Volkswagen Polo GTI
It’s the way of the automobile business that, over the years, cars tend to grow up in parallel with their owners. Successive generations of a particular model will generally show a tendency to get bigger – and often fatter, and heavier – as well as softer, safer, more comfortable, and demanding more and more of the luxuries and conveniences of life. And because of the extra weight and girth, the engine will need to become more powerful, fueling a further round of dimensional inflation.
That’s one of the reasons why today’s Volkswagen Golf is a very different version than the one that originally attracted customer enthusiasm when the nameplate was first introduced in 1974. It’s a lot bigger, considerably more powerful, and very much heavier – which is fine for luxury versions, where comfort and ease of use are the principal priorities. But for sports-minded buyers, it’s another matter. Mass, bulk, and superfluous equipment are the enemies of agility and dynamic response. True enthusiasts bemoan the passing of the first two generations of Golf GTI, the models that inspired a generation of keen drivers and launched the whole hot-hatch culture in Europe, Japan, and the U.S.
Those keen drivers need worry no more. Volkswagen is launching the Polo GTI, a hot version of its next-size-down European hatchback. In many important respects, this model fills the long-standing gap left by the Golf GTI after it became sluggish and soggy with the move from the Mark 2 to the Mark 3 in the early 1990s.
There’s one big difference, however. The Polo may be smaller – it just sneaks in below four meters, compared with the Golf’s 4.2 meters – but it is more sophisticated than any of the 20th century Golf GTIs ever were. Its four-cylinder, 16-valve engine displaces just 1,390 cc, but produces a mighty 180 hp at 6,200 rev/min. Peak torque is highly respectable, too, at 250 Nm from 2,000 rev/min upward. This whole astonishing combination is made possible by Volkswagen’s unique TSI set-up, which pairs a supercharger for low-down flexibility with a turbo for top-end power.
The Polo GTI also marks another important first: it is the first volume-market model to have dual clutch transmission as standard equipment. No alternative is offered to VW’s seven-speed, dry clutch DQ200 DSG gearbox, but so well-suited is the transmission to this model’s purpose that few would wish for a different solution. Thanks to the DSG, 100 km/h is reached from standstill in just 6.9 seconds, yet mixed-cycle gasoline consumption is just 5.9 liters per 100 km (38.2 U.S. mpg), equating to 139 g/km of CO2.
Inside, there’s much to remind the driver of the Golf GTI ethos, too, from the subtle gray check pattern on the well-bolstered sports seats to the twin instrument dials, and the narrow center console. The driver sits low and the steering wheel is particularly pleasing, thick-rimmed but small in diameter, with a flattened lower section to aid entry and exit. Well-placed thumb grips and neat gearshift paddles with a precise but short and positive action tick the boxes for sporty drivers, too. The center lever offers the usual PRND pattern, with a movement to the right from D offering sequential override: a push forward gives an upshift, and a pull to the rear a shift down. The S position, finally, is a pull back from D, requiring the detent button on the front of the shifter to be pressed.
On turning the key and starting the engine, it is disconcerting at first to have no display to indicate the gear selector being moved out of Park, past Reverse, and into Neutral. The symbol only appears in the center display field when the lever reaches D, and from then on it shows D, S, or M, plus whichever ratio is in use at the time. Curiously, P, R, and N do appear when the lever is moved forward at the end of the trip.
Such quirks are soon forgotten amid the buzz of driving the GTI. The engine is delightfully smooth and willing, pulling well from low rpm for a unit of such high specific power. But its real excitement is concentrated in the middle and upper speed ranges, where it packs a remarkable punch for something so sweet and small. The 1.4 liter is definitely noisy when driven hard, but in a pleasingly sporty way with a hollow throaty sound from the induction side. Gearing, however, is relatively short, and even with seven speeds at the driver’s disposal it could become tiring on a long trip at high speeds.
The DCT is a perfect complement to the engine, matching it for smoothness, responsiveness, and generally perfect behavior. Aside from an occasional hesitation when pulling out into a circuitous road just after having backed off the gas, the transmission’s performance in automatic mode is near faultless. Low-speed traffic creep is almost as smooth as that of a torque converter automatic, and the stickiness of earlier versions of this system appear to have been overcome. In its D setting, the gearbox is quick to shift up early in order to make maximum use of engine torque and keep noise levels down, yet kickdown response – sometimes down as far as fourth from seventh – is quick and satisfying.
Selecting the S mode on the center lever sharpens the Polo’s reactions, encouraging it to hold onto lower gears longer – but never annoyingly long, as on some DCTs – and bringing in a measure of programmed downshifting when slowing down for a hazard such as a junction. However, even in S mode, the system does not appear to recognize the hallmarks of the driver braking for a bend, especially downhill, and turning the steering. Other DCT-equipped cars, such as the Porsche Boxster, do interpret the driver’s actions and help him or her with a programmed downshift at just the right time. Unlike some sportier designs, though, the Polo is very easy to drive around town, even in S mode.
Overriding the DCT’s automatic action by pulling on one of the steering wheel-mounted paddles – right hand side for upshifting, left for down – brings in manual operation that is quick and satisfying. Full-throttle upshifts, even in S mode, are firm and positive, but never jarring. Downshifts are accompanied by a small and not always sufficient throttle blip, and as the seven speeds are set relatively close, the engine braking effect from any one shift is relatively minor. Even so, one of the joys of quick driving in a DCT-equipped car is to be able to do a series of downshifts in quick succession.
The rest of the Polo presents a slightly more mixed picture. The chassis is well-behaved, but very tautly sprung in the uncompromisingly sporting manner that is demanded by its buyer demographic. Also, the very quick steering that makes the car so agile and such fun on winding roads can writhe and shake in the driver’s hands under hard acceleration. Such behavior is akin to an article of faith in the sporty driver’s lexicon, however, and will be taken as a positive. More mature buyers will take great reassurance in the immaculate equipment and quality construction of the Polo, along with its unflashy exterior décor – confined to a deeper frontal air intake, chunky aluminum wheels, and subtle GTI markings on the front and rear.
The Polo name isn’t stated anywhere on the exterior – perhaps just as well, given the model’s principal drawback, a distinctly Golf-class price tag of over €21,000. Many, however, would be inclined to argue that it’s worth it. The DCT suits the Polo’s eager, excited personality perfectly, and the resulting combination brings back some of the raw, fresh fun that the now over-complicated Golf GTI appears to have left behind.
| Volkswagen Polo GTI | |
|---|---|
| Engine | 1390 cc four-cylinder, 16 valves |
| Induction | Supercharger and Turbocharger |
| Max Power | 180 hp at 6,200 rev/min |
| Peak Torque | 250 Nm from 2,000 to 4,500 rev/min |
| Transmission | Seven-speed dry clutch DCT; XDS electronic differential lock |
| Maximum Speed | 229 km/h |
| 0-100 km/h Acceleration | 6.9 sec |
| Fuel Consumption | 5.9 lit/100 km (38.2 US mpg) |
| CO2 Emissions | 139 g/km |
| Price (approx) | €21,000 ($26,013) |
Story Filed: 7/7/2010
By Tony Lewin, managing editor DCTfacts.com