WARMED UP

The new engine breathes life into the Volkswagen Polo

- Aditya Upadhyaula

Globally, downsizing is the name of the game in the auto industry. Thirsty V8s are being replaced with V6s, and V6s are making way for fuel-efficient turbo-fours. In our market, where we already have small engines, I didn’t think we could downsize them any further, but as it turns out, we can! Take the updated Volkswagen Polo, for example. The feisty 1.2-litre GT TSI model has essentially been replaced by this model with a 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder unit. Surprisingly, with 108 bhp on tap, power is actually up by 4 bhp and torque remains the same. Sure, the new engine makes its power at higher rpm, but that’s just part of the fun.