Despite a mid-life facelift, the Polo GTI is not the king of its segment. It's limited by slightly older technology, which means the MINI Cooper S and Clio RS 200 EDC are considered superior by some. Still, we love seeing a Volkswagen engine pushed to its extremes.
German tuning shop HG-Motorsport collaborated with some domestic firms to make this Polo GTI happen. The whole project took 68 hours to complete, and they could have gotten even more power into the car were it not for the DSG gearbox.
The first thing we need to mention is that the new Polo GTI has a 1.8-liter engine in place of its old 1.4 TSI. When stock, it generates 192 PS and 250 Nm (185 lb-ft) of maximum torque.
Performance enhancing goodies include an HF-Series air-intake system and intercooler as well as Bull X-3.0-inch exhaust downpipe and sound flap exhaust. Unfortunately, the exhaust couldn't be mounted in the middle, but you can order carbon fiber tips, so it's all good.
Even without these changes, the Polo's 1.8-liter turbo engine can be remapped to 212 PS and 287 Nm (212 kW). However, engine specialists at SLS Tuning managed to extract 260 PS and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) by using the de-restricted exhaust.
They could have gotten a lot more, but the 7-speed DSG gearbox is limited by the amount of torque it can handle. As you may have noticed already, some cosmetic changes were also made to the baby GTI. These include a coil-over suspension kit and multi-spoke red wheels.
Oh, and before you ask us, know that the Golf GTI in these photos pushes 375 PS and 527 Nm (389 lb-ft) of torque, basically as much as an old Porsche 911 Carrera S.
The first thing we need to mention is that the new Polo GTI has a 1.8-liter engine in place of its old 1.4 TSI. When stock, it generates 192 PS and 250 Nm (185 lb-ft) of maximum torque.
Performance enhancing goodies include an HF-Series air-intake system and intercooler as well as Bull X-3.0-inch exhaust downpipe and sound flap exhaust. Unfortunately, the exhaust couldn't be mounted in the middle, but you can order carbon fiber tips, so it's all good.
Even without these changes, the Polo's 1.8-liter turbo engine can be remapped to 212 PS and 287 Nm (212 kW). However, engine specialists at SLS Tuning managed to extract 260 PS and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) by using the de-restricted exhaust.
They could have gotten a lot more, but the 7-speed DSG gearbox is limited by the amount of torque it can handle. As you may have noticed already, some cosmetic changes were also made to the baby GTI. These include a coil-over suspension kit and multi-spoke red wheels.
Oh, and before you ask us, know that the Golf GTI in these photos pushes 375 PS and 527 Nm (389 lb-ft) of torque, basically as much as an old Porsche 911 Carrera S.