Volkswagen’s new ID.Polo GTI brings famous badge into the electrified age

Volkswagen has launched its very first electric car to wear its famous GTI badge – the ID.Polo GTI.

Based on the new ID.Polo, the GTI is the latest instalment in decades of performance models to wear the famous nameplate. The GTI model stretches back decades to the original Golf GTI in the 1970s.

This new battery-powered model gains a number of performance enhancements to make it more capable and enjoyable to drive. As is often the case with GTI cars, the ID.Polo GTI has a front-wheel-drive setup and includes a standard front differential lock to enhance cornering. All versions get adaptive sports suspension, too, and a bespoke steering setup for the GTI.

With 223bhp and 290Nm of torque, the ID.Polo GTI will manage 0-60mph in 6.5 seconds, yet should return up to 263 miles on a single charge. Volkswagen says that rapid charging means that the ID.Polo GTI can go from 10 to 80 per cent in 24 minutes, too.

On the outside, the ID.Polo GTI incorporates classic ‘GTI’ features, including a red stripe at the front which has been featured on all GTI cars since the original Golf. The front also incorporates an illuminated strip with a light-up Volkswagen badge.

Inside, the red and black theme continues with a new GTI steering wheel and sport seats, helping to give the ID.Polo GTI’s interior a more dynamic interior. The seats also get a new interpretation of the tartan check, which has become synonymous with GTI cars.

The ID.Polo GTI also has a digital cockpit which can display ‘retro’ graphics which mimic the dials of the first-generation Volkswagen Golf. A 12.9-inch infotainment system provides key media and navigation functions.

Volkswagen hasn’t stated how much the ID.Polo GTI will cost in the UK, but has confirmed that it’ll cost €39,000 in Germany, which would make it around £33,950.