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June 2017

Here are two cars that can satiate a car enthusiast’s hunger for performance while doubling up as family cars. But which is better?

- Ravi Ved

Talk to petrolheads about their aspirations, and you can almost always imagine them in a dreamy state with pictures of sleek sports cars in their thought bubbles. But, when reality strikes and a sense of viability hits, those thoughts vanish into thin air. More often than not, enthusiasts are forced to hunt for a car that not only offers space and practicality, but also one that won’t require them to sell a kidney to own. Yet, it should remain exciting to drive. Now all that is easier said than done!

Turn the clock back 15 years, and there weren’t many such products on the market except for the 100bhp Fiat Palio. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case. Buyers now have more than one option to choose from. Of course, the Volkswagen Polo GT TSI is one of them, but now there’s also the Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS. So, is the new kid on the block exciting and versatile enough to meet the high demands of enthusiasts more persuasively than the GT TSI?

The Volkswagen Polo GT TSI and the Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS are punchier versions of their respective namesakes. Apart from the need for a powerful motor, enthusiasts also want their car to be easily distinguished from their run-of-the-mill brethren. In that regard, the Baleno RS easily pips its rival. The RS has plenty to set itself apart from the standard model. The black bezel headlamps, the sportier front bumper with a lip spoiler, side skirts, gloss black alloy wheels and plastic-clad rear bumper all play their part in giving the Baleno RS a sportier stance.

In comparison, the Polo GT TSI doesn’t have as many differentiating factors – save for the gloss black treatment to the ORVMs and rear spoiler, blacked-out headlamps and slightly different alloy wheels. That being said, while looks are a matter of personal opinion, to me, the eight-year-old design of the Polo with its clean lines still looks better than the Baleno RS.