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2015 Volkswagen Polo GTI Revealed with 1.8 TSI Engine

After the 2014 Polo facelift's European launch, Volkswagen is finally ready to reveal the new version of its smallest hot hatch, the Polo GTI. Even though at a glance this is just a refresh, we think the changes they've made have turned this Vee Dub into a competitor for the title of "Best Supermini Hot Hatch"… if such a thing existed.
2015 Volkswagen Polo GTI 13 photos
Photo: Volkswagen
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Let's start with the front end, which is the most striking change. There, the Polo GTI has received a new bumper with the same design as its bigger brother, the iconic Golf GTI. Above that, LED headlights have been introduced, connected to each other by a red strip, again, just like the bigger car.

Fans of the brand will notice other small changes, like he new 17-inch wheel design with two types of spokes, the red GTI badging added to the front quarter panel, the revised taillights and rear diffuser.

The biggest change of all is under the bonnet, where there's... more engine. Just like we predicted a year ago, the Polo GTI has dropped its 1.4 TSI for a bigger 1.8 TSI and is now also available with a manual gearbox, something fans have been demanding for many years.

The new 1.8 TSI belongs to the EA888 family and will not only deliver more power, but also slightly better fuel consumption than its predecessor. Output has been increased to 192 PS (141 kW) and 320 Nm (236 lb-ft) of torque. Perhaps more important than the 12 extra PS is the fact that torque is up by 70 Nm, or nearly 30%. With this setup, the 2015 Polo GTI will be able to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in just 6.7 seconds and reach a respectable top speed of 236 km/h (148 mph).

Why Did the Polo GTI go from a 1.4L to a 1.8L?

In a time when most small cars are going for smaller engines, sometimes even 3-cylinder ones, what Volkswagen has done seems illogical. However, MINI has also increased the cubic capacity of its Cooper S (soon JCW as well) from 1.6 to 2 liters. So there must be reason behind the madness.

A fact known by very few people is that the 1.4 TSI in the old Polo GTI was the most technologically advanced engine of its size. When launched, it was deemed to a replacement for the group's 2-liter petrol engines and was engineered with both a supercharger and a turbocharger. The downside was that it often felt like the computers struggled to figure out which type of boost to use. Since the beginning of 2014, Volkswagen has been systematically phasing it out from models like the Beetle, Scirocco and Passat.

To further justify what Wolfsburg has done in layman's terms, let's just say that the fuel economy of an engine is determined not just by its size, but by how much advanced technology. The EA888-generation 1.8 TSI engine used by the Polo GTI is shared with most of the MQB-based cars, including the Audi A3 and SEAT Leon, two of the most dynamic hatchbacks on the market.

Fuel economy numbers have not yet been released, but we expect city consumption to drop from 7.5 l/100km down to around 7. That would easily make this the most efficient hot hatch in the B-segment.

Polo GTI, Always the Lesser Hot Hatch – History Lesson

While the Golf GTI is a car that invented its own niche, a legend of the Worthersee annual meets, its smaller brother never quite cut the mustard. It has always felt unresponsive when compared to the engaging models made by Peugeot and Renault, but soldered on thanks to its practical and sober nature that appealed to some buyers.

The first Polo GTI was actually called the GT G40, which was sold from 1990 with a 1.3-liter supercharged engine producing 115 PS. Its successor was the Mk3 Polo GTI launched in 1994 with a 1.6-liter 16-valve mill making 120 PS. Like the Golf 4 of its time, it wasn't great.

Big changes only started to be made in 2005, when the Mk4 model came out, packing the "1.8T" with 150 PS. Although it was faster than ever, it looked took cute and was way off the pace set by the Clio RS, which was nearing 200 hp by that time.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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