Features
Gallery 1
Hot hatchbacks need a manual transmission – there, we said it. After driving the facelifted VW Polo GTI, we’re wrapping both arms and legs around the left pedal lest Volkswagen take it from us again.
The 6R-generation Polo GTI from 2009 came only with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission which proved almost as problematic from a reliability perspective as the 1.4-litre ‘twincharged’ four-cylinder it mated with.
Even before the whole DSG saga went down, I recall wanting to burn the automatic faster than it self-harmed its own clutch packs. Hard on the brakes in a straight line, wiping speed off coming into a corner, I was left furiously slapping its left paddleshifter never knowing when the electronics would permit access to a lower gear. Coming up to the next corner, it was impossible to press the engine into its redline without auto-upshifting, often right before turn-in.
The fresh engine it teams up with, a 1.8-litre turbocharged four from the Passat, is similarly creamy and smooth yet also bloody fast. Maximum 320Nm from 1450rpm to 4200rpm, peak 141kW from 4300rpm to 6200rpm – there is simply surging response everywhere in this car.
Indeed, the duo of engine and transmission give the latest Polo GTI a bit of an alluring, sports-luxury personality to go along with its more compliant suspension, bright touchscreen and superbly comfortable, classically tartan-trimmed cloth seats.
A seven-speed DSG continues in the Polo GTI as a $2500 option not to bother with, all those computer-controlled immediate shifts merely deliver an identical performance claim due to a 70Nm deficit (to preserve the troublesome DSG, you see).
Rarely will the driver of a Boxster Spyder emerge from the driver’s seat and say “might swap to the Polo now”, but so it was with Associate Editor Newman after a hard strafe in the Porsche. No elitism here. The little Volkswagen may be the smallest and cheapest car of the field by far, but it was far from left behind.
A recent MY16 update has brought standard two-stage adaptive dampers and along with Sport stability control and grippy Brigestone Potenza 17-inch rubber, it gels near-perfectly with the drivetrain’s raunchy personality.
Through corners, the ordinary on-centre steering, most noticeable around town, gives way to firm and crisp response. Playing Polo is about indulging in bodyroll, exploring nose-tightening lift-off oversteer, finding sweet balance and nailing quick exits, rather than darting snickety-snick and wickedly-quick between bends a la 308 GTi. Tellingly, though, the Volkswagen’s steering, gearshifter and brake pedal feel are preferable to the double-the-price Peugeot.
It may have been in Goliath company here, but just like the manual transmission itself, David proved a damned good bloke, standing tall even among A-grade sporting players.
While the Polo GTI’s power and handling puts it on a par with some of the big boys in this comparison, the ESP won’t turn completely off and sometimes gets in the way of some truly foot-to-the-floor shenanigans.
SPECS Body: 5-door, 5-seat hatch Drive: front-wheel Engine: 1798cc inline-4, DOHC, 16v, turbocharger Bore/stroke: 82.5 x 84.2mm Compression: 9.6:1 Power: 141kW @ 4300-6200rpm Torque: 320Nm @ 1450-4200rpm Power/weight: 114kW/tonne Transmission: 6-speed manual Weight: 1234kg Suspension(F): A-arms, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar Suspension(R): torsion beam, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar L/W/H: 3983/1682/1443mm Wheelbase: 2470mm Tracks: 1447/1441mm Steering: electrically-assisted rack-and-pinion Brakes(F): 288mm ventilated discs, 2-piston calipers Brakes(R): 232mm solid discs, single-piston calipers Tyre sizes: 17.0 x 7.5-inch (f/r) 215/40 R17 (f/r) Tyre: Bridgestone Pontenza S001 Price as tested: $27,490 Pros: Torquey engine; sweet gearshift; adaptive dampers Cons: Loss of steering feel Star Rating: 4/5
