Road test: Volkswagen Polo GTI.
with zero effort
For years, the Polo GTI has not been the best, the fastest, the funnest or the cheapest in its group.
And yet, after Renault, Peugeot, Opel and Seat folded with their tails between their legs.
She remained here as the only and very expensive option
Maxim Goldstein
09/23/2022
Friday, September 23, 2022, 07:40 Updated: 07:44
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on Twitter
Share by email
Share in general
Comments
Comments
The sixth generation of the Polo also gets the GTI version (photo: Gliders photos, Maxim Goldstein)
The test for the Volkswagen Polo GTI is unnecessary.
As of the moment of writing the test, the tested Polo is in a strange situation where this vehicle has no direct competition, at least not in Israel.
The competitors it had stopped coming off the production line and we said goodbye to the Renault Clio RS, the Peugeot 208 GTI, the Opel Corsa OPC and the Ibiza Cupra.
Yes, Abarth continues to market the 500, but this car can't compete with the Polo GTI.
Neither in terms of usability nor in terms of product quality.
There is another competitor - the Mini Cooper S, but this one is about NIS 80,000 more expensive than the tested Polo.
Actually, as long as Delek Motors does not import the Ford Fiesta ST to Israel, the Hyundai i20n marketing is an unsubstantiated rumor and the Toyota Yaris GR is just a dream, the Volkswagen Polo GTI is alone in the sporty super mini slot.
You won't notice the differences in the profile (photo: surfers' photos, Maxim Goldstein)
What is it and what will change?
After the concluding introduction, it's time to understand what this polo is and what changed in the facelift it underwent.
The Volkswagen Polo GTI is a supermini from the German concern that has a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that produces 207 horsepower (an addition of 7 horses from the outgoing generation), a torque of 32.6 kgm at a high curb weight of 1361 kg.
In addition, like any sports car, the Polo has gone through a lot of improvements for the behavior and experience.
In fact, it is not an all-new model, as the Polo under review is a facelift of the sixth generation of the Polo.
Although I tested the Polo GTI 4 years ago, a lot of fuel has been burned since then, and for the purpose of refreshing my memory, I am including my friend Aviad, owner of a 2019 Polo GTI, in the test.
Most of the changes are cosmetic.
Externally, the bumper, headlights (now LED) and the red GTI stripe have been changed.
Also, the tail has been changed mainly in the bumper, taillights and the GTI lettering that currently stands prominently in the middle of the trunk below the emblem.
Whether the design change in the front is an improvement or a setback still depends on the observer, actually in the back there is a consensus that the change is successful.
More in Walla!
Gifts for everyone: The floor you didn't know online is half free
Shared half free
Next to one of the 2019 vintage, the changes are more noticeable (photo: surfer photos, Maxim Goldstein)
Internally, the main changes are a dark gray dashboard instead of bright red and a switch from physical buttons on the steering wheel and in the air conditioning system to touch buttons like in the big sister, the Golf.
As there, here too - an inconvenient and very annoying solution.
The steering wheel itself has been replaced and is now chunky and very pleasant to hold.
Beyond that, the active safety systems have been upgraded and now in the Polo GTI you can find the lane keeping system, adaptive cruise control and automatic parking.
Aviad and I left with mixed feelings.
Apparently, the changes in the facelift refresh the vehicle and renew the model a bit, but reducing the red color in the passenger compartment gives the sporty feeling.
But what bothered us more than the cosmetics was the practice - the touch buttons.
The fittings were upgraded, the execution went backwards (Photo: Surfers Photos, Maxim Goldstein)
In a polo shirt and jeans
The red Polo GTI did the job as a sports car - everyday in the best way.
Comfortable (relative to sporty), reacts quickly and with a lot of power available for daily trips in traffic to work and errands.
Even the interior space and ride comfort are excellent.
Installing 2 safety seats in the back (baby seat and booster) leave enough space in front.
The active safety systems do a very good job, the feeling is that their calibration is done accurately, and they provide security while driving.
I will only mention that the lane keeping system is too assertive in its corrections and I found myself fighting the steering wheel more than expected.
A surprise came from the direction of my wife.
After driving the Polo GTI she said she unequivocally prefers the tested Polo over the sporty supermini we currently have at home (Renault Clio RS).
According to her, the GTI is much more civilized and convenient for her uses.
The test of the polo shirt (I thought I would be able to get away with the poor joke) and the jeans, i.e. our daily life, the GTI passes well.
Two safety seats and an excess left over (photo: surfers' photos, Maxim Goldstein)
in a racing suit
The Volkswagen Group models are mainly characterized by their understeering and the road behavior which is not one of the successful ones once the road starts to twist.
The tested polo also fails to shine.
In "sport" mode (one of 4 selectable driving modes) the chassis can't handle tight turns and at a very fast pace I find myself with boiling tires and a strong smell of brakes.
A large part of the handling problems may be solved with the replacement of the tires, but the demonstration vehicle came with Michelin Pharmaci 3 tires in size 215/45/17, which cannot cope with the great power that the drive unit provides (including embarrassing vibrations in first and second gears), not providing enough grip on the winding roads .
It is not clear to me why the manufacturer puts a model with sporty pretensions on a tire with a family purpose, although in the everyday section this tire is an advantage, but we are in GTI!
Not in ID3.
Useful for the small family (photo: surfer photos, Maxim Goldstein)
Acceleration and fast driving on highways actually compliment the little Volkswagen.
The power is always there and available, the boost comes very quickly and the sound effect when the gear drops is addictive (although I would have preferred it to be accompanied by a small kefir).
In addition, Wag group engines are known to have a rich improvement potential and here, with the power of "only" 207 hp, it seems that there are more horses to be extracted from the engine. In terms of the behavior on public roads, even with the lowering of 15 mm which should sharpen the dynamic capabilities, it is impossible It was necessary to measure the differences before and after the face lift, certainly when the differences are small.
Does not constitute a real improvement compared to the version before the facelift in behavior (photo: surfers' photos, Maxim Goldstein)
Summary, this time summarizes
Again we return to the summary.
This time I will try to refer to the car itself, without analyzing (the lack of) the competitors.
As can be understood from the test, Polo GTI is a compromise between sporty and small family.
On the imaginary scale between an everyday car and a sports car, the Polo is closer to everyday.
Those who get up at 4 am to devour the roads of Sodom Arad or Nes Harim will get bored very quickly.
For those who mainly want a small, useful, fast, well-equipped and high-quality car, the Polo did it better than the others in the past and does it well even without the competitors.
And the only thing left is the price, with or without competition in the neighboring showrooms - this is a very expensive car.
It landed here at the end of July at a price of NIS 187,000 and in the meantime it has quietly jumped to NIS 190,000.
So yes, it is more equipped than before, with more technologies and safety systems.
But she already misses the point of a warm and most importantly accessible little girl.
Only she remained (photo: surfers' photos, Maxim Goldstein)
On the technical side: Volkswagen Polo GTI
Engine, drive:
gasoline, 4 cylinders, turbo, front
volume (cc):
1,984 cc
power/rpm (hp):
4,600/207
torque/rpm (kgm) :
1,500/32.6
Gearbox:
robotic, double clutch, 7 gears
Dimensions:
Length (cm):
407
Width (cm):
175
Height (cm):
143
Wheelbase (cm):
255
compartment Cargo (liters):
305
Performance:
0-100 acceleration:
6.5 seconds
Maximum speed:
240 km/h
Competitors:
None in Israel
Price:
NIS 190,000
vehicle
Vehicle tests
Tags
polo
Volkswagen
Volkswagen Polo GTI
sporty
Super mini
Champion Motors