Small turbo-petrol hatchbacks with manual gearboxes are a recipe for fun. And the two cars we have here have clocked sub-10sec 0-100kph timings. But the way these put down their performance is a lot different, as demonstrated during these races. The Polo TSI puts down its power a lot more cleanly and performs best when launched around 2,500rpm with controlled wheelspin. And once its turbo starts singing, it pulls forward in an energetic manner. The Nios requires a lot more skill to extract the best out of it, due to a rather sticky clutch, which causes a bit of a delay between shifts, and its skinny 175mm tyres that struggle for grip, thus losing precious time in the drag race. At the end, the 110hp Polo was victorious, with its best run being 16.367sec for the quarter-mile, while the 100hp Nios Turbo’s best was 17.1sec after multiple attempts.