing the Indian mind set to buy a premium hatch with DSG is going to be tough, and they are probably not expecting very large sales themselves, but being such a big conglomerate they can afford to experiment.