[Vik0728]

UPDATE -

GT has gobbled up 700kms as on date.

Had been to my dad's native yesterday near Hoskote. The round trip was around 140kms, most of which were brilliant 3 lane tarmac. As it was just me and my parents, the entire drive was with AC switched on.

Here are my observations from the drive:

1. GT which stands for Gran Turismo is truly designed for open roads. The car is just brilliant to drive and the power on tap is truly addictive.
2. Straight line stability during high speeds & braking is immaculate.
3. MID displayed mileage never dropped below 21 kmpl with consistant speeds between 80-110kmph. The beauty is that one will not realize how soon the car hits these numbers, unless they keep a close watch at the speedo.
4. Gearing ratios are so good that GT is at home in 4th gear pottering around at 50km/hr and a gentle tap can take the car all the way to 100km/hr quite easily.
5. Turbo lag is quite evident in 4th & 5th gear but honestly, it is not very pronounced like the MJD & Hyundai CRDis.

My GT finally got the 'Badge of Honour' yesterday.



There is long drive (trip) planned for this weekend which should well ensure I hit my first Milestone - 1000Kms. I will keep this thread updated with all the observations & feedback.

Originally Posted by createrkid

OT: I noticed that your signature says Getz GLS but from the one of the pictures, I can recognise a Getz Prime tail lamp. Did you change it? I have a Getz GLS too :-)

Hey createrkid thank you and appreciate you pointing out my mistake.

I owned a 2010 Hyundai Getz Prime 1.3 GLS and have now updated my signature as well.

[psuraj]

Congratulations on getting the hot hatch. Looks like my GT got another sibling on team bhp. BTW. I also feel the same way the power on tap is extremely addictive in the highway. Difficult to drive slow. The car is still in run in period, so i suggest you keep it below 100 and not to rev it too much.

Drive safe and wish you many more happy miles ahead.

Cheers
Suraj

[srinath34]

Congrats on the GT TDI Vik!! I was a close follower of your Getz thread and also asked a couple of queries to you as well since I owned one too. Looks like I shall keep on watch on this as well.

Wish you lot of exciting mile-crunching days ahead with the car.

Cheers

[rana_kirti]

hi vik, firstly congratulations. ... ;-) great buy.

I'm getting the tsi in few days. I'm very keen to know about your trye choice. how you choose kenda comet ? read any reviews etc ? I'm considering hankook v8 rs in same size as yours 205 55 15 as I really like the 205 look over the 195 60 15 which most people seems to be getting. I have a couple of questions for you...

1. Hows is the ride quality, road noise, grip, handling of the kenda compared to michelin or hankook ?

2. Do you think going 205 from 185 affects the acceleration/pick up of the GT in a negative way ?

3. How is the steering feel of 205 compared to 185 ? Has it become too hard and heavy ?

Thanks & congrats again... ;-)

[Vik0728]

Milestone Update -

Just over a week after I picked up my GT, I hit the the first magic number.

And what better post to report this, thank my 600th on TBHP !!

I'll let the below pics explain the story & my elation:







I "Love Cars & Live to Drive", but GT has totally transformed me into an addict. In my previous car Getz, I loved to take it out on weekend runs through nearby highways. But with GT, I just scamper at the slightest opportunity to drive it. Just Love this brilliant machine. My wife does not seem amused with the sudden change.

Had 400 km run last weekend and here are my observations:

- I just can't stop grinning everytime I put my foot down. The car almost feels like it might just do a wheelie if I don't go easy on the throttle !!

- Curising ability is truly astounding. The car gets to and stays at good speeds all through the drive without an iota of discomfort. Brilliant.

- Only major area of improvement I see is the Stopping power. The GT TDI (& TSI as I learnt from Prashanth & Shibin) have quite scary breaking with all the power on tap. No it is not bad like say Swift, but not as great as say a Punto.
At one instance, I did not realize that I was at 140 and had to break a bit too soon for a fast approaching speed breaker. This was when I realized that GT breaking must be mastered over time and it does not give you the confidence in the first go.

- Kenda Komet tyres are so silent that they are almost 'Spooky' at times. Grip is really good and I think it has only improved the great cornering ability. I must watch out for the side walls though, which apprently are too soft & sensitive.

- Mileage is astounding for such a powerful hatch. Through the entire trip, I got an exceptional average of 22+km/l, measured by tankfull method, whilst the MID showed 23.1km/l, very accurate.

Through the week there will be the normal office runs but there is another major trip coming up next weekend. Will keep this thread updated with every milestone I cross or blurr by!!

Originally Posted by psuraj

Congratulations on getting the hot hatch. Looks like my GT got another sibling on team bhp. BTW. I also feel the same way the power on tap is extremely addictive in the highway. Difficult to drive slow. The car is still in run in period, so i suggest you keep it below 100 and not to rev it too much.

Drive safe and wish you many more happy miles ahead.

Cheers
Suraj

Thank you Suraj and I was a bit confused when I actually saw your post the other day. To begin with your Red GT, the place where the snap was taken and the angle everything looked like my car. I was wondering when had I switched on the headlight & fog lamp during the photoshoot.

Yes, I am ensuring that I don't just blow up the dust everytime I am on the highway and take it easy most of the time.

Originally Posted by srinath34

Congrats on the GT TDI Vik!! I was a close follower of your Getz thread and also asked a couple of queries to you as well since I owned one too. Looks like I shall keep on watch on this as well.

Wish you lot of exciting mile-crunching days ahead with the car.

Cheers

Thank you Srinath and I am humbled. I only hope that I was able to address your queries back then and will ensure I don't fall back on this anytime soon.

Originally Posted by rana_kirti

hi vik, firstly congratulations. ... ;-) great buy.

I'm getting the tsi in few days. I'm very keen to know about your trye choice. how you choose kenda comet ? read any reviews etc ? I'm considering hankook v8 rs in same size as yours 205 55 15 as I really like the 205 look over the 195 60 15 which most people seems to be getting. I have a couple of questions for you...

1. Hows is the ride quality, road noise, grip, handling of the kenda compared to michelin or hankook ?

A - I have not used Michellin but I feel the Kenda is way to silent compared to Hankook. Grip is also quite good and handling is better than the OEM that I had.

2. Do you think going 205 from 185 affects the acceleration/pick up of the GT in a negative way ?

A - Quite honestly bro, once you get your car you will really not be too bothered about the acceleration times & top speeds. GT (both TSI & TDI) are special cars which will keep you addicted, either end of 100km/hr. But I for one think the 205 might probably give you a better grip & traction while accelerating.

3. How is the steering feel of 205 compared to 185 ? Has it become too hard and heavy ?

A - Steering feel is noticeably better than what I felt with the OEM 185 section rubber. It is not hard & heavy, but just a tiny bit more feedback providing.

Thanks & congrats again... ;-)

Hey rana_kirti thank you.

Please find my answers inline (above) your post in bold.

[Kimified]

Vik,

Congrats on a wonderful car! A brilliant upgrade considering that you love fast hatchbacks. I remember the discussions we used to have long back when the Polo only came with the 1.2 TDI and how we wished it did come in the 1.6 guise. Its for real now, and its in your garage. Enjoy

Haven't driven the Polo GT myself but have heard wonderful things about it. Hope you offer me a drive the next time we meet

A mileage of 22 ! That's real crazy. Sadly, I have never managed to get beyond 17kmpl on any car on any road till date.

Congrats again and happy mile crunching !

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by Kimified

Vik,

Congrats on a wonderful car! A brilliant upgrade considering that you love fast hatchbacks. I remember the discussions we used to have long back when the Polo only came with the 1.2 TDI and how we wished it did come in the 1.6 guise. Its for real now, and its in your garage. Enjoy

Haven't driven the Polo GT myself but have heard wonderful things about it. Hope you offer me a drive the next time we meet

A mileage of 22 ! That's real crazy. Sadly, I have never managed to get beyond 17kmpl on any car on any road till date.

Congrats again and happy mile crunching !

Thank you Sanjay and I actually did not know you were back in town.
Welcome back bro.

Yes, after all those talks we had during our meets helped a lot. Believe me man, you have to drive this car to believe it. It really is a rocket on wheels. I owe you a drive bro and will let you experience the adrenaline of 255 NM torque.

Yes, the mileage is just an add-on benefit of this brilliant engineering. But then again, if I would drive this car like the way you do, I might be amazed to get anything over and beyond 15Km/l. LOL

[rana_kirti]

hey vik, I'm mostly replacing my tyres in a few days. i will mostly be getting the kenda komet after ur good feedback on them. you said kenda is way silent compared to hankook. are you saying that in comparison to the hankook v8 rs ? have you tried the v8 rs ?

cheers. I hope I can drive a friend's 1.6 gt tdi soon... ;-)

[Santoshbhat]

Congrats on the Polo GT TDI. Hot hatches are so rare in our market. You never know when they will be pulled out from the showrooms. Better grab them as early as possible I guess. I wish car companies don't just plonk the bigger engine from their sedans in their hatchbacks and call give it a sporty name tag. Bigger better brakes, bigger rims, wider tyres and more safety tech are some of the stuff that complete the package.

I believe I spotted your car in Sadashivanagar last week. The tyres give it a nice stance.

[chase_nt]

Nice review (clean and concise without much mumbo jumbo) and congratulations on joining the GT club. I can relate to everything you just wrote in your review as i felt the same when i purchased my TSI last year. Have fun with the GT

[Vik0728]

Mid-Milestone Update:

Completed 1500 Kms and the car is just around 3 weeks old. The GT has got very addictive and my wife thinks that I am just finding the silliest of the reasons to take it out for a spin. Had been for a 200 km drive over the weekend. The GT TDI was designed for 'Autobahn' sort of open roads. The car gives a new meaning to 'Mile-Munching'. Earlier I used to start getting a bit restless before reaching the destination and now it is totally the other way round. I reach destination faster than I thought and then get restless for not having driven the car more!!


There is another long drive looming and I will update this thread with all the experiences, observations and pics.

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

You never know when they will be pulled out from the showrooms. Better grab them as early as possible I guess. I wish car companies don't just plonk the bigger engine from their sedans in their hatchbacks and call give it a sporty name tag. Bigger better brakes, bigger rims, wider tyres and more safety tech are some of the stuff that complete the package.

I believe I spotted your car in Sadashivanagar last week. The tyres give it a nice stance.

Thank you Santosh and I couldn't possibly agree more with you.

From what I understand, VW have reworked (a bit) the GT TDI suspension over the GT TSI & the regular TDI. This was obvious due to the added weight of the 1.6ltr engine.
But unlike Hyundai, who had probably just plonked the supremely capable 1.5ltr Verna Engine in Getz, without bothering much about other aspects, VW have ensure that GT also gets the safety features necessary to keep the occupants of this hot hatch safe.

Ah I am sorry if you tried signalling at me and I did not notice.

Originally Posted by chase_nt

Nice review (clean and concise without much mumbo jumbo) and congratulations on joining the GT club. I can relate to everything you just wrote in your review as i felt the same when i purchased my TSI last year. Have fun with the GT

Thank you chase_nt.

Whether its a TSI or the TDI, GT is really a special Hatch and I consider myself very fortunate to be able to own one.

[PatienceWins]

Congrats. Somehow I missed this thread.

A very good choice for a driving enthusiast. I would have considered the same, if not for my space requirements.

Do you mind messaging me on your resale experience, and how much you got for your Getz? It pains me to sell a well maintained car considering the poor resale for Getz.

The car looks great in red.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

Congrats. Somehow I missed this thread.

A very good choice for a driving enthusiast. I would have considered the same, if not for my space requirements.

The car looks great in red.

Thank you PatienceWins and I am loving every moment of it.

To be honest, the only reason I held on to my Getz and not pick up GT long back was the space, or so I thought. Yes, hands down Getz is way more spacious and gives the true 'Big Car Inside' feel over the Polo.
But believe me bro, after owning the Polo for a while now, I think Polo is not at all bad. I mean the ergonomics are just perfect. Sure it can never sit 5 people comfortably like Getz can, but 4 adults will never complain.
I think a lot of this attributes to the lovely suspension and low stance of the Polo.

I tried to send a PM but apparently your Inbox is full and you must empty it.

So, I am posting it here. I sold me 2010 Getz Prime for 2.95 Lks.

I am sure you know this fact but Getz 1.3 has a notorious resale value. Many just go by a blind belief that Getz 1.3 is a fuel guzzler. I never once felt that, but considering the price difference b/w Petrol & Diesel, I used to end up paying a lot more on Fuel.

Just one advise in case you are trying to sell your car. Never approach or encourage agents. They are scumbags and will try to cheat you at every possible oppurtunity. If your car is well maintained, you will surely get the asked price or near about.

Personally bro, I suggest you to drive a German car. Take my word, I am totally sold on the German engineering and have understood why they are the global leaders in automobile industry.

[abhinav.s]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

.... I am loving every moment of it.

Congrats on the beauty. Polo with its timeless design was always a coveted car but the dull engine options put off the enthusiasts. It has been remedied with the GT series of the polo which makes it irresistible! Wishing you many happy miles with the car. I guess you will slowly but surely go with the mods (cosmetic first followed by performance down the line)

[krazydriver84]

Hey vik,

Congrats on the buy.

Loving the review.
Had a small query though, during your long drive with your parents, were they comfortable in the rear seats? And how much luggage were you able to carry in the boot?