Team-BHP - My new affair: Flash red VW Polo GT TSI

In less than two weeks of owning the Polo GT TSI, I'm staring at the same grave, heart-breaking problem that many other GT TSI owners have already reported.

It's a weird problem - once I'm inside my car and have driven it for a little while, I just don’t want to get out. My heart in fact sinks after I return from a moderately spirited drive (I’m still running her in), and I have to park. Once parked, I turn back to glance at her a few times. If I notice a speck of dust, I try to blow it away as hard as I can. Is it love, infatuation, lust? Time will surely tell us.

You see, the Polo GT TSI is one of those rare breed of cars that force you to do something out of the ordinary - after a hard day at work and having braved the evening commute to return home, you still don't want to park the car and go home and watch some TV. Rather you just want to wait till the traffic thins on the road, so you can go back for a drive. I used to generally do 500-600 kms in a month (my office is 3km away from home), and with my new Polo I've already done 670kms in two weeks. That sort of explains the point.

The first day

Sunday, the 7th December 2014, about 3:45pm. More than two months after deciding that it's almost time to buy a new car - my flash red Polo GT TSI came home, (after a 50km journey from a dealer that is 12km away from my home), but more on that later. Let's first list out the important stuff.

What I love

Looks: Georgeous, clean and classic European. I love it the more I see it. In fact, I turn back to look at her a few times; she looks stunningly gorgeous from a side profile (just see for yourself).
Build quality: My first European car experience. I love the door thud so much! Love the feel of the leather-clad steering, and the overall plastics and the interiors are very good.
Driving position and dynamics: I just love the driving position in a Polo (admittedly a far cry from Santro's). The cornering dynamics were a little questionable with the stock 185/60 tyres, but with a 205/55 upgrade, I feel more comfortable now throwing this car into corners. Still, I wish the suspension was a little more firmer knowing the engine's capabilities.
The steering: I don't get why so many people dismiss the new Polo steering as too light; I for one love it! It definitely firms up a lot as speeds pick up; plus it is very direct and precise. I experienced its accuracy on a particular stretch on Greater Noida expressway when at ~110kmph a biker suddenly swerved in on the road from an exit, and I merely tried to change a lane. The car oversteered and gave me my first taste of the ESP. Plus, I get more than adequate feedback from the road, so no complaints at all!
Attention to detail: I tend to notice the small things, and I am already noticing the Volkswagen way of designing and engineering cars. It's a bit Appleseque, and I love it. A case in point - I've lost count of people who have complimented me for the very sporty color red and the quality of the paint - it is that superlative. From the tailgate opening to the quality of the glove box door, every single part is very well-engineered. And of course, I'm now able to appreciate the point of 'VW family' - there are so many commonalities between a Polo to a Vento, Jetta, Passat...the family shares many common underlying features! :-)
The engine: Haven't revved it much, but 670-odd kms of driving and I know what it's got. (Also the test drive I did earlier, but more on that later). And that lovely engine note after 3k...it's the sweetest thing I've heard after a long time (cue: RD350) in any automobile I've owned or driven!
And finally, the gearbox: Reliability concerns aside, this 7-speed DSG box is like making out withe a supermodel on a luxury private jet flying 35,000ft high after getting a little high on champagne. Really, 50kms and I don't think I want to ever go back to the aam aadmi life of a manual. (More feedback on this, later)

Some minor adjustments I’m going to have to live with (happily I hope)

Right now Delhi is experiencing a cold wave and car windscreen gets foggy in no time. But when I press the 'Max' switch on ACC (directing warm air to the windscreen for defogging action), I experience a huge hit in the performance. The revs just refuse to build up between 1.5k to 2k in D mode when ACC 'Max' is on, even if you floor the pedal, because gears keep upshifting like crazily (upshifting at as low as 1.7-1.8k). The car also feels a lot heavier to drive when the 'Max' mode is on. Anyone else experienced this?
The rear space, and the fact that my aging parents might find ingress and egress a little difficult given the bench is a bit low.
No closed space to hold coins (there are coin recesses built in the glove box, but really?), or parking slips. There are weirdly shaped and sized holders though, but I don’t like them visible in the open.
I just wish the MID or ACC also had a display for in-car temperature (MID shows engine temperature and ambient/outside temperature.)
I hate the fact that RCD320 does not allow USB playback of albums downloaded from iTunes. Other members told me I could stream songs off iOS devices (USB) or any other device via BlueTooth though. Maybe a HU upgrade is necessary.
Another reason for focusing attention on the integrated system is the shitty sound quality – I come from a set up with Illusion components powered by a JBL amp and a Clarion HU; the OEM speakers in Polo sound way too shitty in comparison. Plus I miss the soundstage so much.

Other thoughts and observations

The glove box is cavernous, but the dedicated space for sunglasses is designed only for Aviators/Wayfarers I guess. My Maui Jim sports sunglasses just won’t fit!
The brakes are quite good (I guess I just finally run them in), and again, I don't understand why many people say they are not happy with Polo GT TSI braking action. Also, I find the new headlights more than adequate in both low and high beam.
Mods planned: The tyre upgrade happened exactly a week later, and with about 440km on the odo. I was not very comfortable with the stock 185/60 tires when cornering at high speeds; so after a quick chat on the WhatsApp group I decided 205/55 is the way to go. Got her Yoko S-drives; have read so much good about them on the forum.
I’ll perhaps drive the car stock for a year or so, after which an ECU remap is on the agenda (75%+ probability). After that I’m keeping the options open, maybe performance filter, custom exhaust and a different suspension–but nothing firmed up as of now, and a lot depends on what my CA advises me.

My new affair: Flash red VW Polo GT TSI-img_20141213_144543.jpg

My new affair: Flash red VW Polo GT TSI-img_20141207_131035.jpg

Hello all, it’s good to be back here after years. I see many of my old friends active and they might remember me as someone invested in the ICE forums about six years ago. But let’s go back to the beginning – I joined Team-bhp after hearing about it from RDDreams forum. Back then I rode RD350. Here’s an old post http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...-oversize.html

In 2005, it was time to buy my first car and I downgraded from a RD350 to a Hyundai Santro XG. This was after actively debating buying an old Honda City (I had the need for speed, you see), and between a Zen and Santro. Here’s the thread on my Santro http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-t...o-xing-xg.html

Sometime around then I developed a keen interest in hi-fi and wanted good sound in my Santro. The result was a few years of active involvement with the ICE gurus. http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/sound-...rds-ice-3.html

For a couple of years now, I had been thinking of replacing my old car, a Hyundai Santro XG (also my first self-bought car). But there were a few personal developments; I took a two-year executive MBA course that made a big dent in my savings, and then I quit my job to set up my own venture (started up in Jan 2014). The Santro in the meantime was running amazingly nice, but the age was showing on exteriors.

When it finally went to a new home in the first week of December (two days before Polo came home), my Santro had served me well for close to 10 years, and had just over 91,000 kms on the odo.

Selling my Santro XG

I checked for a used car’s valuation on the team-bhp tool, Carwale and one more online source. Used car buying teams at Honda and Volkswagen dealers too offered me a price (incidentally much lower than online valuations), and then I also got price from a Mahindra First Choice dealer and another local dealer. I knew what to demand.
There was a sense of urgency in selling, so I put up the ad on Carwale, Quikr and Olx. There were 2-3 queries each from Carwale and Olx, but Quikr worked best for me. Four-five people came to see the car; and finally someone living in Mehrauli bought the car.
I must add here that the ‘How to sell your used car’ thread was immensely helpful in selling my car http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/owning...car-india.html. I followed the process to the T – just that I got the forms in the form of a booklet from a local dealer instead of downloading and printing them. This booklet with a yellow cover is standardized and available with most dealers in Delhi (and other cities I hope). It not only has Form 28, 29, 30 (two or three copies each), but also a cash receipt, a Delivery note, an affidavit, and a form for the insurance transfer. Much easy to work with if you get one.
On the day of delivery (a Friday, two days before I got the Polo home), I asked the buyer to come straight to my bank’s branch for completing the transaction. Reason: he wanted to pay cash, and I don’t like dealing in cash. So I asked him to deposit money straight into my account and after the confirmation, I’ll sign the forms. Once the money was received, we went to the insurance company’s office (a 2-minute walk, this was all in Nehru Place), where we filled and signed all forms (29, 30, delivery note), and I applied for insurance transfer and NCB certificate.
An advisor at the insurance company told me that by law (and IRDA regulation), they cannot simply cancel an existing comprehensive car policy until there’s another insurer taking over, at least for the third-party liability. As a recourse, he told me to ‘transfer’ the third-party liability insurance to the new buyer, whilst I could ‘cancel’ the ‘Own Damage’ component, and therefore claim my NCB certificate/holding letter. I was fine with this.
It was then I had bit of an education. You see, after reading the Team-BHP post on transferring your NCB http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/buying...-premiums.html, I wanted to transfer my existing 50% NCB to the new car. Now, I bought my car in my firm’s name as a company asset for depreciation etc. benefits, which means that *my* NCB bonus can’t be transferred to a company owned car. A quick calculation told me that the depreciation benefits are far too critical to forego than roughly 9,000 that I’d save on account of NCB, and hence I chose to forego NCB.

Before selling the Santro, came the rather pertinent question of which car to trade her with. Now, regardless of *when* I would go for an upgrade, I always wanted to upgrade to a much better car (and not just an incremental upgrade). Now for my decision-making process in brief pointers.

I owned a Yamaha RD350 before I bought the Santro – which was a huge downgrade in terms of performance. And I always knew I wanted a fast moving car whenever I'd upgrade from a Santro (completely as an aside, I am now saving up to buy a KTM).
In the last three-odd years; I came close to replacing a Santro three times. The first two times I wanted to buy a used Ford Fiesta 1.6S or Zxi (for obvious reasons), or a Honda City (a good engine, but not outright impressive). The decisions on both occasions were postponed for various reasons.
I've always had a special regard for Honda City. Friends and extended family has owned Citys from the time they were launched in India and to date I've only heard good things about the car. More or less same feedback received on Team-BHP ever since I've been a member.
Therefore, the search for a new car started in earnest in September this year, when I casually walked into a Honda showroom one Sunday just to find out if I could get a car loan if I buy a car in company's name, given that I run a young start-up. To my surprise, I got a yes (for the curious: the banks will take into account your previous salary, income tax returns filed, credit and bank account transaction history and combine your documents with the company documents to make a lending decision).
Regardless of the fact that I was eligible for a loan, I was painfully aware of the realities of running a fledgling start-up, where you have this critical need to guard the cash flows with an iron hand. Therefore, a cheaper car would always be sensible than an expensive one, and a used car would work for me over a new one.
I wanted to buy the Honda City for reasons stated above, and others, including a fairly decent performance, the reliability and assurance of the Honda badge. But then out popped the quality concerns over the new Honda City (particularly around the build quality), and my mind suddenly moved to Polo GT TSi, or Vento TSi.
In the meantime, I test drove Honda City, and came back a little underwhelmed as the TD vehicle made strange noise from the undercarriage on the right side. The SA explained it as the result of a collision the previous day. (To all car salespeople reading this, never, but never take a damaged vehicle for TD to someone looking to buy a new car).
And so the same day evening I walked in to Volkswagen Saket showroom and asked for a Polo GT test drive. Not happening, they said. The car is oversold and built on demand, and they had to sell their TD vehicle to an insistent customer. The Safdarjung dealer is the same group (they own both locations) and I got the same response.
With that response, I thought of waiting a little while. I was also exploring used cars, particularly the previous gen Honda City (decided against buying a used Fiesta 1.6 after a heavy heart; the car interiors looked horribly dated in 2014). There were some personal commitments and I finally decided to change my car in the next year.
In the meantime, I kept reading and hearing about Polo GT TSI. A friend who knows a little too much about cars suggested Polo GT if all i wanted was a fun car. I also wanted a little bit extra rear bench legroom and the boot space that Vento comes with.
Cut to mid-November 2014. Still undecided between Vento TSi and Polo and still waiting, I suddenly got a call from VW Safdarjung that a Polo GT TSI was available for a test drive. Reluctantly I said yes for the next day.
Next day, sometime around 5pm, you could spot me hurtling down Delhi's Shanti Path in Chanakyapuri inside a white Polo GT TSI with the S mode engaged. In almost 10 mins of no-holds barred run with several 10-100kmph sprints, I lost my heart completely. I couldn't sleep well that night.
I went down with dengue soon after and spent a week home. The advisor from VW Safdarjung however kept in touch. In the last stages, my mind raced once again to compare the alternatives. I could buy a used Honda City at a much lower price (and preserve cash flows), or buy a bigger Vento TSI but at a bigger hit to my finances. The Ford Ecosport also came briefly into the picture, but it went out as quickly (I’m never a big fan of SUVs). The thought of buying a used City stuck longer; I could always buy and ride one for six-twelve months and then buy a new car when cash flows permitted.
In the end, I ruled out buying a used car, because the alternative was a Polo GT TSI. My mind raced down to the test drive. To a lesser extent (but a weighing factor nonetheless), I also wanted a new car experience, starting with the new car smell. Therefore, a little extra money for down payment was deemed well worth it. However, between Vento TSI and Polo GT TSI, my need to preserve *some* cash at least sealed the deal.

Days before buying a new Polo GT TSI

The VW Safdarjung SA had been in touch with me ever since he wowed me with the test drive. Immediately thereafter though, I told him that I am forced to postpone buying a new car because of new venture/cash preservation needs, and I will come back to him in less than a year.
However, while looking for an old Honda City, my mind kept racing back to the TD experience. It was a tough decision – head vs heart. The head said preserve your cash, you are a start-up and who knows when you may need that extra 50,000-100,000. The heart was of course with the Polo GT.
The heart won the battle in about two or three days. I called up the SA and told him I’m going ahead with a new Polo GT TSI. I asked him to get me a loan application, and work out a low down payment. Needless to say he was thrilled!
I also sat down with the SA and reworked the car financials. Out went all the extras (paint protection, RSA etc.), plus I chose to buy my insurance from outside myself. After receiving and analyzing quotes from HDFC Ergo, Bajaj Allianz and Tata AIG, I went with Tata AIG. Also added Zero depreciation and a few other add-ons. The full quote still worked out about Rs. 5,000 lesser than what the dealer quoted me as discounted rate.
The loan process with ICICI Bank took 3-4 days. My new venture is incorporated as a PLC, therefore the paperwork was a bit more than usual. But once it was all done, the actual process was fairly smooth. I just had to sign like 80-odd signatures and there were a few verification calls. The loan was approved.
Loan approved, old car ready to be sold, I was ready to bring the Polo home. I had previously told the SA that if everything went well and on time, I will take a delivery on Sunday.
A little time on Friday afternoon and evening was spent in receiving insurance quotes. By evening I decided on Tata AIG. The sales person (I called Tata AIG on their helpline, so worked with them directly), told me that he’d need my car engine number and chassis number to sell me new car’s insurance. When I told him that he’d have to wait till Sunday, he asked me to get these details from dealer on Saturday since the car would have been allotted to me.
On Saturday (one day before delivery), I went to the dealer to see my car, to do a PDI and to get the engine and chassis number. I didn’t meet the SA I was working with, but another one told me that the car is at their yard in Gurgaon. When I asked for the yard’s address, he told me that nobody is permitted to go inside. He told me that the car will arrive in the morning, and that I should prepare to come for delivery by 1pm. I got the engine and chassis number though. Also, I called up the SA I was working with, requested for a particular registration number combination and he told me it will be done. My car is finally bearing the number I chose that day.

The day of the delivery

I got up with a start early on Sunday and at 10am, spoke to the SA again, who called me to come by 1pm. I now had 2-3 hours to kill, which I did by completing some pending office work.
I was still working at 12:30 when the SA called and asked me where I was. I told him I was going to leave in 5 mins, and he said the car is ready. I shut the PC and got ready.
On my way I bought two boxes of chocolates, one for the SA and the other for the dealer’s staff as a gift. The auto took 20 mins to reach the dealer. I spotted my car waiting for me, outside, gleaming in Delhi’s winter sun.
While I was promised a 30-45 mins delivery, it took nearly two hours to complete the paperwork etc.! I took this opportunity to click a few pictures (very odd exterior iangles as there was no space to click the car’s pictures from a distance) of the car, and sending them to my family and close friends.
Like all others have reported on the forum, no cash discount were offered or given on the GT TSI. I have however been promised rubber mats (costing about Rs. 2,000), but the SA says I must wait as they are awaiting a shipment for the same.
I didn't take the extended warranty immediately. I believe it can be taken anytime during the first year; and I'm planning to buy one in about 6-8 months.
I finally did a thorough PDI; the car was spotless and super clean! The ODO showed 43km on it. Just one blemish - noticed a minor blackish smudge inside on the roof, near the roof light. Asked the SA to get it cleaned. In twenty minutes it was gone.
Having reached the dealer at 1:15pm or so, I was finally ready to depart with the car at around 3pm. The SA gave me a slip for free 5liter fuel at a station just across the road. I gifted him the chocolate box and we shook hands. The entire staff waved me bye.
The car barely had any fuel, so I filled the 5L from the pump. The yellow light for fuel still blinking, I went in the direction of my regular, trusted pump. But before that, time to buy my coffee from Devan’s, in Khanna market.
Driving a new car, my first with an auto transmission, turning right from Bhikaji Cama towards AIIMS to go towards Lodhi Road, I hit one of the worst jams I’ve ever seen on a Sunday. The car crawled for about 1 km and it was only after turning left from AIIMS towards Delhi Haat that the road cleared a bit. Reached Devan’s, and then realized (second time in my life) that the damned place is closed on Sundays. Went to my regular pump from there and filled a tankful (37-odd liters). I then went to a sweets shop to buy some sweets before reaching home.
As I was speaking to mom on phone (my parents live in my hometown), she asked me to do a small puja. So I reach home, do a small puja, treat myself to sweets, order pizza and start reading the owner’s manual.
In two hours, it’s time to take the car for another puja at a temple I regularly visit. While coming back and driving the car on a relatively low-traffic road, I gradually begin to realize that what I am driving is something special. Something out of the ordinary. It was a feeling that would gradually grow on me over the next few days.

We have this old theory about how different cars are designed according to two or three different philosophies. Cars of category X are designed simply as utilitarian vehicles, whose sole purpose to exist is to transport you from point A to B, and with a little luck, safely. Category Y cars also functionally exist to transport you from A to B, but they want to do that in reasonable style, comfort and luxury. A decent performance is often an added advantage. When it comes to Z category cars, they have a different philosophy. Transportation from A to B be damned, these cars are all about pushing some buttons harder – often it is performance or luxury.

It is obvious that starting with Rs. 2 lakh for a Nano and going to Rs. 2 crore and onwards for supercars, as price point increases, the car philosophy firmly changes from X to Y and to Z. But even at existing price point barriers, sometimes we have outliers. These are category Z cars, which defy their price points and deliver something a category higher. These are cars that excite us, put wide grins on our face, because they are giving us something we would otherwise get at a much higher price point.

The Polo GT TSI is one such outlier. It’s a Z car that punches well beyond its class (the price bracket); delivering an experience that you’d otherwise expect in cars at least double the price. In doing so, the Polo GT TSI joins an illustrious league of cult automobiles that have been sold in India. Like the first-gen Honda City Vtec, the Ford Fiesta 1.6S, Skoda Octavia vRS, the Palio 1.6 (I might be missing a few others).

I also see striking similarities with the Yamaha RD350 that I once owned, one of the most cult motorcycles of our previous generation. Both feature cutting-edge technologies at their time; and the TSI and DSG are two gems that make Polo GT TSI an outstanding value even at Rs. 9L+ on road. It’s a car we’ll talk a lot about years down the line.

On the DSG gearbox
I know that many driving enthusiasts amongst us diss the automatic transmissions, stating their preference for an old-school manual instead. Their core argument is that a manual is far more engaging, more fun, and requires more skill. I’d concede these points. But, the rub of the matter is that a good automatic is much, much faster, giving you upshifts and downshifts in milliseconds :)

I guess some part of manual preference is also misplaced snobbery or nostalgia about the old-school technologies; I still have friends who swear by their record players and turn a blind eye (and ear, regrettably) to the fact that the world has moved to the age of studio master FLACs and media streamers/network players.

My parents still wistfully reminisce their old semi-automatic washing machine, even though they grudgingly accept that the new frontloading automatic is not just far more convenient, it also cleans clothes better. I personally reminisce the kick start on my bike; all modern bikes come with push button start. Ah, our love for ancient technologies, never mind they are inferior to the modern ones!

Anyway, back to the manual vs automatic transmission. Most of us like to push our cars faster, and a manual can only go as far as laws of human biology and neuron-motor physics allow. See, right from the stone age, whenever there has been a fair contest between man and (a well-engineered) machine, the machine always won. Eliminating the manual clutch operation through an automatic is such an obvious operational optimization that minimizes the seconds (or even fractions) that humans need to depress a clutch lever, move the gear lever and then release the clutch. But automatics too come in different avatars, and what many of us are familiar with are CVTs, whose notorious rubber band effect is perhaps the big reason many continue to stay skeptical of all automatic trannys. The DSG gearbox? Well, it’s a revelation.

This dual shift gearbox is an eye-opener on how far automatic transmission technology has come today (as an aside, Porsche’s PDK is a DSG technology). The best part with a DSG is that there’s virtually zero disruption in the flow of power – gear shifts happen in milliseconds without you having to move your foot on the accelerator even by a millimeter.

For a brief while during my GT TSI test drive I engaged the S mode, and the car would just fly from one end of the road to the other. The gears would upshift with me fully stomping the accelerator down – rev loss was minimum and my back kept pinned to the seat.

Remember, this was in automatic S mode. For even better control, I could have used tiptronic, which would give me manual control over upshifts and downshifts without bothering me with a clutch lever. No sir, a manual transmission can’t even come close to a good automatic in outright performance, especially when engaged in a tiptronic mode. If you want an outright fast car or you intend to test and claim truly optimal 0-100 times, please don’t insist on an old-school manual transmission.

Now, like everybody else, I too am reasonably bothered about the reliability of the DSG gearbox. But I am happy taking a bet on Volkswagen’s seriousness, and then I am hedging my bet with an extended warranty.

There is one more critical thing all owners with DSG boxes (and potential owners) need to consider. Cars with DSG gearbox aren’t meant to be towed (don’t ask me why, but it’s a big ass warning from VW in the owner’s manual). Plus, you can’t take your key out from the car until the DSG box is engaged in P mode.

What it means is this: gone are the days when I could double park my car in ‘neutral’ and ask the parking guy to just ‘push’ it if needed. The Polo GT TSI is no pushover. You gotta treat her royally. So it also means that I can’t leave her in any situation (wrong parking?) where some ignorant cop decides to tow her. If the car indeed has a breakdown, the DSG box demands it be lifted aboard a moving trailer/crane; the types that transport our luxury sedans when they’re broken.

A little more to say

I still remember the hair-raising sensations I used to experience whenever my RD350 used to enter the power band. It was insane and thoroughly addictive. I am so glad to experience the same feeling with the Polo GT TSI.
It’s been almost two weeks now that my GT TSI has been home. I swear to God that I have never noticed as much traffic on Delhi roads as I did right from the time I took the delivery. This is a car that demands to be revved on open roads, and I hate the fact that it’s so damn hard to push the car on Delhi’s trafficked roads.
On the road, if you start from a traffic signal with D manual, this car is simply no match for any other car, particularly those with manual transmissions. It just leaves them far too behind far too quickly.
In the short time that I’ve been with her, I have barely managed to open her up a little bit two-three times, on the NH8 Gurgaon and the Greater Noida expressway. It does 140kmph without breaking a sweat; the tachometer showed somewhere close to 3k at that time.
Btw can anyone guess how much tire pressure it came with from the dealer? 44-46psi!! That’s how much dealers overinflate your stock tires! New rule for all new car buyers as they take the delivery: go straight to a petrol bunk to fill petrol and ‘deflate’ tires back to normal!
Finally, I can’t wait to complete the run-in (1,000kms) and to get on with the S mode! Will update this thread with life after run-in in due course of time.

How I drive

The winters are here in Delhi, and I know the importance of keeping the revvs low when the car engine is still cold. Therefore as I start the engine in the morning and roll out of my house, I keep the MID display set to engine temperature. It normally starts at 15 degrees C these days, and slowly starts climbing. In about 10 minutes or 5-6 kms of driving, the display shows 90 degrees C, then I switch to the digital speedometer display often, or to the trip meter.
We are cursed with dime a dozen red lights/signals here in Delhi, many of them last as long as 180 seconds. So far I’ve been putting the gear in N (Neutral) and pulling the hand break when stopped at a signal, or to P mode if the signal timer is displaying more than 100 seconds. I don’t keep pressing the breaks in D mode for more than 5-7 seconds.
The manual mode in D-drive is the most fun you can have with the car (even while you’re running her in). At speeds of around 80-90kmph on the expressway, the D mode has 7th gear engaged and engine revving at under 2k. I could slot it into manual, drop a gear or two; get the revvs to around 2.5k and the fun would begin – it’d zoom off from there.
The owner’s booklet suggests that during the running-in, the revvs must stay below 3k and top speed below ~150kmph. I have tried to maintain this rule mostly, breaching it in manual mode 2-3 times (otherwise driving all through in D mode). Waiting for the running-in to complete before I get on with the S mode, and pushing the manual. Once in D mode the revs shot up to 5K when pedal was floored; a little scary experience and after that I've kind of gone a little easy on pedal flooring for the run-in.

In conclusion
Sometimes there are decisions whose outcome may spread out over years, but still you’re reasonably assured of how they are going to affect you right after you take them. Buying a Polo GT TSI is one such decision – I know for a fact that I am going to be a very happy person as long as the GT TSI stays with me (hopefully in great shape). I’m very happy with the car so far, and I believe the feeling will only grow as time elapses, as I drive her on highways more and finally, as she finally completes her running-in period.

Now as credits are set to roll, it’s time to say a big thanks to all you wonderful people who make Team-BHP the absolute fantastic place for all petrolheads (like myself). I can’t emphasize enough the advantage of having read the two posts (How to sell your used car and How to buy a new car). The entire VW Polo GT TSI official review thread has been immensely helpful. And last but not the least, I am happy to be part of the thriving community of GT TSI owners. May our tribe grow!

If any of you have any questions, I’d advise you to please PM me (I’ll get an email notifying me). The reason is that I have a hectic work life and may not be regular at Team-BHP (despite my best intentions). However, rest assured, I will be here as often as I can – to participate and contribute to the community. Thank you all for reading my early review thread!