1st post

[hertfordshire1]

Hey all,

Thought I would finally register and post - been lurking on the board for the last year since I picked up my new 2025 GTI last May.

Done just over 11k miles so far, no dramas (airbag recall early on) and just had its first oil service.

Spec is pretty standard - 18s, heated seated and rear cam, grey interior trim. Annoyingly after I took delivery, VW started offering the upgraded audio for £400 which i would of had too (and have since been told this cannot be retro fitted)..

Only mod so far was to paint the standard 18" diamond cut wheels as I hate that finish (personal choice). Am waiting for someone to be able to remap it (my good friends at DMS have tried and failed already, hopefully the ECUs will be unlocked at some point - just to give it a bit extra pep!).

So far enjoying the polo - only let down is the quality of the interior, which is pretty poor for a car costing over £30k.

Cheers
Steve

[SRGTD]

@hertfordshire1; welcome to the forum.

My last VW was a Pure White Polo GTI+ (bought new in 2020 and kept for 4 years) in pretty much standard trim, apart from 18” alloys, reversing camera and grey trim on the dashboard, centre console and front doors rather than the standard red trim. I no longer own a VW after 22 years and 5 VW’s - I was disappointed by the down turn in build quality over the years and the increasingly ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude of the dealership I used.

I think your alloys look good in silver; it’s surprising how different they look in a single colour compared to the standard diamond cut finish. I prefer yours and I also share your dislike of diamond cut alloys;

• they have poor durability so are susceptible to white worm corrosion, especially during winter road conditions.

• they’re easily damaged by tyre fitters - if they do damage them, they’ll probably deny having done it! .

• it’s more expensive to get them refurbished than painted / powder coated alloys. Additionally, as the diamond cut refurb process involves cutting away a layer of alloy from the face of the wheel, they can only be safely refurbished in a diamond cut finish twice - more than twice and there’s a risk that too much metal will have been removed, so structural integrity of the wheel can be compromised.

I do wish car manufacturers would get over their obsession with fitting diamond cut alloys to many (most?) of their cars but sadly, I can’t see it happening.

I agree with you on the quality of the interior, particularly the hard plastic door cards, although many cars in the B segment are the same (even the Audi A2 / Q2). It wouldn’t cost too much for manufacturers to add a cloth insert but IMHO it’s all about cost cutting these days to improve profit margins. Having said that, the interior of my GTI was pretty much creak, squeak and rattle free during the four years of ownership.

I hope you continue enjoying your car, and have many miles of enjoyable, trouble free ownership.

[OomStu_ZA]

Hi hertfordshire1 and welcome.

Why not consider getting an aftermarket sub? I didnt tick the box to include Beats Audio when I purchased my car in 2019 since the feedback I received that it was not the greatest audio. I went instead for an aftermarket active sub (mounted behind the rear seat) and 2x 6 by 9's. It also cost a lot less than VW's offering.

[hertfordshire1]

Thanks for the replies - I'm certainly going to look at upgrading the audio at some point.

Will likely replace all the speakers, add and amp and sub etc. put some sound deadening in the doors will also help with road noise.

I'm heading to the Nurburgring in it in a few weeks - will be interesting to see how it stacks up against previous cars I have driven round there, my last time being in my GR Yaris that I owned at the time!

Will give me a good reason to replace the tyres when I get back - will be switching to 225/40/18s over the standard 215 size - Michelin PS4s or PS5 - TBC.

Cheers
Steve