Volkswagen Polo GTI getting manual transmission
It has been confirmed by senior company executives that the Volkswagen Polo GTI will be offered once more with a manual transmission option when the hot-hatch update gets released later this year.
Moritz Slizer spoke very openly about the return of the manual GTI at this week’s launch of the facelifted Polo range in Munich, Germany.
He confirmed that the GTI will have 192hp at about 141kW and will be available not only with DSG but also with a manual transmission.
The introduction of the six-speed manual transmission for the Polo GTI means that the second-generation, Spanish built and German-designed pocket rocked will be cheaper than its predecessors. This will put it within about a grand of the current city-sized hot-hatch benchmark, the Ford Fiesta ST and in case the German conglomerate want to play hardball they could reintroduce the three-door model and thus potentially undercut the blue oval brand’s hot-hatch.
There is still not a lot of information about the updated GTI’s powertrain however, with some reports linking it to a larger 1.8-litre engine, but a more realistic choice would be a mildly uprated version of the current twin-charged 1.4-litre engine.
He also revealed that the engine will not only incrementally increase power from 132kW to 141kW, it would also increase in torque from the current 250Nm.
He also said that the decision to reintroduce the manual transmission option was wholly driven by the desire of motor enthusiasts.
We’ll have to wait and see what the impact of this new model will be on the market, but it is expected to enjoy quite a bit of a following.
