Does a Polo Gti handle properly?

[Guy_H]

Some increased track, some more rubber & a lower centre of gravity certainly wouldnt go astray in a POG !

[s1831559]

Some increased track, some more rubber & a lower centre of gravity certainly wouldnt go astray in a POG !

i agree, pog doesnt get enough traction esp after ecu upgrade.
but its overall package is great.

207 GTI is a good car too, but bit pricey ya?

[PeterHBne]

I find the standard handling dissapointing. It really doesn't inspire you to throw it into a corner. It feels soft and wobbly.

I really like the go cart feel in a car - couldn't care less about ride comfort.

[Blitzen]

All I have to say is get a set of semi slicks and lower, and (for me anyway), add a rear sway bar...It equals a whole lot more fun...Mind you, before I did that, the only thing I didn't like about the handling was the way the standard tyres performed...I have had the semi slicks on for over 10,000km now, and they are much more grippy, and are wearing a whole lot better too...

[GT3]

I recently drove a 997 and I found the oversteer was challenging at times, eg rear-end sliding out, almost made me appreciate the FWD predictability of the Pog. A lot depends on what you're used to..

[Ben_GTI]

I recently drove a 997 and I found the oversteer was challenging at times, eg rear-end sliding out, almost made me appreciate the FWD predictability of the Pog. A lot depends on what you're used to..

Must be the way I drive, but the oversteer in the Pogo irritates me. My MkIII golf at the same speed through some chicanes off the freeway near my place is much more settled.

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?clien...05686&t=h&z=18

The Polo can take the freeway corner about 30km/h faster than the golf, but through the chicane the back end slides out on the correction following the chicane. I'm hoping when the new suspension goes on it will help keep the backend attached to the road a bit more.

[Jmac]

Must admit my Pug Gti 1.9 was on rails and much stiffer than the Pog, still love the Pog but for a car back then (1990) the Pug was So so good!!!!!
JMac

[firdausasri]

Having been up and down my favourite routes for like upteenth of times, I felt the same way as like you guys here. The body rolls more, steering felt a wee bit vague (too light), and turn in not as sharp as I'd like. But you could tolerate with the rolls and play around with the throttle & steering (adjusting the front grip), it's shouldn't be as bad. On the Polo, I still can manage to keep up my old Satria GTi cornering speed. Mind you, this one have properly setup monotube adjustable coilovers and sway bars. Just that I wish it had firmer damping and LSD so that we can mesh the throttle out of corner when the turbo motors at its best delivery.

I understand why the suspension are being set up this way. The Polo GTI is intended for first-time performance car drivers and you don’t really want them to start get it out of shape mid corners, especially if they panic and lift off the throttle completely and loosen the tail.

But then again, take it to motorway and you'll sense that chassis is perfect, never floating or wallowing even on the most challenging long undulations and when you drive over shorter waves, it never bumps or crashes. You could hold 220-230 on the bend living you in awe.

[MINTpolo]

I also found the polo to be a dissapointing car in terms of handling, one of the reasons i sold it actually (also because the boot was too small). I thought it was a bit wobbly, and it also gave me the impression it was toppling over its outside front tyre. the steering rack kickback and rattle it was prone to on rough corners diddnt wow me either. However, on very tight twisting roads and situations with rapid directional changes, with a rear swaybar, the small size and grip made it feel quite capable.

I think you just have to accept that the polos strongest suits lie elsewhere -looks, interior, the engine!-and decide what you want from a car. For me it was better handling so I traded for a type-s and find the cars combination of ride comfort (less crashy than the polo) fwd poise and adjustability, rock solid front end feel and weighty steering to be much more satisfying, even in softish stock form...it also it has a huge boot.

[Bukefal]

not having driven the Pug GTi/RS Clio/etc, i will just comment through observation: the comments above confirm many reviews that the Polo GTI is not the best handling supermini out there. even the XR4 is supposed to be better. so if you're looking for the purest go-kart experience, you'd wanna look elsewhere. but as an overall quality package, it's hard to beat it.