VW Polo GT TDI to Sandakphu: Can a car take on India's toughest 4x4 trail in the East Himalayas?
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- Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024
- Not for nothing has the trail from Manebhanjang to Sandakphu being christened the toughest 4x4 road in the Eastern Himalayas. Leading to the highest peak in West Bengal the track is frequented by trekkers who come to view four of the five highest peaks in the world. The difficulty level is so high the locals use five decade old Land Rovers on this track.
Will a car be able to tackle this route? That’s the question we aimed to answer with the Volkswagen Polo GT TDI. Over the course of two days we faced rain, hail, snow and slush making the task even more daunting. But the Polo amazed us climbing all the way up to 10,500 feet and we only had to turn back due to snow in Sandakphu.
Watch this extraordinary video where we celebrate ten years of the Polo India by muscling it up the 4x4 track in one of the most beautiful regions of India, and against all odds.
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Hosted by Sirish Chandran and using the VW Polo GT TDI that has a 1.5-litre Diesel engine making 108.5bhp and 250Nm mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. This is what The Thrill Of Driving is all about!
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I am a polo owner and I drive in these conditions quite often( during monsoon),the car is awesome and never gave me trouble. Your video put a grin on my face. Thanks
A PROUD POLO OWNER FROM SIKKIM.
My dream car is Volkswagen Polo
Proud to be a VW Polo owner.
Hi, is the ground clearance of polo good enough?
@Dheeraj A hi, it depends on your driving style. If you carry the full load of passengers and luggages then the ground clearance poses a few problem, but if you drive around with relatively with few people, the ground clearance is enough. Plus we get 16inch alloys from the company post 2018 and that has improved ground clearance further.👍
@@abhishekkhewa8191
Thank you for the reply. I have to travel through some village roads which are always in bad shape. Also, the bumpers in Bangalore are really unscientific, those have been deliberately built to pose the drivers with a hurdle rather than to do their function as speed breakers 😖. I always scratch the underbelly of my bike 😥.
Polo had definitely made it's Mark in India. I still remember the HUGE ADD on newspapers about the mileage claims 🔥🔥
4:47 respect moment to every vw polo car owners
Not much for MPI engines though.
The editor of this video needs to be given a hike ! Awesome job
For driving 10kms off road, with a crew to clear big rocks?? Moreover the off roads appeared quite civil, mostly cobbled roads.
@UCqAK-dTLtB8Onnzn8iEKdhQ he said editor u moron
Not for nothing is Sandakphu called the land of Land Rovers! It's one of the more difficult challenges we've accepted: driving a car up a 4x4 track in the Himalayas, but then again that's what the challenge is all about! What do you think of our video, driving the Polo on the Manebhanjang to Sandakphu track?
Loved it Sirish, a job well done by your team. Why dont you try a jtp tiago or a nexon and see if they can really stretch their legs?
I can also do that
Nothing special bro
Nothing extraordinary...not worth a challenge..an average driver can do that...just come to hills..himanchal uttarakhand you find plenty of such trails apart from famous roads...i go to such places for picnic..with front wheel drive petrol hatchbacks...
Seriously evo india..dont fool people
Woh toh bhai tumara trip khatam hone k baad wala car ka video vi dalo ...ya fir continues sandakphumeh chalao aur batao ...aur humara landrover 1956 se chal raha hai....
A Tata Indica V2 with 68 hp engine coul do the climb you have shown at about the same time and without anyone removing the rocks on the road.
True man
They are just making ads
May be .. may be not .. because the ground clearance is even lesser in the Indica than the Polo
Pranav Rawat only thing is ground clearance
You can take any viechle
@@newvidshorts yepp ... this journey could have been completed by any car sold in India
my hometown is in himachal and there is a shortcut to go to my home which includes crossing river beds and ok ok deep and slush and we had a indica before man that car could do tht easily indica had a ok ground clearance with nice torque and yeah at that time santro, 800 , zen and fiat uno use to come so it was still the best choice and it never let us down...🤘 so most of the time its not about cars u can see many supercars owners easily tackle the speed breakers but some cant so its all about the skills...
Feeling proud being Polo owner for last 6 years. Tata Punch used same track recently in their marketing campaign. But, this video of Evo, Polo gave me more goosebumps!
No in Punch it was a different track
Says toughest 4x4 trail road,
Shows mostly paved roads..
You have to go there to believe it !! I am from Darjeeling , its actually a trekking range and the moment ur about to reach sandakphu the real ordeal begins more than 60 degree inclines with a rocky trail thats where the fun begins !!
@@abhishekgiri1201 60degree? We’re asking in real life. Not Hill climb racing!
@@jayaram.ramanarayanan Yes dats real life not saying for the sake of saying as I said u have to go there to believe it !!
@@jayaram.ramanarayanan yes it’s sometimes more than that and then with the power grip that are your tyres matters a lot
@@jayaram.ramanarayanan 😂"Hill Climb Racing" are yaar
Polo and figo and punto are best hatchbacks in India..
Polo
But suprisingly GT is called "hot hatch"!!!
Like mindedness, I preciate your thought
That nobody buys. :(
Even Jazz is. 1.5 L Diesel has lots of grunt in it.
Polo Most underrated car in indian car market .
@@ashishmunghate1524 maruti is shit
@@Edwin-kb8pu this is GT version means 22 lakhs for this car. No car in maruti costs this much also. For this price you have many more options
@@ranjanmaithani6263 it's not GTi just gt TDI 10_11 lakh rupees only...
@@ranjanmaithani6263 bekar muu kyu kholta h bhai jb pta nhi h 🤑
Abe chutiya kya bol rha Soch smjh ke toh bol
Polo is one of the best powertfull hatch backs u can buy in India
Only A Volkswagen can build a Volkswagen
Damn right. But everyone fails to understand about VW in India....
Drive other cars and diver polo. Definitely they will say wow for the polo
Mainly because of the high cost maintenance and most of the VW genuine parts aren’t available outside the authorised service centres
Because they cheat with defeat devices...!
Only volkswagon can build that danm volkswagon🥰🥰🥰
Any car can go anywhere if it has sufficient ground clearance and if the driver knows how to drive.
I absolutely agree with you as I spent 4 years on Hills and seen MS 800 also climbing. All you need to know "Drive"
Try it before you say something like that
@@Kamalchagla Tried, Tested and Confirmed. The Polo is no exceptional car.
Kamal Chagla bro
We have done something special with old Zen. Which you can't even think
Don't tell me, I drove the vehicles of different power not 1, not 2, +3 years on hills. Better you try...
I got to sandakfu and thn phalut top with my alto800
Its no big deal...just keep the man machine combo good
Local landrover drivers( although all run mahindra engines) create a lot of rumour.Dont listen to them
😂🤣😂🤣
That's my Boy ! Was waiting for someone to comment like you ..Even a nano can go through if u have a good driver and a peaceful mind !!
Much easier in nano as it is a rear wheel drive with rear mounted engine to give traction at the rear by it's weight.
Yaaa that road is too good compared to what we got in many part of North East.😅 And yes Alto 800 can easily get to that and even further ...
tejaswy gandham na bhai nano ma bhut mushkil ha
Kalipokhri to Sandakphu is the real deal. Gairbas to Kalipokhri is difficult but does not nearly offer the same challenge. So I would say it was a job 40% done. Would have loved to see at least the Tiguan 4x4 make it all the way.
It started snowing and that meant the Polo with FWD had to turn back. Tiguan would have gone but the challenge was to see how far up the Polo would make it
Is it same trail which was showed by TATA Motors at Tata punch launch and which was covered by Tata punch all the way up?
@@gagan6329 yes
Tata punch did this....the Indian Brand....Hence it's the 1st official front wheel car to make Sandakpu ...Hats off Tata
there is no single shot of car going through slush
was waiting for that...
The lines the build quality and the design, the engine and ride n handling, man why this car should be one of the best cars money can buy 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
What an amazing adventure and this video, I don’t know how many times I watched this video. Truly inspiring and I set my mind to take this challenge with my VW POLO.
Wish me luck Sirish😄
Bs that no other car can travel this route.. Alto 800 can and ofcourse the figo diesel rocket..
I drive my Wagon R on waaayy shittier roads. Slow crawling with decent GC.
True.. in hill ranges , the alto is the preferred small car .infact after the Jeep, the alto is the preferred car , even over the softroaders and compact SUVs..
Have u taken an Alto 800 up to Sandakphu?
Sandakphu: the toughest 4x4 trail in eastern Himalayas.
Arunachal Pradesh: are we a joke to you?
Exactly...they should come n try our road...
Hahaha😅🤣😂 funny bro
rajen rai They don’t know the terrain at all
The video doesn't do justice to the inclination or angle of climb, so without visiting the place with such an unfamiliar vehicle to this kind of place, judging will not add any value. Thanks
It's tough because of the degree of the incline, not the road surface
2:25 here I understood that this was a paid review, when you mentioned that the interiors look really nice 😂
Rajiv J if you are looking for sporty and stylish interior then maybe polo interior will not impress you but in terms of fit and finish and built quality it indeed is top notch for a hatchback, it’s just that it’s an understated design ..
@@poragburagohain87 thanks.. I do own a skoda rapid ;)
Im very happy after seeing this video in tuf road bcz Im very much happy with my polo since 2015 still now..its unbelievable performance tq Volkswagen..😍👍
This gave me goosebumps because I’ve been to Tonglu twice and I never went up higher because of the dangerous road. Congratulations EVO and thank you VW for this amazing machine.
Why are these kind of videos not so popular. 🥺🥺
I must hats off to your team and the host to drive that terrain. Viewers this is not that easy path. Myself once went on bikes to Sandakphu and while returning own vehicle was not in good condition. Hats off to polo being a 2 wheel drive car it accepted the challenge and completed it. Good job guys.
You can dare to take such difficult roads only through Polo, wow, hats off to your courage as well to take it to such difficult road
Polo can definitely take the beating. we took it across khardungla, Zozilla, pangong, changla after covering bone-jarring Manali-Leh highway without a single breakdown. The whole journey was 4000km long and it wasn't even diesel. It was underpowered petrol variant.
Oh forgot- you guys rock!! Who would be crazy enough to take the Polo to Sandakphu? Amazing!!
Respect. Its the POLO GT.
Honestly VW Polo and Abarth Punto are the best hatchbacks in India. But they REALLY need to be refreshed now. Its aging for a long time now.
its time for the golf or the gti
Indians are limited to alto or maruti stuff bro. You know it
Volkswagen : our sales way lower what should we do
EVO: YES😂
And now this decade old model will sell for another decade .
Still they won’t give us 6 speed manual TSI
@@sunandhks9011 your wish is complete now👍
@@neilaloysius3634 go for latest baleno (tin can) polo isn't for feature cravers it's for pure enthusiasts
@@sunandhks9011 offered
I have taken my Polo GT TSI on muddy tracks many times and never got stuck or lost traction even once
Omg sireesh wr were you,?its because of you I became automotive enthusiast,,glad that u r back 🥰🥰😘😘😘😘
Am a polo lover....loved that BGM and it gave me goosebumps...
Muwaaaahhhhh polo...❤️❤️❤️
'EVO'. An applause for your camera work. Your videos are always a visual treat.
Polo in an emotion.! you won’t get that feeling with other cars. A proud polo owner :-)
My Ford freestyle with traction control and hill hold control will do this without sweating a bit 😅
what if i do it with a tiago?
nor a nano?
❤️❤️❤️❤️
A POLO GT is a POLO GT. BAAP BAAP HOTA HAI
The background music is too loud and distracts from the content shown.
and best of all. u can get really good deals on GT TDI in second hand market. this beast has as much torque as a polo GTI. cant say the same about tsi though
I have a polo GT TDI and everytime I get shoved in my seat with the 250nm torque (stock) combined with the solid build quality and high speed stability, I feel greatful to god that I have chosen the perfect Diesel pocket rocket.
These 3 features cannot be found in any other indian hatchback.
Just waiting to remap it n grin even more.
Top notch editing... Video editor deserves a raise.
Damn. If it had off roadish tyres, it could make the whole climb. And you guys did not even deflate the tyres lol, amazing
This channel deserves millions of subscribers
Very powerful video...thanks team evo india.
Lol amazing reaction that the locals there 😂
This is one of the best channel I have came across.They have the diffrent way to review cars.It is unique.I bet that in future they will be successful in gaining views.
Wow ! A fantabulous car! I think I got my answer about which car to buy!
thank you!
Did u buy the tsi?
I shld appreciate the vw tdi bcos.
Our family 4 members were able to ascend kalhatty hills easily and the mangala off roading of arnd 7 to 8km
Myself and friends took 2 Swift and a Figo to the chikmangallur and Coorg for wild camping and went across the roads worse than that. All went except Figo which the axle slightly broken. But still we completed the trip and return to Chennai. All the cars loaded with full luggage and 5 members in each. So any car easily can do that and these enthusiasts create much hype for unreliable polo.
What a great way to celebrate its 10th anniversary.. 🙂🙂✌✌👌👌
With the shown cement/paved roads, I can take my Santro there without any hassle and without removing the rocks like you guys did😂😂
Lol.. Lets see how your Santro tackles the inclines.. The surface doesn't matter half as much as the inclines do
hill driving is only about skills if ur enough skilled then u should take ur santro in these terrains
Leave santro even nano can do it...these 4×4 guys are those types of guys who says only royal Enfield can beat the Himalayas where's a splendor is good enough for Himalayas 🤣
@@shahanjahan2368 Damn your words are very true and tight slap to them
@evo india Did the GT TDI scrape its belly on its way up to Sandakphu?
Very impressive.... my love increase 10 times more on polo after watching this video.... tq evo
Awesome Car VW Polo now doubt. I am driving it for almost 5Years. Not a single complaint or issue. I traveled from Bangalore to all the way Leh Ladakh. 10000Kms. Not single problem.
Also I want to tell you. I traveled Kanyakumari to Kashmir by VW Polo😀
Iam ownerpolo 2013 ,1liter diesal & drive in mountains like Kinnaur kalpa,sangala velly kaza &; Dalhousie ,jot , Dharamshala Kullu Manali gulaba rothang whole area of Himachal pradesh Great handling , driving in 3,4person & iam very Happy to my polo
This video of Sirish is just awesome. I watch it every month
What does altroz diesel compare to this? First time car buyer here looking/waiting for an automatic.
I'm so happy to own it one. The VW car are the best in market German technology for budget ..
How would the Polo GT Tsi with the DSG fair on this trail?
Yashwanth Sivakumar DSG would heat up
where did you guys borrow the music track from?? at @3.05
I am also using polo. It is a good car and had tried for off road. It performed very well.
Dear sir it's not a big deal, I have taken my Tata Indigo Tdi three times to this place. I agree with you generally small diesel engine car you won't see in this area
What happens to your trans Himalayan adventure
Thinking of a trip with my 90 hp 2020 Polo TDI 1.5 , happy to see the video
Really Superb Polo👌 and editing another level bro.....Polo and Vdo Editng 👌
You have very nice driving Skills . Extraordinary reviews 👌 👏
Can polo mpi 1.0 2020 trending climb this?
First of all Thank you EVO INDIA bringing us such wonderful visuals and this reminds me when I took my Alto K10 (2013) to hill stations in IDUKKI DIST, Kerala. Remember Alto has just 90nm torque and nobody was there to any help But that was even more difficult terrains than what you showed in this video. Any way hats off to team Evo India.
Look forward to watching more like this in coming days.
in hills u need skills to drive if u don't know how much u have to rev there is no use of polo tiguan
Indeed polo gts are true German beauties in India, I have owned & driven fords,vw and fiat and I assure u that only fiat punto evo t-jet variant will put the same smile as the gt while driving through this terrain. Still thanks for a wonderful video.
When polo update comes to india...european version🤩😘😍
Ek hi dil kitni baar jeetogi meri jaan polo 😘😘
I really enjoy the video vary nice polo is a powerful machine
Nice job Evo. I agree Polo GT TDI is a very good machine. But I reserve to your conclusion 'no other hatchback can do this terrain' you are forgetting Figo diesel and Freestyle diesel. Both got higher ground clearance than Polo and it has amazing power infact for Figo power to weight ratio is better than Polo. Pls do some homework before making such conclusion! There are lot of potential buyers will look up to you when you make such statements. Having said that, kudos to your team having 2*2 to climb a such steep terrain. Impressed!
We have driven the Figo, Freestyle, et all - not on this terrain but those cars are no strangers to us. And it is with that experience in the bag that we make this statement.
@@evoIndia - End of the day, I will take that as your opinion than just a fact. I hope you guys take constructive criticism in a positive way.
I am from Darjeeling and i have been to some of the toughest road in entire hills but considering that Sandakphu's road is much more better but we have to expect the fact that how did polo made it up...thats amazing. There are more difficult terrain and roads in Darjeeling .. some say that .. the roads are not roads they are dry river... with big big bolders... everybody knows about this roads in Darjeeling but no one cares about it as we all think that its pretty common in hills.
I hv 1.2 MPI 1st Gen Polo. The riding quality is really awesome. My main concern is that when I hv to visit my village which is near to China border, I can't take my Polo due to low ground clearance & the condition of road is very bad. Due to full load in the car some time it get hit from below.
Here after Tata Punch went all the way up to Sandakphu driven by Samantha. Punch really got off-road capabilities.
This is a fantastic video. I think Car companies should consider offering AWD hot hatches (something which the Golf R does) . Stamp in an Engine which makes 150-160 horses and price it around 15-16 L OTR, it will definitely sell. AWD not only helps in off road situations but also for spirited driving.
I had my hopes raised when MS was testing the S-Cross All-grip, but it never translated to anything fruitful.
This channel is everything Autocar wanted to be.
Awesome POLO .. and Videography is very good.
Its normal in Nepal for hatchback to go in places like that.
exactly
Reply garni nepali matra ho😂
Actually it used to be the most difficulty off road terrain in India but now they have made the road pretty good as u can see , but this is not the first hatch back I have taken my Maruti 800 back then in 2002 it was pretty difficult roads were not like this at all but we made it to the top . I have also taken my ford eco sport in Spiti valley 2016 and guess what I saw alto passing me by lol . So what I know now is it’s just a myth u need 4x4 , if u can then any car can do any valley hills terrain anything is possible .
no problem at all with tata nexon also .....only tyre sometimes skidded because of mud
Good attempt #TorqueMeister! Would have loved to see the GT making it to the last mile, though.
I have done off road in polo in chikmagalur kemmangundi the roads were non existent...but we made it..... I love my vw polo...
Those who are saying sandhakhphu is no big deal should first vist the area and then edit their comments. It's not the road condition that poses the problem rather it's the incline combined with hair pin bends and low visibility due to fogs.
Will it perform same with more than one person in car?
I have already reached upto Singalila National Park gate solo with my self driven alto 800 car on 09-05-21.
An awesome tribute to an awesome car
punch with 86 ps power achieved it brilliantly
Really disappointed to see almost 75% road to Sandakphu is now concretized and with in next few years it will be like Darjeeling. Govt has to understand the real beauty is the remoteness and tough roads.
Sab ke pass 4x4 SUV nhi hote bhai. Gareeb cycle chalata. Uska bhi khayal rakkhe.
Live there and wait for emergency. At the time you can think whether you want tough road for fun or a good roads for accessibility?
: Where there is a will, There is a way.! All you need is a car.! Else even on a 2 wheeler too. Enjoy Life.! Happy travelling and exploring
Okay, before boasting out, what modification have you done on that polo?
1.5 diesel engine? Did they make different engine in india. Here in europe we have 1.4 and .1.6 tdi
I just love polo, own a TDI it’s just awesome
Only Mahindra’s as per your statement but I have crossed it in Hyundai Accent Vw POLO TDI and Also with TATA HEXA
Sushil Do you mean sandakphu, if not Try sandakphu with your “ANY” car, make a video like this, upload at Utube, then speak. Best of luck n Cheers 👍🏽
Is the ground clearance of the polo good enough for driving in the Himalayas?
The Polo would definitely not have made it till Sandakphu. Calling the 5km stretch between Kalipokhri and Sandakphu steep is an understatement. This video was purely for commercial purposes and I respect that. But people familiar with the terrain will know a 2WD hatchback cannot make it up the slope. Kudos to Team EVO for their effort though. The Polo is definitely an underrated car, and nothing compares to German cars in drivability and enginnering. Just my humble opinion.
What are tyres used for this Polo Sirish
You can try this challenge using TATA Indica Vista Saffire, petrol version.
Foggy day ma be glass 😂😂👌👌 but video is good
Would you recommend the GT TSI or the GT TDI? For the enthusiast?
TSI
Probably a TDI would satisfy the enthusiast more, with better torque and manual shifting.
@@anujd9082 yes even I feel so
as the tank of gt is 45litrs so, did you carry extra diesel uphill?