[RaceHorse]

Just spoke to VW executive, he is as clueless as VW India.
Earlier they have been communicated AT will be there in both HL+ and GT.
Later they have been told only GT will be available with AT box.
Now they have been communicated HL+ with AT also will be shipping this month.
They have been told there will be no ESP in HL+ AT, but that is highly doubtful and I expect it to be there along with Hill Hold Assist.

There seems to be no communication between departments of VW India. One wants to sell GT because of the badge value, other wants to cash in on the AT demand.
And Marketing is under lockdown and don't have any clue and they keep updating the website brochure with all the incorrect info as possible.

[RoadMonkey]

Originally Posted by RaceHorse

Now they have been communicated HL+ with AT also will be shipping this month.
They have been told there will be no ESP in HL+ AT, but that is highly doubtful and I expect it to be there along with Hill Hold Assist.

I would be inclined to think that the HL+ AT exists, I doubt they'd have updated the official website with the pricing of that variant if it didn't even exist.

[7000plusrpm]

If you try to book a polo online, you can see the option of a highline plus automatic. If you try to open the brochure, it's the old polo brochure that says the highline comes in manual only.
I got a call from my SA confirming that they have received an automatic. Once the pdi is done, test drive will commence.

[Thad E Ginathom]

How great is hill hold? Is it just an extra bit of laziness, or is there more to it?

[kkr2k2]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

How great is hill hold? Is it just an extra bit of laziness, or is there more to it?

I drive an AT Toyota Corolla. It doesn’t have hillhold feature. I never needed one.

Going with my past experiences, I am of the opinion that hill hold is more suitable to the manual transmission to save it from being fried!!

Traction control is more important as it is an active safety feature.

With regards to HL+AT or GT AT having either of the above, it is best to check them personally if possible. Dealer level mistakes isn’t an uncommon thing. And VW India proved they aren’t reliable as well in providing correct information!!

[skarthiksr]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

How great is hill hold? Is it just an extra bit of laziness, or is there more to it?

GKR9900 had given a detailed opinion about this here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offic...ml#post4844910 (Kia Seltos : Official Review). Take a look.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by skarthiksr

GKR9900 had given a detailed opinion about this

Originally Posted by GKR9900

As for hill hold assist, even if it might sound like something which you can live without, once you've experienced it, there's no going back...trust me!

Thanks.

I suspected something like that. I used to be scornful of things like reversing alarms (I remember telling a salesman who was trying to sell me the add on, "But, it's a small car and... I can drive!") But now I rely on those beeps!

As for most of us, years of driving both auto and manual cars with no dropping-back prevention other than driver skill, I feel I can do without it. But I might like to keep it once I tried it.

I have driven a manual for past 15 years, but only because no suitable AT car was available. When I say lazy, I'm not knocking it: I love the laziness of an auto transmission, and am not against it getting even lazier. Especially for city driving.

The laziness abbreviations are one thing, safety abbreviations are another.

[Rajeevraj]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

How great is hill hold? Is it just an extra bit of laziness, or is there more to it?

I think it is extremely useful. Anytime you are stuck on a steep incline behind other vehicles, Hill Hold makes it super convenient- Even more so when you are slow moving. On a Torque Converter, it maybe less needed as the natural torque build up would take care in preventing the rollback, but in DSG's, AMT's (dont think any AMTs have hill hold)- definitely very useful, not sure about CVTs.

Even for a TC, on a very steep incline, not sure if it would hold the car, Hill hold would do it in any scenario. It has become one of the features that will be must have for me in any car I buy going forward.

[pedrolourenco]

I took a TD of the GT TSI AT today. I was pleasantly surprised at the performance. I was not expecting much but it was not bad at all. The dealer was also clueless about the features of the Highline AT. One guy was saying that the GT power is more than the Highline but I seriously doubt that. Another guy was saying that the Highline will miss out on the spoiler, GT grill, Climate control and probably have different alloys and tyres. But both were not sure.

The general impression in this thread is that the DSG is superior to the TC. However in the Altroz thread people were really the defending the TC against the DSG. I always though that the DSG was way superior to the TC.

[84.monsoon]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

The general impression in this thread is that the DSG is superior to the TC. However in the Altroz thread people were really the defending the TC against the DSG. I always though that the DSG was way superior to the TC.

Hard to generalise. The ZF Torque converter on RWD and AWD BMWs (except X1, which is FWD Aisin box) is superior to DSGs I have driven including the famed VW DQ series.

Even broadly, DSGs aren’t necessarily better than TCs on all counts. DSGs are quick shifting, especially on upshifts and also when shifting manually like in tiptronic mode or with paddle shifters. But many DSGs are jerky at slow speeds as the gearbox gets confused and executes unnecessary shifts. They are also prone to overheating in stop and go traffic, that can also affect their reliability.

[igemini]

Originally Posted by pedrolourenco

I took a TD of the GT TSI AT today. I was pleasantly surprised at the performance. I was not expecting much but it was not bad at all. The dealer was also clueless about the features of the Highline AT. One guy was saying that the GT power is more than the Highline but I seriously doubt that. Another guy was saying that the Highline will miss out on the spoiler, GT grill, Climate control and probably have different alloys and tyres. But both were not sure.

Please read my earlier posts in this thread, I have posted the actual photos of both Highline TSI AT and GT TSI.

As confirmed to me by VW, there is no difference in power or any other technical specifications. The real difference is only on the Tartan seat fabric, deletion of armrest and rear ac vent. And you will get a GT badge, rear spoiler, blacked out ORVM that's it. Both Highline TSI AT and GT TSI have traction control and Hill Hold Control. Confirmed to me the same by my VW sales rep as he had both cars with them.

As I had a booking for GT TSI, now the VW dealer told me my alloted car already arrived. I will be test driving both versions on Thursday/Friday and update the real difference if any. Certainly not planning to shell out 50k over a fancy spoiler and a badge.

[rkv_2401]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

I think it is extremely useful. Anytime you are stuck on a steep incline behind other vehicles, Hill Hold makes it super convenient- Even more so when you are slow moving. On a Torque Converter, it maybe less needed as the natural torque build up would take care in preventing the rollback, but in DSG's, AMT's (dont think any AMTs have hill hold)- definitely very useful, not sure about CVTs.

Even for a TC, on a very steep incline, not sure if it would hold the car, Hill hold would do it in any scenario. It has become one of the features that will be must have for me in any car I buy going forward.

On a funny note, I remember one of the times I first started driving the DSG Vento. It had activated hill hold on a slighter slope and it was a bit slow to get going. It wasn't moving, but at the same time the brake pedal was hard to press so I thought it had stalled somehow and turned off and restarted the engine.

[skarthiksr]

Volkswagen Polo GT TSI Ad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQdHzDRy86g

[pedrolourenco]

Originally Posted by igemini

Please read my earlier posts in this thread, I have posted the actual photos of both Highline TSI AT and GT TSI.

As confirmed to me by VW, there is no difference in power or any other technical specifications. The real difference is only on the Tartan seat fabric, deletion of armrest and rear ac vent. And you will get a GT badge, rear spoiler, blacked out ORVM that's it. Both Highline TSI AT and GT TSI have traction control and Hill Hold Control. Confirmed to me the same by my VW sales rep as he had both cars with them.

As I had a booking for GT TSI, now the VW dealer told me my alloted car already arrived. I will be test driving both versions on Thursday/Friday and update the real difference if any. Certainly not planning to shell out 50k over a fancy spoiler and a badge.

I have read your post. I'm not disputing it. What I posted is what the dealer told me. Even I didn't believe them.

[igemini]

Today I went for a TD of the GT TSI variant. I also had an opportunity to check out the Highline AT in flesh as well. There were only GT TSI available for the test drive and I assume the drive on the Highline AT shall also be the same.

Features.

• Both Highline AT and GT TSI have Traction Control & Hill Hold Assist.
• GT TSI do not have the handrest and rear AC vent.
• Highline AT have both handrest and rear AC vent.
• Highline AT's seat fabric is the very same as the Highline Plus Manual version.(Photo attached)
• Whereas GT TSI has the typical tartan type fabric.
• I felt GT TSI's seats are more comfortable compared to Highline AT. GT TSI's seats offer more grip and perhaps provides slightly better under-thigh support and a marginally better front seat contour. That probably because of the fabric used though.
• The headlight switch on the GT looks CHEAP as it lacks any silver/brushed aluminium feel as of Highline AT. Again personal preference.
• With the absence of the armrest, I always felt something is missing in between the seats. It is always better to have an armrest.
• GT TSI gets a rear spoiler. The same can be purchased for INR 9500 as an accessory. As far as I understood, that will be affixed on the tailgate and no drilling involved. (As told by VW dealer)
• I have also been informed that they are selling a GT line pack as accessories that will include the basic accessories like carpets, seat covers, spoilers etc. Which will cost around 20K. I am not a fan of seat covers anyway.

The Drive

This is no DSG and I never expected it to behave like one.

But I must stress this TC mated with this 1.0 TSI is definitely BETTER than most auto transmissions in India as per my liking. You may disagree though. The gear changes happens around 2000 rpm while you are in D mode. In Sport mode, it will easily hold the revs for longer. And you always feels that you have enough power on tap.

Whether you are in D or S mode, the car always feels on the power band. I have never felt any turbo lag, which was evident on the manual version . But there is a slight judder when the lower gears are changing, or when are on the higher gear and the car shifts to a much lower gear upon reduction of speed. Well, that was expected from a TC as it won't have the feel of DSG. But that is not a big deal like in AMT's.

The Tiptronic feature is good and as expected. You can easily upshift or downshift as per your liking. In D mode I was going around 60kmph at D4 and I shifted to manual mode and upshifted to 6th gear. No complaints at all. Very smooth and not much power loss.

The gear lever felt SOLID as in any other VW car and it worked as expected.

The ride is stiff and I was able to feel most of the expansion joints, but not very bad though. I had driven Vento TDI through the very same roads recently and that absorbed those imperfections on the road very well. It seems that is not the case with the POLO GT TSI.

I drove a car that had only 116kms on the ODO, and the onboard mileage figures show 11.xx kmpl.

Do I like it? I certainly did like it. But instead of opting for the GT TSI, I will be asking them to change my booking to a Highline Plus AT.

GT is a lower variant compared to the Highline Plus AT in all senses except for the Seats.

GT shall be priced around 25-30K cheaper than the Highline Plus AT. Someone at VW India needs a lesson to learn about price strategies.

Do I miss a DSG, Definitely NOT. I have owned a 2011 MK6 Golf 1.4 TSI with DSG for a good 5 years while I was abroad. So I am well aware of how a DSG works and how mad it can be when you have to pay repair bills from your pocket.

Considering this is India, where the traffic conditions and roads are not very superior, unlike on other countries where they have A LOT of OPEN ROADS. I really would like to have a reliable machine than short term fun.

I honestly feel this car is one of the best automatic cars in India under 1.1 Million INR. It still is. You shall check it out prior coming to a conclusion saying it doesn't have DSG so it is no good. Again, every individual is different so as their likings. So you may tend to disagree.

One thing I can confirm, no other cars in this 1 Million INR price bracket have such a good build, solid feel and drivability but you'll lose out the gimmicks. I don't like Altorz much and if you like it, then it is also a very good car minus the fun on the 1.0 TSI engine. I am not counting the Skoda Rider variants as I still feel they lack the features on the lower variants and their higher-end variants are expensive.

Sorry for the bad photos, as I am not very good at taking photos and the lighting conditions at the showroom were not very good either.