well you can *find* the power band in each gear with a 4-speed

what there is of it anyway! (the half-hearted push band?)
does drop you out of it a little going from 1st-2nd, 2nd-3rd tho hehe
GT or original 1-L hatch/coupe 5-speed would give you tighter 1st-4th for a bit of get up and fizz, with a slightly higher (well, on the GT) top gear for a little less motorway noise at the expense of maybe 1mph off your max speed
4+E box gives same ratios as the 4-speed, but with an economy 5th, as you might guess. if you go for it you'll need to source one off a saloon/derby though, as the overall gearing of a 1.3 type is higher and will slow you down even more!
never had any cold air running problems, as its injection and doesnt need to rely on evaporation principles like a carbed car (ref. dom's "rat" mk2 thats 20mph faster in summer!)...... once you've got the bugger started and settled into a smooth idle that is. there's a heater element there somewhere to prevent the nozzle freezing up in frosty conditions but its not good with "extreme" conditions. i.e. any time it goes below -5'c...
(the *one* time the polo had trouble starting that *wasnt* my fault, the injector was frosted up - and after trying for 10 mins it finally melted, ran like a beaut for the rest of the day!)
dont have a hot air hose on at the moment anyway, they break apart real easy, especially replacement ones which arent as well reinforced. seems to make very little difference to the runnning. induction kit would just free up the airflow so you can get it in with a little less resistance, slightly higher pressure.. oh and give you a longlife filter
best of luck dude, think you'll have a blast. for all their tardiness the 1043s seem very willing to give up what they have and scream along, you always get the feeling that its trying hard and makes a blast along a country lane or cross city all the more enjoyable for it (particularly when youre at little risk of being nobbled for speeding

)...... and they're bombproof enough to put up with it all day every day, more or less, so long as you keep it properly serviced.
(my current ride home from college involves sitting a little either side of 5000rpm for a half hour

)