First Drive Review
Since German engineers seemingly have perfected the automatic transmission with quick shifting times and ever more gears, it seems they’ve been on a crusade to extinguish the manual gearbox. Even one of the quintessential hot hatches, VW’s not-for-the-U.S. Polo GTI, lost its stick shift after 2009, when a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic became standard equipment.
We’d like to think that our worthy Save the Manuals campaign resonates all the way to the Fatherland, but a VW marketing executive concedes that "customer demand" spurred the return of a manual option to the Polo GTI. Still, that’s reason enough for us to take a sympathetic look at the little rocket, which also gains a new engine and a facelift for 2015.
The previous super- and turbocharged 180-hp 1.4-liter Twincharger is out, and a turbocharged 192-horse 1.8-liter is in. The loss of the Roots blower, which provided much-needed low-end torque in the 1.4, is compensated for by the extra displacement of the new 1.8-liter. Maximum torque, previously rated at 184 lb-ft, stays the same with the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic but rises to a formidable 236 lb-ft when paired with the six-speed manual.
As a result, this Polo goes. According to VW, zero to 62 mph takes just 6.7 seconds, down 0.2 versus the old engine, and top speed is listed at 147 mph. With the dual-clutch ’box, the performance numbers stay identical, while the automatic’s European-cycle combined fuel economy beats that of the stick by 3 mpg. Nonetheless, we'd go for the slick-shifting manual, as the extra torque of its engine can be easily felt, even if it’s not reflected in the standard sprint.
The strong engine teams with a practically flawless chassis. Fitted with a brake-based limited-slip differential (a function of the stability-control system), the Polo GTI remains neutral up to the limits of adhesion. There is little body roll, and to top off the capable chassis, the electric power steering is remarkably precise and nicely weighted. What this Polo lacks, though, is an eagerness to rotate into corners.
With a tastefully executed cabin and a small dose of heritage GTI cues, this ultimate Polo is actually a competent long-distance cruiser. We can easily see ourselves ripping hundreds of kilometers (sorry, our European is showing) in this diminutive car that seems all grown-up from behind the wheel.
Yet for all its merits, we think that the Polo GTI could trade a bit of perfection for a healthy dose of passion—it’s a bit too well behaved for our tastes. (Its soundtrack, for instance, isn’t very aggressive.) We praise VW for bringing back the manual, but we can’t help but look ahead to the rumored Polo R, with four-wheel drive and about 250 horsepower. When that car appears in Europe, we'll once again start clamoring for the Polo to be sold in the States.
