Volkswagen Polo GT TDI: Diesel hot hatchback coming soon

Volkswagen is planning to launch a diesel hot hatchback in the form of the Volkswagen Polo GT TDI, powered by a 1.6 litre diesel engine and five-speed manual transmission lifted off the Volkswagen Vento. Volkswagen fans would remember that this is the car that was also used for races in the Volkswagen Polo Cup in India.

According to MotorBeam, the Volkswagen Polo GT TDI could be launched on September 13, this week itself. This will be Volkswagen’s second hot hatchback on the Polo platform after the launch of the Volkswagen Polo GT TSI – with a 1.2 litre four-cylinder turbo-charged petrol engine and seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Also read:Should you buy the Volkswagen Polo GT TSI hot hatch priced at Rs. 7.99 lakh? 

The Polo GT TDI is expected to be at least Rs. 1 lakh more expensive than the 1.2 Highline diesel variant, which should put it slightly above the recently launched Volkswagen Cross Polo – which is a Polo with muscular plastic cladding. The GT TDI would appeal to enthusiasts who want a bit more power on tap. It, however, falls in the 24% excise duty bracket because it doesn’t have an engine capacity below 1.5 litres to qualify for small car norms. Earlier there was speculation that Volkswagen may downsize the 1.6 litre engine to 1.5 litres for the Polo.

The 1.6 litre diesel engine in the Volkswagen Polo GT TDI puts out 104 bhp of power at 4,400 rpm and 250 Nm of torque at 1500-2500 rpm. Given that the Polo would have a significantly light kerb weight of around 1050 Kg, it will get power-to-weight ratio of a full 100 horses per ton. Also read: Will Volkswagen Cross Polo and Punto Adventure work in India?

The Polo GT TDI won’t get as many features as its petrol counterpart, the GT TSI, has. Things like traction control and hill-hold control are likely to be absent. In essence, it will have all the features of the Polo Highline, with a few extras like body skirts and a spoiler. So expect automatic climate control, music system with Bluetooth, steering controls, power mirrors, alloy wheels etc.

The Polo GT TDI will compete with other diesel hot hatchbacks such as the Fiat Punto 90 HP, Tata Vista and Hyundai i20 diesel – all of which have power output between 89 bhp and 92 bhp, giving the Polo GT TDI an edge. But at an estimated Rs. 8.1 lakh ex-showroom, do you think it is worth a look? Also read: Volkswagen launches Cross Polo at Rs. 7.75 lakh

Source: MotorBeam