Just three months after the new Volkswagen Polo GTI’s local launch, customer feedback has motivated the German brand to beef up the Australian specs sheet. A driver-selectable Sport Select suspension mode is now standard fare, though the GTI’s price remains unchanged at $27,990.
Sport Select is a completely manual, driver-selectable vehicle mode. Upon engaging the system, the suspension is stiffened, steering weight is increased, throttle response is bolstered, and the synthetic engine noise from the Polo’s sound actuators is made louder and more menacing.
At launch, Sport Select was not available whatsoever on Australian Polo GTI models, though it was optional on European vehicles. It will now be standard across the cars that we receive here.
The fact that Sport Select is more than just a sports mode to make the transmission perkier means that the Polo GTI is unique in the pocket hot hatch segment—the Ford Fiesta ST, Peugeot 208 GTI, and the Renault Clio RS do not have suspension-stiffening modes on offer.
In the interior, the Polo GTI also benefits from the wider updates to the Polo cabin: the GTI receives a better 6.5-inch Discover Media touchscreen (up from 5.8-inches), plus a smartphone integration system bringing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability for the MY2016 year.