The updated VW Polo GTI can now be ordered in Britain with a starting price of £18,850 for the three-door and £19,480 for the five-door. It’s big news for UK hot hatch fans because while the regular Polo only got a minor restyling and tech upgrade, the GTI got an entirely new (bigger) engine too.
With 192 PS / 189 hp from the 1.8-liter turbo mill, it now makes 12 PS more than before. It comes as standard with a manual six-speed gearbox with the DSG option coming in at £1,245.
Compared to a regular Polo, the revised GTI features “new bumpers, GTI insignia, distinctive 17-inch ‘Parabolica’ alloy wheels and red radiator grille strips and honeycomb grille distinguish it from the rest of the range, along with standard sports suspension (lowered by 10 mm at the front and 15 mm at the back).”
The interior gets spruced up with contrasting red stitching on all of the leather bits, a unique gear knob and the traditional GTI cloth seat pattern.
The Polo GTI comes with a new stability control system which has also been adapted for track use. This, coupled with XDS (mimics a limited-slip diff but using the brakes) which is meant to cull understeer, it should be better than ever around a circuit.
You can also specify a Sports Performance Pack with Dynamic Chassis Control. It makes the steering sportier, the exhaust louder and quickens up the throttle response.
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