Buying advice

[TrebleTA]

Hi all.
So I own a 2016 polo GTI and im looking to upgrade to a newer 2022 model, is there anything I should keep a eye for when looking around .
Mine is manual and from what i know there only DSG auto, anything there look out for too?

Thank in advance

[SRGTD]

A bit of a brain dump below, so apologies for the very long post.

I don’t have a facelift version of the current Polo GTI but I also came from a 2016 6C Polo GTI 6 speed manual to my current car which is a pre-facelift 2020 Polo GTI+ that I’ve owned from new since September 2020.

IMHO the build quality of my current South African built car isn’t as good as my 2016 Spanish built car it replaced; shut lines and panel gaps are less uniform than on the 2016 car where they were all tight and uniform. Also, there more hard plastic trim on the interior of my current car (the facelift car uses the same hard plastic trim). I also find the seats less comfortable, even though they look as if they’d be more comfortable than those in the 6C GTI (I’ve read of mk7 / mk7.5 Golf GTI owners on other forums who’ve also had issues finding a comfortable seating position; the seats in the Golf look to be the same / very similar design to those in the current Polo GTI).

Positives of my current car over the 2016 car;

• really like DSG; mine’s the 6 speed DQ250 (facelift gets the 7 speed DQ381). It did take a little while to get used to it, but I don’t think I’d go back to a manual now.

• the interior is more spacious than the 2016 and there’s more boot space; overall, the car is pretty much the same size as the mk4 Golf I owned 2002 - 2007.

• it’s extremely economical for a performance hatch; I recently did a couple of long-ish journeys (200+ miles and 120 miles) and got around 47 mpg without even trying. The facelift car with its 7 speed DSG would probably be even more economical.

• driver profile selection - I like the ‘Individual’ mode so you can configure the settings to your own preference (there’s also the three pre-set modes too). In my 2016 GTI, I had the optional Sports Performance Pack and the only option was to either switch it on or off.

• I like the digital instrument display (Active Info Display) even though I was unsure about it initially, as I’ve always thought the VW produce very good analogue instrumentation but IMHO the AID is very good clear and concise.

• it’s been utterly reliable and everything’s worked as it should which is very important to me (see below re. potential software issues with the facelift car).

If you find a car with 18” alloys, be aware that the tyres (215/40 R18) are expensive when they need replacing. Premium brand tyres are likely to be around £160 or more (depending on brand) per tyre.

As for the facelift GTI; hopefully there’ll be a few forum members who have one that’ll add their comments to this discussion thread. The current / facelift Polo uses the same generation software as the mk8 Golf which isn’t without its problems. I suspect it’s not exactly the same as the Golf’s software as they’ve been fewer issues reported on this forum compared to the issues reported on some of the Golf forums, although this forum isn’t as active as the Golf forums.

With the Golf, there’s been numerous reports of some owners experiencing multiple false error warnings that VW have been struggling to fix since the mk8 Golf was launched around four years ago. VW official fixes have ranged from software updates, replacement modules and replacement steering wheels. Performance Golfs and pre-2024 model year Polo GTI’s have haptic touch pads on the steering wheel, and the sensors in the steering wheel have been attributed to being the cause of some of the false error warnings. However, VW’s steering wheel fix hasn’t always worked and there are some performance Golf owners on Golf forums on their second or third new steering wheel. That’s not too much of an issue if VW are footing the bill under warranty. However, the current cost of a replacement steering wheel is around £1,400 - £1,500 if a new one is required once the warranty has expired. For the 2024 model year car, VW have reverted back to conventional buttons on the steering wheel (I think the forthcoming facelift of the mk8 Golf is also getting steering wheels with conventional buttons).

Would I buy a facelift Polo GTI? Sadly, no I wouldn’t. With the roads being so congested these days and my low annual mileage (around 4.5k miles a year) IMHO it’s becoming increasingly difficult to use a GTI to its full potential. Additionally;

• I don’t think the current (facelift) car offers significantly more than my pre-facelift car (that’s just my opinion though), and mine isn’t afflicted with the potential software issues of some current VW models

• Also, be aware that insurance companies currently seem to be caning hot hatch owners making the cost of insurance potentially very expensive, so it might be worth getting an insurance quote for a facelift Polo GTI in advance of buying one to avoid the shock of the likely high premium. My insurance renewal is next month and I’m not looking forward to getting my renewal notice!

[MikeDO]

Hi ... I've got a face-lift Polo GTI and would tend to agree with most of the comments from SRGTD.

On the whole I would say that I like the car.

Though unluckily in my case, it's not been fault free. I had to have a replacement steering wheel (like a number of folks). Though this issue seems to effect a number of models across the VAG range of cars that use this steering wheel. Luckily in my case, the replacement steering wheel seems to have sorted the problem. Hopefully it wont come back.

I also had to have a replacement steering rack (uncommon problem from what I can gather) to sort out a steering creak. This also looks to have sorted the problem.

I've also had some annoying (rather than serious) issues with the Infotainment system. Though as long as you steer clear of the optional upgrade to the Infotainment system and stick with the stock one, the issues are not a real problem. And for now, my system (after a number of over the air updates) looks to have settled down.

And I'm yet to find "anyone" who likes the Haptic controls on the steering wheel. Though you sort of get used to them.

Having said all the above ... you can have problems and issues with any new brand/car. Just luck of the draw. That's what a warranty is for.
On the whole, I like the Polo GTi and would at the moment consider another when my PCP comes to an end.

As to insurance, SRGTD's advice about getting a quote first, is sound advice.
Though the insurance on any car has ballooned over the last 18 months. Just you try getting an insurance quote on an electric car at the moment, they seem effected worse than anything.

Premium tyres across the board are not cheap (what ever the size). The Polo GTi does not seem that heavy on tyres in my experience (and I have a heavy right foot), so I would not let that put you off.

All told, I would consider the Polo GTI a good compromise between a serious performance hatch and a good daily driver.
I came from a Hyundai I30N (2 Focus ST's before this) and found the Polo GTi a decent car. I think the car is much underrated really. So that says something in my opinion.
Not a serious hard core motor but much better as a daily driver on today's poor third world roads.

Have fun whatever you decide.

[Mike222]

I have a facelift polo GTi , had it since last June . It replaced a 2019 GTi + which I enjoyed for nearly 4 years . Apart from the rear brake pad modification ( to stop the mooing noise when reversing! ) it was faultless while in warranty. Annoyingly the water pump developed a leak 2 days after the warranty expired ( 12000 miles ) watch out for this, it’s apparently a known fault on this engine. My dealer at the time would not entertain any goodwill contribution towards repair !! Cost me £600 .
So ! Surprise surprise The face lift car was bought from another dealer! This car seems more refined than its predecessor, probably the 7 speed DSG and more sound deadening under the bonnet ! This one has 18 inch wheels as opposed to 17 on the previous car . The ride is not really any different to be honest, tyre noise is more than I would prefer , the roads locally don’t help with this . The controls on the steering wheel have not been a problem at all . The IQ headlights are very clever but not faultless, especially when weather is cold and misty. Not a big deal!
Overall the newer car is “nicer” and perhaps a little more economical. Goes well . Stops well . Buy one !

[lancslad1985]

I had two facelift GTIs and I had a GTI plus before that. The first facelift went after two months because the infotainment system wouldn’t let me log in to use it at full potential and had constant crashes. It went into the garage and VW acknowledged this was a “common problem” across all their cars within a few days of them having it. I owned the car for two months but only really drove it for about three weeks as it was in the garage the rest of the time.

The replacement GTI I can agree with others. The facelift was more refined than my gti plus, doors didn’t feel as hollow, soft touch plastics returned in places, the ride was quieter than my plus and it didn’t develop any rattles in my time with it. It was a lovely car. Ultimately though I had the issues SRGTD highlighted - with the roads in the state they are these days the ride became unbearable at times (and I was on 17” wheels) and unless I went out at 5am Sunday morning there was no way to use it to its full potential as the roads are too busy. I even took it to the highlands for a holiday hoping for a blast and it’s full of average speed cameras….. I also had to frequently reboot the infotainment system for one crash or another, despite over the air updates.

I love VW hot hatches but I wouldn’t have another now sadly. There’s just nowhere to really use them and our roads are getting worse which means it’s easy to damage your wheels or suspension. The haptic buttons never bothered me like some people but I found they do get warm and leaning to press a touchscreen was never the safest set-up in my opinion. Having gone back to a car with physical buttons and a dial system rather than a touchscreen I also have gone off VWs set-up.

[TrebleTA]

Thanks all will keep all that in mind, tyres well Same as what I got on the one I own.
With the auto I was told some time ago that the shocks go from soft to hard if put in to sport mode?
Manual never had that.
Insurance wise well last year my insurance went up 200 from 350 to 550 for the year for no reason. So expecting this years to be the same if not less.

[SRGTD]

Thanks all will keep all that in mind, tyres well Same as what I got on the one I own.
With the auto I was told some time ago that the shocks go from soft to hard if put in to sport mode?
Manual never had that.
Insurance wise well last year my insurance went up 200 from 350 to 550 for the year for no reason. So expecting this years to be the same if not less.

The current AW / BZ model Polo GTI has DCC (Adaptive / Dynamic Chassis Control) so yes, the shock absorbers do adapt depending on the drive mode selected. The ride firmness isn’t determined by whether the car’s transmission is manual or DSG; it’ll be determined by the drive mode selected. My previous generation 2016 6C Polo GTI had manual transmission and the car had the optional sports performance pack; the shock absorbers firmed up when Sports mode was selected.

Insurance premiums may increase irrespective of whether or not you’ve been unlucky enough to have made a claim. We all contribute towards the costs of claims made by the small minority of policyholders (insurance is based on the principle that the losses of the few are paid for by the [premium] contributions of all policyholders). There are also other factors that might mean your premium could increase rather than stay the same or decrease, irrespective of whether or not you’ve made a claim - there will no doubt be other factors in addition to those I’ve listed below;

• injury claims (i.e. injuries to passengers in a policyholder’s car, occupants of other cars or to members of the public sustained in an accident caused by the negligent actions of that policyholder). Such injury claims are the most costly type(s) of claim. It’s not unusual for compensation for some injury claims to be a 6 or 7 figure sum and insurance companies will factor a loading into everyone’s premium to cover those costs.

• much of the tech in modern cars is located at the front of the car, so is vulnerable to damage in the event of a front end collision. That tech can be very expensive to replace.

• costs associated with vehicle repairs (labour costs, energy costs, paint and vehicle parts costs) will have all increased in the past couple of years due to high inflation and supply chain issues.

• increases in the cost of insurance companies own overheads such as employee salaries, building repairs, maintenance, rents etc.; we will all contribute towards these increasing costs.

• Insurance companies need to deliver a profit to keep their shareholders happy! If an insurance company’s car insurance portfolio is loss making or delivers insufficient profit, then they’ll increase premium rates to improve account performance and deliver the required level of profit.

So don’t be surprised if your premium increases again this year. I’m expecting mine to increase (my premium also increased last year - by around 15%) and I’ve not made a claim for over 20 years.

[lancslad1985]

Yes the ride gets firmer in sport mode to the point that I set the settings in individual mode as sport bar the ride and exhaust noise. The fake speaker noise was annoying in sport mode.

[SRGTD]

Yes the ride gets firmer in sport mode to the point that I set the settings in individual mode as sport bar the ride and exhaust noise. The fake speaker noise was annoying in sport mode.

The ‘sport’ suspension setting is far too firm for me too. I also dislike the soundaktor’s fake engine noise, so I have it set to ‘Eco’ in the Indiviual driving profile (the only thing that I set to ‘Eco’). These are my default settings;

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[TrebleTA]

Thanks all for the replys, so at mo I'm looking at a 2021-22 special edition Gti +. Not sure what it means by special edition?

[SRGTD]

Thanks all for the replys, so at mo I'm looking at a 2021-22 special edition Gti +. Not sure what it means by special edition?

Maybe referring to it as a special edition car is a purely a marketing / sales tactic to sell the car. There was a recent discussion on the Golf GTI forum on the ‘launch edition’ mk7 Golf GTI where late date (2016 and later) pre-facelift cars were sold as launch edition GTI’s. The mk7 GTI was launched around 2013, so a 2016 (or later) car is hardly a launch edition .

I’m not aware of there ever having been a special edition pre-facelift Polo GTI+. Maybe it was a run out pre-facelift GTI+. I seem to remember the last of the pre-facelift GTI’s had the 7 speed DSG and the small engine bhp uplift of the current facelift car. It wasn’t marketed / sold as a special edition though.

[TrebleTA]

I had a look on vw's site about special edition, just got info about the newer ones yet, it seems to have all but it says on vw, but pree facelift, so kind of lost now. I think it's just saying its a GTI+