Say you’re in the market for a nippy hot hatch that won’t break the bank, well, your options are limited.
Today’s landscape offers the Suzuki Swift Sport as the most affordable “hot hatch” in the nation, followed by the VW Polo GTI and then the BMW 128ti.
While all three are admirable, one week in the VW reinforced the notion that it simply offers the best bang for your buck, if your buck is reserved for a sporty hatchback.
Powerful. Playful. Polo.
I’ve already spent plenty of time in the VW Polo in its standard form and had few complaints to write home about.
In terms of living with the hatchback, the GTI offers much the same experience as its tamer siblings, which is to say it’s a good all-rounder that’s suited for anyone from a solo traveller to a fledgling family.
You have creature comforts aplenty and build quality is industry-leading. It’s no longer one of the most affordable hatchbacks out there, but it’s hard to argue that it isn’t worth its asking price.
What you get with the GTI then, is a Polo turned up to eleven.
It’s not like the second-cheapest VW on the market was a dull drive to begin with, but the GTI simply elevates it to a whole ‘nother level.
The halo model boasts a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine spitting out 147kW and 320Nm, paired with a snappy six-speed, dual-clutch automatic shifter.
On paper, it sprints to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds and it runs out of puff at 238km/h.
The numbers already sound promising, but it’s when you get behind the wheel that it becomes clear this GTI is no runt of the litter.
Apart from the more substantial power unit, the pinnacle Polo is the only one in the stable to be equipped with the Adaptive Chassis Control system of its bigger Golf-badged brother in addition to an electronic differential lock.
Furthermore, it gets unique suspension tuning with a 15mm reduction in ground clearance to 133mm.
What this boils down to is that the sporty Polo isn’t just quick in the straights, but it also cuts through corners like a hot knife through butter. Understeer is virtually non-existent.
Slinging the GTI through curvy backroads with no traffic around was one of the more enjoyable moments I’ve had in a car in a good long while; it’s a lively toy and it didn’t even cross my mind that it may not be the most powerful, most capable, or most expensive of its kind out there.
It doubles as a dependable daily driver as it’s not too thirsty and there’s even an Eco mode that dulls the throttle response every so slightly in the pursuit of frugality.
The sportier suspension does render the ride slightly harsher than the normal Polo and the optional 18-inch “Faro” alloys on this press unit, which admittedly look spectacular, didn’t particularly help with increasing comfort and made road noise a bit more noticeable than in the other models I’ve driven with fatter tyres.
A more boisterous exhaust would also have been appreciated. The Polo GTI sounds decently aggressive from inside the cabin, but it’s more hushed than I would have liked from the outside.
Verdict
The VW Polo GTI is a wholly unique offering in the Polo stable; it drives like a real sports car and looks the part with its flashy red accents, big rims, and Matrix LED headlights, too.
The Swift Sport may have a far lower barrier to entry and supply much the same handling profile, but the Polo has it beat in basically every other metric.
Similarly, the pricier BMW 128ti, or the bigger Golf GTI for that matter, provides comparable build quality and amenities. They are slightly quicker to 100km/h, but what’s a 0.3-second difference between friends?
The Polo GTI therefore strikes a perfect blend of sportiness, luxury, and price that you’ll have a hard time finding an equivalent for.
VW Polo GTI
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