2015 Polo gti vs your prior cars

[jbounce]

Wondering how the Polo gti compares with your prior cars?

[Vex]

I'll update you with a comparison when I take delivery of my GTi and do some decent miles on it..

I was actually going to buy an Audi S1 as the dealers are doing them in the low $40's drive away due to low demand I suppose but opted for the Polo GTi as it looks a little nicer to me and almost half the cost for what will essentially be a daily.

I am sure I can make an un-bias opinion on how it compares to some comparable cars I have owned in the past in addition to some in higher price brackets...

I had a Fiesta ST when they first came out and according to most reviews it's the better pick over the Polo GTi. I certainly enjoyed the Fiesta ST but got bored of it. I also have a S/C BRZ, Tuned Evo X and have owned an 8P S3, TT RS, GTR and now an 8V S3 (Wife's car)

I will be interested to see exactly how 'bad' the Polo GTi is for fun compared to the Fiesta ST once I get seat time. I remember reading a UK magazine that ruled out the Polo GTi as a "Lukewarm" Hatch compared to the Fiesta ST, 208 GTi 30th Ed, Corsa VXR and Clio RS. Then again I have read some decent reviews on the Polo GTi but I rather reserve my own judgement in due time.

=)

[jbounce]

Wow. Nice list of prior cars. They look tastefully modded. How was the Evo?

[NuffNuff]

my weekender is a mitsubishi legnum vr4 (twin turbo v6, awd (much like an evo)) however it has coilovers, strut bracing lower and upper, semi slicks, grip royal steering wheel (no airbag), bride fixed back carbon fibre seats, its noisy, rattles, tyre noise is extremely loud, stones hit the guards from sticking to the tyres, its clunk and a lot of engine noise into the cabin due to 1 solid engine mount and 3 poly/alloy bushed mounts. i absolutely love the car. we've taken it on some extremely long trips and camping etc so its done a lot for the family. youre tired as hell once you arrive but the trip itself is always enjoyable and involving.

performance wise i think in a straight line the GTI is faster, the GTI is exciting to drive as a daily. the Legnum to have a thrill you are going ridiculous speeds, otherwise its a waste sitting in traffic

I find the GTI interior very refined and comfortable. the tyres are loud and the suspension is very jolty. the stock suspension for how firm and 'sporty' they make it is not confidence inspiring at all. confidence aside, it can corner quite hard and powers out of corners spinning the wheels in a hilarious manner while still sticking to where you're pointing it which is fantastic. its sluggish with any driving assistance on though, the DSG (i had problems) is sweet, the noises it makes is hilarious and gives me a laugh everytime it farts. you can overtake whenever it has that much grunt nothing troubles it. as jolty as it is, it never feels dangerous.

our last daily prior to the GTI was a suzuki swift, it handled ok, you kinded rolled around as it leaned over though, powerwise it was garbage. you had to think so far ahead before making any moves and with the mrs and my son in the car most days you could never take a chance. fuel wise it was excellent when its just 1 person in it, but with 3 people in the GTI im only using 1L more per 100km then i did in the swift. i've had a stripped out EG civic before for a short period which was pretty exciting, however someone offered me way more then i paid for it so it had to go lol

before my jap/german cars i had a lot of holdens with the 5.7 and a cammed 6L v8 VE manual SS, they were great for the noise and acceleration but they were so heavy. they were exciting in their own way, i definately still see the appeal of them. truely i’d like one again, but i find a lot of guys have moved to the gen3s as they are so cheap now so im not really interested in being part of that anymore

[Vex]

Wow. Nice list of prior cars. They look tastefully modded. How was the Evo?

Cheers.. Evo was a fun weekend/track toy. But now the X is showing its age...

[Vex]

Okay...

I can update my opinion on the GTi over other cars having done a decent amount of km's now..

Handling wise the Fiesta ST and Subaru BRZ are simply better where the rear end of the Polo is not as playful as the Fiesta ST and the BRZ being RWD adds even more fun (would be nice if the GTi had an LSD)... My other toys are simply in a higher price bracket and wont be compared but I can say from an interior point of view that the Polo GTi is miles better then my Evo X, Lotus Elise, Subaru BRZ and my old Fiesta ST...

Focusing on the Fiesta ST for comparison I find that although the Fiesta out handles the Polo GTi that the Polo GTi overall is a much better car for road use and as a daily vehicle..

Pro's over Fiesta ST

- Much more usable Torque (in manual form)
- Nicer interior / media system
- Exterior looks more mature and less like a teenage girls car (subjective)
- Easier to live with everyday

Negatives over Fiesta ST

- Seats aren't as nice as the Recaro's
- Doesn't handle as well
- Made in Spain where as the Fiesta ST is made in Germany

Overall the Polo GTi is much easier to live with and the torque in the manual variant is soo much fun and will easily choose it over the Fiesta ST any day. If you only have one car to choose and want to go on the track then I would say the Fiesta ST, 208 GTI 30th, ND Mazda MX-5 and the Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ would be much better purchases for daily and track duties in the $27k-$35k range.. If the Renault Clio RS 200 came in a manual I would have purchased that over the Polo GTi but sadly they only sell it in a slow and uninspiring gearbox (from my drive of a friends Cup Premium)...

[Mi16 Man]

This is my 2nd VW GTI.... Prior to the Polo, it was a manual MK6 GTI.

The Polo is very much "point and shoot". That is, see a gap and nail it. The Golf was quick but you had to pick your gaps / position correctly on the road.

All my other cars have been in the Peugeot 'Sports' Category. Sorry to bore you but that is;
505 GTi
205 GTI
405 Mi16
306 GTi6
306 XSi
206 GTi 180


From what I recall, my MY16 Polo is very much a modern day 205 GTi. Torquey little beast that is dialled up to 10 on the 'Hoonigan' factor.

As with the 205, the Polo can be docile yet when you want, return a great drive that puts a cheeky smile on your face, again and again. Albeit with the comfort and safety features delivered in 2015.


MY13 Kluger KX-S AWD / MY16 Polo GTI

[Vex]

Hey Mi6, did you test drive the 208 GTi 30th edition ? That's closer to the 205 GTi then the Polo GTi by far.. But it's price is too close to a new Subaru WRX

[maxrob200]

Hey MI16Man, I was bit of a pug fan myself and lurked on the Aussiefrogs forum for awhile. Previous pugs had been 505GTI, 306 S16 and 406 V6, all manuals and fun in their own way. Never got to own a 205 GTI though .

[Mi16 Man]

Hey Mi6, did you test drive the 208 GTi 30th edition ? That's closer to the 205 GTi then the Polo GTi by far.. But it's price is too close to a new Subaru WRX

No, didn't test drive the 208. Needed 5drs and I only wanted a manual. Clio and Fiesta didn't fit those parameters. [emoji106]


MY13 Kluger KX-S AWD / MY16 Polo GTI

[jbounce]

Ok, so Ive had the Polo Gti for approx. 6 months now.
My prior car was a RenaultSport Clio 172 (not even the 182 cup) which I had for approx. 8 years.

My Clio was very reliable mechanically (only issue I had was an oxygen sensor issue, but I serviced it well). The interior was not so good though, the steering wheel handle rubber bits wore out. I didn't notice any rattles though.

As far as spirited driving, I prefer the Clio over the Polo. Clio liked to rev, also was torquey. Even though it has 200Nm compared to my manual Polos 320 Nm. It feels quite similar from my memory (possibly because the Clio is approx. 200 kg lighter).
Cornering in the Clio felt sharper and didn't have that strange xds braking feeling as it didn't seem to need it. Acceleration wise, 1st to 3rd(3rd was weaker in the Clio slightly) gears feels pretty similar but I know the Polo is quicker, for some reason I cant really tell the difference except that the Polo has a bit of lag and possibly because I didn't drive them back to back only going by memory. Also the Polo seems like it doesn't like to rev and is a bit too quite (cant describe it but you probably know what I mean).

Now for day to day driving, well the Polo is way more refined, I even kinda can enjoy traffic jams as I look around the beautiful interior (oh that lovely steering wheel, what a work of art, also fits perfectly when I grip it) tartan seats are awesome also. Suspension is similar to the Clio but Polo is more enjoyable around traffic. I love the build quality of the Polo, you notice a lot of though has gone into the interior the more you use it, new things pop up once in a while. I only just noticed there is storage under the seats and also one near the passengers leg area. Polo also has better usability of low revs so much more handy in real world driving/traffic.

As for which one is better? I have no idea. Both good but in different ways. Also been a while since I drove the Clio so probably memory of it has been distorted.

[nickit78]

I also owned a clio, a 182. I have had my polo manual for about 3 months now.
Its been a while since I drove the clio but I can easily say it was more fun car of the two.
The steering was so precise and direct, you felt a direct connection between the steering wheel and the what the front wheels were doing. You could flick the back out with just a little throttle lift off, so much fun. It was such a light nimble and raw car. I dont think there will be similar cars made anymore.
Never had any problems with it mechanically but the interior build quality was not good at all.

To me the polo feels significantly faster in a straight line, build quality is way above, a much more comfortable ride.
As an everyday car the polo wins. What I like about the polo is the torque and how usable it is in traffic. I have to say I am slightly disappointed the polo does not give me thrills the clio, but I a more sensible driver now so getting thrills on public roads is not something I want to be doing.

Am eager to see what APR will offer for stage 1, that may give the polo the edge it needs.

[Mi16 Man]

The RS Clio's have a phenomenal amount of mechanical grip.

Thoroughly enjoyed piloting as RSC197 back in Canberra.


MY13 Kluger KX-S AWD / MY16 Polo GTI

[awdmoke]

Polo Vs previous cars

We've owned the 6R 12.5 for 3+ years now.
Great fun little car, but here's a comparison to some of my previous / other current cars:

Polo Vs Golf Tdi
Tdi was soooo economical. Fill up every 1,000 kms. Could tow my race mini. Was boring, heavy and slow compared to the Polo that we replaced it with.

Polo Vs Mk 2 Suzuki Swift Gti Mk2
Similar in spirit, but the Polo is so much nicer inside. The Swift is a Tupperware lunch box in comparison, although now that it has been turbocharged it is a match on the track.

Polo Vs 1973 Mini
They are very similar to drive, though the Polo is much quicker in all aspects the Mini is just as fun to drive (but then my mini has a bigger engine). I'd rate the Polo as the true successor to the mini, rather than BMW's effort with the huge & heavy MINI.

Polo Vs BMW 540i
The leather seats and torque of the 300hp 4.0L V8 puts this in a different class to the Polo. Both are enjoyable, but I'd rather punt the Polo on suburban streets or race track and take the BMW on the highway. The big Bavarian tows a car trailer without you noticing it's attached.

Polo Vs Porsche 928S
Again a 300hp 4.7L V8 and slushbox auto makes it a different category, but in a balanced alloy body and weighing the same as the Golf mentioned above, the Porsche is the pick for highways or twisting country roads. The Polo is too harsh on bumpy country roads, but it still kills the Porsche on track and around town.


I've had many other cars, but these are ones I consider relevant.
We still have all the above, apart from the Golf.
The Polo we will be keeping in the collection too. A real pocket rocket.