Polo GTi Handling

[Stoney!]

Hey all,

I went up to my local Vee Dub Dealer yesterday to test drive the new Polo GTi (dealer lets me have a thrash in the new stuff that comes out cause i got my golf there lol) This is in no way a review but just a few thoughts of mine before I walked out the door.

I love the 1.4 twincharger engine I got in my golf so thought something quicker with it should be awesome. Theres no doubt the engine suits the size of the car very well. It gets off the line with minimal fuss under full pedal, wheels spins a little then just rockets off. I noticed unlike other DSG's I've driven this actually revs a little before it 'engages the clutch', instead of engaging then taking off like i clearly remember my friends 103tdi doing. I found this frustrating in the 103tdi so I was happy with this.

The exhaust note is lovely and even the engine sounds meatier. Sometimes when you dump the throttle quickly whilst cruising the supercharger will cut in straight away so you will hear it whine loudly as the dsg it matching the revs for the gear its about to change down too, sounded great. The turbo was nice and loud and manual mode with earlier full throttle shifts got a nice change note from the exhaust also.

Interior was surprisingly good quality though the stereo was very average, still great for a car of this class though. Was unimpressed to note cruise control didn't show the set speed on bottom left hand corner like golf does with the same dash.

At the end of the day its a great sounding well finished good looking rocket that I was very close to surprising my dealer and actually buying one of the cars I test drove lol. Until I took it through a few corners.

I was horrified, it felt like some cheap korean car someone had hotted up. It pushed out hard through corners and had bucket loads of body roll, noticed badly on steering direction change where my 118tsi (sports pack) would normally be hanging on well with tyre noise but sitting relatively flat. With each full throttle gear change also brought a shimmy from the steering wheel, Now I haven't driven a DSG 118tsi so I dunno if they do it to, but it just didn't feel right. Couple of times it did it through a corner or when i was waving through parked cars in narrow back streets and it scared the living **** outta me.

After all that I got back into my golf, with no torque steer, feeling rather lethargic but handles just nicely, no polo GTi for me

Stoney!

[Hooti3]

I don't know what Polo GTI you were driving but I didn't get any of what you mentioned on my test drive.

Interesting.

[Kane-St-Kane]

I didn't experience the handling you described either.

The Polo GTI handled damn fine for me.... Much better than anything else I'd driven in the last 6 months except a 911 Carerra S.

[pologti18t]

I don't know what Polo GTI you were driving but I didn't get any of what you mentioned on my test drive.

Interesting.

Doesn't remind me of my test drive either. Though the new GTI seems a tad more skittish over bumps than the old model. I put that down to the firmer suspension and the firmer sidewalled tyres.

When it comes down to it though the old Polo GTI (which I have) was a bit soggy in the handling department.

[Frostee]

[QUOTE=Kane-St-Kane;596967]I didn't experience the handling you described either.

QUOTE]

Ditto

[poloboy]

I'm not sure if you drove the same car! I was actually very surprised by just how good the Polo GTI handled, I found it better than a Mk 5 Golf GTI

[Hooti3]

Not to sound rude, I'm sure something like the "body roll" you are describing would have been picked up by at least one reviewer who tested the car. I haven't read one review nor have I experienced what you're describing.

Maybe something wrong with the car.

[Stoney!]

Well it certainly doesn't seem to match the handling of the sportspack suspension on the comfortline golf. Although I didn't have much of a drive so may not have been on the roads, it seemed less skittish than my golf.

It took a lot to make it lean it wasn't straight away, but when it did it was a lot. When you get out and stand next to it you can rock it like a boat, hence why direction change roll is quite noticeable.

Stoney!

[break]

At this stage, I'm convinced this has been a problem with you simply not having any idea how how to handle a taunt car on uneven roads, as opposed to a car incapable of handling.

I'm sorry... but if you're claiming the sportspack is better then either the car you drove is terribly broken, or you're a fool.

[Stoney!]

Well done on shooting your mouth off (as everyone on this entire forums seems to be good at) When you know very little about me. I'm terribly sorry I have upset you over a car, but I was simply posting my observations after having a good half hour test drive in one. And I standby my comment that it doesn't handle as well and at the same time still doesn't ride as well as the Comfortline golf with sports pack (lower suspension and 17" alloys)

It certainly goes a lot harder but then the golf has its torque steer down pat and it doesn't. Sounds amazing, I was almost sold on that alone. Go have a test drive, and actually DRIVE IT! don't just go through a few back streets and floor it off the mark at a few sets of lights.

Stoney!