Click to enlarge image
Do you have RM200,000? Great! Go out and buy a Golf GTI.
If you don’t, well, consider one of two options. Rob a bank or read more about what Shannon Teoh has to say about its smaller brother, the Polo GTI.
Read more after the jump.
Click to enlarge image
Like the respective sports they are named after, the Golf is a far more mainstream car. Fits five comfortably, is well-balanced and has a really sweet engine for the Malaysian driving experience.
The Polo is for people who enjoy smashing their crotch against something hard as they chase about a field trying to hit a ball in exactly the sweet spot that will make it travel significantly instead of just swinging a long stick aimlessly around.
The Polo is a far more challenging car. Which is another way of saying it is less accomplished. In today’s world of motoring, the Golf is far more palatable. Decently spacious, a six-disc front-loading stereo, DSG, and 0-100 in 6.9s.
Click to enlarge image
The Polo can be a tight fit for the non-average Asian, has a medicore sound setup, a five-speed manual and a 1.8l turbocharged engine which helps it to the ton in 8.2s. But hell, what do you think people used to drive say, 30 years ago when the first Golf GTI was made? Back in the day, that thing was hella impressive. It did the sprint in 9.8s on a 110hp 1.6-litre naturally aspirated engine. How? It weighed less than 900kgs.
Having driven that car after it was updated with a 5-speed, it did a slightly faster 9-second sprint. But it felt phenomenal! Ferrari-like! It felt so fast because it was so damn bare. Imagine riding a bicycle that accelerated like a motorbike and you’ll get what I mean.
In a sense, the Polo GTI is like driving an old-school Golf GTI. Not only is the engine the same one as the Mk IV Golf GTI, it basically shares similar dimensions to the first Golfs, and has a five-speed transmission that needs a bit of work to get the most out of the car.
Click to enlarge image
At 1,164kg, the Polo is pretty light in modern terms. Coupled with a suspension lowered by 15mm and the 148hp engine, the Polo is what you’d call nippy and agile. But it takes some getting used to. The turbo lag is tangible and can be annoying when getting around bends, especially lower-speed ones where wheelspin can and will occur. With 220Nm of torque available from 1,950rpm, the ESP stability control and TCS traction control are usually working overtime.
But there is no way you can immediately handle this car the way you would a Golf GTI. The Polo’s balance is a bit off, maybe due to the large engine in front, or simply that the chassis setup is inherently not as good.
I believe that this is probably true. The same engine produced 237hp in the old Audi TT. They must have toned it down for a reason and in this car, the setup feels like it is at the edge of acceptability before it just becomes too “difficult” to drive.
Click to enlarge image
Priced at RM138,888, it is the other side of the spectrum for the same budget as say, the “easy” choice of a Honda Accord. But why buy a big saloon if you don’t need the space and comfort?
In fact, recently, a dealer, VW Cars, was apparently throwing the price down to RM119k. And with the year-end in sight, they’ve gone lower for a limited amount of units (probably to get rid of old stock). The Polo GTI can now be yours for under RM100,000. RM99,999 to be exact. That’s something to think about, then…
Because like the original Golfs, however, it can be rewarding if you work at it. The steering feels less direct and the attention you have to pay to switching gears can be fun, if not as efficient as sticking the DSG into S. And the DSG typifies the reason why Golf GTIs, like all cars, have evolved today to become so easy to drive and make racecar drivers out of mediocre talents – people like to have tools that make them do better.
And it’s still hard to do better than a Golf GTI.
Story by Shannon Teoh.
Click to enlarge image
Click to enlarge image
Click to enlarge image
Click to enlarge image
Click to enlarge image
Click to enlarge image
The exterior looks hot as if having sex on the wheels, too bad the interior cloth is made of granny’s sarong!
Calling for Nigel!
an attractive offer ;p
it is nice…..but i’ll just work harder and buy the Golf GTI…..
RM99,999???
haha it looks like someone with mata juling on the second pic. the cloth seat looks weirdddddddd. the interior still looks awesome though.
just simply too pricey
99k!!!
at that price the only competitor it has is the 92k swift sport… which one would u get??
btw Myvikiller, that so called “granny sarong” cloth happens to be officially called the Interlagos Check upholstery, which dates back to the very first Golf GTI’s seat fabric design, it’s retro u see..
My god… the interior looks so vantage. I felt like I’m at home with that kind of mood generated by it. Great small car, but will go for Golf anyway :P
get it at RM99k and spend the savings on a few handling upgrades and an ECU remap. that should sort things out.
it’s another alternative for the die hard fans of manual boxes.
lol between swift sport and this I’d definitely get this man :D
btw paul, I heard it’s closer to spirit to the original golf~
now to find the money… *sighs*
In the current time where small and fuel efficient cars are the buzz nowadays, plonking in a 1.8T into a Polo is nuts!
As PT have many time hinted in his review, the car is unpredictable and handling it will need some getting used to. Why spend the same such a huge some just to buy the 1.8T engine?
I guess if the Polo comes with the award winning 1.4TFSI, and with the same price tag, then something is right. Not this. Not this galiator heart in a peasant’s body.
well, the other way to look at it is this is an old engine, so all the kinks have been sorted out. replacement parts should be aplenty, so are aftermarket add-ons.
but hell yeah, this 1.8T has huge tuning potential. with a car weighing in at about 1.2 tons, we should have some pretty interesting reactions from drivers of larger cars.
a MINI it is no, a Golf GTi it is not. it is what it is.
i love hot hatch!
im sorry but i cant really understand where Shannon Teoh is going in this post. I can see that she is trying (hard) but she should have focused on the Polo GTI itself rather than keep making (boring) comparison against its bigger brother the Golf GTI.
More details and reviews about the engine, paint work, sound system, slight history and legend of the car, practicality for all users, maintenance costs, fuel consumption, accessories would make it a better read.
Lastly, stop the using writing styles of chic lit into a car forum. It’s irritating – just like movie reviewers.
a real value for money…the instrument panel looks ALTO like the one in the Neo..or the other way round…
i thought Shannon was a guy?
Great performance + nice exterior + an uncool interior… They should put more details to make the interior sporty…
thats a MaSSIVELY huge discount for a car just launched not long ago.. i’m guessing the sales were slow for this model, with many people opting for the golf instead.
even vw is facing a global slowdown, just read a couple of days ago that they planning to close some of their plants to cut down on production or something.
So in conclusion, the review mentions that this car suck in comparison to the golf :P
wah! 99k for a polo gti! nice!
but, Golf still better aint it?
although how many of us can afford the golf.
haiz….
i dont like the looks of the polo though, not fierce enough.
oh well, at that price point, it’s a steal.
love the tartan seats, but this car isnt really that uber….the seat ibiza cupra beats it anyday
yeah but you don’t get the SEAT in M’sia officially.
and the fiat grande punto abarth, ford fiesta, opel corsa opc etc…
Personally, I think the outer sides of the taillights don’t blend in well with the car.
l3ryan said,
November 27, 2008 @ 12:10 am
99k!!!
at that price the only competitor it has is the 92k swift sport… which one would u get??
btw Myvikiller, that so called “granny sarong” cloth happens to be officially called the Interlagos Check upholstery, which dates back to the very first Golf GTI’s seat fabric design, it’s retro u see..
—————————————————————-
Yeah I’m aware of that, even old Mercs are using that, retro-ish.
i went to VW showroom last thursday to look at the car. the build quality and material is good (well, it’s a german after all), interior design is simple and smart, i personally like the bucket seats (firm and supportive). i don’t mind the old school “sarong” upholstery :). the interior is quite spacious for a car of that size, the average sized malaysian (1.73m) like me could sit comfortably at the back.
and on saturday i went and put my money to book one for myself, complete with ABT front lip, side skirting and extended rear lip. there was an option for ABT sport springs, but didn’t take it because the sales guy said it would not be comfortable for daily use.
i booked red color. initially wanted black or white, but both were out of stock.
Hey nikanasz I booked one meself on Saturday ..how much the bodykits cost ya man?
pausch,
i got the ABT lips and side skirtings for RM3.5k…if i took the springs as well it would be additional RM1k.
i wanted to include the ABT exhaust system as well, but too late out of stock. damn. lol if i booked on the first visit (thursday) i could get white color, ABT lips and side skirtings and ABT exhaust package for RM5k. hehe
This is not good. It’s on the lower scale of combo but wearing the GTi badge from VW :
Most Attractive = Great Chassis + Powerful Engine;
More Attractive = Great Chassis + Able Engine;
Quite Attractive = Able Chassis + Powerful Engine;
Attractive = Able Chassis + Able Engine;
Less Attractive = Normal Chassis + Able Engine;
Least Attractive = Normal Chassis + Normal Engine;
I would say this is a Normal Chassis + Able Engine vs its big brother Golf GTi which should be at the Able Chassis + Powerful Engine combo.
For a listed price of 139k dropped all the way to 100k? That’s almost 40k margin outta each car they sold!! That’s a year’s salary for many ppl in Malaysia below 30s!! Now I wonder how much they made outta Golf GTi? What bout others? Do they make equally as much margin in other countries in the continental countries? Or US?
MyviKiller said,
November 28, 2008 @ 11:12 pm
l3ryan said,
November 27, 2008 @ 12:10 am
99k!!!
at that price the only competitor it has is the 92k swift sport… which one would u get??
btw Myvikiller, that so called “granny sarong” cloth happens to be officially called the Interlagos Check upholstery, which dates back to the very first Golf GTI’s seat fabric design, it’s retro u see..
—————————————————————-
Yeah I’m aware of that, even old Mercs are using that, retro-ish.
———————————–
its a tartan cloth, scottish
How would u compare this with the Peugeot 308 GT? IMHO, the peugeot looks better, 1.6T, 6-speed gearbox and higher HP…but more pricey
i just cancelled my booking for the demo car..
its the one reviewed above. the condition is great…but i thought being a test car, surely it has been lenjan quite a bit..the mileage also quite high.
however if anyone hear of any offers from VW for a new polo gti, please let me know ASAP.