My experience tuning the Polo GT TSI, Laura VRS & BMW M340i

I want to share that I own three Stage-1 cars and I use all of them very regularly.

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Just as a background, I want to share that I own three Stage-1 cars and I use all of them very regularly. I have selected the best mix of 3 car garage under 1 Crore rupees.

1. VW polo 1.2 GT TSI

Many consider it the "The Indian hot hatch" but it is sad to see that the same car in international markets are much more powerful even with the same engine and gearbox. This is only due to how the engine is tuned. So after 3 years of use, I went for a simple stage 1 OTS tune by Superchips UK.

Here are the headlines

Pros:

• Reduced turbo lag making it faster from a stand still
• Better mileage, yes you read it right, I have always got 8-10 kmpl on the stock car, this is due to the gear ratios set by default. The car post-tune is giving a surprising 10-12 kmpl
• Re-sale value, as most know the Polo has been discontinued in the Indian market. So the Polo has a high bottoming price (lowest price that some cars can be sold due to their significance). A tuned one is just a cherry on top

Cons:

• Brakes, the car is obviously not built for the extra power so the brakes don't perform as well, it's not so much that a brake upgrade is required, but you will go through many brake pads and disks (depending on driving style)
• Fault codes, there are many fault codes that show up on the instrument cluster, I used an OBD diagnostic tool and found out that many codes don't apply to the Indian variant such as faulty sunroof (which is available in the UK version of the car). Although there's a simple fix, turning the car off and back on resets the codes and the car functions as normal

2. Skoda Laura VRS

This now 13 year old car is just staggering. It is very lucky to own one. All the features which came standard are not available in many 30 Lakh cars of today. The 1.8-litre turbo petrol engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox which is the main reason to purchase this car. On a simple stage 1 tune, the gear ratios are so high, the car hits 180kmph in 4th gear! And can easily to 230 kmph by the time you hit 6th gear. The gearbox is very smooth and with the power clutch, you can comfortably start the car even in 3rd gear.

So having a basic tune, upgrades wheels was all the mods required to make the car an absolute sleeper

Pros:

• Gear ratio, its comfortable to drive even in stop-and-go traffic as its happy in 2nd gear even until 80kmph
• Sleeper car, there are countless times when i have had a luxury car like beemers or mercs try and race me thinking its just an old Skoda, but have always gotten shocked faces when the car just pulls away from them.

Cons:

• Infotainment system: Although the car came with AUX and Bluetooth and CD as standard in 2009, Carplay or Android auto are a must have these days. So a Infotainment upgrade is crucial. Thankfully there are countless options and varried price points available in the market

3. BMW M340i LCI

Obviously this is the best car that I own. This all wheel drive, 3 liter 6 cylinder 4 seater car is probably the best all round car in India right now

Pros:

• PRICE, the car is simple bang for your buck. I purchased mine at a price tag of 86 Lakh on-road Hyderabad. This for whats essentially a baby M3 is astonishing.
• Practicality, unlike 2 door sports cars or even 4 door super saloons, the seats are actually comfortable and you can use it like a normal car. The ground clearance isn't that low as you'd think, i would compare it with any normal sedan car where you need to slowdown for speedbrakers and watch for pot holes. Otherwise I haven't encountered any roads (in Hyderabad) where I have had an issue. Even if that was the case carefully driving at a slow pace is all thats required.
• Learning curve, although we are all petrol heads and have strong opinions on cars, most of us have never got the chance to experience fast sports cars (yet *wink*) this is a perfect first introduction to fast cars and genuinely keeps you motivated to learn how to actually drive fast and control the speed and weight of the car

Cons:

• Rattling, it's very hurtful but from the 1st week, I have had issues with rattling sounds. Firstly it was coming from the sunroof which the BMW service center solved (there was an issue with the adhesive used) then it started from the left side door, which reduced when I hit a pothole accidentally. But it's very hard to deal with sounds in the car when it hasn't even driven (then) 300 kms.
• Overall, I would like to suggest anyone looking to tune their car, DO IT!

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