[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Su-47

Anyway, the point about Polo-GTi being as expensive as BMW 3 or X1 does sound outrageous.

Originally Posted by WAM-4

Coming to the moot point, yes it does indeed sound outrageous that the Polo's price range is along the pricing range of BMW cars!!

Guys I am in no way or form trying to defend or justify the GTI launch price here, but to begin with, you guys have probably missed a tiny detail.

VW never advertised or marketed this hot hatch as a Polo anywhere, including the launch version of the car. It was only called as VW GTI.

Hell, I don't deny the fact that all said and done, this is still a Polo with only 2 doors. But we must give a to VW for bringing the real deal, albeit at a very costly premium and loads of features missing from the international model.

But as posted by Starfire sometime back on this thread, the following image speaks volumes:



In fact, one of the auto magazines even reported of the GTI hitting a ton from standstill in about 6.7s !!

This little hatch is Bloody Quick, Much Cheaper, Way more Frugal and "PROBABLY" a bit cheaper to own than its immediate competition. The fly in the ointment is that, its immediate competition is from a premium segment.

So my view is that VW have probably not gone completely off the track with this launch, though it would have been a blockbuster had they priced it a bit more conservatively !!

[dark.knight]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Guys I am in no way or form trying to defend or justify the GTI launch price here, but to begin with, you guys have probably missed a tiny detail.

Vik, we agree on a lot of things.. but I guess in terms of fun-to-drive machines there are two aspects, two distinct schools of thought and each right in their point of view and both have a 50-50 support so neither clearly wins.

Mine is this - fun to drive means how the steering feeds the output to the palms, its how the car feel the minute you shut the door and move. The Mini falls into this category, its advertised as a "go-kart" and more precise they could not have been - the steering, I don't know how to describe it but its in-tune with the rest of the car and feeds exactly what's happening to the front wheels and car itself is huge (I drove the 5 Door Cooper) but one can't feel it, its heavy but the engine-steering combo makes it feel incredibly agile, the slight kickbacks when the throttle is operated and an overall very interactive experience makes the car fun at all speeds, not necessarily only when the pedal is floored which I never did (unless it was the brakes).

I've driven the 1.2 Polo and the TSi Polo, I cannot comment how the GTi is different in comparison but going by reviews I can only deduce that its more or less like the Polo with a large power-plant and with a lot of weight loss (doors and windows alongwith scissor motors and speakers carry incredible weight and the GTi lacks 2 of them). Safe to say that the surge will rip the pants off a driver who's used to a TSi. However the steering - its not upto par personally, it has a bit of everything.. slightly above average precision, low weight, not numb yet quite a bit numb etc, it simply can't please to the levels of Mini, not even close.

A NatGeo parallel can be drawn here.. the Polo is like a Peregrine Falcon.. it flies at approx. 100-120 kmph and is superb and smooth and best flexes its wings mostly over straights, the Mini is the Cheetah, twists and turns like its nothing and is incredibly dramatic when experienced and can still reach 100-120 kmph comfortably. The GTi is factually the fastest-cheapest car in India thus far.. but I'll still pick the li'l Bimmer all days of the week even at a 40% premium.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by dark.knight

However the steering - its not upto par personally, it has a bit of everything.. slightly above average precision, low weight, not numb yet quite a bit numb etc, it simply can't please to the levels of Mini, not even close.

I agree with your thoughts on the Mini dark.knight as almost all experts have a similar opinion, though I have never really had an opportunity to drive this stead.

Coming to the 'Regular' Polos, the steering only fades when compared to the earlier Fords & the current Fiats, else it is quite precise. I drove my GT for a couple of days with the OEM rubber and the switch to 205 section was immediately noticeable. I have not driver the GTI, but have a funny feeling that with 215/R16 section wheels it may not be really as 'Disconnected' as the regular GTs.

Coming to your view of the 'Fun-to-drive', I think Mini has got everything spot on just like Maruti did with the Swift. I have drive the Swift Vdi (Old & New) quite a bit and trust me, my Polo does not even come close to the way the dynamics are sorted out on this car.
My GT can smoke the Swift DDiS every time, but throw in some fast corners/twisties and the latter can almost run circles around my car

A NatGeo parallel can be drawn here.. the Polo is like a Peregrine Falcon.. the Mini is the Cheetah

I am an ardent animal lover bro and would like to share a small change in your example.

VW GTI is like a Cheetah - Faster Acceleration, Blistering pace in a straight line but quite 'Off Balanced' on cornering.

Mini Cooper S is a Thomson's Gazelle - Slightly slower off the mark, almost as quick in a straight line but 'King of Corners' and more often than not leaves the Cheetah in dust with one tight turn

[volkman10]

VW's Gol GTI shows its interiors, reveals its Specs too, production version in 2018.

Gol GTI will adopt the 3-cylinder engine 1.0 turbo direct injection and 125 HP, which is used in the Golf TSI Comfortline, associated with six-speed manual transmission, four wheel disc brakes and steering with electric assistance.

According to unofficial data, the Gol GTI 2018 will be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 Km/h in less than 8 seconds, to achieve a maximum speed exceeding 210 Km/h.

On the 1.0L engine,

In this way, the VW would get a good compromise of performance and price, since the tax burden less would enable a more competitive price to the Gol GTI.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYoFnLG6LRw

Link

[asr245]

Originally Posted by asr245

I think VW strategy is simple. Launch the Polo 1.8 GTI at 25+ lacs. Keep it limited as VW already knows that they will have a hard time getting those 99 ones off the shelf or maybe give the buyer a feeling of exclusiveness.

Then within a year or 2, launch the Polo 1.4 GT(I) at a price point of 15-16 lacs (ex-showroom). Suddenly, people will start finding it VFM as it's 90% of the car for 60% of the cost of a 1.8 GTI. BAM! you have a winner!

Cannot believe that a 1.4 has been sited. Wish I was as clairvoyant in other aspects of my life.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/indian...ml#post4100152

[volkman10]

OverDrive reviews the VW GTi,

The Polo GTI is a fabulous hatchback, also because there is so much more potential to be unleashed in it. It’s a smashing car that’s got the practicality bit covered in fair measure, but also lets you exploit the performance envelope of the GTI brand in ways you never expected a Volkswagen to do!

Link

[vin_b]

The deliveries of GTIs have begun. The most annoying thing are those side badges which are actually been numbered suggesting which car one owns among lucky 99
But she looks beautiful

Source:- Whatsapp forward

[Thad E Ginathom]

nn/99... absurd, laughable, ridiculous. This is not a car launch, it is an expensive joke.

[//M]

Originally Posted by vin_b

The most annoying thing are those side badges which are actually been numbered suggesting which car one owns among lucky 99

Annoying indeed. This numbering could have been stitched in the dashboard in some form to make it look tasteful. The badges in the fender look very gaudy IMO.

Nevertheless, its a sweet looking car !

[bhaskaracs]

n 96/99? I am sure those 99 cars are not sold - because Volkswagen is still allowing bookings on their website even after several weeks. The above pictures are likely to be cars sitting idle with Dealers. It is almost like all leading electronic appliance showrooms which display curved screen televisions from Samsung and LG priced upwards of 2-3 lakhs. Everyone eyeballs them, but how many actually buy those? It still occupies shelf space for a reason. Samsung pays the store to keep them there from a branding (selling bleeding edge products) perspective.

Where the GTI experiment departs from the above thinking from Samsung is that 'the rich don't want to be seen driving a 'Polo', and there aren't enough enthusiasts with that kind of money'. In the case of Samsung, the rich actually end up buying a curved, OLED televisions. So VW is probably paying the dealers to keep those cars for god knows what reason.

[graaja]

Originally Posted by bhaskaracs

n 96/99? I am sure those 99 cars are not sold - because Volkswagen is still allowing bookings on their website even after several weeks...

My understanding is that when you book the GTi, you can choose the number you want from the list of numbers that are not yet allocated.

[Chetan_Rao]

Safe to assume the '01/99' and '99/99' badges would be the most sought after?

I'd be amazed if they actually sold the whole lot though.

[Vik0728]

Bumped into a 'Track Run' of the GTI by Overdrive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF80ES1ZRpY

Nothing really significant or different from what we already know. However, I noticed that there was no Armrest in this car !!

Did Overdrive actually remove the Armrest or has VW done that discretely??

[bhaskaracs]

Originally Posted by graaja

My understanding is that when you book the GTi, you can choose the number you want from the list of numbers that are not yet allocated.

I disagree for two reasons.

One, there are only 99 cars for a reason - to render the offering insanely exclusive. So regardless of which number one gets, they still have a very exclusive product.

Two, the cars have to be displayed with the most important dealerships in the top cities. In such case the numbers 0-99 would have already been distributed amongst key cities. Why would VW launch such an exclusive product and not display at leading dealer locations? And I don't think they can afford to have just display and test drive cars which they don't intend to sell given the premium and exclusive nature of the product.

On the sidelines, if I were VW, I will charge bucks for a test drive - else everyone like me wants to TD the car just for sheer experience of driving this beast.

[kpzen]

Originally Posted by graaja

My understanding is that when you book the GTi, you can choose the number you want from the list of numbers that are not yet allocated.

Same here.

I'm told, the number sticker is coming from VW India and dealers shall stick the number before delivery.
So, the color choice is not related with the number.