Photo: Volkswagen
To be honest, we really don't know a whole lot about the next generation of Volkswagen Polo. A number of German publication have stated that it will come in 2015 or a bit sooner and will ride on the new MQB platform. But Skoda, who will have the new Fabia ready before the Polo, won't be using MQB.
The split suggests a move further into the premium segment for the Polo, which no longer has the role of an entry-level car since the arrival of the Up!.
What I want to know is what sort of engine they will be using. While the trend has been for downsizing in recent years, that doesn't necessarily apply to hot hatches. All of the Polo's current rivals use a 1.6-liter turbo engine, while the Polo GTI has a 1.4-liter with both turbocharging and supercharging.
It kind of feels like VW is phasing out the twincharger engine though. Even though it makes 180 hp, they've used 1.8-liter engines with the same output for the new compact cars (Golf, A3, Leon etc.) In addition, no twincharger has been developed for the new AE888 family of engines and the post powerful 1.4 TSI turbo they've developed so far has 140 PS.
One possibility would be to continue using the same twincharger engine for the next Polo. If they can give it more power and 100 kg of the current car's weight, 1269 kg, that would be enough. The other, more interesting option, would be to have a new engine developed, a 1.6 TSI, or use a powerful 1.8 TSI instead.
Volkswagen shies away from the 1.6 block, while Audi invest heavily in 1.8-liter engines, their proffered block for small and medium cars. As far-fetched as it might sound, you've got to remember the previous Polo GTI was a 1.8-liter with 150 PS.
So which engine would you guys want the next Polo GTI to have? More of the same or bigger and better?
What I want to know is what sort of engine they will be using. While the trend has been for downsizing in recent years, that doesn't necessarily apply to hot hatches. All of the Polo's current rivals use a 1.6-liter turbo engine, while the Polo GTI has a 1.4-liter with both turbocharging and supercharging.
It kind of feels like VW is phasing out the twincharger engine though. Even though it makes 180 hp, they've used 1.8-liter engines with the same output for the new compact cars (Golf, A3, Leon etc.) In addition, no twincharger has been developed for the new AE888 family of engines and the post powerful 1.4 TSI turbo they've developed so far has 140 PS.
One possibility would be to continue using the same twincharger engine for the next Polo. If they can give it more power and 100 kg of the current car's weight, 1269 kg, that would be enough. The other, more interesting option, would be to have a new engine developed, a 1.6 TSI, or use a powerful 1.8 TSI instead.
Volkswagen shies away from the 1.6 block, while Audi invest heavily in 1.8-liter engines, their proffered block for small and medium cars. As far-fetched as it might sound, you've got to remember the previous Polo GTI was a 1.8-liter with 150 PS.
So which engine would you guys want the next Polo GTI to have? More of the same or bigger and better?
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