Polo V Ralliart Colt

[ryan_GTI]

Welcome aboard Peter,

Mate all i can say is test drive a chipped Polo and decide from there... unless you're looking forward to keep your car stock?

[VEEDUB69]

The Colt did feel like a 'busy' car - could be a pain in the arse long term - I will be doing 600 - 800kms a week. But was fun for 15kms

Had a look on the Ralliart Colt site and some have got them for $27,000 on the road.

You are right in that the negatives always come out in a forum.

Hi Peter,

I recently test drove both vehicles in fact drove the ColtR twice, as a daily driver with the k's ur talking about its a no-brainer, Polo GTI, so effortless & comfortabe. The ColtR is more involving drive no question & felt a little quicker but the Recaros grate after a while & I think the extra features & outright flexibility of the Polo GTI win out, hence why i bought one However, if I was you I would wait for the XR4 to arrive & take that for a test drive, I owned a Fiesta Zetec & to be honest it handled close to if not equal to the Polo GTI, so the further stiffened/more powerful version promises to be a cracking drive. If you cant wait then its Polo

[Wand Weaver]

I'd certainly wait for the XR4 arrives before you buy - it should be a cracking drive - and cheaper than the VW too.

Sure, the Polo's tunable, but if you're anything like me, you're probably not that inclined to mod the thing to all buggery anyway and enjoy it the way it was delivered.

My cumulative fuel consumption (I haven't reset it since delivery) dropped below 10L/100km on the weekend for the first time. It's been steadily going down - being as high as 12L/100km during the early stages of the run in. Hopefully, I'll get it down into the 8s, which will be very respectable given the 90/10 City/Highway balance I drive in. Short trips are a killer though - with consumption around the 10L/100km mark.

[shaneth]

XR4 arrives June, not sure if this will be as quick as either the Polo or the Colt. With only 190nm @ 4500rpm its going to have to be reved to get it anywhere. imho anyway. Still would like a drive though.

[beefa]

Am i correct that the blown Feista already exists O/S and doesnt get the best of reviews. I was very tempted to wait for this car to arrive before getting the polo but then started read some of the reviews. Ok motor, average handling and feel, and this was enough to put me off.
Initially I had my heart set on the Suzi Sport, great handling but no grunt. I spent 3 months lurking on the redlinegti forum and whilst some tuning houses are starting to turn out bits for the suzi, you really will always be lacking grunt even the $4k Turbo was bringing power up to the standard Polo.
If you read the comparo's that were head to head of the suzi sport and the Colt R, the Sport won just about all of them, the colt had plenty of power, but was let down in the handling stakes and ergonomics.
I needed a daily drive for my 140km round trip to work and back and after owning the original GTi swift had doubts about the longevity of the car. I had not included the polo in my original choices as I hadnt really seen it around. Found a few that looked good so went for a test drive, nice, not crazy stiff in the suspension which is nice for a daily driver, but still taught enough for some great handling in the twisties. I didnt want a car I had to mod the hell out of for so many reasons, and when a simple reflash will give close to 40% improvement in power I was sold.
Suzi probably is a better handling package but let down in other areas, The Colt has a lot of power but is let down in the handling and ergonomics of the car. The Polo to me is a perfect blend that with something as simple as a chip flash will run mid 14 quarters and put a huge smile on your face whilst maintianing a solid feel and good drivability.
With the flash I am averaging 7.8l/100 for my round trip from Campbelltown to St Leonards every day.
Every make will have its dedicated forum where you can read biased opinions about the cars which is recommended : ) but which ever way you go these cars all offer some good value for money.

[PeterHBne]

Hmmmmm - good advice in there guys - thanks for all your help!

Beefa - you are probably right - I may need to compromise my choice in some areas for daily comfort.


Think I'll try & get an extended test drive in Colt & Polo this weekend to make my mind up.

My ride in the Polo really wasnt enough to pass a real judgement.

Buy a Ford!!!!!!! You've got to be kidding!!!!!

[shaneth]

Hey Peter, Mate heres an idea, why dont you come to the SEQ drive day and passenger with a polo. Id offer mine but my wife is coming. There are a few other polos that dont have pasengers. If you want i may be able to tee it up for you.

[Wand Weaver]

Am i correct that the blown Feista already exists O/S and doesnt get the best of reviews.

The XR4 is the same as the Fiesta ST overseas. It has a 2.0L Duratec (N/A) motor, so it's not blown.

While I love driving my Polo, and don't regret the decision to buy one at all - I'm being a realist when I say that the Fiesta does handle better than the Polo does (stock).

And while turbos are certainly easier to mod to boost their power easily, power is honestly not everything, and there's a certain appeal to having a larger N/A motor rather than a turbo one, especially in the way the power is delivered. Just ask the R32 guys

[MINTpolo]

I'm with Shaneth, i think the colt looks like much better value at 26k, and i dont doubt its abilities, however, i dont know if i could part with the all rounded-ness of the polo. Also its attention to fine detail and high quality materials. You dont get as much of this in most japanese cars. A sway bar should assist in making the handling a tad more responsive, and some advan AD07's should bring it up to the colts grip levels.

Biggest problem with these small quickish cars under 30k is they are all compromised, its a pain because it would be easier if one stood out as best. Therefore the choice has to be made as to which compromise you want.

IMO
Swift= Good handling but not enough power and a flimsy image?
Colt = Good power and the seats (are they that good??)but strange looks and handling still not as good as it could be, interior not good for 30k and its also harsher.
Polo = Quality and the engine. but the handling is a lil soft in comparison.
Fiesta = Decent handling, decent NA power but it is getting old, the interior isnt particulary high quality and its also smaller.
Citroen C2? well...does anyone want one of these? they look cool...

So thats what i reckon anyway. I would be taking a good hard look at a colt in your situation, but i dont know if i could live with one.

Also, FYI the fiesta engine is pretty much the MZR 2.0 from the Mazda3 so mods should be available to squeeze a few more kw from it.

[Ben_GTI]

My $0.02 on the fuel consumption figures; I'm getting on average 6.9L/100km.

I put this down to the simple ideology, "If you don't slow down for corners, you don't have to accelerate back upto speed."

Although with aircon running its closer to 10.0L/100km.