It features VW’s familiar 1.4-liter TSI engine, which produces 140 hp and 250 Nm of torque, and ACT (Automatic Cylinder Deactivation) technology cuts automatically deactivates the second and third cylinders, under light or medium engine loads, at rpms between 1,400 and 4,000, and at torque outputs of 25 to 100 Nm.
Like the new V8 in the Audi S6, S7 and S8 – and also the Bentley Continental - the Polo Blue GT features a cylinder deactivation system. Active Cylinder Management (ACM), to give it its official name, uses two electronic actuators above the camshafts of cylinders two and three. Under light throttle loads, and between 1400rpm and 4000rpm, these move to effectively deactivate the valves, turning the engine into a twin-cylinder moment. VW reckons that ACM works over 70 percent of typical driving time, such as when trundling through towns or cruising on the motorway.
Combined with stop-start and the new EA211 1.4-litre TSI engine, which is 22kg lighter than the old unit, the Blue GT claims up to 62.1mpg combined and 105g/km of CO2. Pretty impressive when you consider that – when fully extended - it also posts 0-62mph in 7.9 seconds and a 130mph maximum.
Thanks to an ultra-rigid aluminium die-cast crankcase, the new petrol engines are especially light with a maximum weight of 114 kg. A point of reference: the 1.4 TSI of the new Polo BlueGT is a respectable 22 kg lighter than its grey cast iron counterpart of the previous engine series. The meticulously practised lightweight construction for which Volkswagen is renowned extends to the smallest of details: for example, engine developers reduced the crankshaft main bearing diameter of the 1.4 TSI from 54 to 48 mm; the crankshaft itself was lightened by 20 per cent, while the weight of the connecting rods was even reduced by 25 per cent. The rod bearing pins are hollow bored, and the aluminium pistons (now with flat piston crowns) have also been weight-optimised.
