Polo vs. Golf

**118TSI** · 23-05-2010, 09:39 AM

Just to be annoying, I am going to throw another dub in the mix, The Tiguan?

with kiddies on the horizon, i reckon you will appreciate it, I love my sister in law ford territory for the fact instead of leaning down into a car to put the kids in their seat, you simply place them in the car. Small thing i guess, but if your doing that 4 times a day you will certainly appreciate it.

Surely a low kms used tig, or a new one will be in your budget without blowing it

Cheers S...

**hoi polloi** · 23-05-2010, 10:11 AM

Also check if the fit and finish are comparable - AFAIK the Golfs we get come from Germany whereas the Polos we get come from either Spain or South Africa...

Regards,
- Anthony.

**Flighter** · 23-05-2010, 10:57 AM

Originally Posted by Maverick

If it's for shorter trips the petrol is the way to go and as far as safety goes the Golf is a safer car.

I'd be inclined to get a petrol golf as they're very economical and you'll save yourself thousands over a diesel. Factor in the increased fuel costs and even doing quite a few km's each year you're still in front with the petrol.

The base 90TSI is $29000 on road whereas the 103TDI is $36200 so $7200 difference (105 tanks of fuel), even compared to the 77TDI it's a $2500 difference (40 tanks of fuel).

I agree with Mav's sentiments wholeheartedly. I've seen the 90TSI average close to 5L/100km in the Golf (in mostly highway use), and whilst I expect the new Polo could beat it (petrol or diesel), the question becomes whether the difference is worth it given the higher initial cost of the diesel. Unless you are doing mostly long journeys, and a lot of them, I'd stick with a petrol engine, which warms up quicker. The new Polo is a nice looking package (armrest aside), but in my opinion the Golf is a better proposition for a family of 5. Good luck with your selection.

**prise** · 23-05-2010, 03:07 PM

You can do the sums to work out how much a diesel model will save you in fuel each year based on the official fuel consumption numbers and the current cost of premium unleaded vs diesel. I did the sums for the Gold models and worked out based on my k's per year it would take nearly 10 years to break even.

A word of warning on interpreting the official fuel consumption figures however - diesel engines are less sensitive to the way they're driven so if you have a less economical driving style the difference between a diesel and a petrol engine will be greater. If you check out Spritverbrauch berechnen und Autokosten verwalten and you'll see the real world difference between diesels and petrol models tends to be larger on average than the official figures.

**dopey** · 24-05-2010, 03:45 PM

Well I'm back from Barloworld Mascot, and I did a lot of test driving and thinking today. The end result is that I purchased another Golf - this time a 103TDI Hatch, with DSG transmission.

I drove two models of Polo - a 66TDI DSG (with Sports Pack) and a 77TSI Manual.

The 66TDI really felt like it struggled for regular driving. The 7sp DSG always rushes for the highest gear possible when you only apply light/regular throttle, which definitely does not suit this little engine. It doesn't have enough grunt to shift up as early as the DSG wants to under light acceleration, so I felt as though I had to either punch the throttle hard or forget about going anywhere in a hurry. I think that this engine may be better suited to the manual.

I wanted to drive the 77TSI in DSG, but only a manual was available at the moment. I took it out anyway, and boy did that make a difference to how I felt about the car. The 1.2 Petrol engine is a fantastic little unit, the car felt so much more alive with this engine although maybe that's mostly due to the manual transmission. 77TSI in Manual is the Polo to have if you enjoy driving.

Engines aside, the Polo is not too bad for size, there is only just enough leg room for front and rear passengers to stay comfortable together and the boot is generous but not fantastic. Bulid quality was excellent I thought, right on par with the German built Golf. It's nothing like the Mexican built Golf Wagon, which I felt suffered in a big way by comparison.

After the Polo drives, I took out the 103TDI DSG Golf. Instantly everything felt familiar (since I already have a 118TSI Manual Sports) except for the transmission and engine combo of course. The 6sp DSG and the 2L diesel engine are a match made in heaven. The big diesel has enough torque to put up with the DSG's early shifts under regular acceleration, and if you want to give the car a bit of a poke it reponds well. Wifey was happiest with this car, so the decision was made!

The price helped seal the deal even more. Since the Polo is a new release, and demand is exceeding supply in a big way, they are not willing to give decent discounts as yet. I got a decent discount off the Golf price, so for not much more money I got a whole lot more car.

**Frankenstrat** · 24-05-2010, 04:33 PM

Good review, Dopey.

**Corey_R** · 24-05-2010, 06:36 PM

Cheers Dopey.

Btw, the Polo 1.2TSI Manual you took out... was it the blue one? I took that for a test drive there on Saturday. I agree it was a fantastic car. I'd still like to try it with the DSG though. Also, my girlfriend is 6'1" (I'm a short 5'10"

) and neither of us had issues with headroom or leg room. We could both sit in the back as well - although she was more comfortable sitting behind the seat adjusted for me than adjusted for her

**dopey** · 24-05-2010, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by coreying

Cheers Dopey.

Btw, the Polo 1.2TSI Manual you took out... was it the blue one? I took that for a test drive there on Saturday. I agree it was a fantastic car. I'd still like to try it with the DSG though. Also, my girlfriend is 6'1" (I'm a short 5'10"

) and neither of us had issues with headroom or leg room. We could both sit in the back as well - although she was more comfortable sitting behind the seat adjusted for me than adjusted for her

Yep, it was the blue one. Headroom aplenty, though the leg room is JUST borderline if you've got a tall passenger sitting behind another tall passenger. Average sized passengers will have no issue with this.