Volkswagen Polo GTI review

In the world of technology, we’ve seen smaller, more portable versions of cameras and phones deemed cooler and more desirable than their full-sized counterparts. That sometimes applies to cars, too, but the VW Polo GTI has always lacked the cachet of its bigger, thrustier Golf GTI sibling, and is often overlooked.

The thing is, a lot of the Polo GTI’s popular rivals have since retired and gone off sale (with the likes of the Abarth 695, Ford Fiesta ST and Hyundai i20 N) and the GTI’s all-round abilities are starting to make it stand out a bit more in this much smaller crowd.

You get lots of bespoke decor, including a red strip across its nose, a subtle but athletic bodykit and eye-catching tartan seats.

If the car’s character can follow suit and offer Golf GTI performance, the Polo GTI could potentially corner the cheaper end of the hot hatch market. Indeed, unless you want to go electric with the Abarth 500e it only really competes with the Skoda Fabia 130 and hotter versions of the Mini Cooper. 

Does the VW Polo GTI have what it takes to take on the best hot hatches? Let's find out...

What’s new?
July 2023: limited-run Polo GTI Edition 25 goes on sale, although only 350 examples come to the UK. It features gloss-black alloy wheels and a black roof
June 2021: new Polo GTI breaks cover, and is packing 204bhp from its 2.0-litre TSI engine, plus a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox, digital instruments and beam-shifting LED Matrix headlights
 

Fire up the VW Polo GTI’s 2.0-litre turbocharged engine and it bursts into life before settling into an idle that sounds fairly subdued. 

Similarly, slot the gearlever into D, set off on your journey and you might be expecting a livelier response from the engine and gearbox. In essence, the Polo feels very docile to drive and you need to press the accelerator pedal quite far down before the automatic gearbox changes down a gear to give you a burst of acceleration. 

This could be a good thing if you want a hot hatch to commute in that you can relax in. However, nudge the gearlever into its sportier S setting (or select Sport drive mode) and the GTI wakes up and feels more energised. The engine revs higher before changing up a gear while the gearbox changes down sooner. 

You can only have the Polo GTI with a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox, but it changes gear quickly and is more responsive than the Skoda Fabia 130’s. 

With 204bhp, the Polo GTI can officially catapult itself from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds. That’s quicker than any version of the Abarth 500e (7.0sec) and the Skoda Fabia 130 (7.4sec), but about the same as a Mini Cooper S. For a bit more money, the Mini Cooper JCW is slightly quicker (6.0 seconds). 

Like the JCW, the GTI features some artificial engine sound piped in through the stereo speakers, adding some extra drama to the experience. In fairness, it’s quite convincing and far better than the fake noise made by the Abarth 500e, while the Fabia 130 doesn’t produce any sound at all.

Of course, a key characteristic of the best hot hatches is that they’re fun to drive on twisty roads. To help the Polo GTI in this area, VW has fitted it with 15mm lower Sport suspension and adaptive chassis control (DCC), allowing you to push a button to firm up the adaptive dampers.

In Sport mode, the car becomes more composed through corners and hugs the road better, especially over dips and crests. It’s a fun thing to hustle down a country road, offering decent levels of grip and reassuring brakes that don’t cause the car to squirrel during hard braking.

An electronically-controlled limited-slip differential helps to maximise traction when exiting corners, but the GTI’s comparatively relaxed set-up means it’s never quite as enjoyable as more aggressive hot hatches. It’s more composed and precise than the Skoda Fabia 130, but there’s ultimately more body lean through corners than a Mini Cooper S (or JCW) and it feels less playful at its limit. 

On top of that, the Polo GTI’s relatively light steering doesn’t provide a strong connection to the front wheels and so it misses out on the level of engagement you’d want.

As a result, rather than being designed for thrills alone, the Polo GTI comes with a bias towards everyday usability. In fact, whether it’s on the standard 17in wheels or the larger 18in option, the GTI's ride is hardly any harsher than in a standard Polo, and there’s less road or wind noise at higher speeds compared with rivals. 

"I like that the Polo GTI’s Individual mode lets you turn the engine and noise up to full, but leave the suspension, steering and gearbox in their least aggressive modes. That's great for everyday driving." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The Polo GTI – just like the regular VW Polo – treats you to a brilliant driving position. In fact, the figure-hugging tartan sports seats make it even more comfortable than the non-GTI version.

There’s plenty of seat and steering-wheel adjustment so you won’t struggle to get comfortable, and the standard-fit adjustable lumbar support helps on long journeys.

You sit lower than you do in the standard Polo, but your visibility is still excellent compared with in many hot hatches. Rear visibility is bolstered by standard-fit front and rear parking sensors, and a rear-view camera is available as an option.

Powerful matrix LED headlights come as standard and give you great visibility when driving at night. They allow you to keep the full beam on at all times without dazzling other road users.

The logical dashboard layout makes it easy to find all of the controls you’ll use often. It’s just a shame that all of the air-conditioning controls are touch-sensitive buttons and sliders. They can be fiddly to use, but still better than diving into menus on the touchscreen, as you do in the Cupra Leon and Mini Cooper JCW. 

The Polo GTI's dashboard is built mostly from pleasant soft plastics, with less-desirable scratchy plastic kept quite well hidden. It’s colourful, too. You get plenty of ambient lighting and a bright painted slab of plastic (in grey or red) across the middle of the dashboard – some will find that attractive while others might find it a bit garish.

All-in-all, the Polo GTI's general interior quality is a step above what you’ll find in the more expensive Abarth 500e and Skoda Fabia 130.

The 10.25in digital driver's display is sharp and far more useful than the small head-up display on a Mini Cooper S. You get an 8.0in infotainment touchscreen as standard, with DAB radio, Bluetooth, sat nav, and Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. The system has high-quality graphics and responds quickly enough to your prods, so we wouldn’t bother paying to upgrade to the more expensive 9.2in Discover Pro system. 

There are touch-sensitive shortcut buttons around the screen and it’s generally easier to use than the Mini Cooper’s system.

"The physical buttons on the GTI’s steering wheel are a real breath of fresh air when compared with the rubbish touch-sensitive ones that you’ll find on other VWs." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

The VW Polo GTI puts on a good show when it comes to front space, giving even a pair of six-footers plenty of head and leg room. Indeed, it's easier to get comfortable in than the slightly smaller Abarth 500e and Mini Cooper S.

It’s a similar story for those sitting in the back, with the Polo GTI offering more knee and head room than those two rivals. It also has a rear bench that can seat three people, as opposed to the two seats you’ll find in the back of the 500e and Mini Cooper S. A Skoda Fabia 130 is similarly spacious, but you’ll need to pay more to get a Leon or Skoda Octavia vRS that offers even more space.

Another tick in the Polo GTI's favour is boot space: its 305 litres trounces the 500e’s 185 litres and isn't too far short of the Fabia’s 380 litres. We managed to fit four carry-on suitcases in the boot of a GTI, meaning you shouldn’t struggle to fit your weekly shopping back there.

Even so, the Octavia vRS will be the choice for those looking for performance and practicality because, with 600 litres, it has almost double the GTI’s boot space.

The GTI misses out on the adjustable boot floor you’ll find in the standard VW Polo but gets 60/40 split-folding rear seats as standard. Even so, with the seats folded down, you get a generous extended loading space with no awkward step up on the seatbacks.

"While the Polo GTI has three rear seats, I still found it a real squeeze when me and two friends sat in the back. If you do that a lot, the Skoda Octavia vRS is a much better choice." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

When you look at the cash prices of many hot hatches – including the Audi RS3, Cupra Leon and Mercedes AMG A45 S – the VW Polo GTI looks like a real bargain. In fact, it’s one of the cheapest petrol-powered hot hatches on the market. A Skoda Fabia 130 may cost slightly less, but you get so much more performance with the Polo GTI. 

With official efficiency figures promising a little more than 40mpg, the Polo GTI is broadly the same as the Mini Cooper JCW. Likewise, it’ll make a cheaper company car than many of those rivals, although the Abarth 500e and plug-in hybrid versions of the Cupra Leon will be even cheaper for BIK tax.

Despite the Polo GTI's price tag, you still get plenty of standard equipment, including 17in alloy wheels, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, electronically folding and heated wing mirrors, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, two-zone climate control and adaptive cruise control. You still need to pay for keyless entry and heated front seats, though.

Safety experts at Euro NCAP awarded the Polo GTI the full five stars and a high score for protecting adult occupants in the front. Safety equipment includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assist, road-sign recognition and a driver alert system that can detect signs that you're getting tired.

When it comes to reliability, the regular Polo sat right near the top of the small car category in the latest  What Car? Reliability Survey. As a brand, Volkswagen finished in a more disappointing 24th place out of 30 manufacturers, above Fiat, but below Cupra, Mini and Skoda. 

VW’s three-year, 60,000-mile warranty should give you some peace of mind and you have the option of extending it if you don’t mind paying a little more.

"While the Polo GTI isn’t the most dynamic hot hatch, I like that it still exists to give people a value option that’s quite fun to drive." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Buy it if…

- You want a small hot hatch that’s well equipped

- You still need something relatively comfortable

- You prioritise interior quality

Don’t buy it if…

- You’re looking for maximum thrills

- You want something with a racy appearance

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