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The Hot Hatch: VW Polo GTI

By on August 27, 2008
A WHOLE LOT OF VROOM!
Powerful and dynamic, the GTI legend lives on in the Polo due to its  sprinting capabilities, dynamic torque supply, impressive top speed and exciting driving experience. The Polo GTI has a top speed of 216km/h and races from nought to 100km/h in 8.2 seconds.

There are now half a million Volkswagens on Japanese roads, more than any other foreign brand, which could be why VW chose to launch their latest hot hatch, the Polo GTI, at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show. However, in the ensuing three years VW have failed to paint Japan’s towns red with Polo shaped pocket rockets for one simple reason: price. While Heir Schmidt, M. Lefebvre and Mr. Smith may be willing to fork over 20,000 Euros for a five-door hatchback, Tanaka-san, long spoilt by Japan’s plethora of reasonable econoboxes, has been understandably reticent to part with the cash.

Sure, the VW badge bestows some prestige (owners can run go down to Autobacs and buy one of those ”D” for Deutschland stickers lest their neighbors mistake the car for a domestic), and all five doors shut with that reassuring Teutonic “thunk,” but a full million yen more than a Suzuki Swift Sport? Is Tanaka-san really missing something here?

First impressions say yes. As you slide behind the wheel you are reminded that the Germans do indeed make the best interiors by far. The dash appears to have been hewn from a solid piece rather than merely screwed together. All the plastics and fabrics exude quality and every knob and switch has a tough, secure feel to it. Both steering wheel and handbrake are unusually chunky, which suits the overall essence of the car, and the seats feature a nod to the original Golf GTI: tastefully checkered fabric.

At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking this GTI was a Golf, as it bears more than a passing resemblance to its older and larger sibling. In fact, in many ways this Polo is the true spiritual successor to the original Golf GTI – which, back in 1976, was actually smaller than this current Polo.

When the series 1 Golf GTI was launched 32 years ago, the plan was to produce a limited edition of just 5,000 cars, but things turned out differently. The 110 hp Golf GTI won over a whole new breed of car buyers – the YUPPIES – and soon concurrently created a brand new niche in the sports car market. 5,000 GTIs turned into more than 1.5 million and a new genre of car was born – the hot hatch. Success brought competitors from other European manufacturers, then later from Japan, so VW evolved the Golf over the ensuing three decades into what is now a fairly hefty family car. To match the performance of the ‘70s GTI the current 1.5 ton Golf has to put out a whopping 200 hp.

 
However, the new Polo, is a trimmer, nippier little car – in short, the Polo GTI is a true hot hatch. 150 hp is enough to hurtle the little machine from 0 to 100 kph in 8.2 seconds and on past 200 kph, speeds at which it feels remarkably stable for such a small car. More impressive is the amount of torque the 20-valve-turbocharged 1.8 liter motor develops: a constant 220 Nm of twisting power from a lowly 2,000 rpm right through to 4,500 rpm. Unlike most turbocharged engines, this one does not need to be thrashed in order whip up the ponies, power is available in almost any gear, at any speed.

Thanks to styling borrowed heavily from past and present Golf GTIs, the Polo looks fast even while standing still. A red line around the honeycomb mesh grille is the first hint that this Polo is a bit special, while 205 mm tires on 16” wheels are an absolute give-away. Looking a little more closely, bright red brake calipers peep out from behind those “Monza” style alloy wheels and inside the instruments are tastefully rimmed with chrome while aluminum adorns the center console and pedals.

Thankfully the Polo is available in 5-door as well as 3-door guise, and the back seat has easily enough head and leg room not only for adults, but for kids in the bulkiest of child seats as well. The trunk is a decent size too, and can of course be doubled in or trebled in volume should the rear seats be redundant.

For the driver, the seating position is superb. Deeply bucketed seats hold you in place during the hard cornering of which the GTI is more than capable, all instruments are in clear view and switches within easy reach. Care must be taken in town, however, as the torquey engine will soon have you doubling speed limits before you know it. Unlike former GTIs, rapid acceleration is not a harried scrabble, but a smooth rush more commonly experienced in far larger, and more powerful, vehicles. Emergency deceleration too, while impressively effective, is deceptively smooth.

So is it worth the extra million? Well, the answer of course is “depends”. If you need a small family car to see you through a couple of years in Japan before returning to, say, London (with your tax free imported car) the Polo makes a lot of sense. But if you’re here for the long haul, I’d have to say that while the GTI is a better car than a Swift Sport, much better in fact, it is not *that* much better.

You see, I can’t get past the knowledge that German factory workers are the best paid, and least overworked on the planet, so I have a niggling suspicion that while perhaps ¥500,000 of the price difference went in to better materials for the car’s interior, the other half paid for Herr Schmidt to take his family to Thailand. Which is why I’ll be driving to my travel agent’s in a Suzuki.

About Justin Gardiner