New Volkswagen Polo GTI at the 2010 Geneva auto show.

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New 3- and 5-door VW Polo GTI Premiere in Geneva
Same power with 25 percent better economy
And standard 7-speed DSG with ESP + XDS

VW Polo GTI, 3-door body: front view.

First Polo with optional bi-xenon headlights, cornering light, LED daytime running light, corner marker light and a panoramic tilt/slide sunroof.

19 Feb. 2010 - Following its world premiere at the 2010 Geneva motor show (4 to 14 March), the new Volkswagen Polo GTI will hit the German showrooms from the end of May, before getting progressively introduced across Europe and in Japan (see also the new VW CrossPolo).

Available in a three-door and a five-door version, the new Polo GTI is powered by a new 1.4-litre TSI with petrol direct injection plus turbo- and supercharging.

The 132 kW (177bhp, 179 PS) power is transferred to the front wheels via a 7-speed DSG, which is standard equipment. An electronic transverse differential lock (XDS) reduces the tendency to understeer, improving handling in quick driving through curves.

Volkswagen Polo GTI, 3-door body: profile.

17'' alloy wheels with a clear view of the red brake callipers.

Weighing 1,194 kg, the Polo GTI accelerates to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.9 seconds and reaches a top speed of 229 km/h (142 mph).

At the same time, it is VW's most fuel efficient and lowest emitting GTI of all times. Combined fuel consumption is 5.9 litres per 100 kilometres (16.95 km per litre, 39.9 US mpg, 47.8 UK mpg), with a CO2 emissions figure of 139 g/km.

Comparison

By comparison, the previous Polo GTI also reached 180 PS (but from a 1.8-litre turbo engine), but it consumed 7.9 litres per 100 kilometres (12.6 km per litre, 29.7 US mpg, 35.7 UK mpg), with emissions equivalent to 188 g/km CO2. This makes the new GTI model 25 percent more fuel efficient than its predecessor.

VW Polo GTI, 3-door body: rear view.

Customised rear apron with a diffuser look and chrome tailpipes.

The new GTI is also the first Polo to be available with bi-xenon headlights including cornering light, LED daytime running light and corner marker light as well as a panoramic tilt/slide sunroof.

The tradition of the sporty top Polo model versions can be traced back to nearly a quarter of a century, when it started on the basis of the 1986 Polo Coupé G40.

Equipped with a mechanical G-charger, its engine had at the time a power of 83 kW (111 hhp, 113 PS), allowing the Polo G40 to reach nearly 200 km/h. In contrast, the predecessor of the new Polo GTI first switched over to turbo technology in the year 2006. Its base version had a power of 110 kW (148 bhp, 150 PS), then the Cup Edition took this figure up to 180 PS (132 kW, 178 bhp).

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The combination of direct injection, supercharger and turbocharger under one engine bonnet makes the new Polo GTI exceptional, especially in this segment.

The 179 PS Euro-5 16-valve four-cylinder engine reaches its maximum power at 6,200 rpm. Its maximum torque of 250 Newton-metre is also interesting for an engine of this size. It is already there from 2,000 rpm and stays at a constantly high level up to 4,500 rpm.

DSG

The standard 7-speed DSG (direct shift gearbox) combines the sports character and economy of a manual gearbox with the operating convenience of an automatic.

As an alternative to the fully-automatic mode, the DSG may also be shifted manually – either by gearshift lever via the Tiptronic shift gate or via the standard shift paddle on the steering wheel.

Chassis

The GTI sport chassis includes ESP and XDS electronic transverse differential lock. The running gear is based on the fundamental layout of a McPherson front suspension and semi-independent rear suspension combined with dynamic tuning.

New, stiffer dampers are linked to specially modified springs that lower the ride height by 15 millimetres compared to the regular versions. The effect: lower angles of body roll and a lower centre of gravity. Both have positive effects vehicle dynamics through curves.

Serving the same purpose are the low-profile tyres (215/40 R17 87V) on alloy wheels in GTI-typical 5-hole “Denver” styling (7Jx17), sharing their looks with those of the Golf GTI.

ESP + XDS

The Polo GTI is equipped right from the factory with generously dimensioned brakes and a standard ESP stabilisation programme. Networked with this are other electronic modules such as the anti-lock braking (ABS), hill hold control, anti-slip regulation (ASR), engine drag torque control (MSR) and electronic differential locks (EDS). Tyre pressure is also sensed by the standard tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS).

VW Polo GTI, 3-door body: interior, instruments panel, steering wheel and console.

A glossy black surface treatment decorates the panels of the centre console, with contrasting colour and material accents such as brushed chrome for the air vent surrounds, inside door handles, frames for the gearshift lever and parking brake, the DSG gearshift gate and the spokes of the leather steering wheel.

A modern extension of familiar EDS functions is the XDS electronic transverse differential lock, like the one Volkswagen presented for the first time on the Golf GTI.

XDS improves handling through fast curves and calibrates the car to be more “neutral”, since it prevents slip of the unloaded wheel at the inside of the curve by active brake intervention, improving traction.

This system, standard equipment on the Polo GTI, accesses existing sensor data such as steering wheel angle, yaw rate and wheel speeds.

Exterior

VW Polo GTI, 3-door body: front seats.

Sport seats come with classic fabric covers in diamond pattern.

The sportiest Polo comes with two classic red trim strips on its radiator grille.

From its role model – the larger Golf GTI – it has adopted the honeycomb structure of the air inlets inserts in the uniquely styled front apron. Also GTI-specific are the fender flares and the rear spoiler painted in body colour. Other exterior details include the 17-inch alloy wheels in “Denver” styling that offer a clear view of the red painted brake callipers, as well as a customised rear apron with a diffuser look in its lower section. Integrated on the left side are the chrome dual tailpipes of the exhaust system.

VW Polo GTI, 3-door body: decorative classic red seams on the gearshift boot, parking brake grip and steering wheel.

Decorative classic red seams on the gearshift boot, parking brake grip and steering wheel.

Two other features are available as options for the first time on the new Polo GTI in this model series: the electrically operated panoramic tilt/slide sunroof extending back to the B-pillars, and the completely new layout of the bi-xenon headlights, with integrated LED daytime running lights, corner marker lights and cornering lights.

Interior

The standard sport seats come with classic fabric covers in typical diamond pattern, which recall the first GTIs of the 1970s. The roof liner, roof pillar trim, grab handles and sun visors are all styled in a sporty black; a glossy black surface treatment also decorates the panels of the centre console. They are coordinated with contrasting colour and material accents such as brushed chrome for the air vent surrounds and chrome accents for the round control knobs. Also completely styled in this brushed chrome look are the inside door handles, frames for the gearshift lever and parking brake, the DSG gearshift gate and the three spokes of the leather sport steering wheel. Styled in classic red are the distinctive decorative seams on the gearshift boot, parking brake grip and steering wheel.

Equipment

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The list of standard features adds to the features already mentioned, pedal caps in aluminium look, electric window lifts in front (three-door) and rear (five-door), electric adjusting and heated door mirrors, air conditioning, RF remote control of central locking and front fog lights. The leather trimmed steering wheel is equipped with two DSG paddles, one on the left and one on the right. The passive safety package includes driver and front passenger airbags, head-thorax side airbags and belt tensioners in front, as well as Isofix points on the rear bench seat for suitably fitted child seats.

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