- Available for £11,500
- 2.0-litre petrol turbo, front-wheel drive
- Fast, comfy, practical – but auto only
- Some rattles but generally well-built and reliable
- Better at touring than hot hatching…
- …and that in fact is what the ’T’ in ‘GTI’ stands for
The first hot Volkswagen Polo came out so long ago, way back in 1984, it didn’t even have an ‘i’ to its name. Although the GT’s carburetted single-cam 8-valve 1.3-litre engine only produced 75hp, the whole car only weighed 730kg so it did 106mph, a decent effort for a titchy car back then. The first injected Polo GTI of 2000 had a 125hp 1.6-litre twin-cam motor. The weight was up to nearly 1,100kg but it still climbed up to 127mph and did the 0-62mph in 8.7 seconds.
Skipping forward 17 years and four iterations brings us to the subject of this week’s buying guide, the Mk6 (AW) Polo GTi. Launched in 2017 and built in South Africa, it ran a softened 200hp/236lb ft version of the Mk 7 Golf GTI’s EA888 2.0-litre TSI turbo four engine. The Mk6 was 245kg heavier than that first Polo GTI, but its extra power, front diff lock and slick 6-speed automatic transmission more than made up for that on paper, chopping a full two seconds off the old car’s 0-62 time and lifting the top speed by 20mph to 147mph.
Volkswagen was keen to put across the idea of the Polo GTI as an exciting small car. In a remarkable display of honesty that must surely have negatively impacted on his pension entitlements, one VW bigwig told the press that the Polo GTI was shorter, lighter, more agile, and better to drive than the Golf GTI. The Golf GTI brand manager probably spat out his muesli that morning but it sounded like good news for those who were hoping that the sporty Polo was about to find its own place in the sun instead of constantly sulking in the shadow of its big brother.
In addition to the normal GTI there was a GTI+ model with more standard equipment, namely tinted rear windows, a Light & Sight pack (auto-dim interior mirror, high beam control light assist, rain sensors), LED headlights, Active Info display, adaptive cruise, keyless entry, and a starter button.
In 2021 the GTI was mildly made over and given a small power hike to 207hp. Peak torque was unchanged at 236lb ft but the plateau peak went on for longer, although admittedly only by 150rpm to 4,500rpm, and the DSG gearbox now had seven speeds instead of six. LED matrix headlights and a Golf GTI-style illuminated grille joined the roster of standard equipment. The new Polo GTI price in 2018 was around £22.5k but it usually went comfortably over the £23k mark after you’d ticked a couple of boxes. That could make it a difficult choice when you could get a Suzuki Swift Sport at the same time for £18k. Admittedly the Suzuki was giving away nearly 60hp and 66lb ft to the VW, but that didn’t seem to dull the Japanese car’s appeal.
Six years on, in May 2024, the retail price for a new Polo GTI has somehow risen to between £32,500 and £34,000, a 50 per cent increase. You won’t be surprised to learn that discounts are available for those brave enough to take on VW’s salesfolk, but you might be happier to do your Polo GTI shopping in the used marketplace where prices for high-mile (80k+) cars start from £11,500, with plenty of choice in the £13k-£16k range.
SPECIFICATION | VW POLO GTI MK6 (2017-)
Engine: 1,984cc four-cyl turbo
Transmission: 6-speed DSG auto, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 200@4,400-6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 236@1,500-4,350rpm
0-62mph (secs): 6.7
Top speed (mph): 147
Weight (kg): 1,355
MPG (official combined): 39.1
CO2 (g/km): 134
Wheels (in): 7.5 x 17
Tyres: 215/45
On sale: 2017 - on
Price new: £22,610
Price now: from £11,500
Note for reference: car weight and power data are hard to pin down with absolute certainty. For consistency, we use the same source for all our guides. We hope the data we use is right more often than it’s wrong. Our advice is to treat it as relative rather than definitive.
ENGINE & GEARBOX
The potential market for the Mk6 Polo GTI was constrained by the poor reputation established by the Mk 5, whose twincharged EA111 1.4-litre engine in the early (2010-14) Mk5 Polo GTIs had disgraced itself on various fronts, most notably excessive oil consumption, fragile supercharger clutches, premature timing chain failure, busted pistons and rings caused by fuel sensitivity and wonky diverter valves. The 192hp/236lb ft 1.8 turbo that powered the Mk5 Polo GTI from 2015 to 2017 was a more robust unit but it too was dropped for the Mk 6 in favour of the detuned 200hp/236lb ft version of the 2.0 Golf GTI engine with combined direct and manifold (indirect) injection to rule out inlet coking.
The performance stats of the Mk6 might seem more sporty than spectacular but if you didn’t provoke it too much in the lower gears the unfussed manner in which the car went about its business was impressive. The engine’s bottom-end surge blended in very well with the XDS electronic diff lock that worked with the traction control system to minimise wheel scrabble and maximise drive out of corners. It was smooth and refined too, and there’s been very little evidence of mechanical trouble – not something you’ve always been able to say about the EA888.
Before the Mk6 Polo GTI launch, there were rumours that there was going to be a manual option for the Mk6. That sounded like a good idea as the manual box for the Mk5 1.8 had shown itself to be a strong unit and superior in many ways to the DQ200 DSG auto used on the 1.4 Mk5. Unfortunately for stick-shift fans VW had hitched so many of its wagons to the DSG auto by that stage that the manual never arrived in the UK, which was touted as the only European destination for it. That was a shame because the wet-clutch DQ250 auto that the Mk 6 did get wasn’t always totally happy in lower-speed driving. If you were trying to give it some welly in second it would often perform an unseemly drop down into first, as if it was obeying programmed-in orders to deliver a GTI experience by holding onto an unnecessary amount of revs. On other occasions when you actually did want it to drop down a gear it wouldn’t.
40mpg was attainable in mixed use and 45mpg was a realistic cruising target but the GTI wasn’t that economical in town, where your numbers would drop to the low 30s. The insurance group was a not too bad 26E for the normal GTI and 28E for the GTI+. VW dealer servicing costs for cars over 3 years old are £220 for an oil service and inspection, £263 for the same service plus a pollen filter change, or £283 for an oil service and inspection plus a go with the Supplementary Scope. If you can find a definition of Supplementary Scope on the internet you’re better people than we are. Intervals are 12 months or 10,000 miles.
CHASSIS
Volkswagen had said that the Polo GTI was at the front of the queue when it came to models scheduled to benefit from its new MQB A0 platform. They tried to make the most of the platform for the GTI by speccing its suspension with stiffer springs (31 per cent more at the front, 24 per cent at the rear) plus, on all UK GTIs regular or GTI+, Sport Select adaptive dampers with two settings, Normal or Sport. Twist-beam rear suspension, a larger front anti-roll bar, a 15mm lower ride height, electromechanical steering and the XDS diff lock completed the chassis package. There were four driving modes – Normal, Sport, Eco and Individual. It all worked pretty well. You could bash out motorway miles in serene comfort and not feel bashed about by any B-roads that then came between you and your destination.
Standard wheels were 17-inch ‘Parkers’. We’re not sure if that refers to their handy resistance to kerbing or if it’s some weird Thunderbirds reference. 18-inch Brescia diamond-cut wheels were a £350 extra and looked good when new but the finish was weak and did deteriorate over time. The standard Bridgestone Turanza tyres weren’t great either, with some owners finding them to be unduly noisy. As usual, Michelin Pilot 4Ss were popular replacements.
Some early cars had loud creaking noises coming from the front end which were diagnosed in at least one case as misaligned front shocks. Brakes have been known to ‘hum’ when the car is travelling backwards but that’s not unique to this car. It’s not uncommon on cars that have non-vented rear discs working on hardish compound brake pads.
BODYWORK
There was no three-door body for the AW Polo GTI, cementing the market position of the Polo as a do-it-all family car. Five body paint choices were available: Pure White, Flash Red, Deep Black Pearl Effect, plus two metallics, Limestone Grey and Reef Blue.
The panoramic sunroof – the largest in its class – was a very nice addition to the Polo, whose cabin could otherwise feel a bit poky. Although the boot capacity wasn’t huge at 305 litres with the rear seats slid forward, it was 25 per cent bigger than the previous Polo’s and a usefully boxy shape.
Headlight lenses could delaminate on the inside and the outside window rubbers could lose their freshness but otherwise the exterior build quality was very good and the car stood up well to being left out in all weathers. However there have been reports of electric door mirrors not folding and electric windows not working. Both of those were usually down to a fault with the control panel in the door. Long part supply delays have tested some owners’ patience.
There have been some instances of the Parking Distance Control sensors playing up, detecting things that aren’t there. Dealers haven’t always been successful in quickly resolving that issue. Changing the software or checking the connection didn’t always work.
INTERIOR
Passengers were generally impressed by the amount of space and the feeling of quality inside a Polo GTI. The seats were very comfortable and time has demonstrated that the bolsters and suede-effect centre panels on the seats resist wear well. Paying £285 extra for the Winter pack brought heat to your bottom. New buyers could choose classic Jacara (or Clark) ‘tartan’ upholstery but that could feel like cultural appropriation from the Golf GTI and lead to comparisons that could be potentially damaging for the Polo.
This was the first Polo to have the option of digital instrumentation and, on the GTI+, the first to have VW’s Active Info Display. This put a choice of three screen layouts in front of you: two instrument dials for engine revs and vehicle speed; a digital view without dials; or a digital view without dials but with supplemental information. All the options were accessed via a button on the steering wheel. A Discover Navigation infotainment system was optionally available which gave you a full-screen zoomable map dotted with gear, speed, driving mode and other key indicators. The central screen gave you a vast selection of information through the Performance Monitor.
It was easy to connect up your phone, Android or Apple, by using VW’s App-Connect, although the tray provided for it wasn’t really big enough for modern smartphones when the charging cable was attached. Thankfully the Polo retained some physical buttons and knobs for the heat/vent settings and, to the left of the central screen, for audio on/off and volume. Climate control was a £415 extra.
VW made an effort to brighten up the Polo’s historically drab cabin by giving it coloured dash pad inserts, a worthy enough idea that would have worked better if the orangey shade of Velvet Red they chose for one of them (the other being Deep Iron Gloss, or grey) had been the same shade as the red they used for the body paint, but it wasn’t. The dashboard pads have had to be replaced on some cars to try and cure annoying rattles.
In general, the Polo had the ambience of a bigger car but it was by no means unusual for general buzzes and rattles to be heard, especially on rougher roads. Handbrake cables could be noisy too. Some owners found that the ‘soundaktor’ noise-maker made the wrong sort of noises, especially in the Sport setting. Putting it into Individual mode with the engine noise set to Eco normally sorted it, but some owners simply had the system disabled by the dealer. Along with many other cars at this time the GTI was recalled for seatbelt safety issues.
PH VERDICT
We’re not sure if the 2018-on Polo GTI completely convinced as a hot hatch. It certainly didn’t compete with the Fiesta ST, Hyundai i20N or Suzuki Swift Sport in terms of driving excitement, but the VW was a different kind of brew. You might not derive much pleasure from its high-speed traits but in more everyday driving scenarios it was a friendly and well-equipped car that was easy to own and more comfortable to be in than many if not all of the rivals mentioned above. The gearbox was a bit disappointing but the engine was strong enough to fulfil the needs of those who didn’t see a balance of ‘premium’ and performance as some kind of dirty compromise.
It was a very good cruiser, which you could say was appropriate given that the GTI acronym stands for Gran Turismo Iniezione or Grand Tourer Injection. We Brits zoned in hard on the Injection part of that when the first Golf GTI came out all those years ago because the hive mind decided that ‘injection’ in a motoring context was synonymous with performance. Maybe if we paid more attention to the Touring part of the acronym it would be a lot easier to appreciate the Polo GTI because that’s actually something it’s very good at.
We found no evidence of major mechanical troubles with the AW Polo and that’s reflected in decent residual values (although VW’s hiking of the new car price undoubtedly has something to do with that too). The most accessibly priced GTI on PH Classifieds in May 2024 was this 68,000-mile 2018 car in white at £12,995. For a lower mileage car, we quite liked this grey 2019 example. With fewer than 21,000 miles on the clock it looked like good value at £15,991.
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