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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-56.html)

Hi guys. Thanks to this thread, I got the courage to book a white Polo GT TSI on Monday with VW showroom at Sion (Autobahn Automative). Still worried about the extended warranty which is still not being offered. But thinking positive and went ahead with the booking as I didn't want to pay similar money for an auto i20. Will try to post tomorrow from the showroom itself while taking the delivery. :)

I believe its not painted but is a sticker. A few puffs of WD40 and it will peel easily

Someone stole the VW logo from the front of my GT. Is it so easy to remove it? Now I dont want to replace it, I know someone will take it again. What other options do I have to fill the space? I want something which no one will take and also will look cool. Suggestions please.

My father saw a GT being delivered last week at Abra Motors Ambattur

The SA at OSL Exclusive, Kolkata told me that the GT TSI doesn't have a running assembly line like other Polo's. It's built in batches when sufficient orders are placed, for example 50 cars at a stretch. Don't know if it was a gimmick or to just make me feel a bit "special" about this model.

Saw my car today, thankfully no damage during transit. The protective film, the cushioning on the doors etc. were all there. Delivery Monday (10th June). Delays caused due to bank, old car exchange, and finally because the guy from the RTO who signs off is on a holiday (!) 2nd to 5th, to 7th and finally to 10th.

Just love the way the DSG box quickly upshifts to 7th gear (D7) for mileage and again downshifts to D6 or D4 as when when you need power based on accelerator inputs.



There is a lot to like about the car and I will soon pen down my thoughts in an ownership thread. The few quirks as of now:

The horn is very loud inside the cabin
The OE speakers are poor
The seat fabric though has a fancy name is not of great quality (got leather done at Karlsson's)
Rear space is cramped
No light in boot/glove box
Slight lag especially in the lower gears (quite expected of a turbo charged engine)
No armrest (getting the OE Polo armrest soon)

Pathetic knowledge of the sales guy who gave me a test drive. The guy who actually helped me with the booking and delivery process was a decent chap though.
Some of the test drive guy's quotes
"Sir, the gear box has no issues till date as we have the same box in the vento"
"Sir, the GT TSi is the comfortline model and not the highline"
"The spare wheel is a steel rim"
"Sir you can test drive only in the service lane as the car is not registered", a blatant lie as the car had a huge "REGISTERED" sticker pasted on the windshield.

Wait, hold the phone!

What is neutral coasting? From what I've read and understood, the engine ticks (revs) higher when in neutral. Wouldn't staying in a higher gear @ low RPMs result in better fuel economy THAN staying in neutral and coasting?

The Polo GT is an AT (DSG) so it decides what gear to be in, in D. I don't think any AT shifts to neutral and 'coasts' to be more efficient.

I'm not sure about this, could someone clarify?

I wanted to comment on that myself. Thanks Suhaas. If the OP is talking about shifting to neutral on inclines "to save petrol", he needs to understand it is an extremely dangerous habit. You will be unable to use engine braking and run the risk of brake fade.

If, on the other hand, he is talking about shifting to neutral much before an anticipated stop, I think that is fine from a risk perspective but he will not save much petrol. (Actually, if he switches off the engine, then with power brakes he has about 2 presses before the go all manual. So, not safe anyway).

BTW, neutral need not increase rpm. I guess he is talking about shifting into neutral & taking his foot off the throttle. If he continues throttle input, of course the rpm will be higher & so will the fuel consumption!

Guys, that's how most automatic works. In D mode, if you don't press accelerator, the box will shift to N till you press the accelerator again. That is the reason AT cars are heavier on brakes than their manual counterparts.

Even DSG boxes do these. Take a look at our own Fiesta DCT review from GTO:

Well I meant coasting by riding the clutch when slowing down. Not actually shifting to neutral. AT downshifts result in engine braking and slowing down faster than you really want.

As Vid6639 says, they do in cars like the Fiesta. However, if I understand correctly, doing this is bad for the VW 7-speed DSG because its a dry clutch design and if it's not engaged lubrication stops and that leads to wear and tear and heat. Apparently, that is the same reason you can't leave it in neutral while it's parked. Or perhaps all this has to do with the engine being on or off.

As far as I understand, most automatics don't work like that. For the simple reason that most ATs are torque converters and they do not behave in this manner. They do not shift to neutral unless the stick is moved to N. That is why at lights or in slow traffic a torque converter AT will creep as you lift your foot off the brake and don't press the accelerator. Its always engaged in D.

This shifting to neutral is a new and disconcerting thing in modern ATs like the Ford PowerShift.

From what I have seen the dsg in Polo doesnt shift to N automatically under any circumstance, you need to shift to N manually.
Now, considering heat build up and such I thought its better to engage N and wait at signals (with parking brake) than keep the car on D with brake pressed.
Which is the better option ?

I dont think the gearbox shifts to neutral, When i drove fiesta powershit i clearly remember that, there is absolutely no engine breaking in the D mode,the car coasts like your manual car when you are riding the clutch, which is quite scary. I think the car goes to the idling rpm to save fuel and both the clutches enagage and disengage depending on the speed of the car. Shift to the L mode on the fly and you gain the control back with a rush of adrenaline.
I am sure DSG does the same thing. Oh ! and Ford Endeavour automatic does the same thing when on overdrive or fifth gear.

I think this happens in a conventional torque convertor unit not in the DSG, never felt this in the city though. Correct me if I am wrong.

I doubt the gearbox shift to neutral , i think it simply rides the clutch. Like I mentioned above.

less fuel consumption I guess ?


@robimahanta

ALways better to put it on N mode, As in D mode the clutch will be working all the time

Robin, from what I've read in this forum and other places, you don't need to move the VW DSG to neutral at stops. When it senses the car is stopped it does that automatically even though it shows it's in D. My point was, you need to take care not to roll the car in neutral, therefore coasting to a stop in N is a strict no-no.

But this is all secondhand info. What does the manual say?

I'm confused. Isn't that the behavior you'd expect when the car shifts to neutral?

From GTO's Fiesta review, one way to get around this is to keep the Hill Descent button always engaged, which prevents the car from going into N.

There may be a difference between leaving the gearbox in neutral / free-wheeling - engaging the clutch. But the effects are the same. Even if the 'box does not switch to neutral, the effect of having the clutch depressed is nearly identical. So how does this save fuel? It's understood that leaving the gearbox in a higher cog actually keeps the engine ticking at a lower RPM thereby saving fuel. And as mentioned earlier, this 'free wheeling' business wears-out the brakes faster. So what's the reason behind this absurd gearbox calibration?