The latest ECU upgrade kit from the British specialist Superchips benefits the smallest member of VW’s GTi family, the Polo. The hot hatch is powered by VW’s 1.4 TSI twincharge – that’s supercharged and turbocharged – engine. Only through electronic modifications, Superchips extracts an extra 27bhp and 35Nm of torque, which is remarkable.

That in combination with the engine’s standard 178bhp means you have a car the size of a shoe, with 205bhp. The 1.4 liter Twincharge is not the smoothest engine ever built, but Superchips says with this treatment  it becomes livelier and more responsive, and it revs much more freely. It also gives the car a stronger mid-range pull thanks to the extra 35Nm of torque.

The Superchips Polo GTI ECU upgrade is priced at £455.