Fifth gear first drives... Volkswagen Polo GTI

[kelvniii]

http://fifthgear.five.tv/jsp/5gmain.jsp?lnk=d01&make=Volkswagen&mk=&featureid=365&x=17&y=15

Enjoy

[mitch_gti]

Not a very good review.


But i love my car !


Ps.... your sig says 16v. Change it to 20v :)

[ryan_GTI]

Yeah a dissappointing review, but it ain't going to deter me from loving the car!

Funny how they liked the tartan seats, because i specifically remembered how Tiff said he hated the cloth trim in the Golf Gti... :rolleyes:

[Eddy]

Hoyhoy.
I will admit the brakes & the suspension need a little bit of looking at, but once doing that boy o boy, (chuck in chip tuning ) then you have more than most dream of.

[kelvniii]

Not a very good review.


But i love my car !


Ps.... your sig says 16v. Change it to 20v :)

Oh.. ya... u got me... typo~
ya... not a very nice review... but i still love my GTI~~:D

[natee]

Bboy_Sparx posting:


1) Turbo-lag and thrashy engine soundtrack.
2) Over-firm suspension.

WTH...

[mitch_gti]

I dont really understand why they said its Laggy.



WRX's are laggy.

I would hardly call 220nm @ 1950 rpm laggy....

[Wand Weaver]

All turbos have lag to some degree - if you're go around a corner at 30km/h in 3rd, then flatten the throttle - you're not going to have the same response as someone who does the same in an N/A car - and certainly the torque comes in one big lump, further contributing to the sensation of 'lag'.

It's really a matter of stirring the gearbox a little - the GTI certainly isn't as laggy as cars with bigger turbos, like the WRX.

[kelvniii]

somehow i do agree the supension is a little bit firm but not over, if it can lower it a bit... like 40mm that would be great! my baby looks like a 4x4... o... maybe a cross polo.... LOL~

but i do like the engine sound, it a GTI sport car... what do they want? sounds like a pussy cat?

[naughty]

Over-firm suspension.

they obviously havent driven it with 18" wheels yet :D

to me with the stock wheels its firm but not so harsh - with the 18" wheels that ive got its slightly bumpy - but with potholes its bone crunching - and if i lower it at all im sure the ride will rattle my teeth loose - but on perfect roads the car still rides fine even with the 18's

[Ben_GTI]

I agree with the review in that for something sporting a GTI badge, it can't out-sprint a standard ford falcon.

I think it really should have come out with the 180bhp motor to be quite honest and the suspension rides too high with too much body roll.

But I honestly think these are the 2 main negatives with the car. I'd still rather the GTI over a Colt Ralliart or an XR4. So really in its class I feel its the best choice.

[MINTpolo]

Chip it and put some eibachs and a rear bar in, then it will be the cheapest fastest new car you can get.

The polo GTI makes less sense in Britain due to its high price relative to the good competition. And what of the fiesta? well if it had a 1.8T in it, id have one in an instant! :P

[morbo2000]

I agree with the review in that for something sporting a GTI badge, it can't out-sprint a standard ford falcon.

I think the problem is that here in Aus the locally manufactured pov pack cars have a disproportionate amount of power compared to other manufacturers around the world. I know when I test drove my Polo I didn't feel it had any power advantage 0-100km/h over my previous car which was a 3.5lt Magna. It's also a similar problem with the "hot" models from other manufactures, they end up only being "warm".

I believe the review is a bit harsh and I don't understand how they came to some of the conclusions they did, but of course I own the car so i'm always going to be biased.

[FL00DY]

All turbos have lag to some degree - if you're go around a corner at 30km/h in 3rd, then flatten the throttle - you're not going to have the same response as someone who does the same in an N/A car - and certainly the torque comes in one big lump, further contributing to the sensation of 'lag'.

It's really a matter of stirring the gearbox a little - the GTI certainly isn't as laggy as cars with bigger turbos, like the WRX.

Oh come on, any car at 30km/h in 3rd gear is going to be sluggish, you're in the wrong gear for a corner so why bother making the comparo. Having said that I've never driven an NA manual car.

I'll admit I'm not a fan of 5th Gear the TV show, but I can't hold that against them when writing a review. Clarkson was quoted in one of his 2 page/1 paragraph reviews as saying "In many ways this little car is the spiritual successor to the original Golf GTI." That's enough praise for me :D

[Ben_GTI]

Oh come on, any car at 30km/h in 3rd gear is going to be sluggish

Yea I think the person who reviewed the car and drove it like that expecting some punch is a twit.

The aussies family cars do have a lot more power than in other parts of the world. If anyone in a falcon tries to have a go they feel pretty chuffed with themselves in a straight line until the first corner and I'm not braking.

[Wand Weaver]

Oh come on, any car at 30km/h in 3rd gear is going to be sluggish, you're in the wrong gear for a corner so why bother making the comparo.

It's not going to be quick - granted - but the torque on N/A cars doesn't arrive in one huge lump at 1900RPM, contributing to the sensation of lag. The point I was making is that turbocharged cars inherently do not have linear power delivery that N/A cars enjoy, which contributes to the sensation of turbo lag.

If you do the 30km/h in third thing in an N/A car, the pace will build up slowly, which generally suggests to the driver 'hey, the power's building up, but I started in the wrong gear'. Do it in the GTI and you get really slow progress until 1900RPM, and then all the torque arrives in one big lump, which gives the sensation of turbo lag.

You can basically always get around Turbo Lag, by furiously working at the gearbox. It's really a matter of how much work you want to do with the gear lever. The GTI is much better than most in that you get peak torque at 1900RPM and a flat torque curve. The GTI's a great car - hell I own one - but to deny it has a degree of turbo lag is a fallacy.

As for the Falcodores - I don't think the GTI is much slower, if at all - than a base Falcon XT or Commodore Omega. The Commodore may have a huge power advantage, but it's nudging 1800kg. I think it'd be pretty close, especially since some magazines have suggested the 0-100 time of the Polo is closer to 7.8 seconds than the 8.2 quoted by VW.

[NickZ]

Yea I think the person who reviewed the car and drove it like that expecting some punch is a twit.

The aussies family cars do have a lot more power than in other parts of the world. If anyone in a falcon tries to have a go they feel pretty chuffed with themselves in a straight line until the first corner and I'm not braking.

Couldn't have said it better.

Hot hatches aren't all about 0-100 speed. Its round some twisties that a hot hatch makes you go :D. To say a Commodore is just as quick as the Polo GTI misses the point and to be honest I don't think it is a fair comparison.

And, if you put a bigger engine, upgraded the suspension a bit more etc etc what do you get? A golf GTI - which is $13k more. I personally think its great value for money at $27k.

Admittedly, most British Polo GTI reviews have said the competition is better. From my point of view, someone could say whatever they want - at the end of the day, what I think is all that matters! j: