Volkswagen will give its upcoming GTI-badged ID. Polo hot hatch a simulated engine acceleration sound but no pretend gears. However, while fake shifting won’t be available on the standard GTI model, it could feature on a hotter Clubsport variant.
The news that the GTI wasn’t getting simulated shifts came in September 2023, in a report by Autocar, which cited information it had obtained from the team developing the model. The same article quoted VW’s R&D boss Kai Grünitz as saying the GTI was getting two or three special gadgets to “put a smile on your face,” but didn’t say what they were.
View Price on AmazonNow Autocar is reporting that the electric GTI is getting fake shifting, after all, but only in the track-focused Clubsport. VW’s vehicle dynamics boss, Florian Umbach, said “We are working on something,” adding that it’s “a similar kind of paddle shift power delivery that the [electric] Hyundai N cars have.”
The Clubsport will also get more power. Umbach explains that "There is certainly more peak power that we can find from the motor and battery hardware that we have, and more torque that the front axle could handle also. There is clear potential.” This extra oomph will likely be paired with lower, stiffer suspension and other chassis enhancements, as well as a more aggressive exterior.
The ID. Polo GTI is set to be unveiled later this year and go on sale in 2027. The ID. Polo, on which it’s based, has already been fully uncovered with up to 208 horsepower, and it can sprint to 62 mph in 7.1 seconds. The GTI gets a modest bump to 223 horsepower, dropping the acceleration time to 6.5 seconds.
But that’s not enough to match other electric hot hatches, like the Peugeot E-208 GTi, which is far more powerful with 277 horsepower and a 5.7-second sprint. Its Stellantis sister vehicle, the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa GSE, has the same output but is two tenths quicker.
It, therefore, wouldn’t be surprising to see the Clubsport come close to matching the power of the Stellantis hot hatches. It should have no trouble outrunning Renault's Alpine A290, which might look like a rally car for the road, but it only has 218 horsepower with a 6.4-second sprint time.
But the Clubsport won’t just be about going fast, because with its simulated engine and gears, it will also try to deliver a more traditional combustion GTI experience. We don’t know if it will have selectable sounds, which could also be paired with different gauge clusters to match the style of different GTI generations.
Source: insideevs.com
