Polo V Ralliart Colt

[PeterHBne]

Hmmmmm - good advice in there guys - thanks for all your help!

Beefa - you are probably right - I may need to compromise my choice in some areas for daily comfort.


Think I'll try & get an extended test drive in Colt & Polo this weekend to make my mind up.

My ride in the Polo really wasnt enough to pass a real judgement.

Buy a Ford!!!!!!! You've got to be kidding!!!!!

[shaneth]

Hey Peter, Mate heres an idea, why dont you come to the SEQ drive day and passenger with a polo. Id offer mine but my wife is coming. There are a few other polos that dont have pasengers. If you want i may be able to tee it up for you.

[Wand Weaver]

Am i correct that the blown Feista already exists O/S and doesnt get the best of reviews.

The XR4 is the same as the Fiesta ST overseas. It has a 2.0L Duratec (N/A) motor, so it's not blown.

While I love driving my Polo, and don't regret the decision to buy one at all - I'm being a realist when I say that the Fiesta does handle better than the Polo does (stock).

And while turbos are certainly easier to mod to boost their power easily, power is honestly not everything, and there's a certain appeal to having a larger N/A motor rather than a turbo one, especially in the way the power is delivered. Just ask the R32 guys

[MINTpolo]

I'm with Shaneth, i think the colt looks like much better value at 26k, and i dont doubt its abilities, however, i dont know if i could part with the all rounded-ness of the polo. Also its attention to fine detail and high quality materials. You dont get as much of this in most japanese cars. A sway bar should assist in making the handling a tad more responsive, and some advan AD07's should bring it up to the colts grip levels.

Biggest problem with these small quickish cars under 30k is they are all compromised, its a pain because it would be easier if one stood out as best. Therefore the choice has to be made as to which compromise you want.

IMO
Swift= Good handling but not enough power and a flimsy image?
Colt = Good power and the seats (are they that good??)but strange looks and handling still not as good as it could be, interior not good for 30k and its also harsher.
Polo = Quality and the engine. but the handling is a lil soft in comparison.
Fiesta = Decent handling, decent NA power but it is getting old, the interior isnt particulary high quality and its also smaller.
Citroen C2? well...does anyone want one of these? they look cool...

So thats what i reckon anyway. I would be taking a good hard look at a colt in your situation, but i dont know if i could live with one.

Also, FYI the fiesta engine is pretty much the MZR 2.0 from the Mazda3 so mods should be available to squeeze a few more kw from it.

[Ben_GTI]

My $0.02 on the fuel consumption figures; I'm getting on average 6.9L/100km.

I put this down to the simple ideology, "If you don't slow down for corners, you don't have to accelerate back upto speed."

Although with aircon running its closer to 10.0L/100km.

[poloplayer]

I'm still getting around 8.5L/100km, after having done 2200kms on the clock.

[PeterHBne]

I had a half hour run in the Polo just now. Took the Colt & Swit Sports for a half hour run on the weekend.

I think most peoples comments are spot on. The Polo seems definitely more rounded and more liveable compared to the Colt.

The Colt feels more powerful & possibly is but I think that is due to the lag below 3,000 then the turbo coming on strong. The gear change is yuck. It sounds nice having Recaro's & they certainly hold you but I think they would literally be a pain in the arse. It does turn in & hang on better than the Polo & feels like it handles better up to a point. I personally really like the look of the Colt - much better in the flesh than photos.

The Polo really does feel soft in the front end as everyone says. The quality of the Polo inside is better but I must say I'm surprised at the cheapness of the plastics in all modern cars I've seen - even much more expensive ones. I suppose this is one of the ways that they make them comparatively cheaper now then 10 years ago!

I think the Colt would be great if most of your miles are squirting around in short bursts.

I can't see the $8,000 difference between the Swift Sport & standard. Frankly, I'd buy the standard & put a couple of grand into the suspension. The power difference feels minor.

The problems (major & small) that some people have experienced with their Polo bothers me. The last thing I want is to be in and out of the dealer on a monthly basis with the car off the road. In the last 20 years I've had 3 cars that never ever let me down in any way no matter how you drove them (original Swift GTI, worked Daihatsu Charade now a company car Corolla).

So fingers crossed I get a good 'un (if I buy...)!

XR4 has landed today in Brisbane - taking one out tomorrow morning for a spin (in peak hour traffic!!!!!)

[PeterHBne]

XR4 is impressive. Seems very well built with a quality feel to the interior. Definately superior to the Swift Sport (a natural competitor). Certainly a snug car inside (which I like). Felt very competent on the road - VERY heavy traffic so really couldn't do a lot. Didn't feel as fast as the Polo. 2nd gear felt faster than first.

Going for a traffic free drive on Saturday. First impressions are good, but I don't think they'll be discounting for first buyers so it would probably be very close to the current GTI price.

[VEEDUB69]

XR4 is impressive. Seems very well built with a quality feel to the interior. Definately superior to the Swift Sport (a natural competitor). Certainly a snug car inside (which I like). Felt very competent on the road - VERY heavy traffic so really couldn't do a lot. Didn't feel as fast as the Polo. 2nd gear felt faster than first.

Going for a traffic free drive on Saturday. First impressions are good, but I don't think they'll be discounting for first buyers so it would probably be very close to the current GTI price.

Hi Peter, I owned a Fiesta Zetec (no problems) & they are a very solid build as are actually 'made in Germany' as opposed to the Polo GTI in Spain. Fiesta handling is terrific but I imagine the XR4 will be very hard as the Zetec was pretty firm. Will be interested to get ur thoughts on the proper drive. Point to remember is the GTI gets cruise where the XR4 does not, that was a major consideration for myself as I do a fair bit of highway driving. Goodluck with your search! Oh, and the footwell was an issue for me in the Fiesta I found it a little cramped the Polo is better, also the column audio controls were not ideally placed for the rising left knee on gear changes.

[MINTpolo]

I understand your concern with the apparent quality issues with the polo, but to be honest, i think most of them are fairly minor. Niggly faults seem to afflict european cars. If you want a car with issues, check out the Ford XR5, yes xr5, forum...and that is built in Germany...The important bits in the polo drive train are well proven and long lasting (can that be said for mitsubishi?), and hopefully the issues Shaneth has had are going to be few and far between. Slow 2nd gear synchros (mine are perfect) apparently could just be part of the gearbox design.

Anyways, you should definetly sample a polo with a chip and rear swaybar (like me) and you might be more impressed. I think my mate was the other day when i out dragged his '98 wrx...

XR4's definetly are appealing, just not much potential for more power down the track if you so wanted.

[mitch_gti]

polo V colt

Having recently stepped out of a new Fiesta i can too vouch for the solidity and quality of the car.

Very well put together. Everything worked, no gimmicks and NO problems during two years of ownership.

Part of the reason i didnt wait for the ST Fiesta(XR4) or get the swift sport, c2 VTS, Punto sport, Ralliart colt was because i wanted something which wasnt quite as ''young''.

Polo GTI has much higher quality finish, better features and felt more convincing when it came to dollar value.

At the end of the day it's each to their own.

But what i took into consideration was that the GTI is more grown up and had a bit more polish and style to it, which is what i was looking for.

[Wand Weaver]

The GTI is softer than most hot hatches - and perversely, I actually like it like that.

I've spent some time in some seriously hard riding metal, and while they're a hoot carving up the bends, they're a literal pain in the proverbial to live with on a day to day basis. The firmest thing I've ever had the 'pleasure' of being a passenger in was a fully worked Celica GT4. Made an Elise feel plush! Of course, you could stiffen the Polo up like some have with coilovers and a swaybar - if that's your thing.

If I was buying now (rather than close to 6 months ago), I'd be taking a good look at the XR4. I love the look of the thing, and mechanically, the drivetrain has been around for a while so should be pretty solid. The Fiesta handles well too, without being overly firm (206 GTi and RenaultSport Clio are MUCH more firm).

Both the XR4 and Polo look like high quality product, especially when compared to the aforementioned French pair. There are some seriously nice 206 GTi 180s out there, but there are some complete dogs too. The build quality seems pretty variable (funny I should say this on a VW forum where some people have had problems, others not) - even visibly so.

The Ralliart Colt was never a proposition for me - I'm past the full-on boy racer look. I prefer the understated look much more than the in-your-face one.

[shiyan]

I recently tested a few hot hatches...

Mini Cooper S (the new one with turbo) - pretty hard sprung but softer than the old generation. Still minimal body roll just like the old car. Very entertaining to drive - power was smooth and speed was very impressive.

Would be my ideal car if I had enough money for it - 24000 Euros.

Ibiza Sport 1.4 (I'm interested in the FR 1.8T but they didn't have that as a test car) - softer sprung than the Mini but chassis was a real pleasant surprise. I just didn't like the look of the interior and not a huge fan of the exterior either. The FR costs 17000 Euros once aircon is included.

Polo 1.9 TDI 130hp - was impressed by the powertrain but did not like the large amount of body roll. Uses the 15mm lowered sport suspension so I'm wondering how much the Polo GTI would roll... TDI would cost me 19000 Euros and the GTI 20000 Euros.

The one car I'm quite interested in but have not been able to test is the Fiesta ST (XR4?) 150hp. It costs around 17000 Euros including ESP.

My ideal car would be the Fiesta with a 6 speed gearbox (close ratio 5spd gearbox means 3700rpm for highway cruising) or a Polo with the chassis of the Ibiza (Polo has a lot of grip but I hate that body roll)