UK-POLOS.NET - THE VW Polo Forum

(Sorry text editor issues, pics all over the place). So I dropped my 2021 Mk8 Golf into the dealers for attention to sticking AutoHold (fixed) and was loaned a 2022 Polo. Won't post pages as you will all know about the car but I'll give my impressions / comparison for interest.

Overall I liked it, I did say at the time of changing cars, that if the Golf didn't exist it would be an easy choice, get me a Polo no issues. But I prefer Golfs, they are more quieter, comforatable & better IMO and at the time of changing cars on PCP there was literally a few pounds difference, I DO mean just a few pounds.

Likes: the car overall it IS only slightly smaller thana Golf, The front facia / dashbaord panel is much neater with the centres screen blended into the front facia / dashboard panel (not seemingly 'screwed on afterwards' like the Golfs !), good to drive (mostly) abit easier to park & maouver in / out of my garage, like the 'older school' touch screen, buttons for air-con, parking etc in lower console, STILL like the defo old school chunky light swtich - I just do. In other words, speaking as I find here, a lot like Mk7.5 a Golf, though no doubt next-gen polo will be more Golf8-like.

Dislike, well just the one I'll come to, but more niggles really: less interior storage in centre console area, only one small 'side cubby' in boot (I find the two larger ones in a Golf very useful for wedging-in delicate items with carrier bags or keeping bottles upright), bit smaller boot itself but it's livable with, mirrors a tad small to what I'm used to, would pefer mirror puddle lites though these are possibly an option, I'd prefer a 6-speed gearbox and surprisingly (though prehaps not) the economy of mid-50s was very similar to what I acheive in my Golf on the same 7miles journey.

My one real gripe and is really model-related was the lack of power. My Mk8 Golf despite being bigger & heavier, admittedly 1.5 150PS 6 Sp manual, would literally leave it for dead on tourque alone, no real surprise and I rarely, hardly ever use all the power & am waaaay beyond the 'burn up the road' stage in my driving career. But 80PS in normal every day driving just isn't enough, I found I was revving the engine to 4000-4500 just to accelerate with traffic on a 50MPH A-road. OK I'm used to almost twice the horsepower available, though I do rarely used all of it, and more tourque + the Polo was only showing 470-odd miles. The Life model is prob intended for mostly urban commuting with maybe the odd out of town trip, and when the engine is run-in and a bit looser, performance will improve but IMO 80PS simply isn't enough, I imagine the 95PS model would be much better and therefore more pleasant to drive.

I speak as I find and though I don't post much I do look in every day, I know posters will be interested in what a 'non Polo-type' thinks of the car and like I said, overall I liked it. As I mentioned both 13 months ago at car change time, and now, if the Golf didn't exist I could 'go with' a Polo no probs, it is what it is, a slighly smaller & cheaper Golf adn good car, very good almost. The Polo will no doubt catch up in all areas even more in the future, but needs just little bit more power, that's all.....

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts @stevereeves. It makes me smile when the Polo is mentioned on some Golf forums and it’s pretty much dismissed out of hand by some Golf owners as being small and low rent. Maybe they should try the GTI version before writing it off.

I think the dashboard and controls in the Polo are a reasonably good workable mix of touch screen and conventional controls and I agree, the Polo’s dashboard is a more cohesive design with its integrated infotainment screen, compared to the Golf’s with its ‘stuck on as an afterthought’ iPad style screen. The Polo also gets illuminated heating controls, rather than the ‘fumble in the dark’ slider panel that the Golf gets below the infotainment screen.

Will the next generation Polo follow the Golf in terms of interior design? The article below which is primarily about the possible demise of the Golf and the current mk8 being the last, it suggests towards then end of the article that the current generation of the Polo might also be the last Polo. IMHO that’s not really a great surprise; with car manufacturers focusing most of their efforts on EV’s - and presumably directing most of their development budget into EV’s too - developing all new ICE vehicles with a limited lifespan before the ICE ban and against a backdrop of increasingly harsh emissions regulations, the case for new ICE models probably doesn’t stack up financially.

https://www.motor1.com/news/602151/vw-golf-9-in-doubt/

Interesting times ahead for the motor industry and car buyers…….

Great review Steve. Demo cars are often the cheapest models - hence the base engine I suppose. But you are right - it is underpowered. I have the Life model 95PS/DSG version and can confirm it is powerful enough. I have added a screenshot showing the fuel consumption after a relatively high speed trip from Kendal back home to Fife. To get in excess of 60 mpg exceeded my expectations. So my experience so far is that the Polo with the 95PS engine is a good choice. It is a comfortable, refined car on the motorway especially with the Adaptive Cruise/Traffic Assist in use.

Well I come from an area of the country where folk 'speak as they find', while I'm not originally from these parts I go along with such attiude. Forgot to add: dash display pics, looks a bit different (?) though I didn't bother to play around with it. Another issue was the fuel miles to go' stuck on 45m, eevn though I put about 6 litres of fuel in, and it kept reducing til it was down to 25 on returning the car. Dunno?....