Automakers are understandably generous in assessing their products' performance data and fuel consumption claims - which is why we do our own testing on tracks and on public roads.
So, it came as a breath of fresh air to find a vehicle not not only quicker than the media material said it was but which also used less fuel - VW's new Polo GTI.
It's not a watered-down version of the Golf GTI and it quickly endeared itself to us as a worthy of comparison to its iconic relative.
It's really all a matter of the car's power/weight ratio. The Polo has the 1.8-litre, turbocharged petrol engine used in the previous Golf GTI but is much lighter at 1164kg. It musters 110kW at 5800rpm and 220Nm from 1950 to 4500rpm.
The result is a 0-100km/h sprint time of eight seconds up here on the Reef which beat the official claim of 8.2sec at sea level. Regular sub-eights should be possible at sea level where the engine will develop slightly more power.
The Polo will run almost neck-and-neck with the 147kW Golf GTI that clocks 7.7sec. It's also substantially quicker than its nearest rival, the non-turbo Ford Fiesta 2.0 ST, thatclocks 10.3sec.
The Polo goes on to a top speed of 216km/h so, all in all, has the right to wear a GTI badge prominently on its honeycomb grille with the traditional red detail lines and black surrounds.
Two exhaust pipes protrude, the car runs on 16" mags, the skirts and rear spoiler remove all doubt that this is a hot hatch. Bright red brake callipers add to the visual feast.
The attention to detail continues in the cabin, starting with sports seats with a classic "Interlagos" chequered design, a three-spoked leather steering wheel and aluminium trim on the centre console, air vents and pedals.
It also has an MP3-compatible CD player, air-conditioning, multifunction computer, crash bags and powered mirrors and windows.
The seats, although in cloth trim, are supportive and wide enough for the average adult. The driving position is comfortable and can be tailored with adjustment to the steering wheel and the seat.
The rear accommodation is a trifle cramped but the seats do fold. Options include a sunroof, cruise control and satnav.
It's really a case of the whole package being more than the sum of the parts. For, as any GTI owner will tell you, half the fun of a GTI is hustling it through tight corners and fast sweeps and this is where the Polo gets full marks.
First-class brakes
The gear ratios on the manual gearbox are nicely spaced, the sports suspension soaks up the ripples without being soft and the steering provides accurate feedback. When driving near the edge the traction control kicks in to save the day but it is subtle enough not to irritate the enthusiastic driver - and confident drivers can turn it off.
Braking is first class.
Good performance usually comes at a price - on the sticker and at the fuel pump. We initially took VW's claim of 7.8 litres/100km on a combined cycle of town and open driving with a pinch of salt but a week of the commuting cycle - which unfortunately coincided with the traffic department's ill-advised experiment in closing the fast lane of the Johannesburg-Pretoria highway to most users so that we spent several hours a day inching along in the middle lane.
The Polo still returned 7.4 litres/100km.
So, despite its smallish 45-litre tank, the Polo will still cover about 550km between fills.
SUMMARY
The Polo GTI lets you have your cake and eat it. High-spirited performance, good handling and high specs along with miserly fuel consumption make this a hot hatch with a strong dose of practicality. - Star Motoring