VW Polo GTI vs Fiat Punto Sport

[macchina]

Hello VW Polo enthusiasts,

I am looking for a late model hot hatch (no older than 2006) and have narrowed my choice down to the 2006-2009 VW Polo GTI and the Fiat Punto Sport 1.9/1.4 turbo with a budget of approximately 14-16k.

I have driven both cars and each have their points but I was wondering if some existing VW Polo GTI owners could give me their experiences with the reliability of their car, servicing costs and overall ownership satisfaction levels.

i would also be curious to hear if anyone on this board had been in the same sitaution as me (the VW vs the Fiat) and what their reasons were for going with the Polo. Or if anyone could provide unbias arguments for either car.

As it stands, I prefer the handling of the Punto, its styling (purely subjective) and I also have a tendancy to like Italian cars but the Polo strikes back with better resale (far more Polo GTI's on the Melbourne roads than Punto's) and dealer/head office support and arguably better reliability.

Please also note that I am not into tuning and would likely leave which ever car I end up with in stock form. However if the shockers were worn, I would replace them with superior ones to the factory fitted items if the cost difference was relatively small.

I look forward to your responses!

Regards,

Macchina

[RoSonic]

What power output does the Punto Sport have ?

[macchina]

The Punto Sport 1.4 turbo has 88kw @ 5000 rpm and 206 nM of torque @ 1750 rpm

The Punto Sport Turbo (Diesel) has 90kw @ 4000 rpm and 280 nM of torque at 2000 rpm

[noone]

The Punto was pretty ordinary from memory, drove one for testing for my GF, ride was harsh, power was ordinary.

Neither are great cars stock, I'd be thinking about a Clio Sport (old model) if you are going to leave it stock.

Polo can have its share of problems, the worst of which seem to be gearbox related or general cabin noise.

[seangti]

The Punto was pretty ordinary from memory, drove one for testing for my GF, ride was harsh, power was ordinary.

Neither are great cars stock, I'd be thinking about a Clio Sport (old model) if you are going to leave it stock.

Polo can have its share of problems, the worst of which seem to be gearbox related or general cabin noise.

Similar thoughts to noone, but I have no concerns with cabin noise , on bad roads perhaps, but it's a gti polo, not a honda, et el, which is to cater for a wider market where NVH is of greater importance than driver enjoyment. The later model polo's don't seem to have ran into the same gearbox issues as the early ones, but with the km's they'll have done in your budget, any gremlins should have been rectified.

The punto is certainly a great looking car.

As for maintenance cost, find a good VW mechanic. The car will be out of warranty so don't bother with dealers. Bear in mind many parts in the polo gti are tried and proven in other VW/Audi variants, just make sure there's a solid service history.

[macchina]

The Punto was pretty ordinary from memory, drove one for testing for my GF, ride was harsh, power was ordinary.

Neither are great cars stock, I'd be thinking about a Clio Sport (old model) if you are going to leave it stock.

I am shocked that you didn;t like the Punto. I thought it had great turn-in, bags of low down torque and was quite comfortable.

The Renault is a very focused car but I would never buy one as they feel like they are made of gladwrap (inside and out), has an awful driving position and typical French idosyncrasies (the front bumper has to be removed for any belt changes for instance). I think it would be hard to live with on a day to day basis - not the car for me.

Seangti - do you have any tips on what to look for regarding gearbox issues on test drives? I'd be looking for a car with around 60 k's on the odometer and would consider spending a bit more for the right car (i.e. there's a 2006 gti on carsales with 27 k's for $17,000).

I do have to admit that the GTI's superior resale value, parts availability, proven mechanicals, interior storage space, alarm, and inclusion of a full size alloy spare wheel are tilting the balance in its favour at this point.

[insanekiwi]

Both nice cars, I would definitely think of ECU tuning alone for the car, and leave it at that if you want the car as it is. This will make the car more drivable, and more economical. Same goes for Punto Diesel. I do not know tuners for that car though.

Punto looks great and looks comfortable, and probably will be more than the GTI. However, I think the drive will be more fun in the GTIs.

Only thing I would do if I were you, is to get the GTI, add a chip, either APR / REVO / whatever, and get rear sway bar. This will make the car very entertaining. The ECU mods have so far proven to be reliable on all cars on the forum.

Gearbox check wise, check if the upshift from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd is smooth in high RPM above 5500rpm. So make sure you warm up the car (if you intend to buy it anyway), and give it a good rapid shifts on ramp or something. And as usual check for any abnormal noises. The gearboxes tend to be a bit noisier than others. Mine has been reliable, but is a little noisy. Bought the car at 18000km, and now at 48000km. No real problems with the car. (3 years ownership)

[macchina]

Interesting information about the ECU, I may have to search this forum for old posts regarding this topic. I'm sure the same thing could be done to the Punto diesel / turbo petrol too.

I would definetly be interested in getting a rear sway bar for a GTI if it gives the car sharper handling. I'm not a fast driver (nor am I James May-esque) but I like a car with a bit of pace and have high levels of appreciation for cars which has excellent levels of grip and handling, something which the Polo GTI has an abundance of according to most reviews.

Thank you for the tips re: the gearbox, I will pay extra attention to any car which I test drive. Do you have any further tips for me?

[Plautos]

Ordinary as a complement...

In Brazil the turbo version is called T-JET. The car looks good, but it is just that.

The 1,4 L killed the car, the engine should be bigger or it could have a better turbo.

If you are not crazy for performance it is a good choice.

My cousin has one and I took the car for a ride.

The car reached 200km/h! But it needs a very long straight!

I liked the gear box…. I didn’t like the gear shift… to long, wide, almost a truck.

The seats are nothing close like the Polo’s seats. They just look good.

The pedal spaces are smaller too.

The suspension in softer, the car roll more also.

Good brakes!

The turbo spool very fast, giving torque at low rpm, however dies completely at hi rpm.
Here in Brazil the tuners tried to upgrade exhaust, change valves, air filter, chip tuning… they didn’t had positive results. The turbo is the problem.

[firdausasri]

Although I haven't driven Fiat Punto but Alfa Mito 1.4 turbo (M) I have. The engine kicks in later than VW 1.8T, steering feels awkwardly weird even on dynamic mode and gear shift is plasticky disappointing. The only I like about the car is the styling and its flair, something German cars are pretty cold. Polo GTI is the better car overall IMHO.

However, I was almost sold for R56 MCS, engine feels more responsive, steering feels far more direct and natural feel unfortunately it's far far more expensive and no manual option in Malaysia. But then high speed grip, Polo GTI is about the same as R56 MCS, it just can't shake me off.

[kevvie]

I am a fan of italian cars in general but after a series of fiats and alfas (with Peugots and BMWs in between) I can honestly say my experience with the Polo has been the best by far. Mine is just over 3 years old and not once have I ever got into the car wondering what is going to break today. Just jump on the owners forums and you will get a feel for the difference. Plus it handles better, rides better and is faster. The Punto does look good, but once you are inside things start to feel a little fragile....

That said, strech a couple of $k's and you may just get yourself into a Ritmo.