GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Chat about your 2018+ AW/BZ model Polos here!
paulrodgers7
Getting There!
Posts: 93
Joined: Wed Apr 23, 2014 10:34 am
Drives: 2019 VW Polo GTi + White/black roof
Location: N.Ireland

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by paulrodgers7 »

Good honest review MrLems, I enjoy reading the positive and negative comments that each owner has through their personal experience, looks great in the white.

Can I ask a question, I have never owned a car with a black roof liner inside, does it make the cabin feel darker than normal with the tinted rear windows?
joeknight94
New
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Feb 24, 2018 3:49 pm
Drives: Polo GTI+ DSG
Location: Burton On Trent

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by joeknight94 »

Mine won’t move, having that same fault, my car thinks the brake pedal isn’t engaged so won’t start, lost drive in reverse so sat here waiting for recovery.... [emoji17]


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SRGTD
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 3508
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 9:40 pm
Drives: 2020 AW Polo GTI+, Pure White.
Location: UK

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by SRGTD »

Alan Mc wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 11:18 am Update on the update. Same problem again today. Took video of it this time. So if it miraculously fixes itself again I have proof.
joeknight94 wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 2:46 pm Mine won’t move, having that same fault, my car thinks the brake pedal isn’t engaged so won’t start, lost drive in reverse so sat here waiting for recovery.... [emoji17]

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Sorry to hear you’re having problems guys. Hope it’s an easy (permanent) fix and you can get back to enjoying your cars.
SRGTD
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 3508
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 9:40 pm
Drives: 2020 AW Polo GTI+, Pure White.
Location: UK

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by SRGTD »

MrLems wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 12:11 pm Had my Polo GTI+ now for nearly 3 weeks so here is an overview to-date:
Great balanced review MrLems. I think Pure White really suits the GTI and I agree with you, it does help to show off the contrast with the red and black GTI accents. Hope you continue to enjoy your car for many miles to come 🙂.
Norn Iron
New
Posts: 16
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2018 1:32 pm
Drives: GTI 2018
Location: Northern Ireland

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by Norn Iron »

Have just completed my first long-ish journey of 60 miles. It featured many a country lane, B road and the occasional stretch of A road.

Over here in Northern Ireland (pronounced Norn Iron), driving these roads remind me of growing up in the 60s in Herefordshire. Three cars ahead of you was called a tailback!

I achieved an mpg of 45. The average speed was 37mph. The 'think blue trainer' gave me 91/100! All I did was to think I was driving our old Tiguan!

Compared to my first and only week so far of 36mpg where I was trying everything the car could do in Sport mode, I'm really pleased with 45 mpg today.

The Android Auto is great for satnav. However, when she says how many yards etc to a junction, halve it! The other great thing about Android Auto is that there is mute button! The Tiguan's satnav couldn't mute.

The handling around corners is something to look forward to if your car hasn't arrived yet.

Ps the VW App still insists my car hasn't been delivered yet!
monkeyhanger
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 2643
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2018 9:58 pm
Drives: Audi A4 Avant Quattro 40 TDI, Polo GTI+
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by monkeyhanger »

MrLems wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 12:11 pm Had my Polo GTI+ now for nearly 3 weeks so here is an overview to-date:

Looks: Car looks great in white with the optional Brescia wheels. Very happy with my choice. I think white works well in showing the black and red details on the car such as the rear spoiler lip, red brake calipers, red stripe on front grill and lights and black detailing on front bumper. I'm made a lot of people want to buy one purely on looks! My only gripe is that the car looks like it sits too high. I think it would look better lowered ever so slightly.

Economy: This is what has surprised me the most. On a commute to work which is 45 miles plus I've been getting 44mpg which is not far off the claimed combined 47mpg. This is with some stop start early morning London traffic. On the weekends when i'm driving just for the fun of it, i'm getting 32mpg. I've used eco mode once and will never use it again for two reasons. 1. I hate the coasting when off throttle and 2. I bought this car to drive it how it should be, not like a green peace member.

Performance: Brilliant. I can tell you now there is definitely a noticeable difference in performance since passing 620 miles. There seems to be more low end grunt and earlier torque delivery. The wheels are spinning in 2nd gear now when you floor it and this didn't happen before. Although this could just be my growing heavier right foot. Performance is brilliant though. The claimed 0-62 time of 6.7 is very pessimistic, it can easily beat that. The car pulls very well in 2nd and 3rd gear. Motorway driving is a breeze. You can pretty much get most cars at the lights. And the exhaust makes some nice pops when put into sport mode. I think this engine and chassis can easily cope with more power. I feel like VW have held back with this car. Maybe a Polo GTI Clubsport is in the works? Or maybe they just didn't want to tread on the Golf GTIs toes!

Interior: The cabin is a lovely place to be overall and is set up for the driver in mind. I've got the red dash which photos don't do it justice, it's really nice in the flesh. The active info display and sat nav combination is brilliant, I love how you can flick between screens with the nav. The infotainment is easy to use and slick. Android auto works really well. The tartan seats look great, are comfortable and supportive but the side bolsters get in the way of my arms. There is noticeably more cheaper looking plastics used in the car compared to the previous gen polo but i can forgive this because the car as standard comes very well kitted out. My left knee no longer clashes with the centre console like it did in my previous polo, this is because the car is much bigger inside now. The boot is huge for a polo too, I can fit my road bike in the back easy. Cup holders are rubbish. Arm rest is tiny but does the job. The steering wheel is very nice, big fan of VW steering wheels.

Handling: Car seems to stick to the road. I'll admit this is my first hot hatch, having previously owned a Polo Blue GT (and various other warm hatches), but the GTI knocks this out of the park. You can properly chuck the car into corners and it just sticks. I will be taking the car to a track before the years out so would be good to test it's limits off public roads. The ride is a bit harsh when in sport mode, but then our British roads are notoriously bad.

Other: LED lights perform very well and look great. Rear reversing camera is a must in my eyes makes reverse parking easy. Keyless entry is nice to have, never had it before but saves me faffing about finding my key.

Minor issues: The inserts where the internal door handles are make a very annoying rattle sound. It comes and goes and can only be heard when doing low speeds but it is really annoying. A quick prod of the said area makes the sound go away but then it will come back after time. The windscreen wipers vibrate every time i use them. The vibration is reducing with time, maybe this is because they need to bed in, but it's also very annoying as it leaves streaks on the windscreen when using the screen wash. Last thing I've found rather annoying is when using the manual gear selector in sport mode the car will still change gears for you. I've always had manual cars and this is my first DSG, i miss the control of a manual.

Regrets: Wish i'd specced climate control but then can't have it all!

Overall I love the car! Really happy with my purchase and cannot wait to add more miles onto it! For those that are waiting, it's worth it!

DSC_0267.jpg
Great write-up there.

Spinning in 2nd on full throttle - most likely due to the Turanza tyres. Haven't driven on them before, but I can't see them being any better than the Potenza which have been the cause of rampant tramping and very poor wet grip for 3 Golfs that have been delivered on either S001 or RE050A variants. Dunlop/Goodyear/Pirelli/Continental/Michelin probably won't have this issue.

Wiper.judder issues - my last 3 VWs gave had poor wiper from the factory - Valeo, when changed for Bosch Aerotwin the perfornance has improved immensely. I was unfortunate enough to need a new windscreen a week into ownership of my MK7 Golf GTD and Autoglass guy said that it hadn't been decontaminated properly at the factory, and it's something VW just doni't do, whicb may affect wiper petformance.

I wouldn't worry about overdoing it at run-in unless racing s cold engine, the 620mile/1000km step-up in power is evidence that VW won't let you abuse a new or cold engine through software settings.you will find also that power is down until you hit an oil temp of 60C. Personal experience with 8 new VAG cars says babying it or running in on motorway miles will give high fuel and oil consumption.

Inserts rattling - shouldn't happen but not a huge shock that VW has an insert rattling in its housing as it's not in tight enough.

Manual selection of DSG being ignored by the car under msny circumstances is the main reason I don't really like DSG. Unless your manual selection or lack of corrective action would see you take engine speed beuond 6500 revs, it should do as you select and not override your wishes. Why does it default back to D after so long when you're in manual mode?

Your mpg doesn't surprise me considering how long your commute is - my "40mpg" Golf R easily does 35mpg in the current heatwave on my 20 mike each way journey, would be only 28mpg for 10 miles - and I don't spare the horses when getting to my desired cruising speed.
Alan Mc
New
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu May 24, 2018 5:08 pm
Drives: 2018 polo GTI+ Limestone grey
Location: Suffolk

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by Alan Mc »

joeknight94 wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 2:46 pm Mine won’t move, having that same fault, my car thinks the brake pedal isn’t engaged so won’t start, lost drive in reverse so sat here waiting for recovery.... [emoji17]


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There must be a fault somewhere both our cars have the same problems by the sounds of it. My car will start but wouldn’t move and again the recovery guy comes and finds nothing wrong with it. I am waiting on vw to contact me to book the car in to be looked at. Recovery guy said it looks like there is a problem with the selector in the gearbox.
johnpolo2
Gold Member
Posts: 502
Joined: Fri May 12, 2017 6:41 am
Drives: Polo GTI 2022
Location: Stratford upon Avon

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by johnpolo2 »

Not good reading these problems. Hope they're not rushing out a load of lemons.
After going through hell with my 2010 GTI and having new engines under warranty. My 2015 has been very well behaved, never a problem.
Not going through that again and won't hesitate to cancel the order.

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Leif
Silver Member
Posts: 498
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:21 pm
Drives: SE 95 PS
Location: East Hampshire

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by Leif »

Two cars here with serious faults, and mine - a standard 95 SE - has had two serious faults, one of which could have led to a multi car crash (loss of wipers in torrential rain), emergency braking going off for no reason and lots of niggles with the infotainment system, it makes me wonder if this car has serious QC issues. Mine is going in for the second time to be looked at. Is this normal for a new model? My Up, one of the first in the U.K., was virtually faultless, though the rear brakes seized just before I sold it, took ages to release them.
SRGTD
Bling Bling Diamond Member
Posts: 3508
Joined: Sun Oct 11, 2015 9:40 pm
Drives: 2020 AW Polo GTI+, Pure White.
Location: UK

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by SRGTD »

It does make you wonder whether the new Polo was signed off by VW for production before it was production ready, or whether VW have reduced the amount testing they carry out on new models as a cost cutting measure. I wonder how many instances there’s been of faults overall; we only get to hear of those experienced by forum members who will represent a small proportion of the total new Polo ownership.

This is one of the reasons I don’t buy a newly released model. Admittedly, it’s nice to have one of the first of a new model, but I’d rather wait a couple of years for ‘teething’ problems to have manifested themselves and to (hopefully) have been sorted buy the time I’m ready to buy.

Like johnpolo2, my previous generation 2016 Polo GTI has pretty much been faultless, utterly reliable and has never let me down, and after 28 months of ownership, is free of any creaks and rattles and still feels factory fresh. I’ll be keeping my Spanish built, reliable Polo for a couple more years.
joeknight94
New
Posts: 39
Joined: Sat Feb 24, 2018 3:49 pm
Drives: Polo GTI+ DSG
Location: Burton On Trent

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by joeknight94 »

Problem found: Gearbox plug had worked itself loose...plugged back in, reset fault code and away we go! Quick fix! The plug is located under the airbox just for reference [emoji106]


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roywolfey
Silver Member
Posts: 307
Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 1:06 pm
Drives: 2018 Polo GTI +
Location: Berkshire

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by roywolfey »

joeknight94 wrote: Mon Jul 02, 2018 2:16 pm Problem found: Gearbox plug had worked itself loose...plugged back in, reset fault code and away we go! Quick fix! The plug is located under the airbox just for reference [emoji106]


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Glad it got sorted and it was an easy fix Joe. All these reports of gremlins are making me feel nervous. 😬
Alan Mc
New
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu May 24, 2018 5:08 pm
Drives: 2018 polo GTI+ Limestone grey
Location: Suffolk

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by Alan Mc »

joeknight94 wrote: Mon Jul 02, 2018 2:16 pm Problem found: Gearbox plug had worked itself loose...plugged back in, reset fault code and away we go! Quick fix! The plug is located under the airbox just for reference [emoji106]


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Glad your problem is sorted. Mine is not so easy. Think I need a new gear selector. Booked into VW for the 16th July for 2 days to be looked at. So have to put up with an intermittent fault till then.
mike sel
Silver Member
Posts: 482
Joined: Sat Feb 10, 2018 11:16 am
Drives: SEL
Location: Dorset

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by mike sel »

Ok mines an SEL 116 DSG so not a GTI, but I have had no issues with my car at all. ive just done 700 miles and it starts every time, everything works on it and there are no rattles or bumps.

I did have an issue with the rear camera getting stuck out but that was self inflicted by trying to open the boot while the camera was deployed. Don't do it, it does not work the camera will just stick and you wont be able to get in the boot. The fix was calling VW assist out and they removed the camera put it back in then it reset itself. Works like a charm now. All my fault though.

I am a bit less than happy with the tyres I wish VW offered extra costs for your choice of tyres, I would have chosen Michelin Cross climate +. As it is I got Falkens ????WHY.

One other thing it rained for the first time yesterday and the wipers were jumping across the wind screen, I think the fix is decontaminating the windscreen, so that's my plan at the weekend, I have some detailing clay etc so I am going to give it a go.

All in all a fantastic car. Neck to neck its doing an actual 45MPG (made no effort to save fuel and longest trip was 20 miles). looking forward to seeing what I get on the 225 mile drive to my son in Nottingham.

So have confidence mine is a well built car that works as advertised yours will be too.
MattB911
New
Posts: 20
Joined: Wed May 30, 2018 6:30 pm
Drives: GTI
Location: Sheffield

Re: GTI and GTI plus owners experiences

Post by MattB911 »

To those who have got their Polo's can I ask if the GTI logo is on the key fob like the Golf GTI?
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