GTiCrow Posted April 26, 2006 Report Share Posted April 26, 2006 Here are some Aussie Version pics. My son has had his Polo GTi for two weeks now and is thrilled with it. Previous car was a modified Nissan 200SX. In australia they are really good value (base being AUD$26,990)compared to other similar hot hatches which range in price up to AUD$33,000 or thereabouts). So the price is set realistically to sell. THe car also has had excellent feedback through the press. We do not have many options - only leather and sunroof and a limited choice of colours similiar to the Golf GTI, except the red is not metallic. Will give you more of an update once I have had a good drive of it, but it is hard to get out of my MkV Golf GTi (DSG) and change keys for the Polo Gti. Not that I don't want to have a good run in the Polo, but it means giving my keys to my son - I may never see the Golf GTi again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 I would be interested in knowing if anyone has compared it to its cousin the much cheaper SEAT Ibiza that uses the same chassis and engines. In both 1.8T FR forum (150bhp same as polo GTI) Or even the more powerful SEAT Ibiza 1.8T Cupra (180bhp version of 1.8T engine) They used the 5 speed box on the Ibizas too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 [ QUOTE ] I might be wrong, guernsey VAG told me that the new S3 would be a 3.2 Twin Turbo V6 pushing out 265bhp (good work Audi ) as apparently the S3 has allways had a bigger engine than the R32 & can't be outdone now [/ QUOTE ] S3 had not had a bigger engine it was a 1.8T 210bhp or 225 bhp engine. The new one don't be suprised if it uses a version of the 2.0T engine but has a power output of 260PS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjfr Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] I might be wrong, guernsey VAG told me that the new S3 would be a 3.2 Twin Turbo V6 pushing out 265bhp (good work Audi ) as apparently the S3 has allways had a bigger engine than the R32 & can't be outdone now [/ QUOTE ] S3 had not had a bigger engine it was a 1.8T 210bhp or 225 bhp engine. The new one don't be suprised if it uses a version of the 2.0T engine but has a power output of 260PS [/ QUOTE ] I know that the S3 had a smaller engine than the R32.. I've got an S3!! I was just saying that I didn't know if the dealer was right about the polo GTi engine, in that he was so wrong about the upcoming S3 (biturbo V6 apparently ) and the old S3 (which he told me had a 3.2 V6 !) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 Oh i see what you meen sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fjfr Posted April 27, 2006 Report Share Posted April 27, 2006 No probs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TP27 Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 Saw one in the flesh yesterday. Black, 3 Door with all the red stitching and honeycomb grill looks fantastic. Dealer is about to put their Demo on the road so I'm hoping for a T/D next week. Looks a wee pocket rocket and I like it !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nelson_R32 Posted April 28, 2006 Report Share Posted April 28, 2006 Although I've owned two 9n Polos for a period of at least 3 years and being a moderator of www.uk-polos.net for the same amount of time. I think its a waste of money, the Ibiza Cupra is the same car with better handling and 30bhp extra for about £3000 less. A good car they could've made great like the Golf GTi but didn't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ritey Posted April 30, 2006 Report Share Posted April 30, 2006 Just been down to my local dealer, they have one in, in Red with 10 miles on the clock. Looks very tidy, but I couldn't help but notice the Ibiza cupra in the Seat garage looking a lot more menacing and 3k cheaper as stated by Nelson here. I'm glad I got my deposit back, althought I'm sure it will be a great car and will take about 3 years to develop a clutch problem I think a mark 4 R32 has got to be the better buy for similiar price Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyWoodall Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Well chaps, almost two weeks ago I had a test drive. Have only now gotten back to France and had enough time to sit down and write something. Firstly, I apologise as the text is a cut and paste from my post on ClubLupo, its a hefty block of text and I'm on my way out so no time to edit. Here goes... Well, over a week now since my test drive, never had chance to post last week, seemed to be constantly on the go, looking at houses, driving Sarah to job interviews and generally trying to do useful things. But now I'm sitting back in my comfy chair in Marseille, its 22deg's and we've got the windows open and I'm finally relaxed, here goes... I'd booked in for the drive with Birmingham Volkswagen, on the phone they were very polite and helpful and in person they were exactly the same. The bloke (I have his card here somewhere should someone be looking to buy at this dealer) knew his cars, which always makes me feel better, and was very enthusiastic about the Lupo, which again, helps. The example we went out in was black (the colour I'd have it in), with the standard Air-con, Mp3 CD player and the rain sensing wipers (part of a pack I think). I have to say, even parked next to an R32 and no less than three Golf GTi's, it looked fantastic. Everything I like in a hatch, subtle, but with some bite, thoughtful detailing, but nothing too fancy. The Monza style wheels look as good as they do on the Golf, but whereas the standard 17's on the Golf look lost (thus requiring you to fork out £450 for the lovely looking 18's), on the Polo the 16's looked fine to me. That however might be because theres no bigger wheel option on the Polo GTi, therefore no temptation. Body kit wise, at the front it is perhaps not as neat as the Golf's GTi gubbins, this is quite evident in the pictures of red ones, but in black it hides the slightly fussy lower intake. Like others, I feel that it should have had a honey comb grill like its bigger brother, but at least in black you don't notice so much. Unlike the Lupo and as with the Golf, there is little excitement at the rear, central exhausts would have been nice, but it looks ok as it is really. Again, as with the Golf it just gets a GTi rear badge. I am a fan of the rear lights, they just work in my eyes, despite being said to be fussy. They look swish at night too. I was particularly taken with the interior. I was expecting it to not feel as nice as the Lupo but that wasn't the case. I was also expecting, having sat in the Golf GTi and falling in love with the steering wheel, to be under whelmed by the Polo's interior, but again, this was not the case. The steering wheel is fantastic, diameter wise its no different to the Lupo, as DiamondBlack said when he had a look, but the rim itself is lovely and chunky and light years ahead in terms of comfort to the Lupo's. My one big dislike with the Lupo GTi is how weeny the thickness of the rim is, and it is solved in the Polo. The layout is text book VW, and perfect in my eyes. I suppose if I had to be picky the glove box is small (but hey, more than the Lupo has) and the lower cubby hole in the central console is a bit rubbish looking, but on the whole its fine inside. Excellent space, noticeably wider than the Lupo of course, and all the better for it, and the silver trim on the central console doesn't look nearly as rubbish in the plastic. Sarah didn't like the cupholder, I'm not entirely sure why, but she preferred the Lupo's so there you go. One thing I liked was the additional lower cup holders between the seats, mainly because I constantly knock the Lupo's one when fiddling with my satnav, its just nice to have them tucked away somewhere I won't bump them, but thats personal preference. The seats are without doubt perfect. I can't really say much except they are so so so much better than the Lupo's. Top stuff. And the Interlago's cloth looks great imho, but I can see why others don't like it. Sarah wasn't sure in the pictures, but liked them when she actually sat in the car. The double DIN Mp3 CD player was a nice touch, liked that, plus it looks great in the dash, has nice big simple buttons, and looks miles better than any fiddly single DIN dolphin dancing affair. And so, to driving it. Sadly, the Birmingham dealer lives upto its name and is infact in Birmingham, which means any test drive could only tell me the basics, but we had a good long run, so I can't complain. Firstly, the ride quality was top notch. I'd read in Autocar that it was crashy and rubbish, but I can confirm they are infact wrong. Very wrong. It rode wonderfully, much better than the Lupo, and I was really impressed with how comfy it was, I suppose a great deal is down to the wider track and size of the car, but it felt perfect for a long cruise, which I often do. And yet it was a bit of a hoot to nip about in too. I was chucking it around roundabouts for a good 45 minutes, and it had nice turn in, it gripped extremely well, and felt very safe and predictable. Sure, its not the most communicative steering and chassis, but it suits my need. It felt easy to drive quickly and cleanly, and very much felt on your side. I was expecting it to feel a little lardy handling wise compared with the Lupo, but if anything it felt neater. I'd have to take it on my favourite B-Road for a fair comparison though. Engine wise, some surprises, but generally it felt like most 1.8T's I've driven. A fine engine, although it could be said that its a little dull, certainly in the TT, less so in the S3 I always thought, in the Polo it was fine. It had a nice little burble, and it didn't feel nose heavy to me. I know some have been disappointed at the on paper spec of 150bhp, but I must admit it felt fine to me, nice amount of punch, fairly low down in the rev range, and rather perfect for day to day driving. Certainly, on the roads I drive most often, it would be enough. Hell, I'm happy with the 125bhp in the Lupo, so while 25bhp extra in a heavier car might not sound like much, I will stick up for the Polo and say it was fine. Sure, more would be nice, but isn't that always the case. When the Golf GTi came out with 'only' 200bhp, many people (myself and some car mags included) wondered if this was enough and I think its the same with the Polo. Yes, on paper it appears weedy, but day to day I'd be happy with that. Plus, for very little money and effort, Golf GTi area power output could be yours. Gearbox was a little stiff, but the car only had 46 miles on the clock. I can't say that I noticed the lack of a 6th ratio, sure, if its there it would be nice, but the box felt well matched to the engine and I was always happy with 5 speed Lupo GTi's I've driven, so I'm happy with what it comes with. There is a rumour that a 6 speed box will come later though. While it might seem a little expensive at £14,810 for the 3dr, considering I paid more or less dead on £14,000 for my Lupo new, it actually is a pretty good deal. Air-con is standard, as is that rather decent stereo, bearing in mind a basic CD player and Air-con were both pretty expensive options. It has ESP, multifuntion computer and a tyre pressure monitor, a light in the boot and better seats and steering wheel it suddenly looks like a great deal to me. Options wise, full climate control is very reasonable at £310 considering it was £950 for basic Air-con on the Lupo, leather is expensive, but then it always is, CD changer that mounts under the passenger seat is around £300 and sat nav (actually not a full colour MFD, its an MCD like I have in the Lupo) is, as usual, circa £1000. That said, with that option you get the CD changer and a Highline multifunction computer on the dash. iPod kits like my Dension can now be had from the factory or the dealer, and is a very reasonable £150. I specced mine up with what I'd like, which was a 3dr, in Diamond Black (£335), with curtain airbags (£445), iPod kit (£150) and Climate control (£310), which came out at just over £16,000, without pushing for a deal. Thats still £4000 cheaper than the base Golf, and despite how much I love the Golf, I can't help but thinking that for the moment, the Polo GTi does exactly what I'd want, with cheaper insurance to boot. As I said, I'm a massive, massive fan of the Golf, but I don't need, at the moment, a car that big. Plus, a big thing for me is that the Polo options list is less tempting, with the Golf I'd just have to have the colour sat nav, multifunction steering wheel, xenons and 18's. At least with the Polo there wasn't too much temptation. I know many of us were disappointed with the lack of standard fit xenons, but the lack of them on the options list means that I'm not that bothered. As I said earlier, I was impressed with the dealer, they are a big one (like where I bought my Lupo at Cardiff VW) and obviously have the benefits that go with being a bigger place. I'm going to try them for my next service I think. Trust VW at Stourbridge have always been fine, but I'm curious to try there incase I buy from Birmingham VW in the future. The guy was a professional (which is rare enough praise with regards to most VW salesmen), polite and friendly, willing to do a deal and had top knowledge, I didn't catch him out once and he was well versed in the specs, both of the Polo and the Golf GTi. So to sum up, I was completely sold. I struggled on the day to find anything wrong and thats certainly the case now, it could always be cheaper, but its the same with power outputs, thats always the case. I had a quick go on the Ford website at speccing up a Fiesta ST and it came in over £14k, while its true there are better discounts on the Ford, they aren't that far away in price. A soon to be replaced Cooper S is close, but even moderate speccing it comes out at the same as the Polo, as great as the MINI is, I wouldn't sink that kind of money into one with the new one out this year. That said, I wouldn't trade the Lupo in for one, but then again, there are few cars I would trade my GTi, the only one being the Golf GTi or a 997 C4S. However, next to the Lupo it would be a fine choice, either Sarah would use the Polo and I the Lupo or vice versa, and depending on what goes on with the house buying in the next few months, this is top of the list. Pictures to follow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyWoodall Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Heres some pictures of the demo car, sorry for the slightly dodgy anti-aliasing, its a known fault with iPhoto and I have yet to fork out for the new version. Interior shots to follow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyWoodall Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 And heres the interior... And yes, those seats are as comfy as they look! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonb Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Wow!! Love those seats!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TP27 Posted May 4, 2006 Report Share Posted May 4, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Wow!! Love those seats!! [/ QUOTE ] Agreed, I even think MrsTP is sold on the idea of moving to the Polo GTi from her TDi...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snoopy Posted May 5, 2006 Report Share Posted May 5, 2006 [ QUOTE ] I had a quick go on the Ford website at speccing up a Fiesta ST and it came in over £14k, while its true there are better discounts on the Ford, they aren't that far away in price. A soon to be replaced Cooper S is close, but even moderate speccing it comes out at the same as the Polo, as great as the MINI is, I wouldn't sink that kind of money into one with the new one out this year.. [/ QUOTE ] I notice you say you looked at the fiesta ST and MINI may i ask did you also consider the SEAT Ibiza 1.8T FR? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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