UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

https://www.cars.co.za/motoring-news/20 ... -kw/95423/

The updated Volkswagen Polo range which was revealed earlier in 2021 has gained its performance flagship. This is the 2021 Volkswagen Polo GTI and it features extensive changes inside and out, including a number of firsts for the range.

Not a fan of the white strip at the bottom of the rear grille. And I still can't unsee the clown looking steering wheel.

S_94 wrote: Wed Jun 30, 2021 11:01 am Not a fan of the white strip at the bottom of the rear grille. And I still can't unsee the clown looking steering wheel.

Yes, that clown face . Ever since it was first pointed out on the mk8 performance Golfs, I’ve not been unable to unsee it either. I like the rear lights and the IQ LED Matrix headlights are a nice upgrade. It’s good VW haven’t hit the Polo with the ugly stick and made it look like a mini mk8 Golf and have opted for just adding some Golf styling cues - light bar in the grille, same large honeycomb design lower front grille as the Golf GTI, two piece rear light clusters that cut into the tailgate. As predicted, there’s a new design of alloy (at least in 18” size) - looks OK if you like diamond cut wheels. I wonder if the standard 17” alloys will be the same as the standard Richmond alloys on the Golf GTI? IMO, that five arm ‘swastika’ design doesn’t look good;

Standard mk8 Golf GTI alloys;


I see the clown face steering wheel gets Haptic touch pads (same as the performance models of the Golf) - presumably a move driven by cost cutting (cheaper to manufacture than having separate buttons?) Maybe it’s just the lighting in the picture, but it looks as if the red dash pads are glossy now rather than a satin finish.

Overall, it’s probably what we’d expect of a mid life facelift from VW. As said in an earlier post, I won’t be changing mine for the facelift version, although I might have considered it if I didn’t already have the pre-facelift version.

Edit; just seen that the facelift GTI’s seats have got the Golf’s style of tartan cloth - I prefer the traditional tartan in mine . I’ve also read (I think it was Autocar) that the standard 17” alloys will be the based on a design used on the Golf GTI (so presumably a 17” version of the Golf GTI’s standard 18” wheels?), although VW’s website makes reference to the existing 17” Parker’s.

The Polo is getting Travel Assist - quite a few owners on Golf forums have reported that the mk8 Golf intermittently gets confused with speed limit signs - interpreting mph for kph, so if a 50 mph sign is detected, the car interprets this as 50 kph and slows the car down to 31 mph! The Golf’s software also sometimes confuses RHD / driving on the left and LHD / driving on the right, braking and slowing UK cars down when they’re overtaking slower moving vehicles because the car ‘thinks’ it’s a LHD car that normally drives on the right, so it interprets the the UK overtaking manoeuvre as undertaking! Early Polos might have these issues, until VW get the software issues sorted.

I’m with you SRGTD, I don’t like the new tartan. Much prefer mine. I don’t mind the changes to the outside but the inside looks barely different on the surface. Didn’t like the haptic buttons in the golf and much prefer my Gti’s buttons.

If I didn’t already have one I’d consider it. But I love mine even if it’s base spec plus model. For me to change into the new one when the time comes, there would have to be extra kit as standard such as sat nav and climate. Otherwise I may just keep mine long term as my mileage is down round 11k a year now.

Yeah I'm in no rush to replace mine just yet. Agree that white strip around the defuser looks meh although I do like the sterring wheel cover, but not the clown shape, and the 18" rims dont look half bad either. Who know what will happen in a year as I may change my mind although I have been eyeing out the T-ROC R line. Will hae to wait and see I guess.

S_94 wrote: Wed Jun 30, 2021 11:01 am And I still can't unsee the clown looking steering wheel.

Not sure I would have noticed that, but you’re right.

Here is a website I frequent and they have recently added new high res images of the facelift GTI. Looking at the steering wheel it seems to have the same haptic "buttons" as the Golf Mk8:
https://www.netcarshow.com/volkswagen/2 ... per_07.htm
and
https://www.netcarshow.com/volkswagen/2 ... per_0a.htm

The red dash insert has also changed from anodized matt to a brighter gloss but still prefer the dark iron metallic look.

SRGTD wrote: Wed Jun 30, 2021 11:31 am
I see the clown face steering wheel gets Haptic touch pads (same as the performance models of the Golf) - presumably a move driven by cost cutting (cheaper to manufacture than having separate buttons?)

The Polo is getting Travel Assist - quite a few owners on Golf forums have reported that the mk8 Golf intermittently gets confused with speed limit signs - interpreting mph for kph, so if a 50 mph sign is detected, the car interprets this as 50 kph and slows the car down to 31 mph! The Golf’s software also sometimes confuses RHD / driving on the left and LHD / driving on the right, braking and slowing UK cars down when they’re overtaking slower moving vehicles because the car ‘thinks’ it’s a LHD car that normally drives on the right, so it interprets the the UK overtaking manoeuvre as undertaking! Early Polos might have these issues, until VW get the software issues sorted.

I've got all this tech on the ID3. We get the clown face steering wheel, except the small instrumentation screen has no dials, so no clown eyes. The haptic buttons are absolutely fine, there's like a vibrational feedback click when they're pressed so you know the press was recognised.

Those travel assist foibles you describe are rarely attributed to mph being interpreted as kmph. Instead, the camera's are picking up speed limit signs up on a sliproad adjacent to the main road you're still on e.g. driving along the motorway at 70mph and the sliproad off that you didn't take has a 40mph sign on it halfway up. The camera picks up that if you're in ACC mode and tries to slow you to 40, unless you blip the throttle to override just as it starts to slow the car.

I find lane assist most intrusive (activated around 40mph). If you're driving along a road littered with cars parking on or just off the kerb, the car wants you to be smack in the middle of the lane, regardless of the car taking up 4 - 6 feet of the width on the LHS. The lane assist twitches the steering wheel towards the parked car for correction. You can switch it off, but like the Polo for switching off stop-atart, it's back every ignition cycle.

The assist systems are here to stay, having them is the only way to get NCAP 5*.ratings. Another safeguard for idiots using their phones on the road and not paying attention rather being a genuinely useful driving aid. No-one paying attention while driving should need tge car to keep the lane for them.

monkeyhanger wrote: Sat Jul 03, 2021 2:08 pm The assist systems are here to stay, having them is the only way to get NCAP 5*.ratings. Another safeguard for idiots using their phones on the road and not paying attention rather being a genuinely useful driving aid. No-one paying attention while driving should need tge car to keep the lane for them.

Totally agree. I dare say the timing of introducing many of these nannying aids is make us familiar with them in readiness for driverless cars.

As for idiot drivers using their phones - don’t get me started on that one! Even though it’s been illegal for around 10 years to use a hand held phone while driving, I still see a minority of drivers doing it, and that makes me really angry.

Must say I'm quite liking the look of the facelift, though you've got me seeing the clown face now, which I'd never noticed before.

Don't go a bundle on the touchscreen controls for HVAC, though in fairness I normally set the climate to "auto" and my preferred temperature when I first get a car and never touch it again, so it's not a deal breaker!

I would love one of these with a manual box though, and have seen the rumours resurface in several of the media announcements - has anyone seen anything definite?

Wetherfell wrote: Wed Jul 07, 2021 11:29 am Must say I'm quite liking the look of the facelift, though you've got me seeing the clown face now, which I'd never noticed before.

Don't go a bundle on the touchscreen controls for HVAC, though in fairness I normally set the climate to "auto" and my preferred temperature when I first get a car and never touch it again, so it's not a deal breaker!

I would love one of these with a manual box though, and have seen the rumours resurface in several of the media announcements - has anyone seen anything definite?

Will all facelift Polo GTI have touchscreen HVAC controls? All the pictures of the pre-launch cars show the touchscreen for HVAC, but that’s the way with VW - their official pictures of the facelift Polo will be of fully loaded cars with virtually every conceivable extra cost option. If the standard offering on the Polo GTI is manual air con rather than dual zone climate control (it was on the pre-facelift model), then there’s a possibility the basic air con might still have conventional controls.

I think it’s unlikely the facelift GTI will make an appearance with a manual gearbox. VW did sell the pre-facelift GTI with a manual gearbox in some overseas markets for a short period, but I think it was only for a short period and as far as I’m aware it was only available with a DSG gearbox after that.

In official test conditions, VW’s with DSG transmission generally have better emissions results than than an equivalent car with a manual gearbox and for VW. that will be a key factor. VW will already be facing significant emissions based fines as they’ll exceed the 2021 EU CO2 emissions targets with their current fleet of vehicles, so it wouldn’t make financial sense for them to offer a Polo GTI with manual gearbox with higher ‘official’ emissions than the DSG version. Also, VW are able to charge more for a car with DSG transmission so if the facelift GTI is as popular as the pre-facelift version of the car, VW will have no problem selling them as DSG only, and the higher cost DSG = extra profit for VW.

Found a video on You Tube with some high res footage and extreme close ups for those keen to see:
https://youtu.be/9K_EgO0PGs8

Interesting the VW deleted the USB socket lighting in the centre console when it was introduced recently in the current model.

I understood that the GTi would have a single exhaust each side, like the Golf GTi