I think if I was in your position, I’d consider the following;
- size of car; what size of car do I really need? Do I regularly carry 2+ passengers? Is luggage capacity a deal breaker?
- warranty? How important is having a a new car with a full three year factory warranty?
- performance and handling; is good performance and handling a priority?
- immediate availability and spec of car; A new factory build Polo GTI to your spec would take around 6-7 months from time of order to taking delivery. However, my dealer told me last week that VW aren’t currently taking new factory orders for the Polo GTI/GTI+, so choice would be limited to in-stock cars.
With the mk7.5 GTE, I’ve read that in real world driving, getting a 30 mile range on pure electric power is probably a little optimistic and 20 miles is more realistic. In cold weather, this is likely to drop to around a 15 mile range. IMO a 20 mile electric range combined with a 1.4 litre engine (I think that’s what the petrol power plant is), seems like a bit of a compromise, and if performance is a priority to you, then the GTE is unlikely to be the best option. Also, handling is unlikely to be as sharp as either of the GTI’s on your shortlist.
Golf GTI; at three years old, you won’t have the benefit of the factory warranty. Items such as tyres may be replacing, and with the GTI having diamond cut wheels, on a three year old VW these may well be showing signs of white worm corrosion. On the plus side, I’m not aware of any significant mechanical or electrical issues with the mk7 / mk7.5 Golf GTI and the standard spec is good, so if the car you’ve found is a well cared for example with good service history, it might be worth going for. The Golf interior quality will be a little better than the Polo, but not by a significant margin (Golf door cards are better). Ensure the brake fluid change has been carried out (first change is due at three years old). Also, the DSG needs servicing at 40k miles.
Polo GTI; I’d always go for the ‘Plus’ version over the standard GTI as the equipment levels are much better. However, as advised above, I don’t think you can place a factory order currently, and VW’s website is showing that new cars are available from stock only. The majority of used examples seem to have the Velvet Red trim inserts rather than the Deep Iron alternative, so if the Deep Iron dash pads are a dealbreaker, your choice of available nearly new cars will be more restricted. Spec wise; there’s not a massive difference between the mk7.5 GTI Golf and the Polo GTI+. The Polo doesn’t have Nav as standard, and it has manual air con as standard rather than dual zone climate control. The Polo does get two stage adaptive dampers as standard (Normal or Sport settings), whereas the version available on the Golf GTI was an extra cost option.
In terms of size; Polo compared to Golf; there’s not really that much in it between the two, although if you regularly carry adults in the back on longer journeys, the Golf might be a better option. The Golf GTI will have better luggage capacity (380 litres, seats up) compared to the Polo GTI which is either 305 or 308 litres (can’t remember which) and in the Polo GTI you loose the flexible boot floor (no lower position) of other Polo models, as the car’s battery is located under the boot floor. In terms of world performance of the Polo GTI; I’d say it isn’t far short of the 227 bhp Golf GTI.
For me, I’d discount the Golf GTE as I feel it’s a bit of a compromise. That leaves the two GTI options, and as @MrTomOates has said, it’d be worth test driving each. For me, the deciding factor would be whether I needed a Golf sized car or would be happy with the slightly smaller Polo. In fact, I did go through this thought process this year and bought a Polo GTI+.
