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-   -   Volkswagen Polo 1.6L GT TDI : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/143597-volkswagen-polo-1-6l-gt-tdi-official-review-3.html)

Excellent review ! I guess it makes better sense for VW to bring in the 1.5 and throw in some more trims we found glaringly missing. This would make it one of the strongest premium hatchbacks around.

Wish they offered a mild-colored alloy to distinguish GT from the rest..

Add ESP to this list which is lacking in the GT TDi.
Disclosure: I have booked Polo GT TSi:D

Anyways, GT TDI is a great car if you are looking for the hot diesel hatch. If I am in the market for the diesel hot hatch, this would have been on the top of my list(along with the tune-o-tronics mods which already tested in Vento).

Nice review, GTO, as always.

VW not tweaking the suspension sounds less enthusiastic. Could it be a half hearted attempt?

Going by your review, the ARAI mileage (as opposed to Vento) is lower and the car feels agile. Could VW have tweaked the mapping a little bit here?

I feel the comparison with the 1.3 MJD is not that justified. The TDi has a big ~350cc advantage.

Also, how do you compare the ride and handling of Polo, Swift, Punto, Figo. Will be great if you could rank these cars based on ride and handling.

One more thing to nit pick :p . Even the Swift has a redline of 5000 rpm. (Am assuming all MJD application have the same)


Thanks

Finally the official review! Superb one as usual! My car is coming on 1st November. This is the first hatchback in the family after the Zen we had way back in '96. That 1.6 TDI engine completely blew me away the first time I drove the Vento TDI. It quite literally feels like you are surfing a huge wave of torque at speed and beyond 100, the revv-band is exactly in the turbo zone, the progress it makes post that is unreal. I'm dreading my run-in, I don't know how will I resist the slick-shifting box & that torque!

I must add to prospective buyers that VW (Prabhadevi, Nerul & Thane) are now offering Rs.25,000/- cash discount + Matched insurance quotes + free rubber matting, Mud flaps & Car Cover (Accessories as a result of haggling ofcourse). The final on-road pricing for Panvel passing and with the discount is Rs.8,90,905/-

The only sad part about buying something like this is, not everyone understands when you tell them your VW Polo is coming upto 9L on-road. They think of me as an idiot spending that kind of money on a hatchback. But hey, thats how petrol-heads are percieved most of the times.

Few questions @ GTO :

Is it really worth buying this car at that high price? It will be around 9.5-10 L OTR here in Pune. I really don't see any reason to buy this at this price. Also it cant seat 5 adults properly.
Though it has a great engine, how comfortable it is for rear passengers? How do you compare its ride quality with the likes of Punto?

You'll be surprised how many 30L cars can't seat 5 adults properly!

FYI - here in Bangalore
Hyundai I20 diesel topend cost 9.44lkhs.
Suzuki Swift diesel topend cost 8.71lkhs.

VW Polo GT TDI is priced at 9.95lkhs, Now where should VW place it?

Last i heard is they are giving cash discount of 25k and free insurance.

It's amazing how many people buy cars buy the cubic foot or the seating capacity! The same thing comes up about the Ecosport where the compact size is actually a selling point rather than a disadvantage.

People who want a larger car or need to shift more people should not even be looking at a small hatchback. On the other hand, single/couple drivers who only want a small hatchback should not be excluded from higher performance. But it would be even nicer if VW were a little more generous on the spec with the bits and pieces.

Well that is the reason why performance hatchbacks have traditionally failed in our country. Too few takers.

For many the hatchback is the only car of the house. So the people and luggage carrying quality of the car carries become way more importance than the fact the car is a few seconds slower in the 0-100 drag.

Did anyone else notice that the gear shifter pod is tilted towards the left?
I think it comes from the left-hand-drive nature of the original car and VW have not bothered to change it! :eek:

ARAI conducts its tests under standard condition. So, temperature and fuel quality variations are not possible. See this and this.

The explanation for the difference in the fuel efficiency is down to different drag coefficients. When the body shape is same, a sedan will generally have less drag than a hatchback due to its boot. :)

Or because the center console is tilted towards the driver side, the snap is deceiving you? :p

No worries with the gear stick positioning here.

Excellent crisp review. Thanks!

This car really needs all 4 disk brakes, ESP, stiffer suspension setup, wider tyres and better head lights. If this is coupled with DSG & paddle shifts, it will become an un-beatable product. Even with a budget of +2L, it can give luxury hatches a run for the money. :thumbs up

There are plenty of single guys (probably the biggest market for this car?) and couple/one-child families. It isn't just the youngsters, either: I could go for this car very happily (currently Polo 1.6 petrol) because the space is fine for a retired couple.

However, too many people who don't even need that space, and could enjoy the car, apply the cu-ft/passenger-number assessment blindly, and I'm sure you're right that that will reduce the sales.

What will a person think...

That much cash for a small "boot*" and only four good seats? Forget it!

or...

That much cash for a car that's going to be a lot of fun! Yeah!

well, time will tell.

My 9 year old indica also indicates redlining at 5000rpm. It's a different story that I have probably never gone beyond 4OOO rpm. I would like to know the significance of the comment that it redlines at 5k.