[Dippy]

What I like:

• Timeless European styling. Ages well.
• Super smooth TSI motor. The 1.2 4 cylinder is a gem.
• Slick 7 speed DSG box. Fast shifts.
• Top notch build quality. Feels built to last.
• Clean no-nonsense cabin layout. I like my physical buttons & analogue instrument cluster.

What I don't:

• Poor rear space. Not the most spacious of hatchbacks.
• Slightly stiff suspension.
• DSG jerks when downshifting from 3 to 2 or 2 to 1.
• Some spares are ridiculously expensive.

[Dippy]

Buying decision and delivery:

I had been using a 2003 Type 2 Honda City AT which I bought pre-owned in 2006. I drove it for 10 years and over 1.25 lakh kms ( ODO was 24xxx when I bought it).

As always with my car purchases, I don't really evaluate multiple cars before deciding a car. It was the same case when I bought the City and the Zen before it. I had already decided that I would buy a VW Polo GT TSI as my next car. I did not think of going the pre-owned rote this time around because I was skeptical of used GT TSIs in the market. So brand new it had to be.

Walked into the VW Downtown dealership in Prabhadevi Mumbai and booked myself a Carbon Steel GT TSI. Only three colours were available at that time. While White was too common, Red felt too flashy to me.

While the official waiting was 1.5 months, pulling some strings in VW India got my car allotted in 5 days flat. After a comprehensive check at the stockyard, took delivery of the car on 2nd October 2016.

Pictures taken at the stockyard:





Said goodbye to my beloved Honda City exactly 10 years after I bought it home:



Picture from delivery day:

[Dippy]

Exterior:

The Polo is a great looking hatchback. Even though this model is now more than 12 years old in India and has also ceased production, it still doesn't look old and has aged well. Classic European lines, very clean and understated. Nothing flashy or loud:





Clean and pleasing side profile:



15 inch alloys not very sporty but look good. VW started offering 16 inchers a couple of months after I bought my car:



A view from the dead front and rear. Looks well proportioned from any angle you look at it:

Interior:

just like the exterior, the interior has a very uncluttered layout. I really love black interiors and I am glad my car came with those as opposed to earlier GTs that featured dual tone beige:



Analogue instrument cluster. Nothing digital here and I like it that way. Love the red glow of the needles in the dark:



Touchscreen easy to use and fairly responsive. Misses out on Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Font size is decent. But I have to agree it now looks outdated more than 6 years later. Audio quality is fair, nothing exceptional:



The indicator and wiper stalks are of good quality:



Single zone climate control. Physical buttons work well. The knobs are well finished too:



Front seats have good travel for height and reach. Easy to find my perfect driving position. The fabric on the seats feel long lasting:



Poor space at the rear. Its fine for someone sitting behind me but not otherwise. No rear AC vents either:



Thumbs up for adjustable head rests foe rear passengers :



The boot is deep and spacious. Have done multiple airport runs with the Polo and its surprising how much luggage it can take:

[Dippy]

Driving experience:

The engine is a 1.2 litre four cylinder turbo petrol good for 105 horses and 175 Nm of torque.



In the city:

The GT TSI feels very easy to drive in daily city commute. It is pretty quick to move from a standstill and gets to normal driving speeds in no time at all. The 7 speed DSG has precise and smooth shifts. It actually adapts to your driving style. Since I am a sedate driver, the gearbox reaches D7 at speeds of 50kph. Overtaking is a breeze; just mash the accelerator and the gearbox goes down a couple of gears shooting you forward. NVH levels are good for the TSI motor and you really don't hear the engine at any given time. On the other hand, it gives a nice growl in flat out acceleration, especially in Sport mode. Its a good feeling watching the analogue needle climb up the rev range.

What I don't like however is the jerks felt when the gearbox down shifts from D3 to D2 or from D2 to D1 at low speeds. Its rather irritating. Apart from that I religiously pu the car in N even at short intervals at traffic signals.

On the highway:

As far as highway driving is concerned, I have only taken the car for multiple Mumbai-Pune trips. It feels very stable and planted at high speeds and inspires a lot of confidence. The power is more than enough to overtake trucks and other slower vehicles on the highway. There is no lack of momentum even on inclines. Handling is decent with minimal body roll and I like the weight of the steering even though its an EPS unit.

The Polo GT comes with ABS and stopping power ia good. Even sudden braking doesn't spring up any surprises.

Ride quality is decently comfortable, but the stiff suspension does tend to let thuds be felt inside the cabin if you go over deep undulations on the road at a moderate speed.

Modifications:

None as such. The only upgrade I did was upsizing the tyres immediately after delivery. My car came with JK Tyre 185s so I upgraded to 195s Yokohama S-Drives. Other than that just a red stripe on the grille and custom 'Nurburgring' decals. Also replaced the stock TSI badge with one that has the letter I in red. Got rid of the GT TSI stickers on the C pillar after delivery as well.

The 'Ring' decal and the TSI badge:



Apart from that, nothing. I like keeping my cars stock. I'm tempted to change the alloys, but for that I will have to upsize the tyres again. Doesn't make sense for a car run 31000 km only.

Service & maintenance :

• The car has been getting its yearly services done at the VW Downtown service center at Sewri, Mumbai.
  
• I have been pretty satisfied with the service experience overall. I make it a point to drive my car to the service center myself, get the service done with me standing next to it and then driving home.
  
• The SAs have tried to add necessary bits to the job card during every service to inflate the bill, only to have it deleted by me.
  
• Average service cost has come to around 11-12k every time.
  
• VW is pretty slow in getting warranty replacements approved. I have had 2 ABS sensors replaced in the past 6 years. While the dealer wanted to take his own sweet time to get it approved, I made it a point to sit on their heads pronto. I mean for parts like ABS sensors which are known to fail in all cars, why so much time for approvals?
  
• Some parts are ridiculously expensive. For eg: The power mirror adjust knob is very flimsy and it broke. The tiny knob cost me Rs. 5000 to replace.

The notorious power window adjust knob:

Summary:

Overall its been a fun ownership of this little car which is a pocket rocket. I love it for its simplicity and the fact that it doesn't come with too much tech. The best part is that even after I drive a high end car for a few days and come back to my GT, it doesn't feel like Ive come back to a smaller car. It has lived up to be a worthy replacement to my Honda City, a car l loved very dearly.

The full extended warranty gets over by the end of March. Will be looking to do some VCDS tweaks and a couple of other things post that.

The Polo GT currently shares space with a 2012 Honda Civic V AT in my garage.

Thank you for reading.

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Nice to see the GT TSI 1.2 TSI being reviewed as a new one. May you exceed a million miles on the stock mechanicals

My 2013 one has covered 1 lakh now! Touching wood for 1.5l in next 5 years...

[Dippy]

Originally Posted by 1.2TSI7DSG

Nice to see the GT TSI 1.2 TSI being reviewed as a new one. May you exceed a million miles on the stock mechanicals

My 2013 one has covered 1 lakh now! Touching wood for 1.5l in next 5 years...

Thanks. Yes. I intend to keep my car stock as long as I own it. Your 2013 model much have the dual tone interiors and a different steering wheel if I'm not wrong.

[subramak]

Originally Posted by Dippy

While the official waiting was 1.5 months, pulling some strings in VW India got my car allotted in 5 days flat. After a comprehensive check at the stockyard, took delivery of the car on 2nd October 2016.

Where they able to make a new vehicle to your specifications in 5 days flat and deliver? That is amazing.

Since that is unlikely, don't you think someone else had their delivery delayed due to you pulling strings.

Best, Subramanian

[Dippy]

Originally Posted by subramak

Where they able to make a new vehicle to your specifications in 5 days flat and deliver? That is amazing.

Since that is unlikely, don't you think someone else had their delivery delayed due to you pulling strings.

Best, Subramanian

I don't think any one else's car got delayed. I booked in September and my car VIN showed same month of manufacture. Carbon Steel wasn't an in demand colour that time. They offered me white and red quicker. Two Carbon Steel cars came in a truck consignment out of which I was offered one.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Originally Posted by Dippy

Thanks. Yes. I intend to keep my car stock as long as I own it. Your 2013 model much have the dual tone interiors and a different steering wheel if I'm not wrong.

Yes!

It also has candlelight headlamps as opposed to the dual candlelight headlamps your car has.

I was immensely tempted to move to 16-inch rims when I was scouting my second set of tires but then gave up the idea because of the costs. Running on 195/60 R15 - MRF PFs now. My earlier set Michellins ran for 56k kms and the stock apollos around 46k.

[subramak]

Originally Posted by Dippy

I don't think any one else's car got delayed. I booked in September and my car VIN showed same month of manufacture. Carbon Steel wasn't an in demand colour that time. They offered me white and red quicker. Two Carbon Steel cars came in a truck consignment out of which I was offered one.

I thought you mentioned pulling some strings to accelerate delivery( it wouldnt be required if there was no demand).

Congratulations