2015 Volkswagen Polo GTI Review: Transmissions On The Right Frequency
What’s Hot: A manual option at last, big power increase, infotainment upgrade.
What’s Not: Neutered torque output for the auto, uninvolving steering, road noise.
X-FACTOR: The Polo GTI, while still available in DSG auto, has finally returned to the world of manual transmissions, and is all the better for it.
Vehicle Style: 5-door lightl hot hatch
Price: $27,490 (Polo GTI manual) to $29,990 (Polo GTI auto)
Engine/trans: 141kW/320Nm 1.8 turbo petrol 4cyl (250Nm for auto) | 6sp manual, 7sp auto
Fuel Economy claimed: 6.1 l/100km (manual), 5.7 (auto) | tested: 7.1 l/100km (manual)
OVERVIEW
Rejoice, for the Polo GTI is available with a manual transmission once more!
After four years of being available purely as an automatic-only model, Volkswagen has come to its senses and equipped its smallest hot hatch with a proper three-pedal manual.
That’s not all.
The engine is completely new too, with the previous GTI’s 1.4 litre twin-charged engine binned in favour of a more powerful, much torquier 1.8 litre turbo that shares its bones with the Golf GTI’s powerplant.
Fuel economy is up, the 0-100km/h sprint is quicker and the power and torque curves are fatter than before.
It may have come quite late in this model’s life cycle, but the 2015 Polo GTI finally has the hardware needed to truly claim top-dog status in the light performance hatch segment.
THE INTERIOR | RATING: 3.5/5
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