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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-5.html)

Comparing cross polo with GT TDI in show room made us think that it had better GC. Looks can be deceiving.

Dont know about 1.2 polo but test drove the car with 4 adults in some really bad potholes and humps we didnt have any scraping issues. May be they have stiffened a bit in GT tdi.
Which tires spec are you running?

You bet.

avinash_clt - I always liked red polo but all the family members choice was white.

Had been to 600km drive with 5 adults.

Got 17kmpl me cruising at 150kmph. A evoque with a single guy got surprise of his life time seeing a fully loaded hatch overtaking it.

My dads driving got me 21.5kmpl maintaining 100kmph.

Excellent review.
The price point is justified for the overall package the car delivers but it could have come with a hydraulic power steering unit (point and shoot in the highways) and a pirelli pzero 205 footing.

Is it fair to expect a 0-100 sprint at around 8 seconds with better tires and Tune-O-Tronics remap? what are the stock timing on GT TDI which is slightly lighter than the south african one?

As always top notch review GTO :thumbs up

When rest of the car makers are focusing on bringing in facelifts with no mechanical changes and here is one manufacturer who thinks the otherwise.
This is the second engine update which polo is receiving in this year and no doubt both 1.2 TSI and 1.6 TDI are purely meant for driving enthusiasts like us. clap:

However I really don`t understand why Volkswagen took so long time to bring in 1.6 diesel engine. Since there are already reports that 2014 refreshed polo will be coming with 1.5 TDI, I know it may be a stop gap strategy but I am not really sure how this strategy is going to work out for them.

Stock timing 0-100 of Polo 1.6 TDi is 10.4 sec. After remap, you could expect timings at about 9+ secs. Certainly it wouldn't be in the region of 8 secs. Also wider tires means more traction which in turn can increase timings and also adds weight. Hope it helps.:)

Maybe they have. Maybe the suspension has gotten softer over my 1.5 year usage.

I am stilling running the standard 14" steel wheels with stock JK tires. Planning to upgrade to 15" with 195/60 cross section rubber and get one of those suspension spacers all around. Hope that will help a little.

As a genuine fan of hot hatches looking for an exciting second car (have an SX4 ZXi for the family), the Polo GT TDi (and the TSi) have obviously piqued my interest.

Considering that the 1.6 GT TDi is said to be a "stop-gap" model, and that there may be a facelifted 1.5 TDi released as early as mid next year, does it make sense to go for a 1.6 right now ? I'm thinking in terms of -

1. long term spares availability (engine and/or transmission related)
2. price - would the cut in excise when moving from 1.6 to under 1.5 be a huge one? 1L OTR price difference? more? less?
3. is there a possibility that VW may keep the price of the 1.5 the same, but bring in more features like ESP, etc. (from the TSi) with better interiors?
4. the facelifted Polo (hardly seems like a facelift from the spy pics) from 2014 may fetch a better resale value?

FYI - I'm in no real hurry to buy a second car at this point.

Also can't help but wonder .. if the 1.5 is already planned, why would VW waste time and money in testing the 1.6 only for a sales-span of 7-8 months? Especially so for a model which, given the price tag, is not going to bring in volumes anyway.

Some of my concerns may be noobish, but just wanted to get some clarity. Thanks in advance. :)

I got mine last week and believe you me this thing is f-a-a-s-t! I have ruined my run-in and I just hope that views like "modern engines don't really require a run-in" are actually true. Its perfectly ideal if you are looking for a fun 2nd car.

Yes, the 1.5TDI is already planned and could hit the market by mid-next year if ACI is to be believed. However, I also read around that the 1.5 would be a replacement to the existing 3-cylinder diesel engine and if so I guess the power output would be capped to the existing 75bhp or perhaps 90bhp in interests of fuel economy and they might just improve on the refinement (3-cylinder engine) & drivability (turbo-lag) which are the outgoing Polo's weak points.

It can also be said that if at all VW looks to maximize its benefits, they might just plonk the 1.5L TDI in the Vento in 105bhp / 250 Nm state of tune and probably phase out the 1.6

I also have a feeling they won't bother with getting the 1.5L in the 105bhp 250Nm state of tune to the Polo, as they know the numbers aren't there and their efforts wont pay out. I think this 1.6TDI Polo GT is here to stay as the hot one.

Everyone saw the 1.6 MPI being replaced by the 1.2 TSi as that was an international phenomena. The latter uses a lot more tech and is superior. Between the 1.6 & 1.5TDI, VW will be purely doing it to give itself excise benefits in the Indian market, which the company may or may not pass on to the customer and even if they did, to what extent, is still unknown.

1. long term spares availability (engine and/or transmission related)
- 1.6 L TDi engine is the one serving Vento, so till they discontinue the engine altogether from the market you should be safe.

2. price - would the cut in excise when moving from 1.6 to under 1.5 be a huge one? 1L OTR price difference? more? less?
Possibly , well as per the rumors, the 1.5 will be sold in two states of tune replacing both 1.2 Tdi and and 1.6 GT. The question is how will VW be pricing both these models and how much of the excise benefit will be passed on to the customer. One should note the current 1.2 Tdi already has excise benefits.

3. is there a possibility that VW may keep the price of the 1.5 the same, but bring in more features like ESP, etc. (from the TSi) with better interiors?
Again there is a possibility of the same. May be with 16" wheels ? Atleast I wish

4. the facelifted Polo (hardly seems like a facelift from the spy pics) from 2014 may fetch a better resale value?
Facelift - from the looks of it its not a big change and neither they are doing the 2014 polo in MQB platform. So resale of the current one will not be affected.

I think as you are not at all in a hurry to buy a car, its worth waiting for another couple of months and see what VW is upto .

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the replies. Makes sense. Going in for a test drive tomorrow. Will see and decide after that. Will be interesting to see what wins - my heart or my mind. :-)

My monthly running has historically been around 1000 kms. So, the TSi makes sense except that I don't want an automatic. I know the DSG has been somewhat praised even for enthusiastic driving, but I know for sure that I don't want an automatic.
So the question - is there a manual 1.2 GT TSi on the cards in the next few months?

All those interested in the GT TDI, below is some info.

GT TDi is not quickly flying off the shelf from what looks like price reasons and has all 3 colors readily available off the shelf.

The TDI has the below free when VW finance is availed for a minimum of 1 lakh.
- extended 3rd year warranty
- 3 years VW RSA
- comprehensive 3 years insurance

In net, one will have to shell out:
OTR (roughly 9.65 Mumbai) - mimumum loan (1 lakh) - 1st year insurance (approx 25k)

Overall, this scheme seems to provide a benefit of around 60k over the OTR that still makes it 1L over the Swift ZDI with discounts.

Here's the information I got from VW B.U.Bhandari showroom in Pashan, Pune (applies only to the GT TDi, not the TSi) -

9,40,606 - OTR Pune
25,000 - Dealer discount
--------------
9,15,066 - Final Amount
--------------

VW has an offer that they, literally, call the "Fully Loaded Offer" -

1. Free Comprehensive Insurance for 3 years (Bajaj Allianz tie-up)
2. Free Extended Warranty for 3rd year
3. Free Road-side assistance for 3rd year
4. Exchange Bonus (if applicable) - Rs. 10,000
NOTE: All the above is applicable ONLY if you opt for VW Finance for your car.

The interest rate that they charge is 11.69% p.a (fixed) for a tenure of 3 or 5 years.


Nothing else offered by the dealer - except for some cheapo floor mats.

OOPS: Did not see the post above - mine is exactly the same. Anyways, these are details for Pune.

I too am in dilemma for which hatch to go for.

Maruti Swift ZDi - 7.3 L - OTR Hyderabad
VW Polo GT TDI - 9.2 L - OTR Hyderabad

The price does make an issue overall as the discounts and bonuses if removed the Swift would be lot cheaper and peaceful in the long run.

The Polo just tickles the heart but the Swift tickles the mind. Whom to listen?! Heart or mind?

What are the real-time efficiency figures for the Polo GT TDI as fuel efficiency is a MUST for me. 120 kms a day and I can't afford to loose out completely on it?

Anurag.

You certainly wont be disappointed with fuel efficiency of 1.6 TDi. Since Vento & Polo share the same engine, likewise I get around 13-14.5 Kmpl in city drive. Did a highway drive Mumbai-Goa which gave a fuel economy of 19+ Kmpl in my Vento TDi. Drive the car at around 60 in 5th gear you could easily get 20+ Kmpl but that just ruins the fun to drive quotient.

1.6 TDi would give you best of both worlds, only you have to keep a control on how much you stomp the accelerator. But even after driving at speeds excess of 120 it would still deliver a fuel economy of 16+ Kmpl on highway drives.:D

I own a Swift, and just bought a Polo GT TSi.

If you have tight budget constraints then go for the Swift. It a nice reliable car to own. Mine has already crossed 1 lakh kms, and still feels like a new car(except some rattling issues).

However, if you could stretch the budget, then you should opt for the Polo. It is well built(much better than Swift), and more powerful(much more than Swift):)

Best part of the GT TDi is that it can be modified to bump up the power(340NM torque and 140 BHP refer http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...xperience.html)

I guess both of these cars(GT TDi and ZDi) have the similar fuel efficiency.