115ps 1.0L Review / Discussion

[KIV237]

Hi all,

I currently own a Polo R Line Sporting the 115PS engine option.

I just wanted to make this topic and see how everyone else fairs with this engine.

From my personal expirence it seriously feels like a warm hatch, it picks up speed joining the dual carriageway without any issues, I can cruise in 6th gear doing just over 2000revs and if I want to overtake it’s a breeze just dropping to fifth (or even if I’m feeling more torquey fourth) I can’t imagine needing a bigger engine.

I also enjoy the cold start whilst waiting for it warm
Up in the cold mornings, it has a lovely purr, sometimes I just don’t realise it’s a 3 cylinder.

Perhaps I am shaped in my opinion as my previous car was a 60ps VW UP that had no turbo or guts in the engine.
How does everyone else fair with their 115PS or even the 95?

Regards,

KIV237

[MilgeS]

I love mine too, also 115bhp, only grumble would be my learners struggle to get the car going at roundabouts if we have to go quickly, gearing is high as well documented on here, but they soon get the hang of it. Hope you continue to enjoy your car

[Andy Beats]

I'm going to be upgrading my 95bhp to 115bhp as soon as I can get around to buying the tuning box.
The 95bhp is too weak for my liking.
Or, to be more accurate, the gearing VW have lumbered the 95bhp engine with makes it feel weak.
It really struggles against the gearing.
I had to do a hill start on a carpark ramp on Saturday, the smell of burning clutch was unreal.

[Pololass]

Glad it’s not just me that’s found that Andy! Love it when the turbo kicks in but I turn off the main road onto a side road with a slight incline in 2nd on my way to work and the car crawls to almost a stop. My husband thinks the clutch is slipping hence the burning smell and has booked it in to the garage but the mechanic he spoke to said they’d take it for a test drive and, if it seemed ok to them, then that would be it. It makes me very wary about ‘nipping out at a roundabout’ in 2nd but if I stop to drop into 1st I get the inevitable blare of horns.

[Andy Beats]

Glad it’s not just me that’s found that Andy! Love it when the turbo kicks in but I turn off the main road onto a side road with a slight incline in 2nd on my way to work and the car crawls to almost a stop. My husband thinks the clutch is slipping hence the burning smell and has booked it in to the garage but the mechanic he spoke to said they’d take it for a test drive and, if it seemed ok to them, then that would be it. It makes me very wary about ‘nipping out at a roundabout’ in 2nd but if I stop to drop into 1st I get the inevitable blare of horns.

I find I use first more than any other manual car I've owned, simply because first is actually more like second in any other car.
I'm not overly worried about the clutch, I don't do a lot of hill starts.
If I did, I don't think it would last long.
No car's clutch will last long if they lumber it with a first gear that is more like a second gear....

[Leif]

I also went from a 60 PS VW Up, but to a 95 PS Polo, it’s a massive upgrade, much smoother to drive, much more powerful, not that I use the extra power much. I’ve never had issues on inclines, and yes it is high geared.

[Andy Beats]

I’ve never had issues on inclines,

I'd have said the same, prior to Saturday.
Some idiot being unable to park quickly meant I had to stop on quite a steep ramp though, a lot steeper than any road I normally encounter.
The engine doesn't even have the torque to spin the wheels, like other cars might.
So the clutch takes all the brunt and it doesn't cope well.

[Matt88]

I have the 95 R line (probably fairly rare judging by this forum). Agree with everyone about the high gearing but I am used to it now. Personally I’ve had no issues with clutch either pulling away on flats or inclined althoug I think that has more to do with my history of renting lots of cars and therefore i’m used to learning new cars frequently.

Power wise I find the 95 has all the power I need. Just have to drop a gear to overtake and it does the job without much concern. I had been tempted by DSGs but glad I didn’t bother with such a small car as they all seem to be jerky at low speed and the stop/start sounds a nightmare.

In terms of the spec of the R Line I found it was more suited to my needs then the SEL. I use google maps and don’t mind manual air conditioning. I really wanted the folding mirrors and I preferred the additional styling trinkets of the R Line.

[Chungster]

Down graded from a manual 2.0 TDI 150 ps car to a 115ps Polo SEL DSG.

Missing 100 lb ft of torque [emoji22] but it’s a lighter car and picks up speed surprisingly well as long as you’ve got it in Sport mode.

Normal Drive mode setting means it changes gear way too early (2k revs every time) so you’re in 7th by 30mph lol. But I’m slowly getting used to this now.

It’s a great cruiser on the motorway though - this is a must if you want to average anywhere the official MPG figures.

Almost went for a Beats 95ps version but the rear drum brakes put me off. Wife liked the stripe however!!

Filling up with BP Ultimate 97 now which seems to have helped the mpg a bit.

Can’t believe how quiet the engine is either - almost like an EV. Our other car is totally ASBO on start up in comparison.





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[Leif]

I’ve never had issues on inclines,

I'd have said the same, prior to Saturday.
Some idiot being unable to park quickly meant I had to stop on quite a steep ramp though, a lot steeper than any road I normally encounter.
The engine doesn't even have the torque to spin the wheels, like other cars might.
So the clutch takes all the brunt and it doesn't cope well.

The local Waitrose has a very steep ramp between ground and level one, and I have no issues at all stopping and starting again. Admittedly I hate stopping on that ramp, as it does require care and attention for obvious reasons.

[yorkshirepud]

Agree with the high gearing posts, previous motor was a Fabia 110 bhp would set off from a start in 2nd no problems with the Polo I need 1st every time.
Also quite dissatisfied with mpg only getting approx 35 mpg, done over 1000miles now but mainly local may improve on motorway. Otherwise the r line is a brilliant car.

[david.stark]

I’m happy with the 95 SE and for my driving routine it’s got plenty of power to cope. I’m glad I went for DSG over manual as I don’t encounter the issues mentioned above. The stupid stop/start is easily solved by switching it off until I encounter a situation where I know I’m going to be stationary for a while.

[monkeyhanger]

Filling up with BP Ultimate 97 now which seems to have helped the mpg a bit.



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I wouldn't waste your money buying higher octane fuel - Your car can't take advantage of it and isn't set up for it.

Higher octane fuel isn't appreciably.more calorific than regular RON95 (it's a common misconception that it is), but the additives such as Toluene, Ethanol, MMT and TMB reduce the volatility of the fuel, allowing it to be compressed further without self igniting (pinking).

If your engine isn't set up to run on higher octane, it won't compress it further on advanced timing. Your 1.0TSI does not run on a higher compression ratio to take advantage of higher octane (97-99) fuels, the Polo and Golf GTI 2.0TSI units don't either - the Golf R/Seat Leon Cupra/Audi S3 are optimised for high octane fuels.

If you run on higher Octane fuels you won't do any damage, but you are literally chucking money away and might actually see lower mpg as a result - lower volatility fuel ignited by a spark in a low compression ratio engine may not combust fully - that may be a problem for cars with a GPF - that GPF will be loaded for longer if your engine is chucking out I'm completely burned fuel as more soot than is expected. Loaded particulate filters increase back pressure and lower mpg.

If you think you're seeing a.modest increase on mpg then it's probably running in gains, a change in your commute (less traffic on the roads in the weeks leading up to Christmas has seen my mpg go up over the last 3 weeks) or the placebo affect because you think that RON97 fuel is more calorific (Ethanol is about 10% less calorific than petrol, and is a common RON enhancer).

[Leif]

Filling up with BP Ultimate 97 now which seems to have helped the mpg a bit.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wouldn't waste your money buying higher octane fuel - Your car can't take advantage of it and isn't set up for it.

Higher octane fuel isn't appreciably.more calorific than regular RON95 (it's a common misconception that it is), but the additives such as Toluene, Ethanol, MMT and TMB reduce the volatility of the fuel, allowing it to be compressed further without self igniting (pinking).

If your engine isn't set up to run on higher octane, it won't compress it further on advanced timing. Your 1.0TSI does not run on a higher compression ratio to take advantage of higher octane (97-99) fuels, the Polo and Golf GTI 2.0TSI units don't either - the Golf R/Seat Leon Cupra/Audi S3 are optimised for high octane fuels.

If you run on higher Octane fuels you won't do any damage, but you are literally chucking money away and might actually see lower mpg as a result - lower volatility fuel ignited by a spark in a low compression ratio engine may not combust fully - that may be a problem for cars with a GPF - that GPF will be loaded for longer if your engine is chucking out I'm completely burned fuel as more soot than is expected. Loaded particulate filters increase back pressure and lower mpg.

If you think you're seeing a.modest increase on mpg then it's probably running in gains, a change in your commute (less traffic on the roads in the weeks leading up to Christmas has seen my mpg go up over the last 3 weeks) or the placebo affect because you think that RON97 fuel is more calorific (Ethanol is about 10% less calorific than petrol, and is a common RON enhancer).

I won’t argue with most of the above, you clearly know more than me, but the super fuels, whatever brand name they use, do have more detergents in them. Ordinary fuel has enough detergents to keep the engine clean, the super fuels have enough to clean the engine. This only applies to Shell, BP etc and not supermarket fuels, one reason to avoid the latter. Occasional use of the super fuels may be worthwhile, but obviously not most of the time.

[brainbow]

I have the 115 R Line and I’m very happy.

Love the trim.....the rear LED’s and the R Line internal styling.
I think the 115 engine is nice and nippy. I would describe as a warm hatch and is good on all roads.

I have the Limestone Grey which I love.

Only upgrade I had was Climate Control otherwise perfect cross for me of sporty trim and performance without the GTI costs to run