Volkswagen Polo has been around for aeons in India. The very first VW Polo rolled off the assembly line in Chakan in 2009 and was also the brand’s first locally produced model in the country. India got the fifth generation of the premium hatchback and its design remained largely unchanged throughout its life in India. We have collated a list of the best Volkswagen Polos sold in India, the ones that made the enthusiasts drool.
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The first “hot” hatch by VW was the Polo with a 1.6-litre petrol engine that made roughly 104hp and 153Nm of torque from its naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine. Mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, it became an enthusiast-favourite vehicle right off the bat. Cosmetically, it looked the same as the regular Polo.
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Back in 2013, VW decided to ditch the 1.6-litre engine for a 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine that made similar hp but churned out 175Nm of torque. Another major difference between the two was the addition of the 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox aka the DSG. It is also the only automatic gearbox-equipped Polo on offer.
With the advent of the BS6 norms, VW ditched the 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine and replaced it with a 1.0-litre turbo petrol three-cylinder engine. The new powertrain replaced the 7-speed DSG with a 6-speed automatic torque converter. All in all, the new GT TSI made slightly more power at 108hp but had the torque figures. The new 1.0-litre engine is also available on the regular versions, which wasn’t the case before the BS6 norms kicked in.
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In 2013 itself, VW introduced a diesel-powered variant of its popular GT trim. Dubbed GT TDI, it was initially powered by a 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine that made around the same power as the first GT TSI but churned out 250Nm of torque. Although it wasn’t as popular as the GT TSI, it still has a good following owing to its massive torque figure. Also, it is the only GT variant that had a manual gearbox.
Soon after its introduction, VW replaced both its diesel engines — the 1.2-litre turbo diesel and the 1.6-litre turbo diesel — with a 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine with two states of tune. The regular trims got a 90hp version, while the GT TDI got a 105hp engine.
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The holy grail of all Polos in India and around the globe, the Volkswagen Polo GTI made it to the Indian shores in 2016. Interestingly, it is the only three-door Polo that VW offered to customers but came with a pretty hefty price as it was a completely built unit (CBU) import. The GTI also has the biggest engine in the entire lineup. Powering it is a 1.8-litre turbo petrol engine that made close to 190hp and 250Nm of torque, and was mated to a 7-speed DSG gearbox. The high-performance hatchback from VW was sold in limited numbers.
Volkswagen is expected to relaunch the sixth-generation Polo GTI in India sometime soon, but since it has not yet been confirmed, let’s take this information with a pinch of salt.
[Featured Image Credit: Volkswagen]
Satvik Khare