[Optimus Prime]

Originally Posted by petrolhead_neel

Congrats on buying your garage monster. She looks great in white. Prepare a lengthy ownership review! Please share the buying experience. Any freebies which you got?

Thanks, I got nothing besides the foot mats. They gave me a free Ganesha and a box of chocolates or something, also a framed photo of the car keys being handed over to us.

First impressions : I took it on ring road with the usual Saturday evening Bangalore traffic, just up and down near total mall on ORR and then back through kr puram till my house on old madras road. The car accelerates amazingly well, didn't get a chance to open the throttle because it was just a short drive home and there was too much traffic, it's alarming how quickly you end up right up the arse of the car that seems to be quite far ahead of you. I'm still not entirely comfortable with the automatic, it feels too easy and doesn't involve you with the drive as much as a regular manual, but I did find that driving was a lot easier, it was literally one hand/ one foot driving. I need to find other things to do with my left hand rather than resting it on the gear like I'm used to I still reached for the shifter once before realizing that there was no need to touch it at all.

[H_Dogg72]

Make sure to check the tire pressure. Dealers are infamous for over inflating then.
The DSG is a learning unit and will only get better with time. Make sure you idle the car before and after. It'll surely keep it healthy. Switch to N of the traffic light is over 30sec. And never engage the handbrake when the car is in d/s/m. It'll wreck your clutch. Always ensure that the car isn't in park unnecessarily, otherwise a rear ending will cost you a small fortune.
Lastly, enjoy the car. Don't drive it like a baby, it's meant to be driven hard!
Ps.get the extended warranty.

[D'Artagnan]

Originally Posted by Optimus Prime

They gave me a free Ganesha and a box of chocolates or something, also a framed photo of the car keys being handed over to us.

The car accelerates amazingly well, didn't get a chance to open the throttle because it was just a short drive home and there was too much traffic, it's alarming how quickly you end up right up the arse of the car that seems to be quite far ahead of you. 4.

Hearty congratulations, that's a PRIME car for a PRIME. Enjoy your ride, wishing you millions of safe miles.

[Santoshbhat]

Its been a month now since I got my GT TSI. Would like to list out a few observations

• The DSG unit seems to have adapted to my driving style. What an intuitive gear box it is. Its almost a mind reader!
• I am really happy with the Apollo Alnacs. They are silent and supple and gripwise I have no complaints really. The 185 section tyres do their job well. I would upsize tyres for aesthetic reasons only. If you want to push the car really hard, you first need better brakes.
• The DSG is jittery and not as smooth as regular torque converters at crawling speeds. Its almost as if someone is slipping the clutch for you. I drove my old i10 AT after a bit of a gap and that thing just shoots off the line in a jiffy. Once past crawling speeds, of course, the DSG is in a different zone.
• Sports mode is WOW!. Love the way it downshifts at higher RPMs the moment you get slowed down by traffic, followed by growls from the engine as it keeps the engine on the boil. Almost sounds like an animal getting ready to attack. Sports mode should be great fun in ghat roads and winding roads.
• Handling is neutral, ride quality is superb, straight line stability and speed masking abilities are typical of a Euro car. I'd certainly like a bit more sporty handling but am loving the absorbient ride for the moment.
• Mileage is getting better. Where the i10 used to give me 8 kmpl, I am getting 10 kmpl with the GT TSI. Have also seen 13 ~ 14 kmpl within city during off peak hour drives.

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

. [*]Handling is neutral, ride quality is superb, straight line stability and speed masking abilities are typical of a Euro car. I'd certainly like a bit more sporty handling but am loving the absorbient ride for the moment.

That is the only thing i did not like in the car when i had a test drive of this brilliant machine. VW have went more softer with the suspension tune for the face lifted Polo. Ride quality is exceptionally well but the handling suffers due to it.
The kind of hair raising fun GT TSI produced in sports mode, it definitely deserved a stiffer set up and a better set of brakes. The steering is much improved compared to my 2012 Vento (VW has released an ECU update for old owners and the steering stiffens up after that update). I have also changed over to stiffer set of struts for my car and now i appreciate how much capability my car had but was obstructed by the soft suspension tune.

[*]Mileage is getting better. Where the i10 used to give me 8 kmpl, I am getting 10 kmpl with the GT TSI. Have also seen 13 ~ 14 kmpl within city during off peak hour drives.[/list]

Wow, that is a surprise. So the GT TSI delivers more efficiency than a humble i10 . Shows how efficient the TSI+DSG combo is.

Have fun with your car.

[mail4ajo]

Team, a friend has recently acquired the car and is keenly looking to install the paddle shifters. Heard that lot of folks have used cheaper kits compared to the initially installed high end ones.

Desperately need some concrete information. Please help.

[amanomics]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Team, a friend has recently acquired the car and is keenly looking to install the paddle shifters. Heard that lot of folks have used cheaper kits compared to the initially installed high end ones.

Desperately need some concrete information. Please help.

Not heard of anyone yet who has retro-fitted the paddle shifters on the facelift GT. The only option seems available till now is to update the whole steering wheel.

Not sure what you mean by cheaper kits, all I've seen is the OEM kit installed on the pre-facelift users.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by amanomics

Not heard of anyone yet who has retro-fitted the paddle shifters on the facelift GT. The only option seems available till now is to update the whole steering wheel.

Not sure what you mean by cheaper kits, all I've seen is the OEM kit installed on the pre-facelift users.

It was possible to retrofit these paddle shifters at the rear of the previous generation TSI’s steering wheel:





Snaps credit: Aliexpress Link

Not sure if the new steering wheel design permits this modification.

Vagtune did it AFAIK.

[amanomics]

Yes Gannu, agree, was possible on the pre-facelift GT, although not with the best finish.

Have you come across anybody who is trying this on the facelift? Or somebody who can confirm whether its possible on the facelift?

What's your view? You are a genius on these matters!

[a2k]

After extensive reading on team BHP I have booked a Polo TSI due to be delivered next week.

Has anyone been able to purchase a Kagu 3D mat with a cutout for the dead pedal for the new polo GT TSI. If so can you kindly point me in that direction especially if available in Chennai.

[amanomics]

Gannu, quoting you, probably you missed my reply.

Yes Gannu, agree, was possible on the pre-facelift GT, although not with the best finish.

Have you come across anybody who is trying this on the facelift? Or somebody who can confirm whether its possible on the facelift?

What's your view? You are a genius on these matters!

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

It was possible to retrofit these paddle shifters at the rear of the previous generation TSI’s steering wheel:

Not sure if the new steering wheel design permits this modification.

Vagtune did it AFAIK.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by amanomics

Yes Gannu, agree, was possible on the pre-facelift GT, although not with the best finish.

Have you come across anybody who is trying this on the facelift? Or somebody who can confirm whether its possible on the facelift?

What's your view?

No idea really. Haven’t come across anyone who’s done the retrofit on the newer steering. Best thing would be to contact Vagtune and ask Sugesh. He might have some ideas and they do extensive retrofits on a daily basis.

IIRC this involved cutting some part of the steering and attaching these shifters. It isn’t readily visible since the modification is carried out at the rear of the steering spokes.

BTW congrats to all the new owners! Have fun and drive safely.

[kkdelhi]

Originally Posted by a2k

After extensive reading on team BHP I have booked a Polo TSI due to be delivered next week.

Has anyone been able to purchase a Kagu 3D mat with a cutout for the dead pedal for the new polo GT TSI. If so can you kindly point me in that direction especially if available in Chennai.

@a2k, Congratulations in advance!

Please provide details of your booking experience, including any test drives, on-road price, gap between booking and delivery, and of course the color you chose. Did you consider any other ATs?

[rana_kirti]

i have completed 4000 kms few days ago. most of this has been done within delhi. my driving style has been the same mixed style since i bought the car which is mostly relaxed with a bit of fun. no real running in done.

when the car was new i was getting about 9 km/l and this has steadily increased. i've only been using speed 97 after using normal fuel during the initial 2 or 3 tankfuls.

i go tankful to tankful when the last dot on the fuel gauge goes out and this generally gives me about 41 liters. During last 2 fills the gt tsi has returned back 12 km/l which i feel is excellent. this is with mostly 2 people on board and with 205 55 15 tyres. the tsi/dsg combo packs wonderful performance and can also be very frugal at the same time when driven with a light/relaxed foot within the city.

[d_himan]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

Its been a month now since I got my GT TSI. Would like to list out a few observations

• The DSG unit seems to have adapted to my driving style. What an intuitive gear box it is. Its almost a mind reader!
• I am really happy with the Apollo Alnacs. They are silent and supple and gripwise I have no complaints really. The 185 section tyres do their job well. I would upsize tyres for aesthetic reasons only. If you want to push the car really hard, you first need better brakes.
• The DSG is jittery and not as smooth as regular torque converters at crawling speeds. Its almost as if someone is slipping the clutch for you. I drove my old i10 AT after a bit of a gap and that thing just shoots off the line in a jiffy. Once past crawling speeds, of course, the DSG is in a different zone.
• Sports mode is WOW!. Love the way it downshifts at higher RPMs the moment you get slowed down by traffic, followed by growls from the engine as it keeps the engine on the boil. Almost sounds like an animal getting ready to attack. Sports mode should be great fun in ghat roads and winding roads.
• Handling is neutral, ride quality is superb, straight line stability and speed masking abilities are typical of a Euro car. I'd certainly like a bit more sporty handling but am loving the absorbient ride for the moment.
• Mileage is getting better. Where the i10 used to give me 8 kmpl, I am getting 10 kmpl with the GT TSI. Have also seen 13 ~ 14 kmpl within city during off peak hour drives.

Santosh, exactly similar observations - my I10 AT seems really fast in crawling traffic post the TSI's DSG which sometimes can get slightly jerky. And I'm getting 13.5 kmpl vs 8.5 kmpl in the i10 in similar traffic conditions. And i put the S mode to just take my foot off the accelerator and hear the engine blip. No contest really.

While the tsi's ride quality is far, far better than the i10s, I have a surprising observation. In really 'sharp' bumps or ridges, for instance, concrete road slabs with different height/ manhole cover protruding out of the road, the TSI gives a sickening 'thud' of the dashboard. The i10 doesn't - maybe longer suspension travel..