[chase_nt]

11/06/2013 is a date that will be etched in my memory. It’s the day that I took delivery of my gleaming red GT TSI. I have decided to call my car “Red Rocket” because it deserves this name. Exhilarating, breathtaking, stupendous, phenomenal are some of the metaphors that I can think of which can describe this rocket on 4 wheels. I have had this car for about 24 hours now and this is just a write up of my initial impressions of this car and I will try and update this ownership review as and when I add more miles on the tarmac.


Taking delivery of my hot hatch.



The Red Rocket and me.



Having booked and paid for this car solely based on the reviews (the dealer did not have a demo vehicle and had just one car as a display piece) on team bhp and other websites, I have to say that it’s worth every single dime that i have paid for it. I have driven/owned several cars in the last decade and I have to say that this is right up there on the top of my list as one of the best cars that I have driven solely based on outright performance. Once I took the car out of the showroom and tried to get the feel of the GT’s power, it dawned on me that this car is all that and more, that an enthusiast looks for.


The MID display (Shows you all the information you desire to know from the service schedule to the fuel efficiency)



The music system and climate control. I would rate the stereo 5/10. I found that the stereo in the brio was a lot better. But who needs the stereo when you are addicted to the amazing sound of the engine/exhaust and turbo whistle.



When you slip the car into drive (D) and gently put your foot on the accelerator the car feels sedate but that changes in a matter of a second or so as you nudge your foot a bit more heavily on the accelerator. Once the tachometer moves into the 1500 rpm range that’s where the real magic happens. The turbo spools and you feel an instant surge of power that is unmistakable even if the car is slotted in D. The gear changes by the DSG gearbox are very quick and precise. There is no way that you can notice them unless you are actually keenly paying attention. In no time that gem of an engine is already in fifth gear or higher and you realize that you are already crossing 100 km/hr. It all happens so fast especially if you have a heavy right foot.


Notice most of the dummy buttons at the center. Most of these buttons have functionality on the GT's sold outside India according to the owners manual.



All the necessary controls on the drivers doors



The rear bench



None of the passenger doors have door locks that can be opened from the inside. Everything is controlled from the drivers door which has lock and unlock buttons.



Before you realize it you are already almost ready to rear end someone. For people who drive aggressively the sporty note that the exhaust has does not disappoint. In fact my father who is a normal driver was so addicted to the sheer surge of power and the amazing note that the engine emanated that he kept pushing the accelerator so that he could experience more and more of it. It didn’t matter which car was on the highway on my ride back home be it a hatchback or a sedan they all kept biting the dust of the GT TSI. I found that the regular D mode was enough to give me my quota of thrills for the day. However when I wanted to see what this car does in the Sports (S) mode it was as though someone turned on the switch for the nitrous. The way the tachometer went all the way up to the red line before up-shifting and the amazing turbo whistle that accompanied the sporty note of the exhaust was enough to send you into ecstasy.


Gt Tsi badging.



The glove box is generously large.



280 liter boot space.



Rear view of the GT.




Though I drove the GT aggressively I decided not to go beyond 110 km/hr as I wanted to give it time for the run in. I have to say that it reached those speeds effortlessly and in the blink of an eye despite the fact that there were 4 people in the car. Sometimes I felt that the car was scarily fast reaching those speeds. This is where I feel that VW should have equipped this car with 4 wheel disc brakes. I felt that the braking power of the car was good when driven normally however for someone with a lead foot I feel that the brakes are woefully inadequate. I observed that the GT reaches a 100 really fast and the brakes need to be improved upon by VW. It’s a shame that VW decided to sell a car with features such as ESP which is a first in this segment and decided to cut costs by not providing rear wheel disc brakes.



The gem of an engine.



Front View of the rocket.



Side View of my GT.



Both wipers cannot be moved up to clean the glass unless they are in service mode which i feel is a ridiculous design flaw.



Coming to the suspension I felt that the car was pretty stable however I did not indulge in cornering at high speeds and hence I am unable to actually comment on the handling characters of the car. On rough roads the car felt really smooth and simply gobbled up all the undulations of the roads. That is something that I expected considering the kerb weight of this car is close to 1.1 tons. In fact the way this car propels forward is very uncanny for a car with this weight. VW has definitely incorporated a gem of an engine in this vehicle. I have read discussions on the forum regarding the engine numbers and how there might be something fishy going on about this vehicle not actually being 105bhp however after driving this car all these doubts have been put to rest in my mind. This car is genuinely fast and I find no reason to speculate about the claimed power output of its engine.


The steering wheel.



I have not used the tiptronic mode because I felt that I had enough thrills with the D and S modes. The rear seat legroom is very ordinary for a vehicle that costs so much but that’s not an issue for me because we have to understand that the GT TSI is not a car that everyone goes out and purchases. It’s strictly for the enthusiasts.



There are no volume controls for the stereo on the steering wheel. The controls you see here are only for the phone that you connect via bluetooth.



The GT has robust build quality on the outside as well as on the inside. The doors and the bonnet are as heavy and as solid as a German tank. The moniker “a wolf in sheep’s clothing” comes to my mind when I see the GT from the outside. It might look like the regular Polo however all the magic is conjured by the superlative engine, gearbox and transmission of this masterpiece. These are only my initial driving impressions of this car and I will keep updating this thread with more experiences.



The fold able key with which you can control everything from the fuel cap release to the windows as well as the boot.



Pros:
1.) Engine, gearbox and transmission are in a league of their own
2.) Robust build quality
3.) Fully loaded with everything that the heart desires
4.) Finally a hot hatch for enthusiasts besides the overpriced Mini Cooper.


Cons:
1.) Lack of all wheel disc brakes makes the braking power inadequate especially for drivers who are seeking thrills.
2.) Plain Jane looks of the GT (the polo body kit could have been incorporated by VW to distinguish it from the regular Polo)
3.) Service mode operation for wiper is annoying when it comes to cleaning the windshield.

[volkman10]

Great review and happy to note the ownership reviews are increasing by the minute here! If not mistaken, yours is the second ownership review today!

Wishing you a great ownership and Drive Safe!

Cheers!

Cheers!

[nipcarlover]

Hey,
Congrats on the Polo GT!
That's two ownership reports in a day, after a dearth of any for a while!
Hope you have many awesome miles in your Turbocharged Polo!

[Loud]

Heartiest congratulations on your GT TSI, the red rocket!
You look nice in the second pic beside your GT TSI.

Hope you have many happy miles with her (rather HIM) and enjoy it to the fullest. Also, hope you keep it for a longer time!

Are the door sills illuminated? When are you planning for the body kit?

[Arch-Angel]

Great choice there! She looks rocking in the red attire . Have a niggle free ownership and a lot of fast, safe miles on this little number cruncher.

[WindRide]

Congrats and drive safe while having fun.

Originally Posted by chase_nt

....
Side View of my GT.......

Wheel wells look empty. Upgrade and fill it up. Make her LOOK like a 10L hot hatch!!

[robimahanta]

Originally Posted by "chase_nt;

But who needs the stereo when you are addicted to the amazing sound of the engine/exhaust
Though I drove the GT aggressively I decided not to go beyond 110 km/hr as I wanted to give it time for the run in.
There are no volume controls for the stereo on the steering wheel. The controls you see here are only for the phone that you connect via bluetooth.

Congrats on the car chase, the polo Tsi is a nice fun and peppy hatchback. However, I m sure you will get used to the power soon and will be left wanting for more.
Regarding the run in, I feel its better not to over rev the engine or redline it than sticking under certain speeds

And the steering wheel volume control is there in my car so it should be there in yours too

[puchoo]

Congratulations , wishing you many many miles of fun!

[shashank.nk]

Congrats on the Polo! Wish you a great ownership with your car. Thanks for the detailed initial impressions report.

[shivasuma]

Congrats on the car. Hope you have a trouble-free ownership. The '+' and '-' on the steering is the volume control.

[sajusherief]

Congratulations on your new buy.
Love that Polo TSI badge on the sill. Isthat an extra fitment ?

[esma1981]

Congratulations chase_nt for your new red rocket! I suppose the majority of GT owners on BHP have the same pros & cons as you. The brake require about 200/300 kms of run-in as per the manual. So avoid any unnecessary sharp braking during this time. As for me, I feel an improvement in the sharpness after the run-in. Or maybe it's just that I've gotten more used to the way they work.

[4nd3r50n]

And here comes the second review! Congratulations, chase_nt, for your Red Rocket TSi. Looking forward to another wonderful ownership thread.

[rock18]

Congratulations man.One real hot hatch!!!.Gorgeous looks and awesome power to go with it.It really must be a driver's delight.Please do post the mileage figures also and regularly update the ownership report.

[mtnrajdeep]

Congrats Nitin! Had seen the pic of the car earlier and it looks good. Planning to change the audio as in all your other cars? Drive safe!