Golf 118 or Polo GTI

[zbeasty]

A guy I work with is looking for a new car to be mainly used for commuting from Oyster Bay in The Shire to North Sydney each day. He has a budget (which his wife is enforcing) otherwise he'd be looking at the Golf GTI. He has 4 kids (poor b@#%$*d) and his other car is a Nissan Pathfinder so size isn't an issue. He was looking at a manual till I took him for a quick spin in my R and loved the convenience of the DSG. What do you think is his best option? I've told him to go for the Polo but said I would get some opinions from here. Has anyone driven the new Polo yet?

[alias_vw]

I originally considered the 118TSI....test drove it a couple of times and even went through the operating lease paperwork before opting for the Polo GTI (have had it for 7 weeks now and have put about 2,200kms on it).

My opinion? While the 118TSI is a very nice car and in four door guise it's obviously more convenient, it felt to me to be a slightly sterile experience. Torquey enough and you were up to speed before you knew it but the lack of engine noise in the cabin (maybe a plus in most cases but not if excitement is the goal) seemed to lead to that sterile feel.

If your friend wants something that feels a bit more exciting, enjoyed the R and was thinking about a Golf GTI, I reckon the Pog would be the way to go.

[Corey_R]

If he wants a car this year, get a Golf 118TSI. The Polo GTI has had such a huge demand, and has so little allocation, that it'll take so long to get here!
But other than that... tell him to go look at both and make a decision for himself. I'm really not sure what it matters what anyone else thinks, because at the end of the day, he'll be the one who needs to live with it...

... and you know what they say... opinions are like something that everyone has in (in the region they sit on)

[alias_vw]

Yeah, there is the supply issue when it comes to the Pog.

/checking the region where I sit...yep, got one of those.

[pologti18t]

Take a 118TSI with the sports pack.
Unless you get a Polo GTI with no options you will be waiting awhile.