[khoj]

The only fix is to get the headlight changed. This is moisture in the headlight, the sealant must not have cured properly. Basically shoddy work on part of the vendor and the QA department at both the vendor's end as well at the OE

As the weather warms/dries the moisture will vanish but will come back every rainy & winter seasons.

Originally Posted by deb_majumdar

One small niggle -- there is a little bit of vapour inside the headlamps. It wasn't there when I took the delivery, but noticed it after I came home. I think I should tell them to fix this in some way. The car is new, June manufactured, and had run only 20kms when I took the delivery. Will write a detailed account of my research, booking and delivery experience soon.

There was another car (a Polo Trendline I think) in line for delivery today which had a lot more vapour inside the showroom itself. Not sure why these are happening with brand new cars.

[SLK]

Originally Posted by d_himan

2. The response time is blindingly quick. The slight triptonic 'lag' has vanished. The last paddles I drove was the Civic - and that now feels like a Jurassic relic.

3. Superb real-life use. I could, for the first time, appreciate the beauty of 4th and 5th gears in traffic. Man, does she move... Cruising in D7 at 70 kmph and want to get rid of a pesky car driving at 50 kmph on your lane? Double downshift, enjoy the roller coaster pick up, come back to your lane, car goes back to D7. Bumper to bumper traffic? Stay in 1st, upshift whenever you want to 2nd - minimize gearshifts - preserve gearbox.

...

Thanks,
These are invaluable reasons why I should get Paddle shifts too! But I'm not willing to let go of the current steering design, because that's the current gen design.

Can't we just retrofit the DSG paddle shift available here on the current steering and save a lot of money? Any idea?
http://www.vagtune.in/volkswagen/vw-...genuine-detail

[d_himan]

Originally Posted by SLK

Thanks,
These are invaluable reasons why I should get Paddle shifts too! But I'm not willing to let go of the current steering design, because that's the current gen design.

Can't we just retrofit the DSG paddle shift available here on the current steering and save a lot of money? Any idea?
http://www.vagtune.in/volkswagen/vw-...genuine-detail

Thanks SLK. I agree, the current steering is nice too, in a more 'family' way. The Jetta has the same design with paddles. However, the wheel itself is bigger.

With respect to being 'current' in terms of design, this steering is what you'll find in the 'to-be-launched' Polo GTI. This is not the mark 6 GTI steering, this is the mark 7. So, be assured about contemporariness.

Retrofitting the paddles was the first option I looked at too to save $$. But it involves cutting of the steering wheel and there was also some confusion with respect to the connectors themselves. Also, I didn't want paddles to be loosely fitted/sag/not clicking properly etc. I'm OCD about such things.

So, dropped. In retrospect, I'm so happy about that decision - the sheer look of this steering, especially at night with the brushed aluminium finish reflecting the cluster lights just makes me forget about the long day at office!

[humbleroadster]

Originally Posted by d_himan

However, the wheel itself is bigger.

Looks great!! Congrats!
So you're saying the stock wheel is bigger than the gti? Right?

[d_himan]

Originally Posted by humbleroadster

Looks great!! Congrats!
So you're saying the stock wheel is bigger than the gti? Right?

Thanks! The Jetta wheel with paddles is a tad bigger than stock polo FL wheel.

[Santoshbhat]

Originally Posted by d_himan

So, it's been a blissful 9 months of ownership, 5.5 Km done so far.

One of my recent 'mods' has been an utter revelation, and completely changes the character of the car - the GTI Mk 7 paddle shift steering.

THat's a fantastic addition to your GT Himan Looks super cool. Paddle shifts really add to the DSG experience, I am sure.

Where did you source the steering from? And could you share the cost please (if you are not comfortable is posting in public, a pm would do )

The central horn pad is of a different shape. Did that cause any difficulties in fixing the existing airbag?

[d_himan]

Originally Posted by Santoshbhat

THat's a fantastic addition to your GT Himan Looks super cool. Paddle shifts really add to the DSG experience, I am sure.

Thanks Santosh. i think Paddles 'complete' the DSG experience - I didnt' know what i was missing until now.

Where did you source the steering from? And could you share the cost please (if you are not comfortable is posting in public, a pm would do )

Will PM

The central horn pad is of a different shape. Did that cause any difficulties in fixing the existing airbag?

The steering comes with the airbag. There's no retrofitting of the airbag from existing steering. I'm retaining the current steering plus airbag as a back-up to put it back just in case there are any warranty claims in the future.

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Puffdamgcdragon

I have a request to the Administrators. When a car is revamped in quite a big way ( Like this one) would it be possibe to mention the page from where the new version gets discussed, in the heading?
It's like this- I'm in the market for a new hatchback and I'm quite keen on the revamped Polo Tsi.
I'd initially been following this review when it came out but lost touch with it over the months. Now I really don't have the time to go through 197 pages of it. i just want to re-read the initial superb review and want to flip to where the refreshed version is discussed but am getting frustrated trying to find the page.
Wonder if it makes sense to you guys? :-)

Generally, if there are no mechanical changes - as is the case here, you will not find a new review.
In such a case, mods will have a new thread in the Indian Car Scene detailing the changes. If there is a mechanical change - expect to find a completely new thread on the same, provided the Mods are able to get a thorough drive of the same. If not - like in the case of the Polo 1.5TDi GT - members put up a thread detailing all the changes and their impressions.
Here is one for the Polo 1.5 GT TDi, but sadly none for the facelift Polo 1.2 GT TSi:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...ve-thread.html

[bosporus]

Originally Posted by deb_majumdar

Right, that's my opinion too. P3STs are certainly not bad. They don't get punctured easily either. They are very good all round tyres. In fact several people highly recommend P3STs here. But, I don't think they are that sporty.

I am trying to get Yoko ES100s for my GT TSI today. The dealer tried to convince me towards P3ST (the same dealer insisted me to buy Bridgestone Potenza when I bought P3STs for my Cruze; at that time he was not a Micheline distributor, now he is) or Continental MC5s. I do not have the option of keeping the stock tyres as they are T rated. Can you believe that? A Polo GT TSI is being sold with T rated Goodyear DP V1 tyres!

I've been told on multiple occasions that the the Yokohama ES100 have been discontinued, and the S-Drives are the successor. Yokohama doesn't list the ES100 on the Indian or international site, so guessing this is true. The only reference to the ES100 is in the S-Drives brochure, where in some tyre sizes, you'll see an asterisk which says "also available in ES100".

If it's Continental, you should instead look at the Continental Premium Contact 5 (CPC5). They're highly regarded - the MC5 is a more basic tyre. The other option I would explore is the Pirelli Cinturato P7.

If you could share your tyre journey and which one you finally buy, that would be great.

Originally Posted by deb_majumdar

A Polo GT TSI is being sold with T rated Goodyear DP V1 tyres!

Originally Posted by prateekswarup

Both white cars in stockyard have Goodyear tyres. Even after detailed looking, could not find the DP or Duraplus branding anywhere.
However, tyres are rated with a T, so I am assuming these are Duraplus.

Goodyear DP V1 tyres in the Polo size are H rated tyres, not T rated.

Prateek, if you couldn't find the name, that's the DP V1 - it's there but it's merges in the design & one has to know what one's looking for. Duraplus tyres have very prominent branding.

Originally Posted by deb_majumdar

Got my GT TSI delivered this afternoon. Loving the drive so far. Surely, changing the tyres will help. One small niggle -- there is a little bit of vapour inside the headlamps.

Congratulations on the car and many happy miles ahead

I wouldn't worry about the headlamps - haven't never personally seen it in any of the friend / family VWs but it's a small issue & VW will replace them under warranty.

[deb_majumdar]

Originally Posted by bosporus

I've been told on multiple occasions that the the Yokohama ES100 have been discontinued, and the S-Drives are the successor. Yokohama doesn't list the ES100 on the Indian or international site, so guessing this is true. The only reference to the ES100 is in the S-Drives brochure, where in some tyre sizes, you'll see an asterisk which says "also available in ES100".

If it's Continental, you should instead look at the Continental Premium Contact 5 (CPC5). They're highly regarded - the MC5 is a more basic tyre. The other option I would explore is the Pirelli Cinturato P7.

If you could share your tyre journey and which one you finally buy, that would be great.

I finally visited Indo Radial Club in Topsia today and changed my tyres to Yokohama S-drive AS01 205/55 R15 88V. They said ES100 also is available, but I thought it would be good to try out the AS01. The dealer said that the mileage is expected to drop by about 10%.

Drove a little bit through the city and highway after that on my way, and the car certainly feels a lot better now. It feels like moving better even in low speed, I guess the wider tyres add to the feel. I have driven a bit at 120+ speeds too, and the car feels planted as desired. There is some noise at that speed, but I am ok with that. The ride has not become very bumpy as some people complained -- I guess it is a matter of what one expects. Yes, it is not absorbing potholes in a smooth way, but it is not too bad. I crossed a few serial speedbreakers at 20kmph+ speed, it felt just ok.

The test (even before the run-in period of the tyres): there is a really bad turn where the road is slanted heavily in the opposite direction of the turn near the NH2-NH6 junction, I tried turning there at 80-90kmph. The tyres did not squeal. I tried the same cornering at the same speed with my Cruze (running on P3STs) too several times. Cruze is a lot heavier car, which gives more confidence because of the weight, but the body roll was slightly more than the Polo. Also the P3STs did squeal. So, the Polo GT with the S-drive is certainly pretty good for a small car.

The tyres look great too. Here is a photo.

Originally Posted by bosporus

Goodyear DP V1 tyres in the Polo size are H rated tyres, not T rated.

Prateek, if you couldn't find the name, that's the DP V1 - it's there but it's merges in the design & one has to know what one's looking for. Duraplus tyres have very prominent branding.

My stock tyres "were" indeed DP V1 84T. Here is an image.

Originally Posted by bosporus

Congratulations on the car and many happy miles ahead

I wouldn't worry about the headlamps - haven't never personally seen it in any of the friend / family VWs but it's a small issue & VW will replace them under warranty.

Thank you so much.

Regarding the headlamps, several forums and even user manuals mention that nowadays the headlamp assemblies are ventilated and hence it is normal for some moisture to get inside. Here is one such article: Fogging - the ultimate guide. I am a bit surprised to read these articles.

[bosporus]

Originally Posted by deb_majumdar

I finally visited Indo Radial Club in Topsia today and changed my tyres to Yokohama S-drive AS01 205/55 R15 88V. They said ES100 also is available, but I thought it would be good to try out the AS01. The dealer said that the mileage is expected to drop by about 10%.

Drove a little bit through the city and highway after that on my way, and the car certainly feels a lot better now.

Congratulations on the tyre, looks great! And it's good to know your feedback.

How much did it cost you? And how much were the ES100 being sold for? Any comparison you can give in the context of your previous driving experiences with the ES100?

I'm still not sure which tyre Yokohama considers sportier - the groove of the ES100 looks more performance oriented, but the S-Drive seems to be pushed more by the company.

An aside: was surprised to see your tyre has July 2014 manufacturing (makes no difference, btw) - I thought the S-Drive was a fast moving tyre. I don't get it, but seems the P3ST is a more favoured tyre today among the enthusiasts.

Originally Posted by deb_majumdar

My stock tyres "were" indeed DP V1 84T. Here is an image.

This is so weird! The Goodyear website lists the Polo size as H rated
http://www.goodyear.co.in/tyre_detai...code=dp_series

Originally Posted by deb_majumdar

Regarding the headlamps, several forums and even user manuals mention that nowadays the headlamp assemblies are ventilated and hence it is normal for some moisture to get inside.

This is news to me, and good to know! Thanks

[deb_majumdar]

Originally Posted by bosporus

Congratulations on the tyre, looks great! And it's good to know your feedback.

How much did it cost you? And how much were the ES100 being sold for? Any comparison you can give in the context of your previous driving experiences with the ES100?

I'm still not sure which tyre Yokohama considers sportier - the groove of the ES100 looks more performance oriented, but the S-Drive seems to be pushed more by the company.

The dealer bought back my Goodyear DPs at Rs. 2500/- each. He said the cost of those tyres are about 2800 excluding VAT. The price for ES100s (195/60 R15, H rated) were Rs. 5450/- each, and for the S-drives (205/55 R15, V rated) I paid Rs. 5900/- each. I chose the S-drive over the ES100 primarily for two reasons. (1) Wider rubber, (2) Experiment: to get a first hand feel of both the S-drive and the ES100. Anyway I expect the tyres to last about 2-2.5 years (30,000kms).

I won't be able to recollect the feeling of ES100 exactly right now, so I won't be able to point out the difference between the ES100 and the S-drive. Comparing my one year old memory and today's initial feel, they are similar.
You probably won't go wrong with either of them. Both will give you a good handling, none of them will last 35-40 thousand kms. Both will give you some road noise at high speed and both will make the car feel more planted.

Originally Posted by bosporus

An aside: was surprised to see your tyre has July 2014 manufacturing (makes no difference, btw) - I thought the S-Drive was a fast moving tyre. I don't get it, but seems the P3ST is a more favoured tyre today among the enthusiasts.

Yes, I saw that too and complained a bit about the one year old tyres. The dealer said there would be four more years of warranty. I didn't have much choice, so I accepted it. They also had 205/55 R15 88W tyres of the same pattern, but those were 2013 manufactured and priced at 7k+ a piece. S-drive is not so fast moving in Kolkata, as most people (and dealers push for those) prefer sedans with good mileage and durability of the tyres. That's how Honda citys, VW Ventos, Cruzes and Jettas get sold with JK vectras, Goodyears etc and people do not even upgrade the tyres much. Also, you are right, nowadays P3STs are most favoured by those who upgrade at all.

[bosporus]

Originally Posted by deb_majumdar

The price for ES100s (195/60 R15, H rated) were Rs. 5450/- each, and for the S-drives (205/55 R15, V rated) I paid Rs. 5900/- each.

You probably won't go wrong with either of them. Both will give you a good handling, none of them will last 35-40 thousand kms. Both will give you some road noise at high speed and both will make the car feel more planted.

Thanks for the update. I guess the premium pricing for the S-Drive plus the higher speed rating indicates that S-Drives are considered a better performance tyre by Yokohama. So I'd say, good decision.

And good to know that both the tyres have similar feel & performance characteristics. I'd read somewhere that most of the improvements are actually in wet driving characteristics and noise, so I'd agree with you that you can't go wrong even with the ES100.

Originally Posted by deb_majumdar

Yes, I saw that too and complained a bit about the one year old tyres. The dealer said there would be four more years of warranty.

The safe life of any tyre is 6 years from the date of manufacture - more if it's been stored properly - so I don't think you need to even bother about this point. I brought up the manufacturing date more as a barometer of the current popularity of the tyre.

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by deb_majumdar

I chose the S-drive over the ES100 primarily for two reasons. (1) Wider rubber, (2) Experiment: to get a first hand feel of both the S-drive and the ES100. Anyway I expect the tyres to last about 2-2.5 years (30,000kms).

Congrats on your Polo and you would not regret going with the S drives. Been running 205 S Drives on my Vento from past 6k kms and they have been brilliant so far. Your steering will feel light and the tyres skid a bit until you clock 1000 kms on them, once the mould release compound wears off, you will love the stunning grip levels, hard steering and planted feel on highways. Ride is a bit hard but it is a brilliant tyre from Yokohama
Michelin 3ST is a good tyre but it is for those who love comfort, it is far away from being a handling tyre.

[deb_majumdar]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Congrats on your Polo and you would not regret going with the S drives. Been running 205 S Drives on my Vento from past 6k kms and they have been brilliant so far. Your steering will feel light and the tyres skid a bit until you clock 1000 kms on them, once the mould release compound wears off, you will love the stunning grip levels, hard steering and planted feel on highways. Ride is a bit hard but it is a brilliant tyre from Yokohama
Michelin 3ST is a good tyre but it is for those who love comfort, it is far away from being a handling tyre.

Yes, the steering did feel lighter today, though not to the extent of causing any worry. I did not notice much skid, but I will keep this in mind. Thanks a lot.

Originally Posted by bosporus

Thanks for the update. I guess the premium pricing for the S-Drive plus the higher speed rating indicates that S-Drives are considered a better performance tyre by Yokohama. So I'd say, good decision.

And good to know that both the tyres have similar feel & performance characteristics. I'd read somewhere that most of the improvements are actually in wet driving characteristics and noise, so I'd agree with you that you can't go wrong even with the ES100.

My cousin drives a 2014 GT TSI in Pune. He has done about 20,000kms in 1.5 years, on ES100s from the very beginning. Compared to me, he is a far more enthusiastic driver. He is very happy with the ES100s, says those have very good wet grip as well. After 20,000kms, his front two tyres have worn out, but the rear tyres are still in very good shape. He thinks he will cover 20,000km more by changing the front two tyres. This update is just to indicate the tyre life. About 40,000kms with 6 tyres and no rotation. With tyre rotation, he could have taken all four tyres to about 28,000kms, with very enthusiastic driving. In my case I think the tyres may last slightly longer, but that's not what I am worrying about.