Volkswagen has today put the new Polo GTI on sale in the UK, with races starting at £26,430. It is based on the latest Polo which went on sale in September, VW announced the new Polo GTI in June.

VW has done away with the two models here, GTI and GTI+, instead having one standard model which is based on the Life trim level for included equipment. The engine in the Polo GTI is the same, a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 204bhp. Peak torque is 236lb ft and 0-60mph is handled in 6.5 seconds. As with the last generation Polo GTI, there is no manual gearbox option here, instead a DSG gearbox only.

Inside is where a lot of upgrades have taken place, with design and tech inspiration being taken from the Golf Mk8. There is a large 8-inch touchscreen for infotainment as well as a 10.25-inch digital cockpit screen for the driver. There is also two-zone climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels, leather multifunction steering wheel, automatic headlight control, walk-me-home lights, rain-sensing wipers and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

Colours available are Pure White, Deep Black Pearl, Kings Red metallic, Reef Blue metallic and Smokey Grey metallic. The new Kings Red paint option is also available on the up! GTI and the Golf GTI.