Newb- deciding between new polo and golf GTI

[Glen75]

Looking to buy a new car- about 3 years ago i had a Mk6 GTI and loved it. Now looking at the new Polo gti, it seems to have very similar interior functions as the Mk6 GTI. The MK7 GTI is a big step up again, but almost $20k dearer.

Not being 100% up to speed with the VW faults etc, is there a particular one i should steer clear of?

I can afford either, but won't spend the extra $20k if the polo is a solid platform and any bugs have been sorted.

I did do a search, but couldn't find answers.

Thanks in advance

[AndrewBurns]

I have a MY13.5 polo gti with the new CTHE engine. I did a lot of research before I bought it and I took it as a bit of a gamble. Luckily for me it's a gamble that paid off because mine is a fantastic car. My engine uses much less than 100mL of oil per 1000km which is low for the type, the older CAVE engine had lots of oil consumption problems but in the CTHE there appears to be a much lower chance. That's not to say there's no chance you'll get a bad engine though, there are still reports of high oil consumption with the new ones.

Again there are a lot of complaints/worries about the DQ200 DSG gearbox which is under two recalls currently (replacing mechatronics unit and oil). My gearbox has so far been fine, I really like how it works and think it gives me a good mix of laziness when in traffic and control when I want to have fun. The longevity of the clutches is a possible concern, my car is only 6000 km old so obviously mine are fine but lots of people have had their clutches last less than 60k km. It's possible that these early failures are due to any number of problems though, the clutch material was changed a few years ago to a different type, dodgy mechatronics units could have worn them out or people driving the cars like torque-converter autos and constantly slipping the clutches when crawling in traffic also might have caused problems.

I've not driven a Golf GTI because it was too far outside my price range so I'm not sure what issues go along with them, the DQ250 DSG gearbox in them is apparently more reliable however.

As with all things on the internet the only people who usually bother posting are people who are angry so you'll get a disproportionately large number of complaints about something and almost nobody saying it's good (even if it is).

[Harrydhillon]

I drive my13.5 and love it... Yes the golf is bigger, and so is the consumption. My logic is - if you don't need the bigger car then the polo...if you want a bigger car then the golf..
I am 6foot tall and I don't see any issues with my polo

[Glen75]

I have a MY13.5 polo gti with the new CTHE engine. I did a lot of research before I bought it and I took it as a bit of a gamble. Luckily for me it's a gamble that paid off because mine is a fantastic car. My engine uses much less than 100mL of oil per 1000km which is low for the type, the older CAVE engine had lots of oil consumption problems but in the CTHE there appears to be a much lower chance. That's not to say there's no chance you'll get a bad engine though, there are still reports of high oil consumption with the new ones.

Again there are a lot of complaints/worries about the DQ200 DSG gearbox which is under two recalls currently (replacing mechatronics unit and oil). My gearbox has so far been fine, I really like how it works and think it gives me a good mix of laziness when in traffic and control when I want to have fun. The longevity of the clutches is a possible concern, my car is only 6000 km old so obviously mine are fine but lots of people have had their clutches last less than 60k km. It's possible that these early failures are due to any number of problems though, the clutch material was changed a few years ago to a different type, dodgy mechatronics units could have worn them out or people driving the cars like torque-converter autos and constantly slipping the clutches when crawling in traffic also might have caused problems.

I've not driven a Golf GTI because it was too far outside my price range so I'm not sure what issues go along with them, the DQ250 DSG gearbox in them is apparently more reliable however.

As with all things on the internet the only people who usually bother posting are people who are angry so you'll get a disproportionately large number of complaints about something and almost nobody saying it's good (even if it is).

Thanks mate, exactly the kind of info i'm looking for, ie updates have fixed issues etc etc