[Akshay1234]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

BUT - thats not the point i am making. Polo TSi is a good car all right - but not a Halo / Hot Hatch which everyone seems to be making it out to be. Laura TSi is so much fun coz it has so much power/torque coupled with a excellent gearbox.

Agreed, but it is a big step up in terms of engineering and tech from the other hatches today. While it may not be really fast, it still is the fastest hatch out there. It still is the sportiest hatch out there today.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

A hot hatch is one which should put the smiles on your face once you take it out on open roads,

What matters is the what is definition of "put the smiles on your face" for individuals. Ask many existing Polo, Punto, Fabia owners if their punny engined cars don't put smiles on their faces. many will revert with positive replies.

Polo TSi is a good car all right - but not a Halo / Hot Hatch which everyone seems to be making it out to be.

It actually is a hot hatch. Right now there are two hot hatches, By performance standards, its the Mini which does 0-100 in 7 odd seconds, but question is how much that costs? That is not in reach of many. And another one is the GT TSI in the affordable category (<10L), even if you count the other discontinued 100 bhp hatchbacks.

Laura TSi is so much fun coz it has so much power/torque coupled with a excellent gearbox.

Again reading power figures on paper? Also see the power to wait ratio.

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

What matters is the what is definition of "put the smiles on your face" for individuals. Ask many existing Polo, Punto, Fabia owners if their punny engined cars don't put smiles on their faces. many will revert with positive replies.

It actually is a hot hatch. Right now there are two hot hatches, By performance standards, its the Mini which does 0-100 in 7 odd seconds, but question is how much that costs? That is not in reach of many. And another one is the GT TSI in the affordable category (<10L), even if you count the other discontinued 100 bhp hatchbacks.

Again reading power figures on paper? Also see the power to wait ratio.

It might be one of the fastest hatches in India but it ain't a hot hatch

And I am not reading power numbers on paper for Laura TSi - drive it and you will find it why it's so much fun.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

It might be one of the fastest hatches in India but it ain't a hot hatch

Okay, accepted.
But would like to know what should be standard of a 'Hot Hatch' ?

[ethanhunt123]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

Okay, accepted.
But would like to know what should be standard of a 'Hot Hatch' ?

Quoting Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_hatch

A warm hatch has a engine with power output between 100PS & 150PS. Hot hatch will have definitely more power than 150PS for sure.

[tharian]

In my opinion, there is another way to look at this car. The technology this car uses as of now is like premium stuff to most of us.
But, isn't it the begining of what is to come?
With norms constantly becoming stringent, turbo engine are the future, and so are AT's. Look at the international market. Stick shifts sell like AT's sell here, in other country's.

I feel, down the line, NA engines will be phased out and VW only kickstarted that revolution with the GT TSI.

Obviously at this point, in India, they cannot price it in such a way that people can choose between a 1.2 NA and a 1.2 TSI, hence the premium , powerful hatch tag.

Regards

[Baddychat]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

It might be one of the fastest hatches in India but it ain't a hot hatch

And I am not reading power numbers on paper for Laura TSi - drive it and you will find it why it's so much fun.

Agree with you ethanhunt on this. But as Akshay correctly pointed out this is a big step forward in the hatch segment in India.

IMO we should look at it more an automatic being offered on the polo with a technically advanced engine because the puny 1.2 l is no good and they have moved to TSi engines on most models world wide. Better tech translates to an engine which just does 100+ bhp with the same displacement.

Laura TSi, yes that 1.8 TSi engine is fantastic but they have a different pricing point to target here. VW sells the Polo GT with the 1.4 TSi at about 19k pounds in the UK and it all the missing features like rear discs et al. The pricing would have been crucial deciding factor when it came to chosing the engine.

I would not be surprised if VW came up with the 1.2 TSi as the standard engine in the Polo variants in the near future. Let us assume discounts on this model is similar to the 1.6 and remove appx 1lakh for the DSG gearbox and they could price the Highline at 6.5 lakhs with the Tsi motor.

[Hayek]

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Quoting Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_hatch

A warm hatch has a engine with power output between 100PS & 150PS. Hot hatch will have definitely more power than 150PS for sure.

Want a real hot hatch? Buy a Mini Cooper S- 160 BHP and about Rs. 25 - 30 l OTR. I don't think it's fair to claim that a Rs. 9 l hatch is expensive and also that its not a real hot hatch, when a real hot hatch costs 3x what this is priced at. This certainly is a hot hatch by Indian standards - after all, this is a market where a 184 BHP 320 D is the ultimate sports sedan most of us can aspire for.

[599gto]

Originally Posted by tbppjpr

What matters is the what is definition of "put the smiles on your face" for individuals. Ask many existing Polo, Punto, Fabia owners if their punny engined cars don't put smiles on their faces. many will revert with positive replies.


It actually is a hot hatch.

Yes my diesel Polo does bring a smile to my face every time because of the way it handles, the way it is built and the way it looks. And about tagging them 'puny' is like contradicting what you wrote about how 'putting smiles on your face' is different for everyone. What's 'puny' to you might be powerful to some. I take it you drive a big engined car?

Oh and btw, I did reply to your earlier query about the no. of gears the City AT has, in Post #306, maybe you missed!

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

It might be one of the fastest hatches in India but it ain't a hot hatch

And I am not reading power numbers on paper for Laura TSi - drive it and you will find it why it's so much fun.

Originally Posted by ethanhunt123

Quoting Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_hatch

A warm hatch has a engine with power output between 100PS & 150PS. Hot hatch will have definitely more power than 150PS for sure.

I completely agree to you, had VW brought the Polo GTI, that would have been a real hot hatch, but in our country and for my pocket this GT TSI is hotter than most other hatches.
About the Laura TSI, its not all about power, the Laura has better dynamics than most cars in the market.

[animeshb]

Originally Posted by amitg79

Just out of curiosity, I asked their evaluator to take a look at my 2007 Palio Sport 1.6, which is in great condition, by the way. He offered me 40,000 Rs. Which means I can't even buy an iPhone if I sell my car, much less use it to make a sizable down-payment on the GT TSI. (Not that I was planning to buy, but yes will think about it in an year or so.)

This is hilarious! I have a Feb 2008 Ford Fusion 1.6 and shudder to think what I would get in a couple of years from now.

How much difference did you find for both power and handling between the GT and the Palio?

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Hayek

Want a real hot hatch? Buy a Mini Cooper S- 160 BHP and about Rs. 25 - 30 l OTR. I don't think it's fair to claim that a Rs. 9 l hatch is expensive and also that its not a real hot hatch, when a real hot hatch costs 3x what this is priced at. This certainly is a hot hatch by Indian standards - after all, this is a market where a 184 BHP 320 D is the ultimate sports sedan most of us can aspire for.

OT

The Mini Cooper S makes more that 160 horses. It's actually around 185. And it costs 35 lakhs OTR without options.

+1 to everything else.

The Polo GT may not be a hot hatch, but it's the hottest out there. And this makes it a hot hatch by Indian standards. The market dynamics are vastly different. Here, a hatchback is merely a stepping stone to sedans. It's not an aspirational investment for most.

[tbppjpr]

Originally Posted by 599gto

And about tagging them 'puny' is like contradicting what you wrote about how 'putting smiles on your face' is different for everyone. What's 'puny' to you might be powerful to some.

You got me wrong here, actually its our dear friend ethanhunt123 who joined the thread with concept of real 'Hot Hatches' and according to Wiki definition they should be more powerful with more than 150 bhp. Please go through the chain of the posts to understand the matter.

Otherwise I also know what that Polo 1.2 TDI does, rather that 3 cylinder engine has gained respect in my heart after I realized how that engine handles the things. It is capable of doing some decent high speeds, it can be driven silently, it makes growling engine note in attempt of quick acceleration, it is capable of achieving some great FE figures etc etc.

I completely agree to you, had VW brought the Polo GTI, that would have been a real hot hatch, but in our country and for my pocket this GT TSI is hotter than most other hatches.

This is what the current topic of discussion is in this thread.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The Polo GT may not be a hot hatch, but it's the hottest out there.

LOL! Here it is even struggling for the 'Hot' title and you have triggered the 'Hottest' !

[Bingeljell]

I'm not sure if someone's already addresses this in the thread (I saw a reference to it earlier), but I'm of the opinion that if car manufacturers were to actually bring drivers cars, even at a slight premium, I'm sure people in India would buy it.

To give you an example, if the GT TSI were able to churn out over 150ps with all the other nick-nacks it has right now and it still cost only 7.99 lacs, I'm sure many people would be happy to buy it even if real world mileage was compromised on a little.

Or it could just be me.

[dipen]

Does the test drive mod team have any idea of the launch of the MT version and the roll-out of the TSI motor to other applications.

Did VW provide any specific details / projections / plans during the interactions.

[thiagust]

Originally Posted by dipen

Does the test drive mod team have any idea of the launch of the MT version and the roll-out of the TSI motor to other applications.

Did VW provide any specific details / projections / plans during the interactions.

Leave alone MT launch, my SA does not know when the TD vehicle would be available in Chennai. It has been 2 days since I registered for a TD, no signs of a TD any soon.