UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

So I have been on this forum for about 9 months or so but still haven’t made my mind up as to buying a polo gti, if I do then preferred version is gti+.

But lately I have been swaying towards a used mk7.5 Golf in either the GTE or the GTi

I currently have a 68 plate Seat Leon Fr on 18” Bridgestone tyres so I already have a firmish ride so used to that one.

But wondered what are people’s thoughts between the cars. I have identified.

Obviously the polo is a current model, is standard 6 speed dsg with is either a good or bad thing depending on your point of view, but it maybe too small for me and even in the Gti format is a little understated, and I’m not sure on the interior (deep iron inserts only for me), obviously I have read up on the Mooing brakes and rear bearing problems as well as some creaking interiors, so I have been thinking of a used Golf.

The Gte again is DSG has the benefit of being PHEV so good for a supposed 30 miles on electric only but the flip side is weight over 300kg heavier than a golf gti and has a smaller boot than the polo at only 272 litres. Plus being used am I walking into a very technologically advanced car with everything hinged on the big battery that can deteriorate with age and could cost thousands to replace.

Or do I go for the tried and trusted golf gti, the one I have found is manual 227bhp as coming from 128bhp in the Leon that would be fine (don’t need the extra 15 bhp) but is almost 3 years old but has pretty much the minimum of what I’d expect LEDs, digital dash, Nav, ACC and climate.
Boot also the biggest of the 3 and maybe is the most prestigious off the 3.

Thoughts and opinions please.

Thanks

I think you honestly need to test drive each car with similar to the spec you'd want in each car.
You never know until you actually are sitting in the car.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I went to pick up my POLO GTI+. The amount of videos and photos I looked at before taking delivery of my car and not one photo did the car enough justice until I actually saw it in real-life. I was well and truly made up!

I think once you've seen each car in real-life; that's when you really know which car you want and see yourself in.

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+.

Forget about battery life and replacement worries.
I've been an EV owner, I intend to be one again and I follow the tech avidly.
Battery life simply isn't an issue, there are still 10YO Leafs running around on their original packs with only small loss of capacity.
Barring some sort of unforseen failure, which can never be ruled out, the battery pack should last a long long time.
Even in the unlikely event of complete battery failure, the car would still be usable as an ICE car.

if you are looking to save money on day-to-day running costs then go with the GTE, but there is the battery issue like you mentioned. I have a friend who worked for a battery manufacturing company and he said they should really be replaced every 4 years which isnt cheap.

If youre going for the Polo then get the GTI+, as the 'standard' level on the GTI is terrible spec for the money.

If i was you I would go for the Golf GTI, I know a few folk with them and they love them. And if its 3 year old then youve missed the big depreciation values at the start as well. Although you are getting into MOT range where repairs and such might start cropping up, but there is also the modified parts arena which is pretty vast for the Golf if you are into that sort of thing

Plend wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 11:58 am if you are looking to save money on day-to-day running costs then go with the GTE, but there is the battery issue like you mentioned. I have a friend who worked for a battery manufacturing company and he said they should really be replaced every 4 years which isnt cheap.

This just isn't reflected in electric car forums at all, not even remotely.
Battery life in electric cars has amazed everyone and surpassed expectations massively, to the extent that Nissan dropped the battery rental scheme.
There was no need for the peace of mind the rental scheme gave owners, so Nissan 'bought back' all the rental batteries from owners and dealers and just sell the car with the batteries included like any other car.
FYI I'm still in touch with the owner of the 2015 Leaf I had for a year, it's still showing 96% battery health using Leafspy (which is practically as good as new, you never get 100%).

Andy Beats wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 12:25 pm

Plend wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 11:58 am if you are looking to save money on day-to-day running costs then go with the GTE, but there is the battery issue like you mentioned. I have a friend who worked for a battery manufacturing company and he said they should really be replaced every 4 years which isnt cheap.

This just isn't reflected in electric car forums at all, not even remotely.
Battery life in electric cars has amazed everyone and surpassed expectations massively, to the extent that Nissan dropped the battery rental scheme.
There was no need for the peace of mind the rental scheme gave owners, so Nissan 'bought back' all the rental batteries from owners and dealers and just sell the car with the batteries included like any other car.
FYI I'm still in touch with the owner of the 2015 Leaf I had for a year, it's still showing 96% battery health using Leafspy (which is practically as good as new, you never get 100%).

Can only give information on what I've been told from my friend in the manufacturing side (who also owns two electric cars himself).
I suppose it may be like the normal maintenance parts, you dont necessarily have to replace things when they hit a specific mileage/age, they may very well be fine for a long time after that but it is what the manufacturer recommended.

Plend wrote: Tue Sep 22, 2020 11:14 am Can only give information on what I've been told from my friend in the manufacturing side (who also owns two electric cars himself).
I suppose it may be like the normal maintenance parts, you dont necessarily have to replace things when they hit a specific mileage/age, they may very well be fine for a long time after that but it is what the manufacturer recommended.

No offence, but I'll go with the plethora of information I've seen on a massive EV forum over the years.
Barring some sort of failure, which would be covered by any EV warranty after only 4 years, they're lasting a lot longer than that.
I'd be interested to hear what these 2 x electric cars he owns and if he's replaced the battery pack after 4 years on those?
I'm actually wondering if he means the 12V batteries rather than the drive batteries.
Yes, electric cars still use 12V batteries to 'start' them and power some stuff, and they are notorious for needing replaced every few years.
Drive batteries, no-one is replacing them after four years - no one at all.

Andy Beats wrote: Tue Sep 22, 2020 11:46 am

Plend wrote: Tue Sep 22, 2020 11:14 am Can only give information on what I've been told from my friend in the manufacturing side (who also owns two electric cars himself).
I suppose it may be like the normal maintenance parts, you dont necessarily have to replace things when they hit a specific mileage/age, they may very well be fine for a long time after that but it is what the manufacturer recommended.

No offence, but I'll go with the plethora of information I've seen on a massive EV forum over the years.
Barring some sort of failure, which would be covered by any EV warranty after only 4 years, they're lasting a lot longer than that.
I'd be interested to hear what these 2 x electric cars he owns and if he's replaced the battery pack after 4 years on those?
I'm actually wondering if he means the 12V batteries rather than the drive batteries.
Yes, electric cars still use 12V batteries to 'start' them and power some stuff, and they are notorious for needing replaced every few years.
Drive batteries, no-one is replacing them after four years - no one at all.

Yes the 12V batteries in EV's have a hard life as there job is to switch the contacts on and off and I can't tell you the amount of times i've tried to get into an EV car at work and the 12V battery has caused issues.

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies, managed to get out last weekend and test drove (almost back to back) a Polo GTi, a Golf GTE and a Golf GTi to try them all.

And put pen to paper on the Golf GTi, for me it just suited my requirements the best of the 3, it’s also a manual which although I did like the Dsg it the other 2 was my personal preference.

But I will say the polo did impress me, it was quick! But did it with pretty good comfort too, but ultimately it was too small for what we needed so the the golf won.

I know we should all be going greener blah, blah... and no doubt an all electric will probably be my next car (but no for a few years) it’s nice to be back in a GTi after over 20 years away... the GTE has its merits but the GTi just felt like a proper hot hatch

But again thanks for all your input and happy motoring
Cheers.