[Pilot77in]

Nearing two years of ownership. Fortunately so far have had no reason but for the annual service to go to the workshop. Car continues to impress on all fronts.Some time back though the upper handle on the front passenger side had come loose and the workshop quoted Rs 3000 for replacement saying the fastening bolt had broken. I wonder what space age plastic this thing is made of. Decided to leave it for now with a attempt to fix it with fevi quick. I would expect the handle to typically withstand the pull of an average adult body weight which it did not.

[Gannu_1]

Originally Posted by Pilot77in

the upper handle on the front passenger side had come loose and the workshop quoted Rs 3000 for replacement saying the fastening bolt had broken.

What?!

The grab handles don't have any fastener at all! It has a metal clip on both sides which slides into the square slot on the car's body and locks itself in.

Some snaps when I had taken out the grab handle from my car for some experimenting:





Besides, this is a cheap grab handle that VW India provides for the Polo and Vento sold here. The ones abroad have the damper on one hinge so it springs back slowly. Look at the difference:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbLekgjXMuY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgUUs8NLSFA

3000 Rs is daylight robbery!

[Pilot77in]

Originally Posted by Gannu_1

What?!

The grab handles don't have any fastener at all! It has a metal clip on both sides which slides into the square slot on the car's body and locks itself in.

Some snaps when I had taken out the grab handle from my car for some experimenting:

Attachment 1365301

Attachment 1365302

Besides, this is a cheap grab handle that VW India provides for the Polo and Vento sold here. The ones abroad have the damper on one hinge so it springs back slowly. Look at the difference:

3000 Rs is daylight robbery!

Thanks for all the detail.I thought so. I did try to fix it back and could compare the two ends and see that one end is broken. So the thing that makes it grip is broken. They said it will need a full replacement for Rs 3000!
I wouldn't have let anyone touch it if I had known

[Dead Head]

I took a test drive on the GT TSI last week. The car is beautiful to drive , the DSG automatic transmission and the TSI engine are both nicely mated to give a super smooth performance. The car is nippy and typically VW who have the right priorities when it come to building cars.
My heart is on it, I have been feeling the need for an automatic transmission small car as the Mumbai traffic is not kind to the left leg. So I thought, what the heck, no more compromising on cost effective cars as I have done in the past. I think this will be the last car I will buy ( I am 59 and my first driving license was issued in 1986!), perhaps a car like this will definitely last for 10 years if treated with care.
Would have preferred the TDI engine mated with the DSG gear box as VW have done in the Vento, that would have been a more cost effective solution. But VW seem to be selective about which variants to release. For instance, the Jetta TSI,a beautiful vehicle, strangely is only available in manual transmission.
Anyway, the mind is mostly made up and the heart is sold, it will take a couple of months to get a white 2017 GT TSI or I can opt for a 2016 red vehicle which will be 15K cheaper.
I think I will wait for the 2017 car....

Originally Posted by ironager

Congrats on ur new ride Pilot 77. I have the same car as u :-)

This info is for all those people who are thinking of getting the GT but still have not made up their minds.....please go and take a test drive and you will forget about the high cost of the car, high maintenance, petrol costs, etc etc.....this is a car for serious petrol heads.
Nothing in this segment comes close to the GT.

[Vandit]

Originally Posted by Dead Head

Anyway, the mind is mostly made up and the heart is sold, it will take a couple of months to get a white 2017 GT TSI or I can opt for a 2016 red vehicle which will be 15K cheaper.
I think I will wait for the 2017 car....

Haha, sounds like you have been smitten too. Welcome to the owners club in advance! lol.

I just took my car on the 18th (JAN17 VIN) from VW Downtown and I've posted my experience & feedback on another active topic that is running for the GT TSI here : http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...al-review.html

Fellow member curiosity is also in the process of getting one. I recommended my SA from VW Downtown to him. He should be updating us on his experience soon too. If you like you can also speak to the guy.. by now T-bhp guys are well known there & the service is top notch.

I think the availability situation should be much better than the wait times you are expecting - although i am quite sure mumbai doesn't have any 2016 stocks left in big numbers for the GT at least.

PM me if you need the details - i am at work now but will respond later!

cheers & welcome to the GT club!

[drpudhi]

Originally Posted by Dead Head

Would have preferred the TDI engine mated with the DSG gear box as VW have done in the Vento, that would have been a more cost effective solution. But VW seem to be selective about which variants to release. For instance, the Jetta TSI,a beautiful vehicle, strangely is only available in manual transmission.

Any particular reason for not considering the Ameo, which also has the updated TDI engine + DSG combo, is sub 4 meters and is priced on par with the GT.

[Dead Head]

Thanks, I will check out the Ameo specs and perhaps take a test drive.
But I really have very little preference for the sub 4m sedan category which has been created specifically for the Indian market. In my mind a sedan is badly stunted if it has to fit in within 4m - most of the sub 4m cars look as if they have had their rear ends finished off in a hurry , the result is a badly designed product, aesthetically at least.
The Polo on the other hand is a superbly proportioned European hatch. Though I agree that going purely by engine/gear box specs the Ameo does fill the bill. Perhaps I am a sucker for the hot hatch with the GT badging.

Originally Posted by drpudhi

Any particular reason for not considering the Ameo, which also has the updated TDI engine + DSG combo, is sub 4 meters and is priced on par with the GT.

[Dead Head]

I checked out the specs of the Ameo Highline AT model and you are right. On paper at least, the Ameo is every thing that the Polo GT TSI is and also has higher torque rating of 250 Nm compared to 175 Nm of the Polo GT TSI. Also the Ameo is cheaper by 20K or so.

Is it only for the GT badge? Purely a positioning exercise?

Originally Posted by Dead Head

Thanks, I will check out the Ameo specs and perhaps take a test drive..
.
.
Perhaps I am a sucker for the hot hatch with the GT badging.

[Pilot77in]

Will be completing 4 years of fun and power filled drives this Aug in my GT TSI.However, having driven mostly in Bangalore city, I recently had a feel as good as new when I took the car out for a much longer drive, from Bangalore to Kochi. As we would generally be travelling in numbers and with luggage, had defaulted to my XUV 500 for highway trips. However, having done the trip in the GT this time, I realised what I had been missing all this while. Here goes the list :

1. Somebody had said its a 'point and shoot' car. This three worded description is quite apt I found. The agile behaviour is simply unrivalled. The ease with which it gets to triple digit speeds was such a great feeling to have, observed especially when setting off toll gates as you could accelerate rapidly making other cars disappear in the rear view. You only get trailers of this behaviour in city traffic so was quite a revelation. I had done a long drive on my GT some years back when it was new, but that was mysore road and not the best of tarmacs with its numerous traffic lights and speed breakers.

2. Relative to the XUV, I felt no body roll and it was a major factor in the travel being a lot less stressful and tiring than before. I am now not so much a fan of SUVs and tall boy designs. The high centre of gravity and associated body roll takes a toll on your body and mind. A planted low height stable ride is a lot easier if you wish to do long drives. A SUV might seem safer, but it certainly is a lot less comfortable than a sedan like feel that the GT provides. And if you have GT like power, it makes it double the fun.

3. Being a lot lighter than the XUV, there generally is a light feel to driving the GT and that reflects in just about everything you do with it, whether it is picking up speed, slowing down fast, lane changes, overtaking, negotiating through traffic, parking, everything just seems a fraction of the effort of a much larger car like the XUV.I guess its all a function of how much your body gets thrown around inside the car. In the GT, I was glued to the seat and yet flying.

Thanks to the recent long drive, I have fallen in love all over again with the GT TSI. Driving already was fun and this car takes the pleasure to orgasmic levels.

[MihirC]

If i might have missed, could you shed a bit of light on the annual maintenance costs please.

[Pilot77in]

Rs 10K per annum.That is expensive considering my XUV is half that cost per annum.

[MihirC]

Originally Posted by Pilot77in

Rs 10K per annum.That is expensive considering my XUV is half that cost per annum.

From what I gather, except for maruti and couple of other players , more or less all other brands including Hyundai round about cost the same that kind of makes VW seem not too expensive.