PoloDriver

Reports are coming in that the latest Polo GTI 6R is to be produced in China, but with one major difference – its 178bhp engine will be replaced with a lower output 131bhp unit. The engine – still a turbocharged 1.4-litre TSI from the locally-produced Lavida – is thought to be cheaper to import than the higher output ‘twincharged’ unit, meaning lower retail prices of each completed car, therefore potentially appealing to more prospective customers.

The Chinese Polo GTI is expected to take a public bow in May, after having debuted at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show. It will be the first time the model has appeared in China, and also marks the first time the GTI has been made outside of Germany, manufactured by the Shanghai-Volkswagen joint venture. The good news is that there are no visual changes to the Chinese-produced car compared to its more expensive European counterpart.

The current Polo GTI isn’t known for its lack of power. Yes, it may not develop quite as much go as the Renaultsport Clio 200, but its 178bhp serves it well. Now, though, if you want more, you can have more, with Volkswagen Racing UK official tuning partner Superchips’ ECU remap. The Buckinghamshire company’s software tweak sees the Polo GTI’s 1.4-litre ‘twincharged’ engine 27bhp more powerful (the 204bhp Superchips Polo GTI is only 3bhp down on a Mk 6 Golf GTI), with an additional 26lb ft (35Nm) of torque.

Both evo and Volkswagen Driver magazines have tested Superchips’ demo car, and while the extra power takes the GTI over the 200bhp threshold, it does have to pump the extra power to the road through the front wheels. The Superchips remap has to be carried out at one of the company’s outlets, and can be removed and reinstalled with the supplied Bluefin handheld device. The Superchips remap costs £455.

[Source: German Car Scene]

With three in-house rivals, the Polo GTI is one of a four-strong Volkswagen Group attack on the hot supermini market. The Audi A1 1.4 TFSI Sport, SEAT Ibiza Cupra, Škoda Fabia vRS and Volkswagen Polo GTI all employ the same 1.4-litre ‘twincharged’ engine, and all pump out, more or less, 180bhp. So, are there any real differences? We thought it was about time we found out. We recently had a Fabia vRS from Škoda UK’s press fleet spend a few days with us, to see if there really is £2645 worth of difference between it and the hot Polo. Read what we thought of the (very) green machine here, or click on the magazine graphic below. The seventh of our special digital mini-magazines, check out the PoloDriver bookshelf on issuu.com for our previous six titles.

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Jetex has recently announced a new 3-inch high-flow race cat and downpipe for the 2010- Polo GTI 6R. Designed to be used with their cat-back 27-HADR system, the 100-cell race cat can be fitted to an OE exhaust system, but some modification will be needed. With a pipe diameter of 76mm + 63.5mm (3 and 2.5 inches respectively), it complements the 27-HADR system perfectly, and fits directly to the turbo itself. To get the full performance effect, Jetex recommends that the complete pairing should be fitted in conjunction with a Stage 2 remap. For further information and prices, call 01789 298989 or email sales@jetex.co.uk. The kit should also fit the latest Škoda Fabia vRS.