72
HRS WITH POLO GT TSI
POWERED BY GAADI.COM IN SUPPORT WITH VOLKSWAGEN
CREDIT NOTES Driven by : Bunny Punia Navigated by : Shantonil Nag Captured by : Kanupriya Bhatnagar Sponsored by : Volkswagen India Designed by : Ujjual Gupta | www.i-imazine.com
72
HRS WITH POLO GT TSI
POWERED BY GAADI.COM IN SUPPORT WITH VOLKSWAGEN
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Seldom does a new model come into the Indian car market that leaves not only automotive journalists spell bound, but also the competition scratching their heads. The new Polo GT TSI is one such car and so special and unique in many ways that we at Gaadi.com decided to give it due coverage in the form of this spcial coffee table book.
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Through this book, we not only intend to explain what’s so special about the GT, but also show its prowness - we pit this, India’s fastest hatchback against one of India’s fastest trains and in the process beat the latter by over 2 hours. Post the race, we let loose our wild side and went exploring the West on our way back to New Delhi, capturing the GT, in red, across the colourful state of Rajasthan! The same gets depicted in the 2nd chapter right here.
Essentially based on the regular Volkswagon Polo, the GT TSI version makes use of an imported high-performance engine that gets the TSI or Turbocharged Stratified Injection system technology. This enables the engine to put out the same power as a bigger 1.6 litre unit while delivering more torque as well. To harness this kind of engine power, the Polo GT TSI also gets a modern and the first in segment a 7 speed DSG Gearbox. This brilliant engine along with a small capacity motor also results in an astonishing fuel economy of over 17kmpl as per ARAI. The GT TSI comes in one version that’s fully loaded including GT TSI decals and embossing. Inspite of being fully loaded, the GT TSI represents brilliant value for money with a sticker price of only Rs 7.99 lacs ex-showroom Delhi.
Buy this car for - Thrilling performance - Beautiful design - Comfortable and high quality interiors - High speed stability and the best in class suspension - Advance transmission and the best in class economy
Engine Capacity:
1179cc
Max Power: 105PS@5000rpm Max Torque: 175Nm@1500-4100rpm Gears:
7
No of cylinders:
4
Fuel Economy:
17.2kmpl*
Estimated Top Speed: 190km/h 0 -100km/h:
10.8 sec
ABS: Yes Dual Airbags:
Yes
ESP: Yes Hill Hold:
Yes
The Polo GT TSI comes with a host of the first in class features that include: - ESP: Electronic Stability Program - Hill hold function - Aluminium pedals - Leather treatment for gear lever and handbrakes - Driver Information display for fuel economy, average speed and temperature etc.
The Polo GT TSI comes with a segment first 7 speed DSG automatic transmission. This not only provides lightening quick gear changes but the taller 7th gear allows for a better fuel economy. The Sports mode keeps enthusiasts happy while you can also shift through gears manually and be in complete command.
India’s fastest hatchback vs India’s fastest train! Is the Polo GT TSI really a fast and a capable hatchback? The answer lay in a Classic Race of Train vs Car it was time to beat the Delhi-Ahmedabad Rajdhani by driving over 925km in under 14 hours!
T H E
C L A S S I C
R A C E
NEW DELHI
7 10 km .4km 0 158 .55pm -
GURGAON
ALWAR
DAUSA
JAIPUR
AJMER
BEAWER
ABU ROAD
PALANPUR
AHMEDABAD
.22pm
7:55pm: The train departed from NDLS with Gaadi.com’s chief photographer Kanupriya on board 8:42pm:
After a lazy city ride, the train crossed Gurgaon station, enroute Rajasthan
10:22pm: With snacks and dinner being served, Kanupriya was all set for overnight journey ahead not before updating the site and social medias about the train’s progress
7:40pm: The Polo team comprising of Bunny and Shantonil dropped Kanupriya at the NDLS station and drove out of the parking towards Gurgaon 8:20pm:
Forty mins later, the Polo team was stuck at the infamous Gurgaon toll plaza and wasted a good 15mins!
9:55pm: The next 100km took an equal amount of time thanks to heavy truck traffic enroute Jaipur
7 9 km km 0 117 .40pm -
.55pm
NEW DELHI
GURGAON
NEEMRANA
CHANDWAJI
JAIPUR
KISHANGARH
BHILWARA
UDAIPUR
HIMATNAGAR
AHMEDABAD
NEW DELHI
10 3 km .1km 158.4 496 .22pm -
GURGAON
ALWAR
DAUSA
JAIPUR
AJMER
BEAWER
ABU ROAD
PALANPUR
AHMEDABAD
.17am
11:42pm: The train left Dausa city but Kanupriya had already been informed about the Polo’s schedule - the train clearly was behind 00:25am: Kanupriya clicked Jaipur station’s pics only to be informed about the Polo having crossed the city an hour back! 2:29am:
The train rolled out of Ajmer. Kanupriya was still awake, keeping an eye on the Polo’s progress which was by now 30mins ahead of Bhilwara
3:17am:
With everyone on the train fast asleept except Kanupriya, the car team was given an update of the Rajdhani crossing Beawer!
11:15pm: With relatively empty roads after Neemrana, team Polo gained momentum to cross Chandwaji by 11:15Pm. The team didnt take the relatively congested bypass but drove through the city as it would be emptier. 11:36pm: The team stopped and took the “welcome to pink city” shot near Amer turn-off 12:56am: With the awesome Ajmer Expressway to their disposal, they drove hard and reached the Kishangarh bypass before 1am, averaging 86km/h since Jaipur 2:35am: With an empty stretch and a powerful car at disposal, the avg speed between Kishangarh and Bhilwara was93km/h - these 154km were done in 1 hr and forty mins
9 2 km km 117 510 .55pm -
.35am
NEW DELHI
GURGAON
NEEMRANA
CHANDWAJI
JAIPUR
KISHANGARH
BHILWARA
UDAIPUR
HIMATNAGAR
AHMEDABAD
NEW DELHI
3 9 .1km .5km 496 939 .17am -
GURGAON
ALWAR
DAUSA
JAIPUR
AJMER
BEAWER
ABU ROAD
PALANPUR
AHMEDABAD
.35am
6:05am: Almost two hours after the Polo crossed Udaipur, the Rajdhani crossed the Abu Road station - the Polo surely was smelling victory already 7:04am: Palanpur is where the train was at 7:04am - the same time, Polo was on the outskirts of Ahmedabad! 9:35am: The Rajdhani was greeted by the Polo team at the Ahmedabad station - the train arrived two hours too late...
4:10am: The roads were empty till Udaipur, helping the Polo gain more distance. 167km from Bhilwara were done at an average speed of 105km/h. [Note: the Polo was cruising at125-130km/h, only stopping for toll plazas] 6:20am: 177km later at an avg speed of 84km/h, the team reached Himatnagar and took a quick tea break 7:40am: Cruising lazily towards Ahmedabad, team Polo had a clear win!
2 7 km km 510 925 .35am -
.40am
NEW DELHI
GURGAON
NEEMRANA
CHANDWAJI
JAIPUR
KISHANGARH
BHILWARA
UDAIPUR
HIMATNAGAR
AHMEDABAD
After successfully beaten the Rajdhani, team Gaadi decided to drive back to Delhi, at a lazy pace, exploring the state of Rajasthan. Rajasthan is a home to numerous forts and smaller stand alone structures.
EARING
UP THE
JOURNE
Udaipur is known for its lakes and heritage architecture. The red GT made up for a good contrast along the twin lakes of Udaipur.
The POLO GT TSI: Play Hard!
By noon, the sand flats of Sambhar Lake turned into a furnace.
However, the GT’s excellent climate control system kept us a lot more cooler!
A DASH OF RED TO LIVEN UP YOUR LIFE
Jaipur played host to the perfect sunset, kissing a lovely goodbye to by far the best performance hatchback in the country.
SHANTONIL NAG At 22 years of age, this die hard Samsung ‘S’ series fan and user did the job of codriving,navigating,updating our social media sites on the move and making sure Bunny didn’t fall asleep behind the wheel.
KANUPRIYA BHATNAGAR At 23 years of age, this die hard Canon fan and user did the perfect job of updating her locations from the Rajdhani and later shot the beautiful Polo around Rajasthan for this Coffee Table Book.
B E H I N D BUNNY PUNIA At 30 years of age, he’s the oldest member in the ‘young’ content team at Gaadi and was responsible for piloting the GT from Mumbai to Delhi, followed by the Delhi-Ahmedabad race and finally back to Delhi!
T H E
S C E N E S
“The king of performance meets the ship of the desert!”
Gaadi.com is the leading online automotive marketplace bringing together car buyers and car sellers. New car buyers can research their car purchase while used car buyers can browse through the largest collection of inventory online. Launched in May 2008, it was acquired by MIH (a subsidiary of South African media giant Naspers) in Feb 2011. It is the best resource for new car research in India, providing users with information (specifications, features, pricing, news), opinions (editorial reviews, user reviews, user ratings, video reviews) and tools (recommendation engines, car comparators, dealer locators etc.). Users can make an informed decision using these tools before requesting a price quote and booking a test drive. Gaadi. com also facilitates users to get best deals on new car loans and auto insurance. Gaadi.com’s used car marketplace is the best in online space with a comprehensively curated and photographed stock of used cars. It provides a transparent and reliable platform for used car listings with detailed information for used car buyers. Users are free to choose from individual sellers, used car dealers and can filter their requirements basis location, body type of vehicle, fuel type, price range, etc. A host of tools including used car valuation tools and offline services are additionally offered. Recently, Gaadi.com has broadened its horizons and is a first mover into new automotive categories like Two Wheelers,Trucks, Buses and Commercial Vehicles. Gaadi.com will provide authentic content to users researching a vehicle purchase as well as a marketplace for used vehicle purchase. Gaadi.com is also catching users young having launched the Bicycles section. URL: http://www.Gaadi.com Tag Line:Think Cars.Think Gaadi. Facebook Page: http://www.Facebook.com/Gaadi Twitter Handle: http://www.Twitter.com/Gaadi Monthly Visitors: Over 3 million Head Office: Gurgaon
The Volkswagen plant in Chakan occupies a total area of over 2.3 million square metres (575 Acres), with buildings covering about 115 thousand square metres, which means, the total premises is 2x1 kilometres. A workforce of over 3500 people was engaged in building during its peak construction stages. The plant was built in a record time of seventeen months, with an investment commitment of INR 3,800 Crores (580 million Euros) by Volkswagen India Private Limited. It is the largest investment by a German company to date in the Indian growth market. The plant has a production capacity of 130,000 vehicles a year which in capacity was maximised in 2011.The construction of the plant was commenced in 2007 and has been built in a record time of 17 months. Plant Chronicles November 2006: MOU between Volkswagen and the Government of Maharashtra. April - December 2007: Work on the construction of the plant starts with levelling, and by December 2007, the Paint shop, Body shop,Assembly & Logistic departments are constructed. February - October 2008: The equipment arrives for all the departments that have been constructed through the better part of 2008.Testing on these equipments is an ongoing process throughout this period. October 2008: Visit of Hon’ble, former Minister President of German state of Lower Saxony, Christian Wulff and his business delegation. November 2008: First trial run of Body shop and Assembly. This month marks the 1st ready car to be manufactured at this state-of-the-art facility. January 2009: First trial run of Paint shop where the 1st painted body of the car is produced.
made-in-India car - the Polo. February 2010:Visit of the Hon’ble, former German President, Prof. Dr. Horst Koehler to the Plant on his first state visit to India. June 2010: Volkswagen India celebrated the roll-out of the 10,000th car. July 2010: Introduction of the second shift at Chakan plant and the number of employees increases to more than 2000. August 2010: Start of production of mid-sized sedan VolkswagenVento. September 2010: Volkswagen India celebrated the roll-out of the 10,000th Polo October 2010: Volkswagen Academy inaugurated. February 2011: The 50,000th car rolled out of the Chakan plant.
March 2009: Plant Inauguration.
July 2011: Volkswagen India celebrated the roll-out of the 100,000th car.
April 2009: Volkswagen India started the pre-series production of its most anticipated mid-segment model, the new Polo at its Pune plant.
July 2012:Volkswagen Group India started the production of the Left Hand Drive version of the Vento model for export to Middle East and African Countries.
November 2009: A state-of-the art Communication Centre designed in-line with international facilities of the Volkswagen Group was inaugurated in the Plant premises.
January 2013: Volkswagen Group India on January 14, 2013 welcomed its 10,000th visitor at the Pune Plant in Chakan.
December 2009: Start of production of Volkswagen India first
April 2013: Volkswagen India Private Limited announced the inauguration of the Parts and Components Business Unit.