Polo GTi Handling

[Stoney!]

Hey all,

I went up to my local Vee Dub Dealer yesterday to test drive the new Polo GTi (dealer lets me have a thrash in the new stuff that comes out cause i got my golf there lol) This is in no way a review but just a few thoughts of mine before I walked out the door.

I love the 1.4 twincharger engine I got in my golf so thought something quicker with it should be awesome. Theres no doubt the engine suits the size of the car very well. It gets off the line with minimal fuss under full pedal, wheels spins a little then just rockets off. I noticed unlike other DSG's I've driven this actually revs a little before it 'engages the clutch', instead of engaging then taking off like i clearly remember my friends 103tdi doing. I found this frustrating in the 103tdi so I was happy with this.

The exhaust note is lovely and even the engine sounds meatier. Sometimes when you dump the throttle quickly whilst cruising the supercharger will cut in straight away so you will hear it whine loudly as the dsg it matching the revs for the gear its about to change down too, sounded great. The turbo was nice and loud and manual mode with earlier full throttle shifts got a nice change note from the exhaust also.

Interior was surprisingly good quality though the stereo was very average, still great for a car of this class though. Was unimpressed to note cruise control didn't show the set speed on bottom left hand corner like golf does with the same dash.

At the end of the day its a great sounding well finished good looking rocket that I was very close to surprising my dealer and actually buying one of the cars I test drove lol. Until I took it through a few corners.

I was horrified, it felt like some cheap korean car someone had hotted up. It pushed out hard through corners and had bucket loads of body roll, noticed badly on steering direction change where my 118tsi (sports pack) would normally be hanging on well with tyre noise but sitting relatively flat. With each full throttle gear change also brought a shimmy from the steering wheel, Now I haven't driven a DSG 118tsi so I dunno if they do it to, but it just didn't feel right. Couple of times it did it through a corner or when i was waving through parked cars in narrow back streets and it scared the living **** outta me.

After all that I got back into my golf, with no torque steer, feeling rather lethargic but handles just nicely, no polo GTi for me :(

Stoney!

[Hooti3]

I don't know what Polo GTI you were driving but I didn't get any of what you mentioned on my test drive.

Interesting.

[Kane-St-Kane]

I didn't experience the handling you described either.

The Polo GTI handled damn fine for me.... Much better than anything else I'd driven in the last 6 months except a 911 Carerra S.

[pologti18t]

I don't know what Polo GTI you were driving but I didn't get any of what you mentioned on my test drive.

Interesting.

Doesn't remind me of my test drive either. Though the new GTI seems a tad more skittish over bumps than the old model. I put that down to the firmer suspension and the firmer sidewalled tyres.

When it comes down to it though the old Polo GTI (which I have) was a bit soggy in the handling department.

[Frostee]

[QUOTE=Kane-St-Kane;596967]I didn't experience the handling you described either.

QUOTE]

Ditto

[poloboy]

I'm not sure if you drove the same car! I was actually very surprised by just how good the Polo GTI handled, I found it better than a Mk 5 Golf GTI

[Hooti3]

Not to sound rude, I'm sure something like the "body roll" you are describing would have been picked up by at least one reviewer who tested the car. I haven't read one review nor have I experienced what you're describing.

Maybe something wrong with the car.

[Stoney!]

Well it certainly doesn't seem to match the handling of the sportspack suspension on the comfortline golf. Although I didn't have much of a drive so may not have been on the roads, it seemed less skittish than my golf.

It took a lot to make it lean it wasn't straight away, but when it did it was a lot. When you get out and stand next to it you can rock it like a boat, hence why direction change roll is quite noticeable.

Stoney!

[break]

At this stage, I'm convinced this has been a problem with you simply not having any idea how how to handle a taunt car on uneven roads, as opposed to a car incapable of handling.

I'm sorry... but if you're claiming the sportspack is better then either the car you drove is terribly broken, or you're a fool.

[Stoney!]

Well done on shooting your mouth off (as everyone on this entire forums seems to be good at) When you know very little about me. I'm terribly sorry I have upset you over a car, but I was simply posting my observations after having a good half hour test drive in one. And I standby my comment that it doesn't handle as well and at the same time still doesn't ride as well as the Comfortline golf with sports pack (lower suspension and 17" alloys)

It certainly goes a lot harder but then the golf has its torque steer down pat and it doesn't. Sounds amazing, I was almost sold on that alone. Go have a test drive, and actually DRIVE IT! don't just go through a few back streets and floor it off the mark at a few sets of lights.

Stoney!

[cameronp]

I dunno Stoney, I have a 118TSI with the sports pack and the handling is good, but definitely not worthy of a GTI badge. I'd say that compared to my old Focus XR5, the ride comfort is about the same, the cornering flatness and grip is almost as good, but the subjective "please throw me into that bend really fast" factor is missing. (I'm not sure what exactly what it is in engineering terms - probably more to do with the steering than the suspension.) There's also a fair bit of torque steer in second gear with the APR tune.

Having said that, I haven't actually driven a Polo GTI. But I do recall that the reviews have conflicting opinions on whether its handling is any good.

[PeterHBne]

It will be interesting to drive the new GTI. I don't expect the handling to be that much better than the current (which I have) - I have never been a fan of the GTI handling.........still nothing that cant be fixed with a couple of grand. I just cant get my head around not having a real manual. Like having a girlfriend that doesn't, ahhh, well.......you know. And a brief look at the thread shows a GTI with on roads seems to be up around $35K :eek: I paid $26990 on road in 07. I'd be buying a good current GTI and spend a few grand on a chip, decent pads and suspension.

[noone]

Thanks for your write up Stoney. Can't comment, but does add an interesting insight from a Golf driver.

Does not matter if it was your opinion or something wrong with that one, it's good to have more test drive reviews.

Couldn't be any worse than the last Polo GTI, didn't like cambered corners or coming over a crest and cornering... Sways and coilovers fixed that.

[triode12]

I too wasn't wow'd by the new Pog but for a different reason to Stoney. I thought it handled pretty decently when I drove it.

I'll be giving it another chance this weekend to do so and have scheduled a followup test drive with it.

At this stage, I still think the older Pog with upgraded suspension is still a better buy over the new one if you want to a fun car to drive.

[triode12]

Geez...vw salesguys don't last long in the job, do they? The guy that called me to ask me to come back for another test drive has left. I just spoke with him on tuesday this week and he left the next day!

I'll have to try another dealer now.

[DeanoTDI]

I agree with Stoney too Break, didn't take it through to many curves though, but the one curve I did try it on, it didnt feel anywhere near as sure footed as my 103TDI sportspack does on the same corner! Would be good to try it through some harder roads, even the brakes didn't feel to have much tweaking in them compared to my Golf. But it FLIES off the mark!

I haven't driven a Golf GTI, but really do need to lol. Hard to come across a demo.

[Ralfi]

To those not happy with the handling;

Is it worse than the current GTI? (Because i'm not experienced/educated/aggressive enough to say if the current model GTI is bad at handling corners - I fly around them - this is stock, no mods).

[pologti18t]

To those not happy with the handling;

Is it worse than the current GTI? (Because i'm not experienced/educated/aggressive enough to say if the current model GTI is bad at handling corners - I fly around them - this is stock, no mods).

It feels better than the old GTI (which I have). But I rate my Polo GTI has one of the worst handling cars I have owned. I am not saying its rubbish, but it doesn't compare to the N14 Pulsar, Peugeot 306 GTi6 or Astra SRI (with Konis and rear bar) I have owned.

[Ralfi]

It feels better than the old GTI (which I have). But I rate my Polo GTI has one of the worst handling cars I have owned. I am not saying its rubbish, but it doesn't compare to the N14 Pulsar, Peugeot 306 GTi6 or Astra SRI (with Konis and rear bar) I have owned.

Thanks, pologti. Does your current model have any mods?

[pologti18t]

Thanks, pologti. Does your current model have any mods?

No mods... well its Apr'd :)