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

Hi sidhu_hs,

chase_nt in his post has given the picture of the prescriptions of the tyre pressure for various loads. It is exactly the same in my car as well.

The spare is also exactly the same as in his car. It's a 175/70/R14 and on steel wheel. I was very disappointed to find this spec for the spare wheel, but my salesman and the dealership somehow managed to calm me down. I was worried because, with this spare tyre, one is not supposed to drive at more than 40 kmph or so. Hence what I did is the following. I bought a 5th tyre 195/55/R16 (Conti MC5, the same as the four regular tyres in my car) without a rim and have kept it in the boot, in addition to the spare VW provided. I have had one puncture (in city driving, not on a highway), and the 5th reserve tyre is now fitted to the rim of the punctured tyre and is doing service in my car now. The punctured one has been repaired and is now resting in the boot without a rim. The VW provided spare is still there in its place. I know, this is sort of a weird solution, but at least is providing me with some peace of mind. I do not know why a car, that comes on road at nearly 11 lakhs, cannot have a spare tyre and rim with the same spec. I enquired with VW for their alloy wheel, and they came up with a ridiculously high number for the price, forcing me to give up the idea of getting a VW alloy wheel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chase_nt (Post 4405452)

My GT TSI came with a 175/70 R14 non alloy steel spare wheel manufactured by Goodyear.
Attachment 1764051

Just my experience to add on the ongoing comfort/discussion. I own a Feb 2017 model and have clocked little over 20k now. On the contrary to the experiences shared so far, I feel the car very planted at all speeds. I have not experienced any bumpy ride at all in all terrains. I have conti MC5 195/55/16 tyres, fill nitrogen and keep the tyre pressures at recommend 36psi for front and 33psi for rear. I also drive a Tjet and I actually find the ride of Tjet to be bumpy compared to the polo possibly due to the higher ground clearance.
But overall GT has been a great car to own and drive so far with no regrets. I enjoy every bit of it!

Yes, I agree that 24psi is too low but I as the ride of the vehicle is so poor on bad roads, I tried the lower limits to see if it gets better. Unfortunately, it did not.

Between 185/60R15 & 195/55R16 the difference in sidewall height is 4 mm. The lower sidewall height can only worsen the cushioning of the tyre. Hence a rougher ride is to be expected from the 195/55R16s which are fitted on the new GT TSIs.

I would like to switch to a higher aspect ratio tyre which will be more comfortable but to match the OD I will have to go in for a smaller section width - perhaps 185/60R16 but not sure if this will be readily available

Quote:

Originally Posted by rageshgr (Post 4405292)

Hi Drop Head.

24 PSI is too low. Even at low load, VW recommends 29 PSI ( not sure if its different for the 16 inch tyres). It will lead to unwanted to stress and uneven wear. Side will wear more and middle will wear less.

The diff between 55 and 60 is not as great as you imagine. Its 185/60 vs 195/55. So as you can see the actual side wall height difference is neglibile. And for the record my tyre is 195/55 R15. But guess what, my ride quality didnt deteriorate at all coz my EOM was Alnacs and now I am using S drives. So imagine if you change to a comfy tyre like MC5, P3ST etc. Ride would improve even further. But ya the low speed ride is less cushy than cars like Liva, Indigo even, but its stable. It is a tough trade off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dead Head (Post 4407566)

Then the only way is downsizing and going 195/60 R15 I guess. See if any one wants to upgrade from 15 inches n do a swap

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dead Head (Post 4407566)

Between 185/60R15 & 195/55R16 the difference in sidewall height is 4 mm. The lower sidewall height can only worsen the cushioning of the tyre. Hence a rougher ride is to be expected from the 195/55R16s which are fitted on the new GT TSIs.

The precise difference in the sidewall of the two sizes is: 111 mm - 107.25 mm = 3.75 mm, which is one seventh of an inch. It's such a small difference, it should not matter at all. Using better quality rubber than the stock should far exceed the lack of comfort due to the smaller sidewall.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dead Head (Post 4407566)

I would like to switch to a higher aspect ratio tyre which will be more comfortable but to match the OD I will have to go in for a smaller section width - perhaps 185/60R16 but not sure if this will be readily available

Personally, I do not think, this is a good idea. Experts may clarify. The GT has a firm suspension set-up, especially on the 16" tyre version. If I am correct in my assessment of the suspension, especially with the slightly higher ground clearance now, my understanding is that the car is not set up for softer tyres. It may mess up things real bad - although I do not see how such a small difference would make any difference in any way.

If you think, the ride in the present set-up is so bad that it is unbearable, you should perhaps think of replacing the whole car, since the option you are contemplating, simply won't work like a magic in my humble opinion.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rageshgr (Post 4407845)

Then the only way is downsizing and going 195/60 R15 I guess.

As I have expressed above, I do not agree. He may end up spending money unnecessarily to recover that missing one-seventh of an inch on the sidewalls, without gaining anything in ride comfort.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aston Singh (Post 4411553)

Guys are you following the 15k service interval or getting the car serviced earlier? I somehow feel 15k is a stretch for Indian road and traffic conditions. I got my first service done at 14k kms and now thinking of getting the 2nd one done at 25k.

Thoughts?

This depends quite a bit on the running between two services.

I'm doing between 10-11k KM / year so my annual service is as good as an early service.

Another factor is the usage of sport mode and the engine RPMs being kept between the 2k - 5k RPM range. If this is the driving style that one has for 10k KM of driving in a year, it's best that the service be done in advance.

So I'm looking to buy the GT TSI. Many questions.

First is this - how old is this current model? Does anyone have a version history? Since the car itself is quite old, just looking at when this first review on this thread was posted.

Second question - I have read about historical problems with the DSG. Is it still a problem, or at some stage got sorted?

Will have more questions along the way, but grateful for answers to the first two

Hey Guys, will be getting my Polo GT TSI delivered in the next couple of days. I wanted to get the VCDS tunning done straight out of the showroom. Could some one please suggest a good place in Mumbai that can help me do the job? Also wanted to ask some of you car pros here, which all VCDS changes do you suggest be made to the car to improve the performance? Would really be grateful to know :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starfire (Post 4412387)

As far as I know you can't do anything in VCDS to improve performance. You can only improve brake assist and XDS ( which will grab the inner brakes while cornering hard to reduce understeer)