[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by chase_nt

It's been 2 years and 20 days since the TSI has graced my garage and it has finally reached the 2000 km mark today.

Hey chase_nt, I am quite unsure to congratulate you on the "Mile-stone" or "Millimeter-pebble" !!

My brother owns I-gen I20 1.2 Sportz with 7.5k Km in 2yrs and I used to think he wasted a fortune on that car.

The DSG is awesome and i have no issues with it even after the remap which was done at around 1500 km. I drive this car like a maniac 80% of the time and its going great.

2000kms in 2 years and you say you enjoying the car?!?

Seriously man that is way too less and you have even taken the extra effort of remapping your GT ?? I have a feeling that very less running also could have contributed to the battery going kaput twice in under 2 yrs.

On a lighter note, I guess your statement should have been"

"I don't drive my car 80% of the time. IF and WHEN I drive this car, its like a maniac." !!

Seriously bro, GT (TSI & TDI) is meant to be driven. Usually the owners end up so overtly addicted that we end up munching miles like there was no tomorrow.

Drive Safe and More Often.

[amanomics]

Haha, all GT owners would share the same sentiment as above!

Had he not posted the cluster pic, I would have taken it as a typo seriously!

[chase_nt]

Originally Posted by amanomics

Pardon me, but I don't get it.
2000kms in 2 years and you say you enjoying the car?!?

Yes i reiterate that i am enjoying the car "whenever" i drive it. I drive my car based out of need and not because i'm looking for a joyride, one of the reason's for that is the horrible road conditions and pathetic traffic situation in our cities. I love cars and driving gives me immense pleasure however since i am in a situation where in i can confine myself to my home and not go out at all i'd rather do that than be part of the chaos on our roads. The fact of the matter is i'm the definition of a "recluse". Oh i'd also like to point out that this is the only vehicle that i own (no two wheeler or anything else).

Originally Posted by Vik0728

Hey chase_nt, I am quite unsure to congratulate you on the "Mile-stone" or "Millimeter-pebble" !! Seriously man that is way too less and you have even taken the extra effort of remapping your GT ?? I have a feeling that very less running also could have contributed to the battery going kaput twice in under 2 yrs.

Seriously bro, GT (TSI & TDI) is meant to be driven. Usually the owners end up so overtly addicted that we end up munching miles like there was no tomorrow.

Drive Safe and More Often.

I just wanted to see the reaction of some of the members on team bhp because its very rare for someone to add such few miles on a car after more than two years. I'd like to point out that this is also the only vehicle that i own. I really didn't have to remap my car as its already pretty fast however it's something that i've always wanted to do and hence i decided to go for it. Its really strange with the battery in this vehicle because i never had this issue in my Beat and Brio that i owned and had been subjected to a similar driving style. I do make it a point to go out at least once a week. I'm a complete recluse and my driving is only need based. Terrible roads and equally terrible traffic conditions in our cities make me eliminate joyrides. I really love to drive however the infrastructure and conditions on our roads just put a spanner in the works for me.

[d_himan]

Originally Posted by chase_nt

Yes i reiterate that i am enjoying the car "whenever" i drive it. I drive my car based out of need and not because i'm looking for a joyride, one of the reason's for that is the horrible road conditions and pathetic traffic situation in our cities

I just wanted to see the reaction of some of the members on team bhp because its very rare for someone to add such few miles on a car after more than two years.

Chase, you're in vizag right? How, how can you resist ripping down the glorious NH 5, at least till Nellore? Beats me man...

[chase_nt]

Originally Posted by d_himan

Chase, you're in vizag right? How, how can you resist ripping down the glorious NH 5, at least till Nellore? Beats me man...

Yes I'm from Vizag. Highway drives can be a teeny weeny bit pleasurable. However when i get on the highway and i find slow moving vehicles such as trucks, buses and lorries etc hogging both lanes and obstructing traffic behind them, i get very agitated. The basic problem is that there is no road sense in India and as i mentioned i'd rather just drive my car based on my need rather than indulge in joyrides and curse myself about the conditions that i am in. If the conditions on the roads were akin to the western world then i would've been joyriding all day.

[chase_nt]

It’s been 26 months since I purchased the GT TSI and being the recluse that I am, the furthest highway action my GT had seen was a 50 kilometer drive on the NH 5 (this was the longest distance that I had driven the GT on the highway prior to yesterday). Fast forward to August 30th 2015, I and a couple of friends decided to embark on a small road trip to Chilka Lake in Orissa. Why the sudden interest in embarking on a long drive in the GT TSI? Well there were a couple of reasons. I drove other people’s cars on road trips in the past however I had never taken any of the cars I’ve owned in India on a road trip before. I was itching to experience what it would be like to go on a long highway drive in the superfluous GT TSI (which by the way is running a Pete’s remap).


Odometer Reading Prior to the trip. (My apologies for the terrible MID pictures)



GT TSI near a Dhaba.



My friend Vimal.



Out of the blue comes a really good reason to go on one. My pal got engaged and his marriage had been fixed for January 2016. Once he gets married, he would move from Vizag to a metro. This was the perfect alibi for me to organize a long highway drive that I billed as the “bachelor road trip”. The other reason for me being eager to go on a long highway drive was that there is a strong possibility that I might sell my GT in December and purchase the Abarth Punto (this of course also depends on the way Fiat prices the Abarth Punto). There was no way that I was going to be selling my GT without even experiencing what its like on a long drive (its sacrilege if you ask me). So there you have it, ample reasons for me to add some well deserved kilometers to my 26 month old GT TSI that had only 2185 kilometers before I embarked on the trip. All said and done we left Vizag at 6AM in the morning on Aug 30th and arrived back on Aug 31st at 1AM. A total of 675 Km were added and the final count on the odometer was 2860 Km at the end of the drive. My pals drove the GT for 75 kilometers while I drove the rest of the 600 kilometers. There was no way I was gonna share more of the GT TSI with them.


Odometer reading after the trip. (Apologies for the terrible picture)



TSI and I.



The GT TSI is one hell of a highway cruiser. On my prior road trips I had driven manuals and the constant up/down shifts on the highway in order to overtake other vehicles would result in some numbness in my left leg at the end of the journey. However with the GT TSI even though I did the entire night drive back home from the lake, more than 337 kilometers in close to 4.5 hours, I did not feel fatigued. Since I don’t really care about fuel efficiency I didn’t bother to calculate what sort of efficiency I was getting using the full tank to empty method. Based on what I saw on the MID, the fuel efficiency dipped to 9.5 km/l when I pushed the GT really hard over some stretches which includes duels for supremacy with other cars (which the GT TSI won effortlessly) and the best fuel efficiency according to the MID was 24.5 km/l. Mind you the high fuel efficiency was achieved by one of my friends because I forbade him from going above 80 km/hr and the car was constantly in D7 for a stretch of 30-35 kilometers. I didn’t want my pal to go beyond the above said speed because he drives a Hyundai Eon and I am not confident with other peoples driving abilities especially if they move so suddenly from an under powered car such as the Eon to my 125 bhp remapped TSI. I am a firm believer in the fact that you need to be able to understand a cars limits first and then push it (and this only comes after spending some time behind that particular cars wheel).


Fuel efficiency achieved by my friend. (Apologies for the terrible photo)



TSI Power.



It didn’t matter if the car ahead of me was a hatchback or a sedan or a SUV eventually they ended up as a speck of dust in the rear view mirror. I felt that the GT is firmly planted even at higher triple digit speeds and its only when you go over certain sections of the highway that are not properly finished or designed that you feel that the car sort of shakes or there is a hint of body roll. Though I remapped my car I unlike many others on this forum had decided against upsizing my tires. I am still running the same Apollo Acelere stock tires that came with the vehicle. There are instances when I push the GT TSI hard around sharp corners/bends on the highway or during instances of quick multiple lane changes at higher speeds (which I usually perform while accelerating rapidly in S or Tiptronic) in order to overtake pesky slow moving vehicles such as trucks or cars that keep blocking both lanes of the highway without any consideration for the vehicles behind that I felt it would be better if the car had wider tires however at the end of the day I am pretty comfortable with stock tires on my remapped car.


Near Chilka lake.



I performed a solitary 0-100 sprint (while my friends timed me using a stopwatch app) on a secluded section of the highway that had no traffic, as I had not checked this after I got the car remapped back in October last year. The results were better than the 0-100 time I got when the car was stock. When I checked the 0-100 sprint time back in June 2013, the best time I got was 10.8 seconds. Now the 0-100 sprint time after the remap has dwindled to 10.3 seconds. Keep in mind that the car is heavier when I checked the 0-100 sprint yesterday when compared to when I checked it back in June 2013. Why you ask? For starters back in June 2013 there were only 2 people in the car, less than ¼ tank of fuel and the stereo set up was stock. Yesterday when I checked the 0-100 sprint there were 3 adults in the car, a full tank of fuel and my modified stereo set up (sub, amp, wooden rear plank with 6/9’s). Oh I forgot to mention that the car was also not on 95 RON either. In spite of these handicaps the car shaved off half a second from the stocks 0-100 sprint timing.


Beside Chilka Lake.



The power delivery after the remap I feel is more towards the mid rpm range. I’m not an expert but I am guessing it is after the 2500 rpm range. The reason I feel this way is because there is an unmistakable surge after the car reaches 80 km/hr. There are times when I am cruising at the above speed on the highway and I decided to overtake slower traffic and I prefer to shift to S rather than let the kick down do its job slowly in D mode. Once you shift to S and floor the throttle the pick up is truly explosive. Before you know it you are into some seriously high triple digit speeds which I can’t mention in the open forum as I would incur the wrath of the moderators. I can’t understand why VW left out paddles on this awesome machine. The paddles would be seriously fun while driving on the highway. They could have at least offered it as an option at a higher price.


The Red Rocket.



I felt that the brakes on the vehicle are adequate enough even though it has been remapped. The brakes were doing a decent job decelerating the vehicle from some pretty high triple digit speeds. I am the sort of person who doesn’t work the brakes too much and I anticipate the other drivers and slow down gradually even though I might be driving fast. Rear disc brakes would have been great but definitely not sorely missed. Volkswagen has finally opened a service station in Vizag in the early part of August and I got my car serviced (2 months after the cut off date) a few weeks before I went on the long drive. All they did was change the oil/filter, air filter and pollen filter and charged me Rs 8600 while praising me for the way I maintained my car where in even the brake pads hadn’t worn out. The labor charges in the service were whopping Rs 2600.


After thoroughly enjoying a long trip in the fantabulous GT TSI, I am having serious second thoughts as to why I should purchase the Abarth Punto. The TSI has it all and more, right from explosive performance to immense satisfaction and ease of that superlative DSG that ensures that you can drive on for miles and miles after the sun sets without any hint of fatigue. I call it a sleeper car that ensures that you never fall asleep at the wheel due to boredom.


The final shot.

[chase_nt]

I hit a milestone in my GT TSI ownership yesterday. My car finally surpassed the 4000 Km mark (I’ve owned it since June 2013). For someone who uses his cars very sparingly and treats his vehicle as though it were a diamond, its quite a big thing. Consider this, my last two cars (Beat and Brio) didn’t even see the 2000 km mark in my ownership. That said I have some bitter sweet news. After months of procrastination and oscillating decisions about whether I should purchase the Abarth Punto or not I have finally decided to bite the bullet and have purchased the Abarth Punto in Vijayawada yesterday. My drive to Vijayawada was an epic solo road trip in which i clocked 780 Km (to and fro) in about 12 hours (that includes the time I spent in Vijayawada finalizing the deal for the Abarth Punto). I am yet to bring the car home and I will do that in the next couple of weeks. I feel really sad to let my GT TSI go and if I had a chance to keep my GT TSI and own the Abarth Punto at the same time I would do that in a heartbeat however that is just not feasible for me.



At a road side dhaba during my epic drive.



Covered 780 Kilometers in less than 12 hours (Solo drive)



My gleaming GT after I got it washed this morning.
















The GT TSI is a phenomenal car and I am really lucky to have owned it. Many of you on team bhp know me as a “lightning quick car changer”. Once the Abarth Punto was launched in November I literally wrestled thoughts of letting my GT TSI go not once but three times. That’s something no car has ever been able to do to me. The GT TSI has left a deep impact on my psyche and it’s the first time that I would actually shed a few tears to let a car of mine go. So it is with a heavy heart that I am going to bid sayonara to this thread of mine but the memories of the TSI+DSG combo are things that I would cherish forever. I am going to leave you guys with a couple of parting photos and I will see you in my next thread which will be about the Abarth Punto.



The final customary parting photo of my GT TSI





This Pic says it all. My new Abarth Punto in the foreground with my awesome GT TSI in the background. Both my flames in the same photo.

[Vik0728]

Originally Posted by chase_nt

I hit a milestone in my GT TSI ownership yesterday. My car finally surpassed the 4000 Km mark (I’ve owned it since June 2013).

The moment I read this line chase_nt, I really thought that you have finally started clocking some kms in that GT.

And then, I read this:

The GT TSI is a phenomenal car and I am really lucky to have owned it. Many of you on team bhp know me as a “lightning quick car changer”. So it is with a heavy heart that I am going to bid sayonara to this thread of mine but the memories of the TSI+DSG combo...

You really are either way too passionate about cars buddy that you would like to own every single one of them for a short time, or probably have been looking very hard to find that 'THE ONE' car to quench your need.

All I can say is, 'Lucky is the person who bought that GT of yours.'
Its almost unheard of to find performance/driver cars with such low numbers on the ODO.

IMO not really sure which one would be faster, you getting your new ABARTH home or selling it for another car now

[chase_nt]

Originally Posted by Vik0728

You really are either way too passionate about cars buddy that you would like to own every single one of them for a short time, or probably have been looking very hard to find that 'THE ONE' car to quench your need.

All I can say is, 'Lucky is the person who bought that GT of yours.'
Its almost unheard of to find performance/driver cars with such low numbers on the ODO.

IMO not really sure which one would be faster, you getting your new ABARTH home or selling it for another car now

Thanks Vik. Its true I am extremely passionate about cars. Maybe its because I am single Now that I bought the Abarth Punto I think I should avoid all forms of print (including team bhp) or other media for a long time so that I can avoid the temptation to change cars whenever I find something new Jokes apart one of my relatives is taking my GT TSI so I'm happy that it will still be in the family.

[chase_nt]

Most of you must be wondering why I am reviving this thread when it’s been more than 2 years since I sold my 2013 VW GT TSI and moved on to the Abarth Punto. Well, it was in the month of May that I sold the Abarth Punto and purchased a brand new 2018 GT TSI once again. Since the new car that I purchased happens to be the same color, same model but with a few changes I decided against writing a new ownership thread but to continue with my experiences on the old thread itself. But first a bit of background for all those who must be wracking their brains trying to figure out why I decided to move from a 145 bhp hatchback to a hatchback with a “mere” 105 bhp under the hood (to many it may seem as a downgrade however the truth can be far from it).








When I purchased the first generation GT TSI just a month after its launch in 2013 I was not expecting a lot from it. As I primarily drive within the city I was looking for a hatchback that was relatively quick and had the convenience of an automatic transmission, all I was looking at was escaping from the plethora of gear changes that I had to indulge in while driving. After experiencing the amazing combination of direct injection, turbo charging and the DSG transmission I was totally enamored by the GT TSI. It was with a heavy heart that I decided to sell the GT TSI and purchase the Abarth Punto. Since I wasn’t able to test drive the Abarth I decided to follow my heart and purchase the car, expecting that a 145 bhp hatchback would give me as much fun (if not more) as the relatively lower powered GT TSI. Alas I was wrong as the car was a pain to drive in the city. With 145 horses under the hood I was still being forced to change gears as frequently as I used to in my 47 bhp Suzuki Alto. While I understand that I have to change gears in a vehicle with manual transmission, it was totally disconcerting to me that I needed to downshift to the first gear while clearing speed humps in a car with 145 horses (that to me was totally outrageous). A car that I thought would be better than the GT TSI turned out to be “mediocre” within the city (at least in terms of what my expectations were). Don’t get me wrong, I am not a Fiat basher or a VW fan boy, I just appreciate a car for what it is. The Abarth is pretty good from standstill and it’s great around corners however it’s not every day that you will have the opportunity to do those sorts of things especially if you primarily drive within the confines of a city. The moment I drove the Abarth around in the city I was disappointed to say the least and I was kicking myself for purchasing the car. I harbored an urge to go back to the GT TSI one day and that one day happened in May 2018.








Having used the Abarth for a little over 2 years I decided that enough is enough and it’s time to repurchase the second favorite car that I’ve owned till date (the favorite car I’ve owned up until now has to be the 1984 Toyota Supra). It was a decision which was exacerbated by a bunch of factors such as the traffic in Visakhapatnam which had increased a lot especially after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, speed humps that began to crop up everywhere like mushrooms, the width of center dividers of almost every road were being increased while the actual width of the roads remained the same. All these factors were making it more and more cumbersome driving the Abarth in the city and one fine day in the month of April I made up my mind to sell the Abarth. But before I decided to take the plunge I asked myself what I would miss the most if I sell my Abarth. The first thing that came to my mind is the Abarth’s 0-100 sprint from standstill which is about 3/4th of a second quicker than the GT TSI which is not much of a difference and the GT TSI more than makes up for this minor anomaly with its awesome acceleration during kickdown between 20-80 as well as 60-120 which is what matters the most to me. The second thing that I would end up missing is the amazing Abarth handling however this was not terribly important to me as I rarely drive on ghat roads but when I do the GT TSI’s handling would suffice. The final thing that I thought I would end up missing are all wheel disc brakes but more on this later. I always liked the GT TSI’s styling which I feel appears timeless and classy (it’s one of those rare designs that doesn’t grow on you even though it ages). With my mind made up it was time to sell my Abarth. My Abarth was a 2015 manufactured vehicle and though it was very sparingly run and still under warranty, I knew that selling it was going to be a challenge as it’s the sort of car that only an enthusiast would want to buy and enthusiasts in the now bifurcated AP are pretty hard to find. I made up my mind that I wouldn’t sell the vehicle for any price south of Rs 700,000 and in the event of not being able to get that price I decided to keep the Abarth and abort my plan of purchasing a GT TSI. As fate would have it an enthusiast from Vijayawada spotted my ad and we struck a deal for Rs 705,000. Considering the very low kms on my Abarth and how well I maintain my car I felt that I could have done a lot better however I know how hard it is to sell a Fiat and that too a car like the Abarth about which a lot of lay people have no clue.





I ended up getting a May 2018 manufactured GT TSI which was fresh off the truck with just 10 Km on the odometer at the time of delivery. While the first generation GT TSI that I purchased in 2013 cost me Rs 950,000 the 2018 GT TSI cost me Rs 10,65,000. Volkswagen have added some much needed features in the latest GT however they have omitted a few things that were present in the first generation version which is outrageous considering that it costs 115,000 more than what I paid for it 5 years ago. The most glaring omissions are the lack of a full alloy spare wheel, no underbody protection for the engine/oil sump, lack of leather wrapped handbrake handle and omission of fabric inserts on the door armrests. The ex showroom price of the car worked out to be Rs 913,000 after the customary negotiation and discounts. I was able to get floor mats and body cover for free from the dealer. I decided against purchasing extended warranty immediately as I use the car very sparingly and I do not know how long I am going to keep the car. In the event of keeping it for more than 2 years I will go in for extended warranty at a later date. I also opted for comprehensive zero depreciation insurance against the entire ex showroom price of the vehicle (913,000) along with add on covers such as engine protection and consumables coverage from Bharti Axa through the dealer as they offered me a competitive quote of Rs 33,000 for the insurance.


As I pen this little review, my GT TSI is now 3 months old and has just 221 Km on the odometer. As there are plenty of reviews of the GT TSI on this forum all I want to do is point out what I feel is different in the 2018 GT TSI compared to the first generation TSI that I owned. Apart from the omission of a few items and the addition of new tech the most glaring difference I feel in the 2018 version is that the car is a lot more aggressive in D mode compared to the 2013 version. The older car felt more sedate and maybe a second or two slower to react to accelerator inputs in D mode while the new generation TSI is eager to pounce when you depress the accelerator pedal a little harder even in D mode. This is especially useful as you do not need to shift into S mode when you eye that gap in traffic or want to execute a quick overtaking maneuver. In the three months that I’ve owned the car I must’ve slipped her into S mode just 3 or 4 times which was not the case with the 2013 car which I used to flog pretty often in S mode. Another big difference that I noticed was in the brakes. The brakes on the first generation GT TSI were really bad especially considering that the car accelerates so quickly and this was a perpetual complaint of mine on these forums. After driving the Abarth which has disc brakes all around I thought that it was going to be a real nightmare driving the GT TSI with its poor brakes. I was pleasantly surprised when I drove the new GT TSI as I found that the cars brakes and braking capabilities were vastly improved compared to the 2013 version. I don’t know what Volkswagen has done but they’ve done a great job with the brakes and they are confidence inspiring. This is high praise indeed coming from someone who has been driving an Abarth with all wheel disc brakes for more than 2 years. There seems to be a marginal improvement in handling thanks to the wider tires however the ride quality seems to have suffered a bit compared to the previous generation due to the lower profile of the new tires.


Notice the lack of protection for the oil sump. Why this cost cutting VW??



16 inch Portago Alloys with 195/55 R16 Goodyear tires



Sweet GT Spoiler



Sensors for Automatic Wipers



Auto dimming IRVM



Cruise Control buttons. Pretty useful for highway drives



Notice the cooled glove box



Controls for the folding ORVM



Sweet Flat bottom steering wheel with buttons for various functions



White MID is larger and with a better font than the red MID on the 2013 car



Footwells are illuminated. Notice the dead pedal.



All black dashboard looks better in my opinion.



The ICE



ICE has apple car play, android auto and mirrorlink functionality



Rear head rests are the right size unlike the 2013 version that had huge head rests which impeded rearward vision



ORVM's in black to complement the GT Spoiler



Notice the intercooler



VW is still recommending the same tire pressure as the 2015 version even though the newer version has larger wheels. Makes you wonder if a car that's 100 kilos lighter than the Abarth and with similar sized wheels requires such a high pressure. The Abarth required 32 PSI on all wheels.



I never thought that I would end up buying the same car twice but the unthinkable has happened with the GT TSI and it’s a testament to how much I love this car and the awesome DSG gearbox that has bowled me over. While the Abarth is the sort of car that makes you smile when you are on an open road and frown when you drive in a city, the GT TSI is the sort of car that makes you smile anytime be it within the city or on a highway. I feel that driving a GT TSI is pure bliss as it fulfills my need for convenience as well as my penchant as an enthusiast. It’s a car that has truly won my heart. I’m going to go as far as saying that no matter which car I own in the future it HAS to HAVE a DSG transmission (DSG transmissions reliability not withstanding). I’ll keep updating this thread whenever anything significant happens or when I get the car serviced.

[ramji_or]

@Chase_nt, Glad to hear about your new car! By the way, what was the ODO reading on the Abarth?

[chase_nt]

Originally Posted by ramji_or

Glad to hear about your new car! By the way, what was the ODO reading on the Abarth?

Thanks! The final odometer reading when I handed over my Abarth was 3228 Km

[VWAllstar]

Very intuitive post. It literally make one vicariously feel your passion for GT TSI.

Just a thought that has never been satiated even after reading a lot many such posts. How better or is the Polo TSI better than the Vento TSI? It's like comparing an apple with a bigger apple but if you could point few.

Another question is that, moving from Vento MPI to a Polo GT TSI would be a downgrade?

[chase_nt]

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

How better or is the Polo TSI better than the Vento TSI? Another question is that, moving from Vento MPI to a Polo GT TSI would be a downgrade?

As i have never driven the Vento TSI i cannot speculate on which is better. Maybe other members of this forum who have driven both the GT TSI and the Vento TSI can offer their opinions. I haven't driven the Vento MPI either. The typical Indian would percieve moving from a Vento to a Polo as a downgrade however its a totally different ball game when it comes to how us enthusiasts think. The size of our ride is not what makes us happy but the fun factor is what matters the most to us

[VWAllstar]

Originally Posted by chase_nt

As i have never driven the Vento TSI i cannot speculate on which is better. Maybe other members of this forum who have driven both the GT TSI and the Vento TSI can offer their opinions. I haven't driven the Vento MPI either. The typical Indian would percieve moving from a Vento to a Polo as a downgrade however its a totally different ball game when it comes to how us enthusiasts think. The size of our ride is not what makes us happy but the fun factor is what matters the most to us

So rightly said. I got lured with the Sedan status of Vento. So many negative reviews about polo especially with regards to its rear seat and dsg issues. But to be honest most users are not complaining much on it. It is they who haven't purchased the GT TSI are saying such things.