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October 11th 2013 - The day the flashy red machine was delivered and Ramani Cars in Coimbatore did a great job and made it an awesome occasion.
Filled the gas tank to its full capacity and started the ride.
7 speed automatic DSG gear box and the 1.2 TSI engine - The DSG comes with D mode, S mode and triptronic manual mode apart from having the R (reverse), N (Neutral) and P (Parking).
For the initial couple of times I felt that the throttle response was little late by half a second in the D mode but understood the mechanics of the gearbox response by reading the internet. what next, went for some short rides and got used of the foot movement that is required to feel the power output in the way I wanted. I noticed that the gears reached 7 when the speedo showed only 60 KM/hour; which means, the DSG was programmed to shift to the maximum gear possible to be fuel efficient. This is the story of the D mode. The dual clutch works butter smooth with no glitches when the gear change happens. When the car revs down to a stop, you can feel how quick the gears shift down which helps you in the breaking as well.
The S (sports) mode - For motoring enthusiasts who does not want to fiddle with the gear knob but is expecting that awesome push, be it in the traffic or in the high way overtakes. Absolutely breathtaking with a little bit of drunkenness when it comes to fuel efficiency. The engine revs up to the maximum in each gear makes sure that you are in front of everyone. While breaking and cornering, the gear shifts down quickly and responds to the throttle faster making you feel like "THE IRON MAN".
The Triptronics mode (Manual + / -) - This is specifically designed for racing enthusiasts who wants that low end torque to play the role while overtaking, cornering and when going for the zig zag rides. The engine comes to the control of the driver and obeys his rules. Second -to- Third -to- fourth gears sends an adrenaline rush into the 1.2 Turbo Stratified Inject (TSI) engine until the tacho needle reaches the red area i.e, ultimate low end torque that puts the car in the 3 digit speed in seconds. Of course, one needs a bit of "getting used to" part in using the manual mode. The term "GT" is justified.. Good Job by volkswagen
In all the 3 cases the steering response stays the same and never felt any wobbling, which shows the sturdiness of the car.
The 7 speed DSG was perfectly coupled with the 1.2 TSI engine throwing 105 PS and is directly felt when you drive in the S and triptronic mode.
Exterior Design and Shape - No big changes when compared to the other Polo models. However the GT Tsi comes with its own spoiler in the rear. Tail lights perfectly match the body and settle within. While the back side of the car is a little curvy at its bumper, the front side of the car is ergonomically designed with sharp features to tear-off the air while speeding. The twin strike chrome finish bonnet grill with the GT logo is the differentiator. The headlights are smoked with black inside and that makes the car to have an aggressive eye look. Doors are heavy to save the driver and passengers from injury. The black antenna makes the car look like a remote car on an Arial view. A shark fin antenna by default would have made the car look more aggressive.
Coming to the bottom, it is provisioned with ample lift from the ground which makes the ground clearance higher. Not once, the car had a hit ,even from the tallest of the speed breakers. The wheel base is not the longest among the hatches and is long enough to make the ride smooth. Now, the silencer muffler tip is not visible and is curved towards down side. What would have made the car impressive from the backside to make it look like a real GT is, a chrome coated dual holed muffler tip for the silencer like the Golf GTI. Unfortunately, for one to mod the silencer tip, the rear bumper also needs to be changed :(. Though the 15" alloys add value to the looks, it would have been super cool if the alloys are made in black (not pure black) with a matt finish and a red line on the border of the wheel. I'm still looking around for such a custom-made alloy wheel.
Interiors, comfort and infotainment - Overall build quality of the interiors is world class unlike other hatches with hard plastics. The driver’s console is fully loaded with all the necessary information (mileage indicator, fuel indicator, Trip meter etc.,). The steering wheel comes with a leather wrap, telescopic up down and front back options and steering controls to control the audio and voice call options. It would have been really awesome, if the polo had cruise control and paddle shifters, sadly we miss it. The infotainment system comes with a cd player, radio with various input options like 3.5mm Aux in, Bluetooth, USB and memory car option. The Bluetooth pairs with the mobile devices smoothly and the clarity is amazing. The audio output from the speakers are not so classy but not so bad as well. The AC with automatic climatronics freezes you within few minutes after the car is started. Not very happy with the suspension. It absoultely makes you feel the road and will be interesting if you want to have a sporty ride. However, it would have been better if it was little more in the comfort side. There is no engine / air / rattling noise inside the cabin as long as you are cruising. When you go into sporty action by having more foot on the accelerator, there comes the "vrooooom" sound which makes you feel like you are in a race. VW have tuned the sound to perfection.
The glove box has ample space with sun glass provision. As all other cars, Polo GT has 2 glass holders in the middle and few slots for mobile and wallet. What we miss here is the center arm rest console with some storage provision in it. The seats are designed ergonomically to hold the driver in a proper position and VW has wrapped the seats with peppy Italian fabrics. Leg rooms in the back side is not luxurious but enough for 2 members at the backseat. It might be a little cramped for 3 at the back.
The boot space is designed in such a way that it looks like it has been dug out to get you that extra space you look for a highway ride or city hopping.
Safety - 3 major safety factors are included in the hot hatch. 1 - ABS, work very smoothly, no understeer or over steer evidenced so far. 2 - Dual airbags. 3 - ESP, Electronic stabilization program which stabilizes the drive turns and bumpy rides and it manages to reform the tyre positioning during the ride based on how the steering is used by the driver. What makes it interesting is, if you are a whacky driver, who needs some thrill in the drive with some skids, sharp cuts and over takes, you can turn off the ESP :) pretty innovative by VW.
Overall missing stuff - Center arm rest, cruise control, paddle shifters, shark fin antenna, a different alloy wheel (only looks) and of course a sun roof.
Dislikes - Rear foot room, audio output and suspension response.
Mileage - 14.3/l in city ride and 18.5/l in highway (in the D mode). No one really cares about the mileage in S mode and manual triptronic mode.
Sorry guys, I'm currently away from my “red pearl” (as I am out of the country). As soon as I'm back in the country or if I manage to get someone click some photographs, I will post them.
Cheers
Prawin Jawahar John Peter
Filled the gas tank to its full capacity and started the ride.
7 speed automatic DSG gear box and the 1.2 TSI engine - The DSG comes with D mode, S mode and triptronic manual mode apart from having the R (reverse), N (Neutral) and P (Parking).
For the initial couple of times I felt that the throttle response was little late by half a second in the D mode but understood the mechanics of the gearbox response by reading the internet. what next, went for some short rides and got used of the foot movement that is required to feel the power output in the way I wanted. I noticed that the gears reached 7 when the speedo showed only 60 KM/hour; which means, the DSG was programmed to shift to the maximum gear possible to be fuel efficient. This is the story of the D mode. The dual clutch works butter smooth with no glitches when the gear change happens. When the car revs down to a stop, you can feel how quick the gears shift down which helps you in the breaking as well.
The S (sports) mode - For motoring enthusiasts who does not want to fiddle with the gear knob but is expecting that awesome push, be it in the traffic or in the high way overtakes. Absolutely breathtaking with a little bit of drunkenness when it comes to fuel efficiency. The engine revs up to the maximum in each gear makes sure that you are in front of everyone. While breaking and cornering, the gear shifts down quickly and responds to the throttle faster making you feel like "THE IRON MAN".
The Triptronics mode (Manual + / -) - This is specifically designed for racing enthusiasts who wants that low end torque to play the role while overtaking, cornering and when going for the zig zag rides. The engine comes to the control of the driver and obeys his rules. Second -to- Third -to- fourth gears sends an adrenaline rush into the 1.2 Turbo Stratified Inject (TSI) engine until the tacho needle reaches the red area i.e, ultimate low end torque that puts the car in the 3 digit speed in seconds. Of course, one needs a bit of "getting used to" part in using the manual mode. The term "GT" is justified.. Good Job by volkswagen
In all the 3 cases the steering response stays the same and never felt any wobbling, which shows the sturdiness of the car.
The 7 speed DSG was perfectly coupled with the 1.2 TSI engine throwing 105 PS and is directly felt when you drive in the S and triptronic mode.
Exterior Design and Shape - No big changes when compared to the other Polo models. However the GT Tsi comes with its own spoiler in the rear. Tail lights perfectly match the body and settle within. While the back side of the car is a little curvy at its bumper, the front side of the car is ergonomically designed with sharp features to tear-off the air while speeding. The twin strike chrome finish bonnet grill with the GT logo is the differentiator. The headlights are smoked with black inside and that makes the car to have an aggressive eye look. Doors are heavy to save the driver and passengers from injury. The black antenna makes the car look like a remote car on an Arial view. A shark fin antenna by default would have made the car look more aggressive.
Coming to the bottom, it is provisioned with ample lift from the ground which makes the ground clearance higher. Not once, the car had a hit ,even from the tallest of the speed breakers. The wheel base is not the longest among the hatches and is long enough to make the ride smooth. Now, the silencer muffler tip is not visible and is curved towards down side. What would have made the car impressive from the backside to make it look like a real GT is, a chrome coated dual holed muffler tip for the silencer like the Golf GTI. Unfortunately, for one to mod the silencer tip, the rear bumper also needs to be changed :(. Though the 15" alloys add value to the looks, it would have been super cool if the alloys are made in black (not pure black) with a matt finish and a red line on the border of the wheel. I'm still looking around for such a custom-made alloy wheel.
Interiors, comfort and infotainment - Overall build quality of the interiors is world class unlike other hatches with hard plastics. The driver’s console is fully loaded with all the necessary information (mileage indicator, fuel indicator, Trip meter etc.,). The steering wheel comes with a leather wrap, telescopic up down and front back options and steering controls to control the audio and voice call options. It would have been really awesome, if the polo had cruise control and paddle shifters, sadly we miss it. The infotainment system comes with a cd player, radio with various input options like 3.5mm Aux in, Bluetooth, USB and memory car option. The Bluetooth pairs with the mobile devices smoothly and the clarity is amazing. The audio output from the speakers are not so classy but not so bad as well. The AC with automatic climatronics freezes you within few minutes after the car is started. Not very happy with the suspension. It absoultely makes you feel the road and will be interesting if you want to have a sporty ride. However, it would have been better if it was little more in the comfort side. There is no engine / air / rattling noise inside the cabin as long as you are cruising. When you go into sporty action by having more foot on the accelerator, there comes the "vrooooom" sound which makes you feel like you are in a race. VW have tuned the sound to perfection.
The glove box has ample space with sun glass provision. As all other cars, Polo GT has 2 glass holders in the middle and few slots for mobile and wallet. What we miss here is the center arm rest console with some storage provision in it. The seats are designed ergonomically to hold the driver in a proper position and VW has wrapped the seats with peppy Italian fabrics. Leg rooms in the back side is not luxurious but enough for 2 members at the backseat. It might be a little cramped for 3 at the back.
The boot space is designed in such a way that it looks like it has been dug out to get you that extra space you look for a highway ride or city hopping.
Safety - 3 major safety factors are included in the hot hatch. 1 - ABS, work very smoothly, no understeer or over steer evidenced so far. 2 - Dual airbags. 3 - ESP, Electronic stabilization program which stabilizes the drive turns and bumpy rides and it manages to reform the tyre positioning during the ride based on how the steering is used by the driver. What makes it interesting is, if you are a whacky driver, who needs some thrill in the drive with some skids, sharp cuts and over takes, you can turn off the ESP :) pretty innovative by VW.
Overall missing stuff - Center arm rest, cruise control, paddle shifters, shark fin antenna, a different alloy wheel (only looks) and of course a sun roof.
Dislikes - Rear foot room, audio output and suspension response.
Mileage - 14.3/l in city ride and 18.5/l in highway (in the D mode). No one really cares about the mileage in S mode and manual triptronic mode.
Sorry guys, I'm currently away from my “red pearl” (as I am out of the country). As soon as I'm back in the country or if I manage to get someone click some photographs, I will post them.
Cheers
Prawin Jawahar John Peter
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