[asdon]

Flying machine!!! thats what I could describe the GT as, after taking a long test drive yesterday, total I did 38 km, which included 2 B2B trafic situation and then a streach of signal free zone, I car responded very well in all conditions, and I was bowled by the S mode. just to see how much it can pull, for a 4 km streach I pushed it and it reached 3-digit speeds in no time, I thought I don't need to know further, the car was stable like anything. Yesterday again I questioned them about gear box fail issues, but the dealership was very positive that VW has rectified some of the issues which were reported before in India and else where.

Overall, My experience was very good, the low end torque like diesel cars was fun, and then the blast of power. It shifted from D3 to D5 very fast, then D6 & D7 were smooth shift. Cabin space was some issue for me as I was comparing it with my Punto, both front and back spaces are less, but thats not a deal breaker for me as this will be mainly used by my wife and I will only get to ride it on weekends. AC was super cool, musice system not so great but more than ok, MID was full of informations. But neither me or the SA could figure out how to switch off/on the ESP, there was a switch but pushing it was had no difference, if some one has any idea please let me know. The rear parking sensors are not with graffics, only sound, they should have given a display for it. But both of us were ok with few misses here and there, and went ahead and decided to book one, bad thing was there were only 3 colours for GT, Red, Black & White, already have a red Punto, had a black Alto, so had to go with White. Now the wait begins..

[crazyro]

Took a test drive at BU Bhandari Pune yesterday. Being a Saturday it was crowded so had to wait for around 30-40 mins. In the meantime had a look at the car in the showroom. Not much difference that the regular Polo other than the badging. Excellent build and interior quality. Rear space is less as expected from a hatch.
Confirmed from sales executive that DSG was covered under warranty.

Finally got to test drive the car. Was happy to see they had a proper demo car for test drives. Could only take a 20 mins drive since many were waiting for it.
Excellent low end response and the DSG is a delight. If floored the pedal really hard I could red line it even in the normal D mode which was surprising. I think it adjusts the shifts on the fly as per your throttle input. Manual mode was also fun but missed the paddle shifts. I loved the engine growl when you push it hard. Sounded like a F1 machine.
As pointed out in an earlier post I didnt feel the ESP effect at all. Steering was feather light and handling was ok but not in the league of Ford Figo or Punto
If you are looking for an automatic below 10 lakhs this is the one to go for.
As far as outright power is concerned except for the low end response I didnt find it much different from the ANHC which I currently drive. It just didnt blow me away that much.
Coming to the pricing only a corporate discount of around 6000 was offered. That makes it around 9 lakhs on road pune which is not bad.

Coming to the dealership experience it was very good. Everyone was polite and friendly. Did not experience the snobbish Volkswagen attitude that I have heard so much about.
Though the wait was long they continuously kept apologizing for it. They even offered me a longer test drive on non busy days to test the highway manners. This was even before they came to know that I was a Team BHP member. They came to know about it from my keychain when they took my car for evaluation. Was happy to see they were aware of it and had great respect for it.

[arjun18]

Took a short test drive of the polo gt yesterday, the brake pedal is quite different from other auto boxes I've driven. It's very,very light and the travel is just about an inch or so. I'm used to driving a clattering indigo and am used to a hard feel of the pedals (I drive other cars often and this was still too light), press the pedal a little and nothing happens, press a little harder and the brakes just slam on. It was a weird experience . I absolutely loved the acceleration and smoothness of shifts, even the driver gets slammed back into the seat! I took a test drive of the i20 diesel after that to check if something was wrong with me, turns out the polo's steering and brakes are very light indeed!

[tharian]

Honestly, I don't think this car needs a manual at all like some members were complaining.
Took a short test drive and what a blast it was. The turbo kick felt the quickest among all the turbo cars I have sat in. A 100% fun car to have and will always leave a smile all the way .
Tried both the D and S modes although I could not rev to the limit due to the traffic. Friend and Tbhhp member SandeepMohan had a blast redlining the car and it pinned my head to the headrest.

The manual mode is similar to the Sonata H matic I drove years ago, except that in this case the lever needs to be just nudged and in the Sonata it was a click and you need to push the lever.
When I drove in S mode, the most entertaining part was when the engine auto blipped when downshifting. At first I did not think it was actually doing it and in the next downshift I waited and it actually did! Thats a feature enough for me to buy one, although it will be a long time away.

I think the turbo and DSG compliments each other and that is what makes this car stand out. It can take on any hatch in the country at present with ease and give bigger cars a sweat.
Brakes were good enough, but I did feel slight lethargy when braked from good speeds, but since it has ABS, that is a big confidence .
I must say the VW dealership was different from what I expected. The person who attended us offered us a test drive before we asked and while waiting for the test, we had time to ogle at the Polo R cup parked there.

Like I mentioned in my previous post, hats off to VW for kickstarting a new breed.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by asdon

But neither me or the SA could figure out how to switch off/on the ESP, there was a switch but pushing it was had no difference, if some one has any idea please let me know...

I don't think ESP can be switched on / off via a button in the cabin.

From what I've understood, one would need to fiddle with the ECU to switch off the ESP and this is not recommended.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I don't think ESP can be switched on / off via a button in the cabin.

From what I've understood, one would need to fiddle with the ECU to switch off the ESP and this is not recommended.

Incorrect. There is an ESP switch in the centre console below the AC vents. The way to switch it off is not to just press it but to keep it pressed for a long while like 10secs. This is done so you don't accidentally switch it off by a single press. Hence a long press is required.

[agambhandari]

Originally Posted by asdon

But neither me or the SA could figure out how to switch off/on the ESP, there was a switch but pushing it was had no difference, if some one has any idea please let me know.

You can switch off ESP in most cars that have them.

Mostly, to switch off the ESP, you need to press the button and hold it down for about 10 seconds, and it turns off only after that.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Incorrect. There is an ESP switch in the centre console below the AC vents. The way to switch it off is not to just press it but to keep it pressed for a long while like 10secs. This is done so you don't accidentally switch it off by a single press. Hence a long press is required.

Thanks Vid.

I'd watched this episode of Fifth Gear where they were demonstrating the benefits of ESP in modern cars and just to show the consequences of not having ESP, they had to access the ECU to disable it, so I'd assumed that that's how it's done.

EDIT: On some cars, gadgets like traction control and ESP can't be switched off completely even if there are buttons for the purpose. They will kick in even if they've been switched off.

[drjanakpatel]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I don't think ESP can be switched on / off via a button in the cabin.

From what I've understood, one would need to fiddle with the ECU to switch off the ESP and this is not recommended.

There is a switch on the dashboard to turn it off. There will be orange light on the console to display ESC off. I think a simple press would do the job. That is how I did it last time but will confirm if needs to be long pressed.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Thanks Vid.

I'd watched this episode of Fifth Gear where they were demonstrating the benefits of ESP in modern cars and just to show the consequences of not having ESP, they had to access the ECU to disable it, so I'd assumed that that's how it's done.

EDIT: On some cars, gadgets like traction control and ESP can't be switched off completely even if there are buttons for the purpose. They will kick in even if they've been switched off.

In some cars like the BMW M5, even if you turn it off, it doesn't go fully off. Basically switching off will cut ESP by 80%. The ESP will reduce the assistance. It's not that it cuts back in fully but just cuts in later than with ESP on.

The simplest way to truly turn it off is again not access the ECU but just remove the fuse.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

In some cars like the BMW M5, even if you turn it off, it doesn't go fully off. Basically switching off will cut ESP by 80%. The ESP will reduce the assistance. It's not that it cuts back in fully but just cuts in later than with ESP on.

The simplest way to truly turn it off is again not access the ECU but just remove the fuse.

This is what I was trying to say.

I'm not sure how it works in the Polo GT though i.e. if the ESP button completely disables the system or allows some play before kicking in.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

This is what I was trying to say.

I'm not sure how it works in the Polo GT though i.e. if the ESP button completely disables the system or allows some play before kicking in.

Its the same with the Polo as well. Its never switched off completely. I have read about this earlier in a local publication here

[diffsoft]

If there has been a recall of DQ 200 and a free replacement in China, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore; then it seems reasonable to assume that the replaced unit is more reliable than the earlier ones.

If so, then these more reliable boxes could find their way in the Polo GT - given that it is launched and hence produced after these recalls; then shouldn't one assume that the DSG here will be more trouble free than in other Asian countries?

Or would it so be that the older unreliable DQ 200 left over inventory is fitted into the Polo GT launched here?

Any thoughts / views will be appreciated.

Cheers,

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by shibujp

According to the sales guy I talked to today when I went to check out the Polo TSI, it comes with a 2 yr unlimited kms warranty. What seems peculiar is that extended warranty is a 4 yr, 1 lakh km. That is 1 lakh kms for the whole 4 years. Is this accurate?.

It means, 4 years or 1 lakh kms, which ever comes first

[shibujp]

One cool thing that would have greatly increased the appeal of this hatch would have been the interiors similar to those offered on the Skoda Laura vRS. Now that is what we would call a GT interior.

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

That is how they have been offering warranty for other models as well. Nothing pecular as far as terms are similar to their previous offerings.

Originally Posted by Mpower

It means, 4 years or 1 lakh kms, which ever comes first

What I found odd is that you get unlimited kms if you go for the 2 year warranty but only 1 lakh km for the 4 year warranty. Anyway it does make sense when I think it through. Probability of failure would be more during the initial lifetime of the product and less during the mid point of the lifetime.

Originally Posted by diffsoft

If there has been a recall of DQ 200 and a free replacement in China, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore; then it seems reasonable to assume that the replaced unit is more reliable than the earlier ones.

I think a good strategy on VW's part would have been to address these questions surrounding the DQ200 and offer a warranty targeted specifically addressing these questions.

For a buyer like me it is going to be a single daily driver with no standby or second car. What I am looking for is a fun to drive yet reliable car. Mechanicals should be bullet-proof.

Drive on,
Shibu.