VW Polo GTI

February 2010

Feast your eyes on the pocket rocket that every hot hatch fan has been waiting for! This is the all-new Polo GTI – and as Auto Express predicted over 12 months ago, it gets a 178bhp 1.4-litre supercharged and turbocharged four cylinder petrol engine hooked up to a seven-speed DSG twin-clutch transmission.

Making its public debut at the Geneva Motor Show next week, the Polo GTI goes on sale in August priced at around £18,000. It will be available in both three and five-door bodystyles.

Using the same engine as the SEAT Ibiza Cupra – and the upcoming Skoda Fabia vRS – the 1.4 TSI engine boasts 250Nm of torque and should launch the Polo from 0-60mph in under seven seconds and onto a top speed of 140mph. That makes it almost as fast as its big brother, the Golf GTI.

Standard transmission is a seven-speed twin-clutch gearbox, complete with steering wheel-mounted paddles. It will be paired to VW's clever XDS traction control system which electronically mimics a limited slip differential.

The suspension has been uprated with stiffer springs and dampers while the ride height has been lowered 15mm. Inside and out, the Polo apes the Golf GTI, with 17-inch 'telephone dial'-style alloy wheels, a subtle bodykit and twin exhaust pipes. The cabin gets a flat-bottomed steering wheel while the seats are clad in tartan cloth material.

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