View Full Version : 77TSI DSG v Fiesta Zetec WT DSG
funtastic
09-04-2011, 03:31 PM
Hi guys,
Looking at a buying a small car and have narrowed my list down to the above. In the specs I want its ~28k for the polo (sports pack/audio) and 23.5k for the Fiesta (WA prices).
The polo is my favourite of the 2 but I am trying to justify the extra 4.5k. Basically I am after some biased opinions from polo owners to sway me over :)
I am not really a mechanically minded person when it comes to cars so would appreciate any advice on what the extra 4.5k is getting me in terms of extra features safety or other.
pologti18t
09-04-2011, 04:23 PM
4.5K is a significant difference. 20% more than the Fiesta in fact.
The other point is that you will probably have to wait for a Polo (for months?) but you maybe able to pick up a Fiesta fairly soon.
The polo will be more refined, better finished and the engine will be gustier midrange. The fiesta has (from all reports) a better ride/handling balance and to my eyes looks more stylish (and a wider choice for colour).
Does the Fiesta run on regular ULP? What are the servicing costs for the Fiesta? I would assume cheaper than the Polo.
funtastic
09-04-2011, 05:13 PM
[QUOTE=pologti18t;647666]4.5K is a significant difference. 20% more than the Fiesta in fact.
I don't mind waiting a few months...have been borrowing an old bomb since someone rear ended me in Oct :) No aircon through summer in Perth was murder though!
Have driven the polo...feels really good and nice and zippy. Have not yet driven the zetec. Plan to do so this week if i can find a demo WT zetec.
From what I have read the Fiesta only requires regular ULP but people seem to say it runs much better on premium. Also many people have reported horrible after sale service from Ford which worries me a bit.
QIK-R
09-04-2011, 05:27 PM
hi funtastic.
any car runs better on premium, but i run my fiesta demo on e10 all the time and theres no problems.
the fiesta zetec is a nice car to drive, havent driven the golf but i would imagine a nice drive nonetheless. this is not a biased opinion because i am a ford salesperson. i do like the fiesta, but i have only driven the fiesta, the polo may just be a bit better.
also, are you prepared to wait months for a polo when you can probably get into a fiesta relatively soon?
FJ Steve
09-04-2011, 05:36 PM
the wait for the Polo will be worth it.
12 months after owning the Fleaesta you will have wished you had have waited. We test drove the Fiesta when deciding between Polo/Mazda2/Yaris/Fiesta/i30/Tida/Lancer/Corolla/Jazz. It simply didn't rate (for us).
So so happy with "MARCCO". Awesome fuel economy, big car feel and solid construction which was simply not found in the other test cars.
Would do it all again (6 month wait)
soulighter
09-04-2011, 05:48 PM
I was in similar situation a few months ago. I test drove both cars and apart from both being small hatch, there's little similarities.
Engines: Fiesta has more power, but Polo has more torque. Fiesta has more sense of urgency and a bit more responsive in 1st n 2nd gears, whereas Polo is a bit slow to get off the mark with DSG (which is very smooth but everyone has their opinions on this), but it's very smooth and there's always more in reserve when you need it. To me, Polo is very sophisticated with plenty of oomph whereas Fiesta feels more grunty. To me, Fiesta is louder as well. Winner: Polo.
Interior: Polo is very simple but sophisticated, you can feel the quality looking at the soft touch plastics on the dashboard vs hard plastics of Fiesta. The instrument panel of Polo is very classy with brushed chrome and white backlit display. However, the central console of Fiesta is very "modern" looking, with lots of bells and whistle vs the simple and functional of Polo. Fiesta definitely has more extras e.g. bluetooth (I'm in NZ so may be different in WA). The interior cannot be more different, it's simple sophistication vs bells n whistles. Winner: Polo (for me).
Exterior: Polo now looks like a little Golf and this latest incarnation is a little "boxy" and has more sines and sharp corners; it takes a bit to get used to, you will either like it or hate it. Fiesta on the other hand looks more modern and space-age. To me this is may be the only area where Fiesta has a slight edge over Polo, but personally I like the Polo- the more you look at it, the more it will grow on you, whereas Fiesta will catch your eye but then novelty wears out after a while. Winner: Fiesta (for me, it's Polo but I'm biased)
Space and comfort: Both being a small hatch you are never gona have too much space, but Polo surprising has more room then you think just looking from the outside. It's been a while I'm in the Fiesta so I can't remember what it felt like inside. Polo definitely has better seats vs hard cushion of Fiesta. Winner: Polo
Economy: I'm still running my Polo in and fuel economy it's about 550km for 40L if i'm doing 90% city get around, and 630Km if I do a bit more motorway run. Don't own a fiesta so not sure.
Maintenance: Polo is my first European car and I'm slowly come to realise that it's probably gona be more high maintenance. But then again so if Ford, despite the fact that I keep thinking it's Japanese because it looks and feels like one, not that there's any wrong with that. Winner: Tie.
Value: Fiesta is probably better bang for buck, but Polo I imagine will have better resale value.
Overall winner: Polo TSI.
Just my 2c worth. I'm biased, I bought the Polo and never regretted; I still enjoy driving it everyday 4 months down the line.
If you haven't done so already, go test drive both- you will know which one you like. Look at it this way, for the sake of 4.5k, you don't want to live with regrets everyday for the next few years.
Sword_Dude
09-04-2011, 06:38 PM
I looked at the Polo, Swift, Fiesta and 3 about 6 months ago, test drove them all.
The Swift has no storage space, just too small.
The 3 was too ummmm girly.
The Fiesta was too "Klingon", I don't think it will hold value and I didn't like the fact the back seats don't fold flat.
The Polo was the most solid, ticked all my boxes, safety, economy, price maintenance, size and too boot was fun to drive.
By all means test drive the Ford but I think that the interior will date really quickly, it is fun to drive though!
triode12
09-04-2011, 09:47 PM
I have test driven both cars. The Polo is better all all points esp interior. The Fiesta's interior is cheap and nasty (and in the demo I tried, a part of it was already loose). Plus it has plastic headers in the engine. nasty.
The Polo's steering was a bit light compared to the Golf but it is on par in terms of high speed stability. At 120km/hr, the Polo was as stable as both my Golfs.
Buy the Polo.
kaanage
09-04-2011, 11:07 PM
Another thing to consider is that the Polo is turbocharged so you can quite easily get a sizeable power increase with a simple ECU remap. The Fiesta can't be powered up so easily - bit it does look much more avant garde.
marcs
09-04-2011, 11:10 PM
im sorry but to me the polo design externally in sportspack is beautiful, best in its class by farrrr. Its hard to pick a colour, because they all look beautiful every colour! except yellow.I personally even prefer the look to a Golf. I could have got a golf to, spent 30k on my polo!I dont like the Fiesta at all. After owning vintage alfa romeos all my life. This is my first new car. I swore I would buy japanese after owning my alfa's. But I ended up buying european haha i couldnt resist. My 2c
GTI JOE
10-04-2011, 07:12 AM
I've test driven both the Fiesta Zetec and the Polo GTI. I'm not biased, even though I have ordered my first VeeDub. The Polo GTI wins hands down in all departments except price, but then again, the Polo is better built, has quality and as has previously mentioned, better resale. The Fiesta does have manual:) buy I can more than live with the DSG.
Blurter
10-04-2011, 09:00 AM
I test drove most of the competition prior to purchasing my Polo 77TSI and the little VW was in a class of its own for driveline performance and interior quality. It was that that tipped me from the Ztec which was also a nice little car - if it had a turbo and six speed manual I would have considered it further. It also helped that the VW was actually cheaper drive away by a few hundred dollars and gives better fuel economy.
We also looked at many inc Barina, Mazda 2, Fiesta LX, I20, I30, Yaris and Jazz.
You have to compare apples with apples as far as pricing goes.
We looked at the 4 door LX manual Fiesta late last year at $17999 drive away -Add the the safety pack and then $18999 DA.
This was for the 2010 model which was built in Germany -Most of the new models are built in Thailand and I believe that the LX now has all the safety pack features as STD.
I did not like the Fietsa as it had too much bling and plastic inside - IMHO.
We looked at the Polo 77TSI manual which had all the air bags as standard and got it for $22000 DA with window tinting and mats (value = $500) - so effectively around $2.5k more for the Polo than the 2010 model Fiesta. Our Polo was ordered back in Nov 2010 and delivered in January with a 2011 label.
Don't forget to factor in the the fuel economy savings and resale value of the POLO.
funtastic
10-04-2011, 11:18 AM
Thanks for the responses guys very helpful.
"I did not like the Fiesta as it had too much bling and plastic inside - IMHO"
I would have to agree with this. It really spoils it for me.
"We looked at the Polo 77TSI manual which had all the air bags as standard and got it for $22000 DA with window tinting and mats (value = $500) - so effectively around $2.5k more for the Polo than the 2010 model Fiesta"
I would to save money on a manual but having been stuck in traffic a lot recently manual transmission has been driving me crazy. Do DSG owners get use out of the "manual mode" or is it a bit of a gimmick?
FJ Steve
10-04-2011, 11:21 AM
yep...as a DSG owner we use the stick. Was on a country run yesterday, and was waiting to oiver take a car. Was running at 90 km/h....waiting.....knocked DSG over to manual, back 2 clicks (from 7th to 5th), indicator......bye bye......
Much better response in 'tight' situations when using the manual side of the stick as opposed to leaving it in D.
funtastic
10-04-2011, 11:35 AM
Do you do many country drives in the polo? I expect we will be driving it in the city 90% of the time but nice to know it handles the country roads well. How is the comfort over long drives and do you find the cabin size gets claustrophobic at all?
FJ Steve
10-04-2011, 11:46 AM
Do you do many country drives in the polo? I expect we will be driving it in the city 90% of the time but nice to know it handles the country roads well. How is the comfort over long drives and do you find the cabin size gets claustrophobic at all?it was purchased to be a shopping chariot. 99.995% city driving (with freeway work). And to try and preserve the .:R32.
Yesterday, 3 of us went to see some friends who live in Lower Chittering. We are in Mindarie, so out along Neaves Rd, up Gt Northern Hwy and over to Lwr Chit. This is the first time we had stretched the legs on the Polo, and it handled the work very well. Handling (we have the sports package) was very good (considering I am used to the AWD of the .:R32 and the taught suspension that goes with it). Comfort was very good, but I do miss the .:R seats. In saying that, I did not feel any discomfort while driviing the Polo, and interior size etc is quite good, when you consider the external dimensions. I do not find it significantly smaller than the .:R. Remember, the internal dimesniosn of the Polo are said to be the same as the MKIV Golf.
We now have 10k kms on the Polo (since mid December 2010), and despite some minor warranty niggles (still being sorted), the car has perofrmed well. Fuel economy just keeeps getting better and better. We regularly get 700kms from a tank....that's doing daily trips from Mindarie to Burswood in peak hour (occasionally I am allowed to take it to work - Bassendean).
sVWatt
10-04-2011, 12:59 PM
tried Polo, Fiesta and Jazz before I decided.
Jazz engine smoothest of them all. Interior old. No ESP.
Fiesta fun drive, cheap plastics, poor ergonomics. Now lost its soft dash and adjustable steering column. Grunty less refined engine.
Polo safest - ESP, airbags etc. Interior - understated quality. Little touches like cooled glovebox, height adjustable seat, proper cup holders (unlike Honda micro holders falsely claimed to be cup holders), on DSG hill hold etc etc. Engine not quite as refined as Honda, but on par with Ford.
Ford Aus were dissapointing - imagine importing a car without rear airbags, when the UK model had them as standard - that put me off them.
I'd had Polo's in the UK and they went to 200k miles on the clock - not a worry - solid build.
Pay the extra and watch your smile grow in the auto dimming mirror :)
break
11-04-2011, 11:56 AM
To give you and idea, we've gone with the Fiesta for my girlfriend for these reasons:
* Price - The Polo is just too expensive to compete with the rest of the small hatch market
* Drive - The Fiesta, particularly the manual diesel, was a far more balanced and 'fun' car to drive than the Polo.
* Space - Fiesta won on boost space, interior space wasn't much different.
* Economy - The Fiesta is marginally more thirsty 1.6 petrol vs 1.2tsi, Fiesta diesel is on par with Polo diesel (although the Fiesta's diesel motor certainly feels sportier)
* Mechanical Build Quality - More and more reports of mechanical issues across the VW range (I had lots with my 06 Polo GTI, a friend is having all sorts of problems with his 08 Golf GTI)
* Gearbox - DSG Vs Powershift is a clear winner to the Powershift for non-sporty people. It doesn't hiccup in slow traffic, it doesn't roll back on hills... its FAR more 'user friendly' than the DSG, but it is significantly slower to shift and doesn't feel as sporty. Really depends on what you're after... I'd prefer the DSG, but my girlfriend hated it in contrast to the powershift.
The downsides to the Fiesta really were the interior build quality, which wasn't as good as the VW. Definitely not 'bad', it certainly felt robust enough, but the Polo really does feel more solid and classy on the inside.
Overall, the Fiesta mops the floor for our needs.
Blurter
11-04-2011, 01:32 PM
Do you do many country drives in the polo? I expect we will be driving it in the city 90% of the time but nice to know it handles the country roads well. How is the comfort over long drives and do you find the cabin size gets claustrophobic at all?
I recently did a trip up the Hume from Canberra to Sydney to see Neil Diamond and found the car to perform really well on the highway. I had four adults and luggage int he car and simply set the cruise at 110 and the little beast held that speed for all but two hills, where it dropped back to 100 or so. Returned about 5.8 km/l including half an hour into and out of Sydney. I was happy.
I've also taken it on a trip to Mogo with the family and it pulled like a 12 year old up the Clyde Mountains. This is my first Turbo car and it would be hard to go back to ATMO.
This sort of open road performance was another factor that swayed me from other small cars which, while I'm sure they are fine on the open road, simply wouldn't do it as easily.
It's not all beer and skittles though, as I have a couple of annoying interior rattles that need attention and some other small issues that have already been addressed - rough idle, seat adjuster.
Do you do many country drives in the polo? I expect we will be driving it in the city 90% of the time but nice to know it handles the country roads well. How is the comfort over long drives and do you find the cabin size gets claustrophobic at all?
I drive between Melbourne and Geelong twice a week and Melbourne and Ballarat once a week for work. Can't say I have any complaints at all regarding comfort or fuel economy, of course I do usually drive alone. Although I admit I wouldn't take the family for a long country trip in the Polo, that was never my intention when I bought it anyway, that job belongs to our Volvo XC90.
Also, I've owned the 2 previous Fiesta Zetec models to the current one (I don't mind the little Fords) doing the same trips, and considered the current model, but this time went Polo instead. No regrets...
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.