Reference Auto

Volkswagen has brought in India’s most-powerful hatchback, the new Polo GT TSI for a steep price of Rs 7.99 lakh, but can it wean away sedan buyers or will the steep-priced Polo variant fade away like the Honda Jazz?

The GT TSI comes with a 1.2-litre four-cylinder turbocharged direct injection 105 PS/170 Nm engine, which is offered with a seven-speed DSG box. Volkswagen says the Polo TSI will give an ARAI fuel efficiency of 17.2 km per litre, which is commendable for a high-end hatch.

The USP of the new Polo is the seven-speed DSG twin clutch gearbox, which provides lightening quick gear changes.

What is also new is the standard manual gear stick, which has been replaced with an automatic drive selector with tiptronic controls for the DSG gearbox. But inside the foot well, the clutch pedal is missing.

The auto major claims the TSI is capable of achieving a speed of 100 km per hour in 9.7 seconds and will come with a top speed of 190 km per hour.

The Polo GT TSI will replace the 1.6-litre variant and comes with ESP, ABS, hill-hold function and twin airbags, which is among the top safety features offered in any hatchback in India.

Visually, the Polo GT TSI is far superior to its peers and comes with a GT badge on the grille and GT TSI stickers at the back and sides. Inside the cabin, there are seats in a black and grey contrast, which come with red stitches.

Besides the GT badge on the front grille and boot, a TSI badge at the rear and GT TSI stickers on the C-pillars, there is virtually nothing that Volkswagen can claim is different from any regular model of Polo.

The steering wheel, gear selector lever as well as the handbrake are all wrapped in good quality leather.

The new seat cover design, which is a kind of a two-tone treatment, not only looks great, but is also made of textile instead of leather.

The GT TSI comes with all the top-end kit, which is a two DIN audio system with Bluetooth telephone connectivity, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls, electrically adjustable mirrors and automatic climate control.

So far as the exteriors go, the Polo GT TSI doesn’t really look any different from the standard Polo, which is available in the market currently.

It comes with the same blackened headlight surrounds from the Polo makeover and has the ditto 15-inch alloy wheels, which is a standard offering on the high-end model.

With the steep pricing, can the Volkswagen GT TSI attract high-end hatch buyers or will it go into oblivion like the Honda Jazz?