Buying a Match 95 auto questions

[JohnF]

I am considering trading in my 2018 Polo for a new similar spec car (Match 95psi) but with the auto DSG gearbox

Three questions:-

Q1 The online brochure (dated 1st May 21) fails to clarify which extra features I may get if I get this car. For example, it seems that cruise control is standard on the spec list (page31) but NOT standard in the Match description (page 9) The choices are somany it's difficult to have confidence about what I would actually get. I phoned the dealer to query this and was told they would email me a Match specific brochure (still to arrive) This brochure does not seem to be downloadable. My problem is that I am looking at is "brand new" but is discounted, and built last year and is registered 2020. So although it is a Match model, I have suspicions that the basic spec may have altered since, but how do I know?

Q2 What are peoples views on the DSG gearbox? Is it reliable? Does it cost more to service? What's it like on the road?

Q3 Does anyone have the central armrest fitted? It has 4 usb ports I believe - where are they situated?

I wold welcome advice on the above, particularly Q1 as my head is started to ache on this one!

[SRGTD]

Cruise control is shown as standard on the Match model on page 9 in the 01/05/2021 brochure; under ‘Driver Assistance’ - listed as ‘Cruise control with speed limiter (not beats, SEL or R-Line)’. It’s also shown as part of standard equipment on the Match on page 31.



In the Feb 2020 brochure, cruise control was an option on the Match model, so it was possibly included as part of the Match’s standard spec for model year 2021 cars - your dealer would need to confirm this to you.

If the car you are considering buying is a new pre-registered car built and registered in 2020, then it might be either a 2020 or 2021 model year car - it depends on when in 2020 it was built. Historically, VW used to start building the next year’s model year vehicles from build week 22. That would mean that production of model year 2021 cars would be from around the beginning of June 2020.

I’m assuming the car you are considering is a car that the dealer you are in contact with ordered for their dealership stock. If so, then they should be able to tell you the build date of the car and which options the car was built with. I think they should also be able to provide you with a data sheet of the car, which lists details of that specific car’s equipment.

DSG - some love it, some don’t so you really need to drive a 95 ps Polo with DSG to decide if it’s for you.

The central armrest in my 2020 model year GTI+ has two USB ports for rear seat passengers. If the Match you are considering doesn’t have a front centre armrest and you will be retro fitting one, be aware that any additional USB ports in the armrest may not be functional if the wiring to connect them isn’t pre-installed in the car (I suspect it won’t be).

[JohnF]

Good info thanks. I was wrong re the cruise control, and I see why I need to clarify with the dealer.

Another question concerns the cost of this car from the various JCT600 garages in my area. For example at the York branch my car, wheter 2020 or 21 are all the same price at £18340 (all 9 of them) yet the same spec (I think) from the Sheffield branch is only £17,300. The brief explanation of "highlights" for the 2 cars does not really explain the big difference in price.

Could it be that the dealers have not really appreciated the effect on the added optional extras on the price? For example one "highlight" is "DAB radio" Well we know they all have that!

Doesn't make much sense to me at the moment

[monkeyhanger]

Buy from Sheffield! Regional price variations are no new thing. York is more affluent than Sheffield. They can charge more in York, so they do.

[SRGTD]

Assuming the Sheffield branch is also part of the same JCT600 dealer network, it’s possible that the lower priced Polo Match may have been in stock longer than the equivalent vehicles at the York branch, and so it might be priced to sell.

Have you considered buying new through a broker such as Drive the Deal (DtD)? Below is their price for a brand new Polo 95ps Match (no options and the free colour) which represents a worthwhile saving on the price of the pre-registered example you’re considering. Price includes VW’s current £1,500 PCP finance deposit contribution. The downside of buying through DtD is you’d be buying a factory order, so would have to wait for the car to be built, unless the VW dealer that DtD would put you in contact with already have ordered a car for their stock that hasn’t been built yet where they could change the spec of to suit your requirements. Alternatively, you could use the DtD price as a bargaining tool to negotiate a similar price on a new car with your local dealer - I did this when I bought my Polo GTI+ last year.

VW’s APR on PCP finance for a brand new unregistered car will be lower than on a pre-reg car too; currently new cars 4.6%, used / pre-reg 8.9%

Link to Drive the Deal website below, so you can price up a car to your spec to see how it compares to the pre-registered car you’re considering;

https://www.drivethedeal.com/

DtD price for Polo Match 95ps DSG with no options;

[Andy Beats]

My central armrest doesn't have any USB ports.
DSG, you need a good long test drive to see if you like it.
I first had it in an Audi A3 in 2005, I had no choice in the matter as if you wanted S-line spec you had to take DSG as well.
I hated it then but went for it again in 2020 thinking it was bound to have improved in 15 years and I had mellowed.
Nope, still hate the jerky mess of a gearbox that it is.

[German_Fartbox]

Only DSG I have ever had is in my current GTI which I got in September last year. Initially I thought it was great but as time goes on you start to notice things. In my opinion it is jerky when the car is driven at a slow pace which is odd, I am pretty sure the gear shift is tied to the throttle pressure. So if you're only pressing slightly and accelerating gradually then the gear change takes maybe 1/4 - 1/2 of a second which you feel as it lurches slightly. If you’re flooring it or accelerating quickly then it seems to shift quicker. This is also exaggerated depending on what mode the car is in – this may not be relevant to the Match model but if sport drive setting is on it shifts ‘better’.

When you’re going up hill its better to just put the car in manual as it will try its dam hardest to put you in 4th gear to then just throw you back into 3rd and you end up in this back and forth. The DSG is 100% tuned for economy as it will lug the engine at every opportunity it gets. You will be in 4th as soon as mechanically possible if the DSG gets its own way. Also, the kick down into 2nd is like being in the car with a learner driver at times. I had a 95 2018 Polo in manual before and I felt like that engine needed revving a bit higher to basically do anything so having a DSG in there when its going to lug to death seems like a bad move, but I could be wrong. Others which have the DSG in the same engine will know better of course.

Overall, I am happy with the DSG and if you want to drive quick then it will shift great and if you floor it out of a junction it will shift you through the gears at a good pace. I drive in manual 90% of the time mostly because I get bored, but it also gets rid of some of the minor issues I have.

[Andy Beats]

In my opinion it is jerky when the car is driven at a slow pace which is odd,

You're not wrong there, creep mode is the worst by far.
I was in a queue at a McDonalds the other day (don't judge me) and it was really, really bad.
The queue would move, I'd take my foot off the brake and there would be a noticeable delay of at least a second or so, followed by a very uncomfortable lurch forward (no throttle applied at all).
Our youngest actually went "stop it Dad", thinking I was joking or doing something wrong.
Thank god I don't encounter queuing traffic on my daily commute.

[S_94]

In my opinion it is jerky when the car is driven at a slow pace which is odd,

You're not wrong there, creep mode is the worst by far.
I was in a queue at a McDonalds the other day (don't judge me) and it was really, really bad.
The queue would move, I'd take my foot off the brake and there would be a noticeable delay of at least a second or so, followed by a very uncomfortable lurch forward (no throttle applied at all).
Our youngest actually went "stop it Dad", thinking I was joking or doing something wrong.
Thank god I don't encounter queuing traffic on my daily commute.

That's really odd. I agree the DSG can be jerky at low speeds but never had that sort of extreme you're describing.

Slowly releasing my foot off the brake in traffic my car has never lurched forward.

[SRGTD]

In my opinion it is jerky when the car is driven at a slow pace which is odd,

You're not wrong there, creep mode is the worst by far.
I was in a queue at a McDonalds the other day (don't judge me) and it was really, really bad.
The queue would move, I'd take my foot off the brake and there would be a noticeable delay of at least a second or so, followed by a very uncomfortable lurch forward (no throttle applied at all).
Our youngest actually went "stop it Dad", thinking I was joking or doing something wrong.
Thank god I don't encounter queuing traffic on my daily commute.

That's really odd. I agree the DSG can be jerky at low speeds but never had that sort of extreme you're describing.

Slowly releasing my foot off the brake in traffic my car has never lurched forward.

Me neither.

I’m actually beginning to prefer DSG to manual - admittedly, increasingly frequent acute back-related problems and not having to deal with clutch work are major factors in my preference for DSG over manual at present.

DSG isn’t perfect - it never will be as it’s a non seeing, non thinking computer controlled mechanical device that can’t anticipate the driving and road conditions, so it won’t behave like a competent driver using a manual gearbox, but I find it does what I want it to do most of the time.

[Andy Beats]

That's really odd. I agree the DSG can be jerky at low speeds but never had that sort of extreme you're describing.
Slowly releasing my foot off the brake in traffic my car has never lurched forward.

I'll have to get it seen to.
There's a definite and noticable time delay when you release the brake and then it goes into gear and jerks forward.
Creep should be smooth, not jerky.
It's started taking its time selecting a forward gear after I reverse out of my drive in the morning as well.
A couple of times lately I've applied throttle expecting it to be in gear, but the cars just revs as if it's in neutral.

[Leif]

You’ve just missed the best time to get a discount which is March and September as dealers want to max their sales for the half year to get the VW bonus. I quoted online broker prices to local dealers, and one price matched and had loads of cars to choose from. Other dealers in the same group were less keen. I was told to take out the VW payment plan, with the included discount, then cancel it ASAP. By law they can’t reclaim the discount. Some people consider this unethical, but VW is a big organisation, they know what they are doing.

[monkeyhanger]

You’ve just missed the best time to get a discount which is March and September as dealers want to max their sales for the half year to get the VW bonus. I quoted online broker prices to local dealers, and one price matched and had loads of cars to choose from. Other dealers in the same group were less keen. I was told to take out the VW payment plan, with the included discount, then cancel it ASAP. By law they can’t reclaim the discount. Some people consider this unethical, but VW is a big organisation, they know what they are doing.

I have literally just done the above with our new ID3. Picked it up Saturday and called up VWFS Monday to withdraw from the agreement and pocket the deposit contribution. Just awaiting my settlement paperwork through the post to pay off the car. I placed my order for a built car on 29th March (before a price rise that saw the same car's RRP rise by £1050 for orders placed from 1st April). I got to around £450 under the DTD price.

[S_94]

That's really odd. I agree the DSG can be jerky at low speeds but never had that sort of extreme you're describing.
Slowly releasing my foot off the brake in traffic my car has never lurched forward.

I'll have to get it seen to.
There's a definite and noticable time delay when you release the brake and then it goes into gear and jerks forward.
Creep should be smooth, not jerky.
It's started taking its time selecting a forward gear after I reverse out of my drive in the morning as well.
A couple of times lately I've applied throttle expecting it to be in gear, but the cars just revs as if it's in neutral.

Yeah something does sound right there. Would definitely get it looked at. Then again trying to get VW to solve any sort of mechanical issue seems to be a nightmare.

[German_Fartbox]

That's really odd. I agree the DSG can be jerky at low speeds but never had that sort of extreme you're describing.
Slowly releasing my foot off the brake in traffic my car has never lurched forward.

I'll have to get it seen to.
There's a definite and noticable time delay when you release the brake and then it goes into gear and jerks forward.
Creep should be smooth, not jerky.
It's started taking its time selecting a forward gear after I reverse out of my drive in the morning as well.
A couple of times lately I've applied throttle expecting it to be in gear, but the cars just revs as if it's in neutral.

Literally everytime I reverse in mine, takes ages to change into first. I guessed that was just the norm.