319 HP VW Polo GTI Is Bad With A Capital B

You know a tuner has done something right when their small hatchback rocks more power than an entry-level muscle car. Enter BR-Performance and their 2018 Volkswagen Polo GTI, which has been modified to the teeth.

It’s no drag-racing king as there are vehicles out there that are far more capable, but it deserves the unofficial mega supermini nomenclature with the Stage 3 upgrades, which include new dump valve, intercooler, exhaust system, turbo upgrade and a software remap.

Review: New Volkswagen Polo GTI Has Everything But The Fun Factor

The result is 319 HP (324 PS / 238 kW) and 372 lb-ft (504 Nm) of torque obtained from the 2.0-liter TSI gasoline engine, which pumps out 197 HP (200 PS / 147 kW) and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) without any mods. The stock Polo GTI needs 6.7 seconds to sprint from 0 to 62 mph (0-100 km/h) and can top out at 147 mph (236 km/h).

If you consider Stage 3 to be too extreme, then perhaps the Stage 2 and Stage 1 are more to your liking. The mid-spec variant unleashes 246 HP (250 PS / 184 kW) and 349 lb-ft (473 Nm), while the most humble offering will still make your subcompact hot hatch quicker, in theory at least, than the all-new Golf GTI Mk8, which is bigger, heavier and comes with a 242 HP (245 PS / 180 kW) and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) 2.0 TSI. That’s 238 HP (241 PS / 177 kW) and 331 lb-ft (449 Nm) available via the right pedal in the tuned Polo GTI.

Besides presenting their new product, BR-Performance has also dropped three videos that show the Polo GTI in different environments, boasting all three power upgrades, so get ready for around 10 minutes of footage.