Well done VW, you’ve done it again

Since the previous generation VW Polo GTI was released, I was obsessed with the car. I loved its styling as well as the 1.4 TSI GTI engine which used a turbo and supercharger (which at the time was meant to be the future of engines).

I even had it as my screensaver on my PC at the office so I could admire it, but I unfortunately never had the opportunity to test it.

Seven years later and Volkswagen has finally decided to release the new model Polo GTI and to my surprise, they dumped the 1.4 TSI engine replacing it with a more powerful 2.0 turbocharged motor that they borrowed from the Golf 7 GTI which increased the power output from 132kW to 147kW.

Along with the increased power output and an improved suspension, VW borrowed some styling from the Golf 7 and incorporated it onto the Polo, so much so that one sometimes finds himself mistaking it for its bigger brother.

The interior has a sporty feel and the media system and trim contributed to this ride’s appeal.

The downfall though, and there weren’t many, was that it has a shorter range than usual with a full tank. If you could get 485km range on a full tank I would be impressed because this car was not light on fuel at all. This was expected though since VW chose to go with the bigger engine.

Would I buy this car though? My answer is unfortunately no.

And the reason is because the petrol price has just gone up, and after I was fortunate enough to test the Polo Beats edition – with a 1.0 turbo – which was much more economical on fuel, I don’t see any reason to buy the more expensive, less economical GTI which has the same features as the less expensive Polo Beats edition.

Unless, of course, one wants to fuel their boyhood dreams ... literally.