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-   -   Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/135550-volkswagen-polo-1-2l-gt-tsi-official-review-166.html)

Took delivery of my Flash Red GT TSI on Thursday from VW Palace Cross exactly one month after paying the booking amount. They had quoted a waiting period of 3 months.

Looks like VW has stepped up production of their GT models. On the same day they had scheduled deliveries of about 7 cars. Out of which three cars were GT TSIs and one was a GT TDI. Overall very happy with the booking and delivery process. VW palace cross were very professional with clear written documentation at every step. One my best experiences with booking and delivery, I must say.

My initial impressions

1. VW have done a good job with the facelift. Though the changes are minimal, the double barrel headlamps and mildly altered front grill look good.
2. Love the all black interiors.
3. Driver ergonomics, visibility etc... are good. As a Laura owner I was immediately comfortable with the controls and similar layout and logic for the controls.
4. Quality of switch gear and over feel is very good for a hatch though some cheap bits like IRVM and wipers do exist.
5. Suspension set up just soaks up road undulations to deliver a magic carpet ride
6. NVH levels are good. I was surprised to see sound deadening material under the bonnet normally used only for diesel cars present in this car.
7. Audio quality from HU is average.
8. Engine is very refined. Crusing on an open stretch in D5- D6- D7 is a smooth silky affair.
9. Gearshifts are almost seamless. In the i10 I could feel each and every gear change. but not in this car.
10. The GB hesitates a bit while downshifting and in crawling traffic.
11. While taking off from standstill there is a half a second lag before it moves. The i10 AT is instanteous in this respect. As a result its great in catching that tiny gap in traffic. This lag in the Polo is enough to put doubts in your mind. Same applies even for reverse gear. After engaging reverse the car takes a moment before it decides to move.
12. I haven't pushed the car yet and am yet to try the manual mode or sports mode or test the brakes for that matter.
13. Rear seat space sucks. With my driving position the legroom in the rear seat directly behind me is zero.
14. New flat bottom steering feels great to hold. Steering is a bit too light for my liking. Feedback is not bad for an EPS.
15. Horn sounds terrible :eek:

Congrats Santosh. That was a pretty quick delivery. As you said looks like they have finally ramped up supplies. Ever since the car was launched dealers have Always been quoting 4- 6 months and even beyond.

Wish you all the best.

Either that or customers weren't keen on taking delivery in December. Maybe I jumped the queue for this reason. Either way I am happy I got delivery sooner than expected. But looking at a few posts on this thread it looks like waiting periods for the GT TSI have come down.

Btw I noticed there's no separate dipstick to check the AT gear oil level. What is the specified interval for changing the AT gear oil?

I got the delivery the same day I gave the draft, Booked the car a week ago, but did not give them any payment apart from 11k.
Robi's the fastest one after mine (3 days).

EDIT: I'm getting an average of 6.x kmpl it jumps to 12-13 when it is in D7 on open roads. I have been filling up with speed (91) as 97/93 are not available. Car has run 567km (delivery date 12/12/14) What're you guys getting?

According to VW android app, its 60,000 kms.

Where exactly do you drive man? I'm getting between 12.5 and 13.5kmpl as per MID.

Stupid ass B2B traffic. Only time I see 12/13 is @ 5AM. I need to stop gunning the car. Sedentary driving is not my style.

Just today the ABS got me in trouble.
My speed was <10kph and the car in front of me stopped so I had to brake hard.
Unexpectedly, the car didn't stop and the ABS kicked in and I rear ended the other car. Since the speed was so low 3-4 kph, there was no damage at all to both vehicles.
I had enough distance from the car, but ABS screwed up everything due to the low traction. The pedal was pulsating till the car hit the other car. Full pressure was applied to the brake pedal.
The reason for this, was the sand on the road due to the overpass construction.The tires had no traction and so the ABS kicked in to keep them from locking up. Funny thing is that locked wheels stop quicker in certain conditions.

I tried to recreate this and braked hard at 10kph with the left tire on dirt and the right tire on smooth tarmac, exact same thing happened.
The ESP did not kick in. I have the Brake assist and EDL to max(strong/early) and running on the stock tires.
I have stopped the car from 120-0 on smooth tarmac with little drama, this tells me that the calibration for the ABS sensor is just stupid, I remember a certain post from an SX4 owner who complained about the ABS when going through potholes.

Has anyone else gone through this? It is not like the car is at super high speeds, it is less that 10! This happened in crawling traffic. This was a scary experience, the pedal was pulsating like crazy and bang! the car rear ends another car. I am so thankful that my speed was so low(<10 km/h), who knows what might have happened if the speed was higher like 20-40.

Hey H_Dogg72,
This has happened even to me. I was crawling behind(within 10kmph) a vehicle. For few seconds I was not concentrating on the vehicle ahead of me. And suddenly I notice that the person ahead of me stops abruptly, and I floor the brake. I could feel the ABS kicking in, and I could also feel the shuddering brake(brake pedal keeps hitting back). But the vehicle kept moving in a slow pace without stopping(it moved at least couple of feet).

One of the downsides of ABS is that it increases stopping distances on slippery surfaces. Was there some sand on the road when this happened?

Generally I've noticed when brake pads or discs are new, they are not as progressive as they should be and tend to grab and lock up tyres easily. This kicks in ABS and and you end up losing stopping power. Things should settle down as you clock some more mileage.

Thanks Santhoshbhat. Brakes were not new.
It was tarmac(in front of HAL airport), but its possible that road had couple of small potholes(sorry, did not notice). But that was a scary experience.

Congrats on your latest German pick Santosh. Welcome to the GT Club bro clap:.

Having owned a German car before, I am sure you are anything but a novice in that aspect.


Talk about it !! Wonder if the proclaimed theory "To reduce noise pollution..." is really true. On the flipside, I feel the latest honks from VW group are more shrill and heck a lot irritating!! :Frustrati

Nevertheless, wish you many happy and safe miles on your GT.

Please post an ownership report of your 'Flash Tourer' !!

It was scary for me too, I guess the road must have mud or the potholes might have caused the ABS to kick in. Potholes caused the SX4 owner trouble too.

Thank you Raajks

Congrats to you Santoshbhat, I think our booking was just a week apart :). Planning and looking for help for some VCDS tweeks!!!

I'm calling this more of an experience rather than a guide as there are several members here better qualified to talk about this subject.

I've had my GT TSi for about 6 months and in that time i've had the chance to run it on 3 of the most common tyre sizes available @ 15 inches for the it and one tyres size @ 16 inches. You'd wonder why but it's only because i wanted to get the perfect driving experience from this car and that's not possible without trying all the tyre sizes available. If there was a 4th size available at 15 inches i would have probably tried that too.... clap:

I see a lot of new GT TSI owners confused about what tyre size to run so i'll just jot down my thoughts here for the benefit of anyone looking for an tyre upgrade....

1. 185 60 15

This is the OEM size on on the GT TSI. Out of the showroom the car came with Apollo Aceleres. I had them on for a day or 2 in the beginning and also again for about 2 weeks ( the current alnac version ) a few months down the line. These tyres are pretty good and would suffice for most of the owners. They have a comfortable ride quality and with decent noise levels. In the city and on the highway this size is enough for the sedate driver who occasionally wants to have some fun.

Ride Quality/Comfort : 8
Handling : 8

2. 195 60 15

The next best upsize which most owners go for. I tried the Michelin Primacy 3ST. I had them on for about 3 weeks. I felt this particular size gave me the best ride quality and the 3ST were very quiet. I just felt the car would bob around just a little bit more during cornering. This is good tyre upsize size for the guy whose primary requirements are ride quality, minimum road noise and comfort followed by handling. In those regards this tyre size and tyre brand was the best i've experienced so far. couple of my friends now run this size.

Ride Quality/Comfort : 10
Handling : 7

3. 205 55 15

I have had 2 tyres in this size. The Hankook V8 RS and the Yoko S Drives. I feel this is the right tyre size for the enthusiast. It surely helps bring out the capability of the 1.2 tsi/dsg combo better and improves handling characteristics of the car. but the ride comfort surely takes a hit and the thuds and bumps will filter through the cabin more. The plush ride quality of the 1st two choices is missing but the grip offered is outstanding.

Ride Quality/Comfort : 7
Handling : 10

4. 205 50 16

Last month we had the 1st GT TSI whatsapp group meet here in Delhi. There i got a chance to experience a 4th tyre size on 2 of the whatsapp group/forum members cars prithwi-81 and The Saint. They had the 205 50 16 Yoko S Drives. My experience with this size is brief, just a few kms during the meet. From my limited time with them i found them to offer the best handling experience but the ride was quite firm. Also the fact that both cars had upgraded suspension setups surely made a difference to the stiffness.

Ride Quality/Comfort : 6
Handling : 10+

I would surely like to experience a stock GT TSI on 205 50 16 and if i like the handling/ride quality ratio then i'd most likely switch to that size with a 16 inch alloy design of my choice after my current 205 55 15 tyres wear out. Or i might stay at 205 55 15 if i upgrade my shocks to Bilstein B6 to help retain the ride quality post shocks upgrade.

Cheers.... :)

The problem is comfort tyres like P3ST are not available in 205/55/15 or 205/50/16. The S drives etc... are sporty tyres where the rubber hardens with age and as a result the ride deteriorates.

I find the ride to be exemplary with the stock Alnacs. They are very silent too. Don't know how long they will remain silent though. But I am missing that X factor with the handling. I am kind of spoilt by my Laura which runs on Michelin Pilot sport 3's with Bilstien B6 shocks. It gives me the perfect blend of sportiness and comfort. The PS3's are such nice tyres - Terrific performance, yet supple and quiet.

I am keen on the B6's for the Polo too along with 16" alloys. But then the ride will surely go for a toss. I wondering whether the B6's with stock Alnacs may be a good idea to start with.