Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review

ngauravmalhotra · 21st October 2015, 23:38

are the original seat covers removable?
I mean in case i keep them on for 3-4 years can i remove them and change to a new cover or will i have to put the new seat covers on top of them.
I like the original seat covers and want to keep them. but they do get old in 3-4 years. And i do not like any covers currently . nothing comes close to the originals. 😕

khoj · 22nd October 2015, 02:34

No, these are not removable

Quote:

Originally Posted by ngauravmalhotra

are the original seat covers removable?

frankmehta · 22nd October 2015, 09:28

Removable they aren't. But seat cover workshops can remove them if you want a tighter fit for the new covers. They can be removed by the seat guys professionally.

Gannu_1 · 22nd October 2015, 09:38

They are removable alright. I've got the seat covers on my car stitched after the stock ones were removed by the upholsterer. But based on my experience, I'd advise not to get rid of the stock cloth covers - they may not be aesthetic compared to the afetrmarket ones but they are supremely comfortable and does not result in sweaty backs after a long drive during summers. Dare I say, I miss my stock covers now!

k36 · 22nd October 2015, 21:38

New GT TSI came home today after a month long grueling wait. It replaced my 9+ year old Swift VXi.

Hope to enjoy this tech jewel for long time.

manish84 · 22nd October 2015, 22:44

Congratulations k36, do post more info on color and pricing. Any discount or freebies?
My AT search is going no where and though I am not comfortable with VW brand after dieselgate, I think I will end up buying TSI as no other AT matches it in any aspect. Aspire is the closest yet very far in terms of engine and built.

Santoshbhat · 23rd October 2015, 10:12

Drove to Belgaum and back for the first time in my GT TSI. I do this drive quite frequently in my modded Laura TSI. THese days the Laura only does highway duty and the ATs in the house (i10 + Polo) serve me well in crowded Bangalore city.

I must say the Polo surprised me with its highway performance. That little 1.2L unit sure can pack a punch. The DSG was a revelation on the highway. It was great to not have to change gears manually every time you are slowed by two slow moving vehicles blocking all lanes. The car has tremendous poise and stability at speed. The light steering weighs up nicely and I never had any feeling of nervousness on the four lane NH. Braking is the weak link on the car and its nowhere as good as that of the Laura.

I was quicker that almost all diesels I encountered on the highway. The wide powerband of the petrol motor combined with the quick DSG surprised a lot of bigger cars including a Laura TDI MT.

The only issue was the soft suspension which makes its presence felt on those joints on flyovers. The car tends to bounce and makes you slow down, whereas in my Laura with the Bilsteins I just don't bother. On flat straights though it was brilliant.

I was happy with the range too. After the 510 kms drive I still had about 150 kms of range left. I got about 13 kmpl, with driving in D mode for the most part. I was in S mode for about 40 kms on the Tumkur - Nelamangala stretch. The S mode is just brilliant when you are weaving through dense traffic, dropping down gears and keeping the engine on the boil and shifting up like an F1 car when you floor the throttle

.

Some stats from the drive
Distance : 502 kms
Time travelled : 5:41 mins
Avg speed : 88 kmph
Fuel : BP BS III petrol at Belgaum
FE : 12.90 kmpl
Range left after the drive : 150 kms
D mode : S mode = 9:1

To put this in perspective when compared to my normal drives in my 200 PS Laura, I take about 15 mins less time and end up averaging about 11 kmpl with an average speed of about 92 kmph.

I am thrilled with the highway performance of the stock Polo. Bilstiens, 16" Alloys, 205 section tyres, Paddle shift steering and a mild remap is on the cards.

polo_ankit · 23rd October 2015, 10:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by k36

New GT TSI came home today after a month long grueling wait. It replaced my 9+ year old Swift VXi.

Hope to enjoy this tech jewel for long time.

Congratulations k36 on your acquisition & welcome to the club! Enjoy the pocket rocket! Is yours the FL FL GT TSI? The one with the auto folding ORVMs? Some pics would be nice...

Do you have any mods planned for it? Personally, the most important mod that should be done (if you're into that), is the GTI steering with paddles! It has completely changed the way I drive this beauty.
Congratulations once again & looking forward to updates from you...

freedom · 26th October 2015, 08:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by k36

New GT TSI came home today after a month long grueling wait. It replaced my 9+ year old Swift VXi.

Hope to enjoy this tech jewel for long time.

Fantastic! Congratulations. Wish you a looong and happy ownership.

Some day, I want to goto Chakan and click a snap of the Polo with VW factory in background. May be some time after Diwali. Lets see...

k36 · 26th October 2015, 09:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by manish84

Congratulations k36, do post more info on color and pricing. Any discount or freebies?
My AT search is going no where and though I am not comfortable with VW brand after dieselgate, I think I will end up buying TSI as no other AT matches it in any aspect. Aspire is the closest yet very far in terms of engine and built.

Thanks Manish. Mine is of white color. Price as per the dealer's quotation was 9.85L including about 41K the zero dep insurance (VW drive assure economy, from Bajaj Allianz).

On this, I got 3.3K corporate discount, and free mats and mud flaps. Also, I was able to negotiate on the insurance, then using my old car's 35% NCB, finally paid 25.6K.

In terms of build quality and city drivability there is no better AT on our side of 10L

Quote:

Originally Posted by polo_ankit

Congratulations k36 on your acquisition & welcome to the club! Enjoy the pocket rocket! Is yours the FL FL GT TSI? The one with the auto folding ORVMs? Some pics would be nice...

Do you have any mods planned for it? Personally, the most important mod that should be done (if you're into that), is the GTI steering with paddles! It has completely changed the way I drive this beauty.
Congratulations once again & looking forward to updates from you...

Thanks Ankit. Mine was built in October and has auto folding ORVMs.
My use case is different. Car usage is going to be very low, mostly by wife and 99% in dense city traffic, so not planning any mods yet.

I've got Apollo Alnacs, which are considered to be the better stock tires, so no plans to change them too.

Central armrest looks interesting, but I don't know its utility in city driving. Any experiences?

Quote:

Originally Posted by freedom

Fantastic! Congratulations. Wish you a looong and happy ownership.

Some day, I want to goto Chakan and click a snap of the Polo with VW factory in background. May be some time after Diwali. Lets see...

Thanks freedom!. Photos of the car in front of the VW factory looks like a great idea.

Tell us the driving experience of your GT TSI

I'll post some pics whenever I get time to drive to some picturesque place. Hopefully in couple of weeks.

polo_ankit · 26th October 2015, 09:48

Hi k36, armrest should've come stock in an automatic. That's how important it is. You can order it from AliExpress or J&J. I got mine (with cup holder) from J&J & got a friend to fit it for me.

graaja · 26th October 2015, 10:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by k36

New GT TSI came home today after a month long grueling wait. It replaced my 9+ year old Swift VXi.

Hope to enjoy this tech jewel for long time.

Welcome to the TSi club. Wishing you tens of thousands of safe, niggle free happy miles with smiles

Quote:

Originally Posted by k36

Central armrest looks interesting, but I don't know its utility in city driving. Any experiences?

In an automatic car, in city drive in bumper to bumper traffic, as your left hand is free from continuous gear shifting, an armrest comes very handy to rest your left hand when there is not much steering work.

khoj · 26th October 2015, 13:37

Gannu, removable would generally imply that one is able to reupholster the seats with the same covers.
AFAIK once the OE covers are removed they can't be put back on, unless your upholsterer had a trick up his sleeve that the laymen are not aware of

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

They are removable alright. I've got the seat covers on my car stitched after the stock ones were removed by the upholsterer. But based on my experience, I'd advise not to get rid of the stock cloth covers - they may not be aesthetic compared to the afetrmarket ones but they are supremely comfortable and does not result in sweaty backs after a long drive during summers. Dare I say, I miss my stock covers now!

freedom · 26th October 2015, 23:15

Had a heart in the mouth situation today.

I was coming down a steep slope (for Pune folks its the Chandani Chowk slope towards Kothrud). This is probably the steepest road I have ever driven in city limits. The road is so steep that its used only to come down, many vehicles will struggle to climb up!!

The length of the slope is less than 100m. The speed limit is 10k/h. I usually drive down in 2nd gear using engine braking, its impossible to do 10 kmph on this road.

So today I was driving the Polo for the first time on that road. Braked at the start of the drop, switched to Manual mode and went from 4 to 3 to 2, then let go of the brakes... behold the car accelerated in 2nd to about 30-40kmph, I had to use foot brakes just before the end of the slope to slow down. DSG didn't upshift still there was significant speed up in 2nd gear, not something I expected.
Next time I am going to try 1st gear and see if I use engine braking to good effect. I am trying to keep the revs under 4K and 1st gear on that section would surely go beyond 4K.

Anyone experienced this before? I will need to be extra careful coming down Mall parking ramps.

Usually DSG holds on to the gear after braking and doesn't upshift even when there is a slight slope and no Accelerator input, i.e it never freewheels. This is a feature I really like compared to Torque Converter ATs

freedom · 28th October 2015, 11:15

Mileage update.
Filled up the tank today morning.
526km and the tank took in 35 liters of fuel. Thats 15 kmpl.

526 km includes
150 km on expressway
40 km on normal highway
Rest in city and general commutes.

AC on all the time between 22 to 24.

I am happy with the mileage. I can live with 13 so 15 is very very good.

21st October 2015, 23:38	#3286
ngauravmalhotra BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 44 Thanked: 23 Times	are the original seat covers removable? I mean in case i keep them on for 3-4 years can i remove them and change to a new cover or will i have to put the new seat covers on top of them. I like the original seat covers and want to keep them. but they do get old in 3-4 years. And i do not like any covers currently . nothing comes close to the originals. 😕
	() Thanks

22nd October 2015, 09:28	#3288
frankmehta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,000 Thanked: 3,577 Times View My Garage	Removable they aren't. But seat cover workshops can remove them if you want a tighter fit for the new covers. They can be removed by the seat guys professionally.
	() Thanks

22nd October 2015, 09:38	#3289
Gannu_1 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Madras Posts: 7,174 Thanked: 20,220 Times	Re: Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review They are removable alright. I've got the seat covers on my car stitched after the stock ones were removed by the upholsterer. But based on my experience, I'd advise not to get rid of the stock cloth covers - they may not be aesthetic compared to the afetrmarket ones but they are supremely comfortable and does not result in sweaty backs after a long drive during summers. Dare I say, I miss my stock covers now!
	(3) Thanks

22nd October 2015, 21:38	#3290
k36 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 133 Thanked: 21 Times	New GT TSI came home today after a month long grueling wait. It replaced my 9+ year old Swift VXi. Hope to enjoy this tech jewel for long time.
	(1) Thanks

22nd October 2015, 22:44	#3291
manish84 BHPian Join Date: May 2012 Location: Bangalore Posts: 202 Thanked: 274 Times	Congratulations k36, do post more info on color and pricing. Any discount or freebies? My AT search is going no where and though I am not comfortable with VW brand after dieselgate, I think I will end up buying TSI as no other AT matches it in any aspect. Aspire is the closest yet very far in terms of engine and built.
	() Thanks

23rd October 2015, 10:12	#3292
Santoshbhat Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2011 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,345 Thanked: 6,852 Times View My Garage	Re: Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review Drove to Belgaum and back for the first time in my GT TSI. I do this drive quite frequently in my modded Laura TSI. THese days the Laura only does highway duty and the ATs in the house (i10 + Polo) serve me well in crowded Bangalore city. I must say the Polo surprised me with its highway performance. That little 1.2L unit sure can pack a punch. The DSG was a revelation on the highway. It was great to not have to change gears manually every time you are slowed by two slow moving vehicles blocking all lanes. The car has tremendous poise and stability at speed. The light steering weighs up nicely and I never had any feeling of nervousness on the four lane NH. Braking is the weak link on the car and its nowhere as good as that of the Laura. I was quicker that almost all diesels I encountered on the highway. The wide powerband of the petrol motor combined with the quick DSG surprised a lot of bigger cars including a Laura TDI MT. The only issue was the soft suspension which makes its presence felt on those joints on flyovers. The car tends to bounce and makes you slow down, whereas in my Laura with the Bilsteins I just don't bother. On flat straights though it was brilliant. I was happy with the range too. After the 510 kms drive I still had about 150 kms of range left. I got about 13 kmpl, with driving in D mode for the most part. I was in S mode for about 40 kms on the Tumkur - Nelamangala stretch. The S mode is just brilliant when you are weaving through dense traffic, dropping down gears and keeping the engine on the boil and shifting up like an F1 car when you floor the throttle . Some stats from the drive Distance : 502 kms Time travelled : 5:41 mins Avg speed : 88 kmph Fuel : BP BS III petrol at Belgaum FE : 12.90 kmpl Range left after the drive : 150 kms D mode : S mode = 9:1 To put this in perspective when compared to my normal drives in my 200 PS Laura, I take about 15 mins less time and end up averaging about 11 kmpl with an average speed of about 92 kmph. I am thrilled with the highway performance of the stock Polo. Bilstiens, 16" Alloys, 205 section tyres, Paddle shift steering and a mild remap is on the cards. Attached Thumbnails
	(8) Thanks

26th October 2015, 09:48	#3296
polo_ankit BHPian Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Mumbai Posts: 55 Thanked: 32 Times	Hi k36, armrest should've come stock in an automatic. That's how important it is. You can order it from AliExpress or J&J. I got mine (with cup holder) from J&J & got a friend to fit it for me. Last edited by moralfibre : 26th October 2015 at 09:55. Reason: See Rule #11
	() Thanks

26th October 2015, 23:15	#3299
freedom BHPian Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Pune Posts: 467 Thanked: 482 Times	Re: Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review Had a heart in the mouth situation today. I was coming down a steep slope (for Pune folks its the Chandani Chowk slope towards Kothrud). This is probably the steepest road I have ever driven in city limits. The road is so steep that its used only to come down, many vehicles will struggle to climb up!! The length of the slope is less than 100m. The speed limit is 10k/h. I usually drive down in 2nd gear using engine braking, its impossible to do 10 kmph on this road. So today I was driving the Polo for the first time on that road. Braked at the start of the drop, switched to Manual mode and went from 4 to 3 to 2, then let go of the brakes... behold the car accelerated in 2nd to about 30-40kmph, I had to use foot brakes just before the end of the slope to slow down. DSG didn't upshift still there was significant speed up in 2nd gear, not something I expected. Next time I am going to try 1st gear and see if I use engine braking to good effect. I am trying to keep the revs under 4K and 1st gear on that section would surely go beyond 4K. Anyone experienced this before? I will need to be extra careful coming down Mall parking ramps. Usually DSG holds on to the gear after braking and doesn't upshift even when there is a slight slope and no Accelerator input, i.e it never freewheels. This is a feature I really like compared to Torque Converter ATs
	() Thanks

28th October 2015, 11:15	#3300
freedom BHPian Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Pune Posts: 467 Thanked: 482 Times	Re: Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review Mileage update. Filled up the tank today morning. 526km and the tank took in 35 liters of fuel. Thats 15 kmpl. 526 km includes 150 km on expressway 40 km on normal highway Rest in city and general commutes. AC on all the time between 22 to 24. I am happy with the mileage. I can live with 13 so 15 is very very good.
	(1) Thanks