[prakash_ajp]

I think it would have looked better if they had just fixed the number, without the "/99". It just looks silly and cheap.

[vivek95]

BHPians in Pune, check this out, there's a chance to experience (read drive) VW GTI at Kharadi Indikarting today ( only today )--
http://evoindia.com/head-to-indiakar...olo-gti-today/

[k36]

Originally Posted by vivek95

BHPians in Pune, check this out, there's a chance to experience (read drive) VW GTI at Kharadi Indikarting today ( only today )--
http://evoindia.com/head-to-indiakar...olo-gti-today/

Been there, done that

I was surprised to get an email invitation to register for the Volkswagen GTI experience on race track event, scheduled for today. I didn't waste a minute and registered for the 3 pm slot.

Reached there with wife, and after registration (including signing consent form) and a brief wait, was asked to proceed for the test drive. As a GT TSI owner, most of the car felt familiar to me, though very plush in comparison. Every visible and feel-able component was far better than my GT TSI.

The test drive was on regular roads, in traffic, but was just enough to give me the feel of the power. Amazing overtaking and cornering ability, and great suspension setup. The almost zero turbo lag (again, compared to GT TSI) was a big delight. 3 km went by within few minutes and we were back to the the venue, handing over the car to others waiting for the test drive.

The next item was the track experience, a first for me. Volkswagen's professional driver was very courteous. He explained the main features of the car (specs, which all of us know very well), and then took me around the track twice at the highest possible speeds. The experience of high speed turns was amazing. The track was quiet small though, with no straight stretch of even 100m, so there wasn't much opportunity to experience the push in the back.

Overall we enjoyed the rare opportunity to drive and get driven in a car no car dealer will be able to provide.

[namanchaudhary]

Spotted this during my recent trip to pune. Didn't look like a proper 'test'cars with all those gadgets and all. Obviously I couldn't keep up with the GTI :(

[reignofchaos]

Got to drive one today for a short while at a karting track in BLR and here are my impressions as a GT owner:

-> Grip, grip and more grip! This car is like a leech - the way it sticks to the road is incredible! The way the trick diff at the front does its job is ridiculous! i could feel absolutely no under-steer and I was just doing mad speeds pushing it into corners.
-> The chassis feels way stiffer than the Polo GT. There is a little bit of roll due to the raised suspension job that they have done in India, but its still minimal and doesn't unsettle the car.
-> Brakes are really sharp with great bite. The bite point is early and the brakes were still really good inspite of the fact that the car was doing lap after lap continuously.
-> The GTI wheel is lovely to hold and the bolstered front seats are really comfortable compared to the stock GT seats. Holds you perfectly in place under hard cornering
-> The fit and finish of the interiors feels a notch better than the Indian Polo
-> The engine didn't feel that much more powerful than my remapped 1.2 but then the straights at this karting track were really short.
-> The 7DSG felt surprisingly quick and way smoother than the one in my car
-> The exhaust feels a lot more noticeable and has a few burbles and pops

Overall a lovely car that is horribly overpriced in India. At 33.4 lacs OTR bangalore, it is really poor value for money. If it was in the mid twenties, I'd put my money down on one.

[//M]

This GTI is on display at VW BU Bhandari, Pune.

[batish]

Got an email invitation to register for the Volkswagen Polo GTI on a race track event for February 18 & 19. Registered instantly, for Today and chose 4 PM time slot. The venue was Sector 29, Leisure Valley, Gurgaon.

Reached there and after registration and signing a consent form, was accompanied by Sales Advisor to the car. It was White GTI with gorgeous set of alloys. The 'Thud' sound of the doors was impressive. It felt more heavy than the Vento and Polo. All the elements were more premium and far better than the Vento.

The drive was not too long but was enough to show the car's performance.



This was the track for the test drive.
The drive has been explained in the previous posts.

-> Grip, grip and more grip! This car is like a leech - the way it sticks to the road is incredible! The way the trick diff at the front does its job is ridiculous! i could feel absolutely no under-steer and I was just doing mad speeds pushing it into corners.
-> The chassis feels way stiffer than the Polo GT. There is a little bit of roll due to the raised suspension job that they have done in India, but its still minimal and doesn't unsettle the car.
-> Brakes are really sharp with great bite. The bite point is early and the brakes were still really good inspite of the fact that the car was doing lap after lap continuously.
-> The GTI wheel is lovely to hold and the bolstered front seats are really comfortable compared to the stock GT seats. Holds you perfectly in place under hard cornering
-> The fit and finish of the interiors feels a notch better than the Indian Polo
-> The engine didn't feel that much more powerful than my remapped 1.2 but then the straights at this karting track were really short.
-> The 7DSG felt surprisingly quick and way smoother than the one in my car
-> The exhaust feels a lot more noticeable and has a few burbles and pops

Then there was the track experience.

took around the track twice at the highest possible speeds. The experience of high speed turns was amazing. The track was quiet small though, with no straight stretch of even 100m, so there wasn't much opportunity to experience the push in the back.

https://youtu.be/ySPFS-M4C4U

At the end they gave me paper carry bag which had a brochure, cap and pen.

[adi_petrolhead]

That DSG fart awesome. Looks so planted. Kudos to the driver too.

[itwasntme]

Drove alongside a KA registered white GTI today in traffic. Lovely premium looks and the paint job etc. looked far far superior to the Indian Polos.

Young guy driving but I noticed only I was looking at his stunner - everyone around us was least interested and had written it off as the usual BLR wealthy boy-racer on the Hotel Papa account :-)

[B103]

I spotted a GTI in Bengaluru today. I was driving back from office and the car was in front of me for couple of kms. Most the people were passing it over as yet another regular Polo, but no me

There are 2 doors in the front and none in the back. Some pics.

[PraNeel]

Autocar India has come out with a comparison review of Polo GTI and Mini Cooper S.
They conclude that GTI is much more comfortable, practical and cheaper car. It also has a dual character which gives it the edge over Mini. It is declared the winner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAz7I0gjLu8&t=77s

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by 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

Originally Posted by //M

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 !

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. The above pictures are likely to be cars sitting idle with Dealers.

Originally Posted by prakash_ajp

I think it would have looked better if they had just fixed the number, without the "/99". It just looks silly and cheap.

I spotted a black GTI in Bangalore Club yesterday. However, this particular car did not have the "__/99" Plaque on the edge of the door.

Was this present only on the launch edition cars?

[volkman10]

Understand VW Palace Cross dealer has sold > 3 GTI's till date. Here are two getting ready for dispatch. No numbering "__/xx" seen on the door other than the GTI badge.

[Santoshbhat]

Not a single GTI owner on T-BHP yet? All of us were literally drooling over the prospect of a real hot hatch and one finally lands here and nobody's interested? Moment prices were announced this thread just died! We are not getting any more hot hatches in our country any time soon I guess.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Not a single GTI owner on T-BHP yet? All of us were literally drooling over the prospect of a real hot hatch and one finally lands here and nobody's interested? Moment prices were announced this thread just died! We are not getting any more hot hatches in our country any time soon I guess.

It's the price and then the fact that it looks like a regular Polo.

I would rather buy a base Cooper S rather than a Polo GTI(especially with that DSG box) .

VW just got it as a halo product and if they were serious, they could have used the Indian chassis and just plonked the engine and other components by importing them. Heck even a watered down version with a 1.4 150PS and a manual one at around 12 lacs would have been great and demolished the Abarth.

For a more successful (with at least Bhpians) product, just wait for the Octavia vRS. Under 30 lacs that would be a much more practical and VFM fast car and most likely a CKD.