Test Drive : 2013/14 Volkswagen Polo GTI - A spirited little terror

Hello folks, this review should have been out last Sunday but due to certain events I've only managed to complete it today. The 2013/14 Malaysian spec Volkswagen Polo GTI is in many ways like its more basic Polo 1.6 Hatchback that I tested earlier. Whatever that is not covered in here like its practicality could have been explained over there. This is the rest of it and do note that this is a review on how it drives. If you wanna know on whether it will break or not you may have to search elsewhere. But if you must know, nothing broke during the time I had the car. So on with the review then.......

The design, engine and drivetrain

The Volkswagen Polo GTI comes in either a 3 door or a 5 door supermini sized hatchback. The car that I tried was the 5 door Polo GTI. It is styled in the same manner as the bread and butter Polo hatchbacks but with some added makeup that it would need to live up to its ''GTI' moniker. The same clean lines that you see on the more basic 1.6 and 1.2 TSI variants are still here and there are no outrageous bonnet scoops, vents or rear whale tails of any sort. What you get on the outside is a discrete bodykit kit with sightly different front and rear bumpers, twin tailpipes at the rear, 17inch VW Detroit wheels running 215/40/17 tyres. You also get some red lipstick, or in this case some red lines on the front grille too. Little red bits tell you that this is supposed to be a hot and spicy Polo instead of a low fat low sugar variant.

The interior is the same as the Polo 1.6 hatchback I tested a few weeks ago. Of course being a GTI you get more luxurious stuff like the aggressively bolstered seats (made by Recaro at the front) and better padded seats at the rear. The GTI part of it aside from the Recaro seats is the use of tartan cloth, a throwback to the first Volkswagen GTI, the Golf. It gets a tilt and slide panoramic sunroof too. The interior also gets a soft touch dashboard instead of the hard plastic one of the normal 1.6 hatchback and 1.2TSI. But aside from touching and feeling it, you wouldn't know the difference but it is a good thing for a car that costs at least RM65,000 more expensive than the entry level car. There are also more aluminium and better bits on the dash to uplift this GTI specced Polo from the norm. Other bits include the Climatronic air-conditioning system, reverse sensors, a nice sounding audio system and the usual goodies like an armrest for the front passengers.

The Polo GTI is a hot hatch because of the firepower Volkswagen has given it. It has a 1.4liter Twincharge engine coupled to a 7 speed Dual Clutch Gearbox. The engine makes 180ps at 6200rpm and 250Nm torque from 2000-4500rpm. The DSG is a dry clutch version of Volkswagen Group's pretty renowned dual clutch transmission. I have to state that this is the most technologically advanced small capacity engine that we Malaysians can buy at this moment. Just think about it, the twin charge engine is actually a 1400cc engine that makes 180ps (over 100ps per liter) by way of a supercharger to bring out low end grunt and a turbocharger for power at the higher rpm. It is a heck of a complex setup and note that after this generation of the Polo GTI and the Scirocco 1.4, Volkswagen may not produce it anymore due to its complexity and cost. Of course, with complexity comes maintenance costs, but this for now is another matter – I shall discuss reliability somewhere down below.

Driving the darn thing.

It is easy to find a nice driving position in the Polo GTI. Much nicer and sportier with the sports seats and a sightly flat bottomed, sportier (perforated leather for better grip) steering wheel with 'GTI' embossed on it. The steering wheel adjusts nicely and is of a very nice shape to hold. You then start the Polo with a traditional key too.

Now once on the move you notice that the DSG works like any other automatic transmission. The gear changes are smooth and instantaneous. However unlike a normal torque convertor transmission it isn't a paramount of smoothness and needs more modulation than you'd like. It has the feeling of a regular manual transmission clutch in its initial take up and needs a bit of getting used to its feel. No, you'd never stall like a manual, but you feel that it does have a clutch down there somewhere. Note that you can control the Polo GTI by leaving it in Drive or knock it down to Sport (which I have to say is highly intelligent and aggressive in that it will shift down to a lower gear as soon as it senses you're off the gas or on the brakes) or take over completely via the paddle shifters on the steering wheel or via the +- on the gear lever. A lot of choices and I've used all depending on the time of day and location. Keep it in 'D' for most normal drives and everything is smooth.

The ride of the Polo GTI is of course busier than the usual Polo. It feels more firm and nuggety. Most bumps are still very tolerable and things smoothen out once you're cruising at around 110-120kmh. In fact hit 200kmh and you still feel secure in this car. There are no harsh crashes or any of that sort even if you encounter a large pothole or speed hump. It is slightly busy, but not of the head nodding variety, and not till you'd rather opt for something else instead. There is more tyre noise compared to the standard Polo, but on 215/40 series tyres, its about right but not loud and irritating. Make sure you have good tyres and all should be well in the road noise department.

The Polo GTI is one car which loves the accelerator pedal being prodded. Everything you hit that loud pedal a sonorous sound emits from the front of the car. There is a loud induction sort of growl and if you wind down the windows you'd also notice a slight whistle too. And couple this to a rapid pick up of speed after 2,500rpm (3,000 for the proper thrust to come) the package of maximum thrills in a small package seems to fall into place.

Once you hit the accelerator, the tyres chirp and the car rockets off. The noise emitted from the front (and some from the rear) sounds like a heard of angry hippos charging up a river bank. Luckily the sound it makes is matched with some performance. Front a stand still the Polo GTI will do 100kmh in around 6.7seconds and it will feel wonderous in doing so. It also has some impressive thrust if you are doing 90kmh to 120kmh – under 4 seconds. The Twincharge engine works very well with the 7 speed DSG in keeping revs up and gearchanges satisfyingly quick. There is no lag whatsoever in the gearshifts and the little Polo GTI never holds anything back.

So what does the Polo GTI remind me of.......? Well it feels like a properly angry, tuned performance car. It snorts and bellows and acceleration is quite relentless until about 200kmh (with more to come). And all of this from a 1.4liter engine. This is pretty amazing. The last time I felt this good (for a car in the 6 second to 100kmh category is a tuned Proton Wira 1.8 with a turbocharged engine. This car behaves like a tuned car, in terms of performance and also its handling.

And it can handle. Going up and down the usual roads where I usually do my road tests I found that the chassis works well within its limits and it does not get unsettled over ruts and bumps. As stated earlier, high speed stability isn't an issue and on a road with hairpins, switchbacks and tight turns the Polo GTI performs as well as it should on its narrow chassis. Yes, the only drawback about this car is that it feels slightly on the narrow side which isn't its fault as the Polo is supposed to be a supermini sized car and is sized as such. So when you are pushing it you would find that it would eventually feel like you're standing on its tyres instead and you'd sometimes wish you had a wider car like the full monty Golf GTI.

Note that the Polo GTI is something that comes from Volkswagen and this means that you will find that the handling is also nose-led like other VW group products out there. It is on the safe side (which explains the extremely good stability at around 200kmh). The steering may be nicely weighted (really nicely weighted) and you will most definitely cock a rear wheel when doing some aggressive cornering but it feels very secure in doing so with the front leading the way rather than the rear stepping out a little to assist things.....which could be a good thing to most Malaysian drivers these days who have never driven anything rear wheel drive over the past twenty years.

The brakes are a little weak though. It has good initial feel but I think that ultimate retardation could be improved. The disc area seams large enough and I believe this could be down to what I think are single pot floating calipers at the front (instead of twin pot monoblocks ala Brembos or the equivalent) and at the rear. These are adequate in day to day driving but for track days or really serious, I just robbed a bank and I need to be as fast as I can as well as brake like crazy whilst avoiding the police type of serious, then I recommend that you'd need slightly better brakes.

But the Polo GTI is still a lot of fun. I managed to keep the traction control flickering whilst belting through the windy road. Tyres chirping, induction roar rumbling and the car working well through it all. The thing about the Polo GTI is that 180ps may be just enough to keep the driver happy and working for it up and down a windy road. It isn't overpowered like some 300hp Evos out there and this actually helps an enthusiast work for the performance instead of just managing or balancing an overpowered car through the bends. In the Polo GTI, the driver still needs to egg out all of its 180ps and 250Nm torque to make rapid progress. You still have to think on where to place the car through the bends, where to add power, where to down shift and where to upshift. It is a blast. Especially since that DSG is superfast in its shifts. Somehow the package works if you want a decently fast car (not seriously fast, with that you need at least something with over 250hp these days) that would reward its driver and is forgiving too.

Conclusion and my opinion on maintaining a Polo GTI here in Malaysia

It is a great characterful entry level GTI that begs to be driven fast most of the time. That growl (some say that the sound is manufactured, but who cares) is addictive too. It is ultimately not as complete as the bigger Golf GTI (with its extra power, torque, overall balance), but still an entertaining little car. The main drawback to all of this fun is the price. At over RM155,000 your head may spin trying to justify purchasing this over a Mazda 6 2.0. This is one of the hardest things facing someone who wants to buy an imported, entry level performance car in Malaysia today. Your palms may be sweating and your hand may be shaking too much for you to sign that cheque for the booking fees.

The other, slightly scarier issues are the highly advanced 1.4liter Twincharger engine and the 7 speed dry clutch DSG. It is only after running the Polo GTI for a few days that I have come to the findings below:

The fact that it has two forced induction turbines as well as being direct injected (which means a higher than usual engine compression ratio) should tell you that this isn't an ordinary engine. After a long drive when you try pop the bonnet you will find an extremely hot engine whose heat reminds me of a friend's Lancer Evolution. Having such a tuned engine (even though it is from the factory) means that one should treat it with more respect than that of a normal engined car. I would suggest owners to maintain the Polo GTI religiously and not miss any service intervals (in fact if VW says 15,000km, do it even lesser if possible). Do make sure that the service centre provides VW504 grade engine oil (which is VW's long life oil rating) for this and do not skimp on the quality of oil.

The same goes for the DSG. Buyers must note that unlike a traditional torque convertor gearbox or even a wet clutch DSG, a dry clutch DSG has two clutches to assist in the changing of gears. Anything dry rubbing against another surface would cause friction. And like a traditional manual gearbox's clutch (which is a dry clutch most of the time) the clutch plate(s) would suffer from wear. So remember if you looooove flooring the accelerator at traffic lights all the time, a DSG clutch will wear out. This is different from something used in say, a Toyota Vios automatic. That Toyota can do Go Greens everytime of the day without any problems (as it has no torque too). So I would suggest buyers be prepared for a change of clutches if you intend to use the car for its duration if you drive like Senna all the time. Drive normally most of the time and the DSG may survive as long as it should. The occasional spirited driving and lighting up the tyres at the traffic lights are acceptable.  Again, note that it has clutches that may wear out and be prepared for it and you should do fine!!!! 

So once buyers see past these two issues and is prepared for it, the Polo GTI is a car that an enthusiast can appreciate and can bring a smile to one's face. 

And yes, here is an in-car vid of the Polo GTI (By the way, lots of mosquitos kept me company that day):

Volkswagen Polo GTI Specifications

Base Price: RM155,888 (w/o insurance)

Body: 5-door Hatchback
Mechanical Orientation: Front Wheel Drive

Engine: 4 cylinder 16 valve fuel injected 1.4-litre Twincharge (supercharger/turbocharger)
Power: 180PS (6200rpm)
Torque: 250 NM (2000-4500rpm)
Transmission: 7 speed dual clutch gearbox with paddleshifts and Sports mode

Weight: 1269kg

0-100 km/h: 6.7 seconds (tested)
Top Speed: tested to 205 km/h (229kmh manufacturer's figures)

Fuel Consumption: I got an average of around 9ltr/100km even after really gunning it.

For: Good Equipment, intelligent design and layout, quality, boot space, comfort, great seats, good ride and handling for a hot hatch, economical, good performance considering its a 1.4liter engine, superfast shifts from DSG, nothing really holds back if you're gunning this little car.

Against: some tiny switchgear, sightly weak brakes for really spirited driving, super advanced engine needs a lot of TLC in the long run, superfast DSG needs the same TLC in the long run too, there is such a thing as a Golf GTI further up the price range too.

Sometimes, you get lucky and you find a base model to photograph your test subject with - Here we have the Polo GTI with a basic Polo for comparison.