Team-BHP - Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review
Team-BHP

Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
-   Official New Car Reviews (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/official-new-car-reviews/)
-   -   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-199.html)

Hi Everyone
I am planning to buy a GT TSI in a month or so. I have heard the stock music system before and I plan to upgrade it. Now the very first thing is that I do not want to attach an amplifier. I want to upgrade the HU and the following two are the ones I am considering:
1. Blaupunkt Philadelphia 835
2. JVC KW-V51BT

I also plan to install a Blaupunkt XLF 200A under seat Subwoofer so I need a HU with RCA input. So basically its going to be a combination of :
1. Either of the Head Units
2. 2 stock front door speakers
3. Blaupunkt XLF 200A under seat subwoofer
4. 2 6x9 Speakers at the back

I have some queries and i'll be glad if you guys could help me out.
1. Is this setup going to be fine ? since I only want the sound to be better than stock so I don't want to add an amplifier
2. Should I also consider upgrading the front door speakers?
3. Which HU would provide a better sound of the two ? If any other is better do recommend

I am more interested in the Philadelphia 835 since that would help retain the stock look of the HU but some how I feel the sound would be better with some other HU. What do you guys think. Please suggest.

Guys, please advise me. I do a lot of night driving. I require a good set of bulbs and headlight upgrade kit for my dual barrel headlights. Both, low beams and high beams are accommodate H7 bulbs.
I am yet to find a suitable upgrade. I am NOT happy with the thought of putting Philips Xtreme Visions or NightBreakers of equal wattage and 'promise' higher spread and brighter lighting. I am sorry, but for me, higher wattage means more light.

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankmehta (Post 3769760)

Guys, please advise me. I do a lot of night driving. I require a good set of bulbs and headlight upgrade kit for my dual barrel headlights.

I am sorry, but for me, higher wattage means more light.

Hey frankmehta, I had the same issue and probably it was worse than yours since I own the 1.6 GT that came with a single head lamp version !! :Frustrati

I went ahead and installed the 90/100W Hella bulbs that BRraj had installed and believe me it has really made an amazing impact on my night driving. I feel a lot more confident and the spread is quite brilliant.

I think you can probably go with this setup for both High & Low beams on your GT, but please research about the heating issues if at all you do.

One thing's for sure, there will be no clipping of cables as these are plug & play :thumbs up


P.S - GT Purchase & Ownership review is pending from your end !!

Quote:

Originally Posted by nishchal316 (Post 3769638)
Hi Everyone
I am planning to buy a GT TSI in a month or so. I have heard the stock music system before and I plan to upgrade it. Now the very first thing is that I do not want to attach an amplifier. I want to upgrade the HU and the following two are the ones I am considering:
1. Blaupunkt Philadelphia 835
2. JVC KW-V51BT

I also plan to install a Blaupunkt XLF 200A under seat Subwoofer so I need a HU with RCA input. So basically its going to be a combination of :
1. Either of the Head Units
2. 2 stock front door speakers
3. Blaupunkt XLF 200A under seat subwoofer
4. 2 6x9 Speakers at the back

I have some queries and i'll be glad if you guys could help me out.
1. Is this setup going to be fine ? since I only want the sound to be better than stock so I don't want to add an amplifier
2. Should I also consider upgrading the front door speakers?
3. Which HU would provide a better sound of the two ? If any other is better do recommend

I am more interested in the Philadelphia 835 since that would help retain the stock look of the HU but some how I feel the sound would be better with some other HU. What do you guys think. Please suggest.

Can I be really honest with you? You are on a totally wrong path.
Upgrading speakers without adding amplification is like upgrading just the air filter of a car and expecting a hundred BHP more.
Clearly, aftermarket speakers are not happy with the power provided by the piddly amplification from head units and you MUST go in for an amp to give you the output you desire.
Also, upgrading the head unit will give you more by way of features, but not much by way of sound quality, unless you upgrade the head unit AND add an amp through the pre-out of the head unit, hence providing a quality, high voltage signal to the amplifier.

Second point where I'd like to correct you. PLEASE do not go in for an under-seat woofer. It's an absolute failure of a concept unless you invest BIG bucks in the best under-seat driver possible. A simpler solution would be to install a removable sub in the boot with a neutrik connector which will enable you to fill up your boot with luggage when you need to.

Third: NO 6*9 speakers anymore. Front and rear doors can accommodate speakers. You don't need to drill holes in the otherwise solid parcel shelf for more speakers.

Fourth: The Blaupunkt head unit you speak of, has very poor reviews. It's just not worth it. You are better off installing a Dynavin or a Kenwood DNX535VBT which will integrate as well as the Blaupunkt, as well as provide a much better quality and interface.


Please post in the ICE section for more queries, as there's a lot of clearing up of concepts required before you plan to splurge big bucks onto the ICE.



Quote:

Originally Posted by Vik0728 (Post 3769808)
Hey frankmehta, I had the same issue and probably it was worse than yours since I own the 1.6 GT that came with a single head lamp version !! :Frustrati

I went ahead and installed the 90/100W Hella bulbs that BRraj had installed and believe me it has really made an amazing impact on my night driving. I feel a lot more confident and the spread is quite brilliant.

I think you can probably go with this setup for both High & Low beams on your GT, but please research about the heating issues if at all you do.

One thing's for sure, there will be no clipping of cables as these are plug & play :thumbs up


P.S - GT Purchase & Ownership review is pending from your end !!

Plug and play is not recommended for higher wattage bulbs as the stock wiring and holders might burn with the heat generated by the higher wattage bulbs. Hence a wiring relay kit with built in fuses is recommended.

Problem is, there's no wiring relay available from any reputed companies that takes care of H7 upgrades.

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankmehta (Post 3769840)

Plug and play is not recommended for higher wattage bulbs as the stock wiring and holders might burn with the heat generated by the higher wattage bulbs. Hence a wiring relay kit with built in fuses is recommended.

I am sorry for not mentioning that in my previous post !! :Frustrati

The 90/100W Hella bulbs come packaged in a complete kit with Relay and Ceramic holders (if I remember). I had paid about 1,400/- bucks for this kit.

I am not quite sure if the bulbs on the pre-facelift GT were H7, but if they were, I don't see you having any issues going in for this setup.

Ofcourse, going in for 90/100W for both High & Low beam must be answered by an expert here. :thumbs up

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vik0728 (Post 3769962)
I am sorry for not mentioning that in my previous post !! :Frustrati

The 90/100W Hella bulbs come packaged in a complete kit with Relay and Ceramic holders (if I remember). I had paid about 1,400/- bucks for this kit.

I am not quite sure if the bulbs on the pre-facelift GT were H7, but if they were, I don't see you having any issues going in for this setup.

Ofcourse, going in for 90/100W for both High & Low beam must be answered by an expert here. :thumbs up

The Pre-facelift Polo comes with H4 lights, with high and low beam in one. Easier to wire.
The new one comes with separate connectors for high and low. Which is a problem!

Hey Folks,

Had been looking for a replacement for my ageing Getz (secondary car, my primary car is a Jetta). Want to buy an AT hatch.

My father in law has a Polo - he was one of the first few to buy the car when launched. All this while I had decided not to buy the Polo cuz of the space crunch, specifically in the rear, and hence hooting for the Jazz.

Had my hopes on Jazz AT but am disappointed at the eventual package they've launched.

TD'd the Polo GT, and I am willing to forgive all its shortcomings ;-))) I guess once you drive a VW (Jetta in my case), its difficult to settle for a Jap or Korean product.

My only concern remains the lower back support in the front seats - I read in one of the earlier posts that the seats don't provide adequate support. Is this really an issue? I have lower back problems, and my wife has gone through a slip disk. Can this be a deal breaker?

Appreciate current owners to help with advice.

Best,
Irwin

Quote:

Originally Posted by ipsanand (Post 3770233)
Hey Folks,

Had been looking for a replacement for my ageing Getz (secondary car, my primary car is a Jetta). Want to buy an AT hatch.

My father in law has a Polo - he was one of the first few to buy the car when launched. All this while I had decided not to buy the Polo cuz of the space crunch, specifically in the rear, and hence hooting for the Jazz.

Had my hopes on Jazz AT but am disappointed at the eventual package they've launched.

TD'd the Polo GT, and I am willing to forgive all its shortcomings ;-))) I guess once you drive a VW (Jetta in my case), its difficult to settle for a Jap or Korean product.

My only concern remains the lower back support in the front seats - I read in one of the earlier posts that the seats don't provide adequate support. Is this really an issue? I have lower back problems, and my wife has gone through a slip disk. Can this be a deal breaker?

Appreciate current owners to help with advice.

Best,
Irwin

Yes Irwin. I'm facing a slight niggling pain in my lower back after driving 100 km in the city.
But then again, I've faced the same pain in my (new) Swift.
The same back pain doesn't occur when I drive my brio nor my cruze nor my estilo.
But honestly, seats have different effects on different people. My wife says she has no trouble driving the Polo. But the same drive in the brio gives her a backache.
It's all about how your body is contoured. Also, once can always have an orthopedic seat supporting one's back if something like this occurs. You can't eliminate this!car from your list because of this.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ipsanand (Post 3770233)
Hey Folks,

Had been looking for a replacement for my ageing Getz (secondary car, my primary car is a Jetta). Want to buy an AT hatch.

My father in law has a Polo - he was one of the first few to buy the car when launched. All this while I had decided not to buy the Polo cuz of the space crunch, specifically in the rear, and hence hooting for the Jazz.

Had my hopes on Jazz AT but am disappointed at the eventual package they've launched.

TD'd the Polo GT, and I am willing to forgive all its shortcomings ;-))) I guess once you drive a VW (Jetta in my case), its difficult to settle for a Jap or Korean product.

My only concern remains the lower back support in the front seats - I read in one of the earlier posts that the seats don't provide adequate support. Is this really an issue? I have lower back problems, and my wife has gone through a slip disk. Can this be a deal breaker?

Appreciate current owners to help with advice.

Best,
Irwin

I drive this car in the city mostly and have taken it > 50kms only a couple of times. So not sure how relevant my post will be for you. In my experience I havent found any issues with driver seat ergonomics so far. And I dont anticipate much trouble taking it a little far say 300 kms away on a vacation. But as someone has already pointed out driver comfort could be subjective.

To provide context other cars I drive are Baleno and Superb and I'd rate comfort in Polo as similar to Baleno, latter sitting lower.

I should note that I have driven both Baleno and Superb for > 1000 kms multiple times at a stretch and I got a stiff neck most of those times.

So in summary, for city or a nearby hill station Polo would be just as good as any other car (IMO). For longer distances, it will be as bad as any. :)

Today, I probably experienced what some people referred to as the gear jerking in the Polo or Vento TSI. It was a turn off and scared me initially, but I think I have understood when it may happen and when it won't. I am not sure if this is a matter of serious concern yet.

It was a bad start - stop traffic, bad road due to a lot of rain in the last two weeks and very congested. Way too many cars, nobody maintains lane discipline (in fact there are no lanes), the way to drive is -- fill any void space as soon as you see it. So, often, I was putting my foot on the pedal, taking it off in a couple of seconds, and was also using the brake immediately. I noticed that the gearshift between 2nd and 3rd is sometimes not very smooth by the DSG standards. However, once suddenly the car gave a strong jerk, as if the engine had stalled. But I found the engine was on and I drove on. From then on I behaved less roughly with the accelerator and brake in the 20kmph range, and nothing happened.

On my way back in the evening again once it happened, when I was again using the accelerator and brake again and again at around 20kmph. It does not happen when I am slightly more gentle and predictable with the car.

Do you people think this is a serious matter of concern (for a new car, having done only 150-odd km) or should I simply make a habit of driving in a way so that it doesn't happen, and ignore this?

Drive another 500 km. This dsg fuzzy logic is really fuzzy business. It take a few days to learn your driving habits and adapts accordingly.. I had the same violent jerk when my car was had done around 50 odd km and was brand new (2 weeks ago) . Twice. Drove for another 600 km after that and everything was smooth.
Yesterday, I disconnected the battery wire to connect my GTi steering and bam, the Fuzzy Logic got reset and I faced those jerks again today.
Now I'm prepared to wait it out and be careful till my driving style is adapted by the gearbox!
Worry not! Nothing is wrong with the DSG.

Quote:

Originally Posted by deb_majumdar (Post 3770521)
Today, I probably experienced what some people referred to as the gear jerking in the Polo or Vento TSI.

Do you people think this is a serious matter of concern (for a new car, having done only 150-odd km) or should I simply make a habit of driving in a way so that it doesn't happen, and ignore this?

It's avoidable if you drive patiently. Like in the last one month or so, I had zero jerks but yesterday, in a slight hurry, I got shaken twice. These were still in the between the 2nd and 3rd but if the 1st/ 2nd jerk happens, you'll be in shock for an entire hour!

I have my doubts on this fuzzy logic! I've taught myself to use the manual mode reasonably well now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLK (Post 3771716)
It's avoidable if you drive patiently. Like in the last one month or so, I had zero jerks but yesterday, in a slight hurry, I got shaken twice. These were still in the between the 2nd and 3rd but if the 1st/ 2nd jerk happens, you'll be in shock for an entire hour!

Given that I know it, and since these jerks are not signs of any gearbox failure (being common to all GT TSIs), it is not worring me too much. I think I am learning to drive in the optimal way. Yesterday there were no jerks though I did not drive too patiently.

Drive sedately. And you get this!

Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review-img20150806wa0007.jpg


Also, a new addition. ☺
Volkswagen Polo 1.2L GT TSI : Official Review-img20150806wa0008.jpg


More on this.. And many more.. In the review. Coming soon!

Your review, eagerly awaited..!

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankmehta (Post 3771786)
Drive sedately. And you get this!

More on this.. And many more.. In the review. Coming soon!



All times are GMT +5.5. The time now is 05:02.