Volkswagen Polo GTI

In the hot hatch menagerie, there’s one that rules them all but it’s only available with one gearbox option. There’s another couple that are pretty sharp little jiggers, but again… you guessed it, each of them has just one ’box option. Volkswagen used to be in that crowd, but that’s all changed for 2015 with the updated Polo GTI.

The MY15 Polo sees the worldwide debut of a new VW engine that takes most of the good bits of the Golf GTI’s underbonnet booty and condenses them. Still known as the EA888, the 1798cc turbocharged four-potter is good for a respectable 141kW, but it’s in the torque where things get a bit different.

Known internally as a ‘toolkit’ engine, the steel-blocked, alloy-topped unit is six kilograms lighter than the smallercapacity 1.4-litre twin-charged unit it replaces, thanks to a 0.5mm reduction in the re-cast block’s wall thickness.

It’s got a smaller turbocharger than the Golf GTI, which brings power back down to 141kW, while a number of new fuel-saving tricks including a combination of direct and indirect fuel injection, a direct-mount watercooled manifold and more drop both emissions and consumption figures (5.6 litres/100km of fuel, to be exact).

The Polo GTI will, for the first time, come with a choice of transmissions, too. Opting for the six-speed manual gearbox nets you a significant 70Nm more torque from the all-new engine than if you ticked the box marked ‘seven-speed DSG’; the manual is rated at 320Nm, where the DSG is limited to 250Nm, albeit across a slightly wider torque band.

The manual nets you a signifcant 70Nm more from the new engine

It’s pretty damn obvious, too, with the manual pulling hard and early from under 2000rpm all the way through to just under its 6200rpm redline. The DSG-equipped version is still linear and lag-free, but lacks a sparkle from low in the rev range.

The other big news for the Polo is the first-time fitment of VW’s adaptive damper technology. You all know the drill by now; a ‘Sport’ button inside the cabin firms up the dampers in both rebound and compression rates for high-speed work. The same button also firms up the new and quite excellent electro-mechanical steering, sharpens the throttle map and loosens the traction and stability control leashes.

The electronic limited slip diff unit also now provides a measure of torque vectoring, where an inside brake caliper will be nipped up to get the Polo to tuck its nose in like a cute little puppy on a Christmas card.

The Polo will launch in Australia, in early 2015, with standard-spec dampers, according to Volkswagen sources. Having sampled both cars at some length over a range of terrain, it would be great to see VW Australia offer the Polo GTI with the option of adaptive dampers. While the standard set-up is a significant improvement over the outgoing car’s handling, the optional Bilstein-developed shocks add an extra level of ability and composure to the uprated chassis package.

The standard chassis feels a bit oversprung and jittery on high-frequency bumps, though the ride is still in keeping with a car with such sporting pretensions. The stock shocks also blow through their travel pretty quickly under hard braking or acceleration, which brings the car’s stability control systems into play much quicker than desired.

The more sophisticated dampers instantly solve both problems. The difference between standard and sport mode isn’t night and day, but the Polo GTI holds its nerve more readily when its nose pitches down and when it’s loaded up laterally through a long, fast bend with the dampers turned all the way to 11.

Tweaks to the anti-roll bar and steering links up front, longitudinally stiffer torsion beam bushings out back and a set of custom-tuned Bridgestone Potenza 215/45 R17s also help to propel the Polo GTI’s handling into the realms of grown-up hot hatch territory.

Things have lifted a few notches in the cabin, too, with the Golf-esque dash layout, a pair of narrow yet comfy chequered seats, a chunky leatherwrapped flat-bottom steering wheel and gearknob and black-is-the-new-black theme dominating proceedings.

The rear pews are, in a compact hot hatch shock, useful for transporting realsized people, while the seats flip down to expose more than 800 litres of cargo space. Outside, there’s a set of slightly wider 17-inch rims (up from seven to 7.5 inches wide), as well as LED headlights.

Pricing isn’t nailed down for Australia yet, but we hear $28,000 is a good place to start guessing. For the base 141kW and 320Nm six-speed manual, this is a pretty good deal; sure, it’s a few bucks north of the Fiesta ST (134kW and 240Nm, or 147kW and 290Nm on overboost), but it’s eminently more
practical as a day-to-day proposition. Similarly, the Polo and the Renault Sport Clio will be pretty similarly priced, but the VW’s DSG ’box is a much better bet than the Clio’s version.

The baby hot hatch battle is about to heat up again, and the Polo GTI will be worth adding to your shopping list when it lobs around April.