Volkswagen Polo GTI 2019 long-term review

When our road testers put the Polo GTI through its paces, they returned a touring economy of 46.8mpg. That fell to 14.0mpg when they pushed it on our test track. Over the full gamut of road test driving, they found it averaged 36.6mpg – and, a few thousand miles in with our long-term test car, that roughly tallies with the figures we’ve been achieving.

What has been really notable so far is how much that fuel economy varies in different situations. Living within the M25 and just a few miles from Autocar Towers, I find that most of my daily driving is of the stop-start urban variety. And on that sort of route, I struggled to get the on-board computer to register an average fuel economy of 40mpg – and, doing the sums, I was getting closer to 32-33.

But after prolonged spells on motorways and A-roads, I was getting close to or just above 40mpg, and without spending the entire time in Eco mode (which uses fewer revs and changes up gears sooner). That’s hardly a disgraceful tradeoff for a 6.7sec 0-62mph time, but it might serve as a note of mild caution to those interested in a Polo GTI as an ‘everyday performance’ option.

And it is, by comparison, notably lower than I achieved with my previous long-term test car, the Suzuki Swift Sport.

Granted, that car was lighter and less powerful (and had a smaller fuel tank, so I found myself at the pumps more often) but such costs will add up over a prolonged period. I’ve yet to sample the Ford Fiesta ST that’s on our fleet – and it’s probably the key rival for the Polo GTI – but it will be interesting to know if that car’s ability to use only three cylinders on light throttle loads makes it more economical for urban use.

It’s the fact that the fuel economy struggles so badly in an urban environment that annoys, because that’s where you’re least able to extract the pleasing performance from the Polo GTI’s engine.

So I’m trying to find ways to improve the fuel economy while driving in the city. Coasting is a little hard, given the auto ’box, but by trying to read the road ahead, judicious use of the Eco mode and more gentle use of the throttle, I’m slowly increasing that average mpg. Let’s see how it goes.

Love it:

DIGITAL DRIVER INFO DISPLAY So many options, and no end of info I can squeeze onto there…

Loathe it:

DIGITAL DRIVER INFO DISPLAY ...in fact, there may be too many options. Still hunting for the perfect layout.

Mileage: 5579

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Life with a Volkswagen Polo GTI: Month 1

Welcoming the Polo GTI to the fleet - 2nd January 2019

Time for a quick recap. You might recall that my previous long-termer was a Suzuki Swift Sport.

I enjoyed it’s fizzy, fun nature enough to overlook a handful of minor niggles and annoyances. But it left me posing a question: would I swap the Swift Sport for a hot hatch which traded some of that charm for a bit more polish? Something like, say, a Volkswagen Polo GTI?

Good question, if a slightly leading one, because shortly before I waved goodbye to the Swift Sport, a Volkswagen Polo GTI duly arrived at Autocar Towers. It’s almost as if it was planned this way…

Anyway, the polish promised by the new fourth-generation Polo GTI was highlighted by our road test team. They cited the class-leading interior and all-round quality, and noted that this is the most convincing Polo GTI yet, one that feels like a proper performance car rather than just a top-spec regular Polo. That’s certainly what VW has pushed for: this GTI has appeared unusually early on in the Polo’s life, and the firm says the MQB A0 platform the car is built on was engineered with this GTI version in mind.

Sounds promising, then – although you can probably feel the ‘but’ coming. In this case our testers felt the Polo GTI traded on “cold, hard capability” instead of hot hatch sizzle. Key to that capability is the EA288 2.0-litre turbocharged four-pot engine – the same one you’ll find in the Golf GTI and plenty of other Volkswagen Group performance cars. Here it’s been tuned to make 197bhp and 236lb ft, so I’ll have a fair amount of extra go under my right foot compared with the Swift Sport’s lowly 138bhp and 170lb ft.

Clearly, the Polo GTI has the performance, then, but our testers struggled to find the fun. Their verdict was that the Polo GTI is a good car but not necessarily one for Autocar readers. And, hey, I read Autocar (it’s a good magazine, you should check it out), so let’s put that to the test – because my suspicion is that the Polo’s comfort and class might start to shine through over the course of a few months.

We’ve opted for a Polo GTI+ with a few thousand miles on it already, so we know the engine is nicely loosened up. First impressions are good. The Flash Red paint is stylish without being showy, and the GTI-only styling tweaks – including 17in alloys, twin chrome exhausts, restyled bumpers and GTI badging – add a touch of class over the regular Polo. GTI+ trim adds automatic LED headlights, rear tinted glass and electric door mirrors, while extras inside include a 10.5in touchscreen (regular GTIs get an 8.0in unit).

With that big screen at the centre of the dashboard, everything looks very VW Group-slick, especially with the digital driver info display and – of course – classic tartan seats. I’m not quite as sold on the big swathe of red on the dash: while a valiant attempt to break up the black trim, it doesn’t give the intended premium polish.

The GTI+ costs £22,610, but our options include climate control (£415), the £285 winter pack and Brescia black diamond alloys (£350). Pre-crash prevention and subscriptions to VW’s infotainment and safety services push the cost of our car to a hefty £25,345.

For that money, even if we unlock a huge chunk of character, we won’t be as forgiving of flaws as we were with the £17,999 Swift Sport. Still, initial impressions are that the Polo looks and feels like the premium small performance hatch it’s priced at, although initial driving impressions aren’t quite so positive, largely due to the gearbox.

While a manual version is on the way, the Polo GTI has so far only been offered with a six-speed dual-clutch auto – and it already feels like the lack of a stick shift is going to be a sticking point. It’s got that slight auto hesitation away from a standstill but, more notably, if you press the throttle enthusiastically at low speeds, the ’box seems to struggle. On a few occasions when accelerating in second, it decided to change down to first, resulting in much noise and wheelspin and little premium-polish vibe. It’s proving to be far smoother with a bit of throttle restraint, but the Polo GTI doesn’t feel as accessible as the plug-and-play Swift Sport.

But then, a few days into my time with it, I had to make a long early-morning trip down the M4. Suddenly, the plush interior and smooth, efficient powertrain shone, and several hours of motorway was spent in contented comfort. Then, on exiting the M4, a Welsh road provided evidence of the Polo GTI’s hot hatch handling and response.