Polo GTI - should I buy one ?

[JossyB]

Hi folks, I'm a newbie looking to buy a GTI. I've got an Audi A3 Cab 1.4 TFSI 150 COD ("15" plate") at the moment but I'm wanting something a bit more involved/sporty (with a proper roof). I had a test drive today and my observations were : boot seems small due to the battery location, clutch biting point seems high, seats are positioned at a strange angle, power delivery had a bit of a delay, handles well, GTI bits are really nice and the pano roof is a must.

I would be looking at a flat black 3dr manual with a pano roof, convenience and cruise/parking pack.

Any comments / thoughts appreciated.

Ta !

[nats148]

Suppose it depends what you're used to, the points you've made (apart from the boot) aren't things that I've particularly noticed tbh.
Seats - done a few long journeys in mine now and not felt uncomfortable at all.
Clutch - again seems absolutely fine to me, but then again my previous daily was a 16 year old 6N2 GTI and the clutch on that was crap

Haven't got the cruise/parking pack so can't comment on that.

[JossyB]

Thanks nats148. Yeah, I found the seats very comfortable but they seemed to be on an angle. Probably just down to finding the right adjustment/driving position. This might explain the clutch too. The boot wouldn't put me off as my wife has a Skoda Yeti and that gets used for the shopping runs etc. All in all a really nice package.

[nats148]

When I drove home tonight I paid a but more attention to the seating position & think you're right lol
I've had mine nearly 6 months and love it


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[SRGTD]

JossyB, agree the boot is a bit small, but for me, it's big enough for everyday use. With the back seats lowered, I got my set of 4 x 18" Golf wheels (with tyres on) in when I sold them with no problem, so if you don't carry rear seat passengers very often, you can accommodate fairly large loads.

I have a long-term back problem, so choosing a car I can be comfortable in is a priority. For me, I find the seating position is good, although when I first got the car, compared to my previous car (mk6 Golf GTD) even with the seats adjusted to the lowest position, it felt as if I was sitting quite high up (I've got used to it now).

Haven't noticed the high clutch biting point or delay in power delivery. I do have the Convenience and and Parking packs. I chose the Convenience pack because I had the features of this option in my Golf and would have missed not having them. I chose the Parking pack because I wanted cruise control and (at the time) it was only an extra £25 to upgrade the Cruise and Park pack to the Parking pack which gave you the reversing camera for only £25 extra. Before I had it, I thought the reversing camera was a bit of a gimmick, but I do find it useful, and it's surprisingly good in the dark, as its positioned near the LED number plates, so the image on the infotainment screen helps to make up for the rather feeble reversing light.

After 3 months of ownership I'm glad I bought it. I've not suffered any of the trim rattles (yet) that some have experienced, it's plenty rapid enough for me, and being a 'mature' driver, I like the understated styling. The sound quality from the speakers isn't as good as my Golf but it's not terrible, and with a fair amount of tweaking of the equaliser, tone and balance controls, I've got it to sound OK.

Overall, I'm very happy with it. Not quite so happy with the dealership, but that's another story!

[RUM4MO]

Not a GTI but yes, the clutch does seem very high biting point, must be a good reason for that, seats height, again I'd like to be able to drop them down a bit more they do seem slightly higher at their lowest setting than the 9N Polo was - my old B5 Passat's seats could drop almost onto the floor - which is where I liked them (I seem to have along back!) my S4 seats are always set as low as they can go as well, now if you want to complain about the angle of the driver seat (angled right or left) in any car, maybe check out that car, but I don't notice it on longer journeys.

[Willni]

Hi folks, I'm a newbie looking to buy a GTI. I've got an Audi A3 Cab 1.4 TFSI 150 COD ("15" plate") at the moment but I'm wanting something a bit more involved/sporty (with a proper roof). I had a test drive today and my observations were : boot seems small due to the battery location, clutch biting point seems high, seats are positioned at a strange angle, power delivery had a bit of a delay, handles well, GTI bits are really nice and the pano roof is a must.

I would be looking at a flat black 3dr manual with a pano roof, convenience and cruise/parking pack.

Any comments / thoughts appreciated.

Ta !

Whats your 15 plate like to drive overall I'm thinking of changing to a tfsi sport?

[JossyB]

Thanks for the replies folks !

Willni, I've had the 3dr 2013 A3 1.4 TFSI 122bhp and the 2015 A3 Cab 1.4 TFSI 150bhp Cylinder On Demand. Both really good engines - smooth, decent power, 45-50mpg all the time and £30 road tax. The 122 is well documented for having a rattle at about 1500rpm - turbo linkage - I had the fix and it was OK for a while but came back. The 150 COD engine doesn't suffer with this. I've done almost 3000 miles and it's been fine. Cracking engine - just a bit lacking in a heavy Cab. It would be brilliant in the 3 or 5dr. You can't tell when the 2 cylinders switch off and back on again. The only indication is on the dash info screen. It really is clever - tech developed for the A8 and 7 initially.

[JossyB]

Well folks convince me !

I've got a canny deal on a Flash Red 3dr with pano roof and parking. I had wanted black but this car is on site ready to go brand new.