2019 Volkswagen Polo GTI Review
The lack of a manual is a pretty niche concern, in our books. It sounds good, too - and here, the Polo GTI has its own character, eclipsing the Golf GTI鈥檚 more subtle exhaust note with a meaner burble at idle, increasing to a rorty crescendo in the higher reaches of the tacho. There is some induction noise and turbo whistle that doesn鈥檛 go astray, and if you like it even louder, the stereo can pump in a bit more noise through the speakers - but this addition is deactivated by default. 15,000-lower pricepoint. Find a curving set of switchbacks and punt the Polo鈥檚 crisp front-end into it, and most of the hallmarks of the Golf GTI鈥檚 dynamics can be easily distilled. There鈥檚 similarly quick and communicative steering, a delicate chassis balance that is easily disrupted and adjusted with some trail braking and aggressive pedalling, and an overall feeling of lightness. When you find a brilliant piece of road, the Polo GTI strings together a set of corners in a fashion that is a close (but imperfect) facsimile of its bigger brother.
Only the Polo鈥檚 inferior torsion beam rear suspension - in place of the multi-link independent rear of the Golf - dilutes the comparison. The Golf uses its rear end to much aplomb in fast cornering, and the Polo鈥檚 fixed setup means it鈥檚 slightly less easy to predict and manipulate at will. This is slim pickings, though, as many drivers will not approach the ten-tenths driving we subjected the car to in the corners around Byron Bay. But the big problem with the Polo GTI鈥檚 dynamics is an easily fixable one: the standard tyres. By default, the GTI rides on 17-inch 215/45 size Michelin Primacy 3 rubber. Put simply, it鈥檚 under-tyred. These are the optional wheels and tyres you'll really want. 3,900 Luxury Package that adds not only a few additional creature comforts (a panoramic sunroof, LED headlights, and heated seats), but also better wheels and tyres. The included 18-inch 鈥楤resica鈥?wheels look far more serious and roll in 215/40 Bridgestone Turanza T001 tyres - still not a high-end performance tyre, but several degrees more capable than the Michelins. On the Turanzas, the Polo GTI was a far better partner on a mountain pass.
Oddly, the lower-profile tyres also slightly increased the Polo鈥檚 compliance. That compliance is just okay. 20k Trendline and Comfortline - disappears on the Polo GTI, which sports standard two-mode adaptive dampers. The 鈥楴ormal鈥?ride setting is bearable but a little choppy around town, though it retains a bit more body roll at higher speed which you can use to your advantage in a car like this. The second 鈥楽port鈥?setting is just too thumpy and crashy. Equally, overall noise, vibration and harshness is good for the light car class, though a member of that class the Polo remains. 30,990 - as here - you鈥檇 have to be into your hot hatches to accept the just-acceptable refinement. The aforementioned harder plastics aside, there is little to complain about inside the five-door-only Polo GTI. The dash-top is soft, at least, and overall the cabin is excellent, logically laid out, simple and attractive to the eye. The GTI lifts the conservative colouring of its range peers by adding lots of red trim pieces and Volkswagen鈥檚 chunky 鈥榩erformance鈥?steering wheel, replete with red stitching.
Aluminium pedals are included and the standard tartan seats look great and offer lots of support - with lumbar on both front seats. Sadly, the Luxury Package that brings a much-needed tyre upgrade removes the tartan seats, replacing them with nondescript monochrome versions. The technology offer in here is class leading, with a very crisp standard 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The back seats are roomy and easily accessed, with exposed Isofix points for two baby seats. But bigger people fit, too - despite measuring little more than 4 metres in length, the Mk 6 Polo is brilliantly packaged, with generous headroom and legroom for six-foot adults. Best keep it to four here, though, as this is a narrow car with only a tiny perch for a middle seat. There are five seatbelts provided. 31k vehicle - or a flip-down armrest. 23,490, at least has rear air. A 305-litre boot is well-sized and fits a pair of medium suitcases without fuss. The safety offer is good. Full forward autonomous emergency braking (across low and high speeds) is standard, as is forward collision warning.
1,400, you can add adaptive cruise control with stop and go, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, automated parking, and automatic folding mirrors - a fair tarrif. The Polo GTI also benefits from the circumstances of its rivals in the present market. The Ford Fiesta ST is currently absent, in between generations, and the Peugeot 208 GTi is feeling a bit ancient and is running in its final edition form. 25,950 with a six-speed manual). 34,890 with the Luxury Package that is a good idea if you want better tyres, and like niceties such as a panoramic opening roof and the cool LED headlights - makes sense. Towards the limit the Polo GTI offers many of the Golf GTI鈥檚 thrills but at an effective ten-grand discount. It looks the part, it has a smart and tech-packed interior, and the Mk 6 Polo is generously sized for carrying things and people. Add the swift engine, rorty exhaust, fun handling and super-desirable GTI branding and the Polo GTI is a hatchback that鈥檚 hard to resist. With a passion for cars and innovation in the industry, Tom and the Chasing Cars team are dedicated to producing Australia's best car reviews.
