Volkswagen’s Polo GTI goes full EV
The internal combustion-powered Volkswagen Polo GTI has had a good run since its introduction in 1998. Small, scrappy, and always punching above its pay grade, it was the hot hatch you bought when the formidable Golf GTI was just out of reach.
Now VW has gone and added a model that runs on electrons.
Called the ID. Polo GTI, it’s electric and gives us a glimpse into the future of the hot hatch. And despite not having a TSI engine underneath, it still appears to have some of that GTI essence that made the Polo GTI a proper hatch.
For starters, a 52kWh battery pack powers a front-mounted electric motor with 166kW and 290Nm. All that sends it blistering silently from 0-100km/h in 6.8 seconds, before hitting its top speed of 175km/h. Even with the instant shove, it’s still slower to hit the ICE-powered model’s 100km/h mark from a standstill. As a refresher, the current Polo GTI, with its 147kW and 320Nm from a 2.0-litre TSI engine, completes the same sprint in 6.4 seconds. Still, 6.8 seconds of silent, seamless thrust isn’t something to complain about.
With a range of up to 424km, the battery supports DC fast charging at up to 105kW, taking it from 10 to 80% in around 24 minutes.
Visually, it still holds down a measure of GTI-ness with the characteristic red stripe at the front, which has become synonymous with the three-letter word, illuminated VW badge, and standard IQ. Light LED matrix headlights, 19-inch alloys, and a C-pillar inspired by the first, iconic Golf. It’s a stunning design, especially when viewed from the side. The straight-lined window shoulder blends nicely with the roof spoiler, while the two-part black rear diffuser gives the whole thing a properly aggressive squat.
In typical GTI fashion, red and black colour combinations are dominant. These include contrasting red topstitching on the steering wheel (with actual buttons) and a narrow red stripe that extends across the entire width of the dashboard panel. There’s also a 10.25-inch digital cockpit and a 12.9-inch infotainment screen, which is the same size as the unit in the current Golf 8.5 GTI.
Just in case you are wondering about its interior space, VW says the ID. Polo GTI offers 19mm more space than the current ICE-powered Polo GTI. The boot space is also big at 441 litres compared to the normal Polo GTI’s 305 litres. If you want more space, you can further expand that to 1,240 litres by folding down the rear seats.
Whether the ID. Polo GTI will live to match the thrill of the current locally-built Polo GTI remains to be seen, but, on paper at least, it promises to retain the same character that makes it a worthy hot hatch. Worth mentioning, though, is that the ID. Polo GTI doesn’t mark the end of the road for the ICE-powered hot hatch. VW still has plans to sell it alongside the electric variant, well, for the foreseeable future at least.
However, its arrival could also bring some changes to the local manufacturing industry. The ID. Polo GTI is built at the Martorell Plant in Spain alongside SEAT and Cupra models, and with Kariega not geared for EV production, this could effectively mark the end of Polo GTI production on home soil if VW decides to ditch the combustion engine entirely.
