2015 Polo gti vs your prior cars

[jbounce]

Ok, so Ive had the Polo Gti for approx. 6 months now.
My prior car was a RenaultSport Clio 172 (not even the 182 cup) which I had for approx. 8 years.

My Clio was very reliable mechanically (only issue I had was an oxygen sensor issue, but I serviced it well). The interior was not so good though, the steering wheel handle rubber bits wore out. I didn't notice any rattles though.

As far as spirited driving, I prefer the Clio over the Polo. Clio liked to rev, also was torquey. Even though it has 200Nm compared to my manual Polos 320 Nm. It feels quite similar from my memory (possibly because the Clio is approx. 200 kg lighter).
Cornering in the Clio felt sharper and didn't have that strange xds braking feeling as it didn't seem to need it. Acceleration wise, 1st to 3rd(3rd was weaker in the Clio slightly) gears feels pretty similar but I know the Polo is quicker, for some reason I cant really tell the difference except that the Polo has a bit of lag and possibly because I didn't drive them back to back only going by memory. Also the Polo seems like it doesn't like to rev and is a bit too quite (cant describe it but you probably know what I mean).

Now for day to day driving, well the Polo is way more refined, I even kinda can enjoy traffic jams as I look around the beautiful interior (oh that lovely steering wheel, what a work of art, also fits perfectly when I grip it) tartan seats are awesome also. Suspension is similar to the Clio but Polo is more enjoyable around traffic. I love the build quality of the Polo, you notice a lot of though has gone into the interior the more you use it, new things pop up once in a while. I only just noticed there is storage under the seats and also one near the passengers leg area. Polo also has better usability of low revs so much more handy in real world driving/traffic.

As for which one is better? I have no idea. Both good but in different ways. Also been a while since I drove the Clio so probably memory of it has been distorted.

[nickit78]

I also owned a clio, a 182. I have had my polo manual for about 3 months now.
Its been a while since I drove the clio but I can easily say it was more fun car of the two.
The steering was so precise and direct, you felt a direct connection between the steering wheel and the what the front wheels were doing. You could flick the back out with just a little throttle lift off, so much fun. It was such a light nimble and raw car. I dont think there will be similar cars made anymore.
Never had any problems with it mechanically but the interior build quality was not good at all.

To me the polo feels significantly faster in a straight line, build quality is way above, a much more comfortable ride.
As an everyday car the polo wins. What I like about the polo is the torque and how usable it is in traffic. I have to say I am slightly disappointed the polo does not give me thrills the clio, but I a more sensible driver now so getting thrills on public roads is not something I want to be doing.

Am eager to see what APR will offer for stage 1, that may give the polo the edge it needs.

[Mi16 Man]

The RS Clio's have a phenomenal amount of mechanical grip.

Thoroughly enjoyed piloting as RSC197 back in Canberra.


MY13 Kluger KX-S AWD / MY16 Polo GTI

[awdmoke]

We've owned the 6R 12.5 for 3+ years now.
Great fun little car, but here's a comparison to some of my previous / other current cars:

Polo Vs Golf Tdi
Tdi was soooo economical. Fill up every 1,000 kms. Could tow my race mini. Was boring, heavy and slow compared to the Polo that we replaced it with.

Polo Vs Mk 2 Suzuki Swift Gti Mk2
Similar in spirit, but the Polo is so much nicer inside. The Swift is a Tupperware lunch box in comparison, although now that it has been turbocharged it is a match on the track.

Polo Vs 1973 Mini
They are very similar to drive, though the Polo is much quicker in all aspects the Mini is just as fun to drive (but then my mini has a bigger engine). I'd rate the Polo as the true successor to the mini, rather than BMW's effort with the huge & heavy MINI.

Polo Vs BMW 540i
The leather seats and torque of the 300hp 4.0L V8 puts this in a different class to the Polo. Both are enjoyable, but I'd rather punt the Polo on suburban streets or race track and take the BMW on the highway. The big Bavarian tows a car trailer without you noticing it's attached.

Polo Vs Porsche 928S
Again a 300hp 4.7L V8 and slushbox auto makes it a different category, but in a balanced alloy body and weighing the same as the Golf mentioned above, the Porsche is the pick for highways or twisting country roads. The Polo is too harsh on bumpy country roads, but it still kills the Porsche on track and around town.


I've had many other cars, but these are ones I consider relevant.
We still have all the above, apart from the Golf.
The Polo we will be keeping in the collection too. A real pocket rocket.