VW Polo GTI (2023 - )

The Polo is often overshadowed by its Golf sibling, but it’s worth noting the smaller Polo is the best-selling car in the VW range here in the UK with sales of 30,631 in 2021.
It’s also often overlooked that, just like the Golf, the Polo is available in hot-hatch GTI guise and this year, it has been given a fairly subtle refresh.
For anyone looking for a more ‘sensible’ car, there are Polo models to suit all budgets with manual or auto transmissions and a wide range of engine options.
But we are veering away from the norm and focusing on the high-end GTI with all the bells and whistles.
 

The VW Polo GTI is powered by a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder TSI petrol engine delivering 207PS of power and 320Nm of torque. With a seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox, it can sprint from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and tops out at 149mph.
When you fire up the ignition, the Polo GTI bursts into life with quite a roar and slowly settles to a gentler rumble. Then with the slightest hint of throttle pressure, it powers out the starting blocks.
It cruises on motorways at 70mph, but a hot-hatch really needs to excel when firing through the twisting country lanes and the Polo GTI does just that. The grip is reassuring meaning you can confidently push this car into and out of tight bends and there is no sign of any body sway or twitchiness.
The gearbox is well-timed and there are steering wheel-mounted paddles for added driver engagement. I did find a little mid-range lag, but that’s where those paddles come into their own so you can manually sharpen up the gear changes.
In addition, drive modes called Eco, Normal, Sport and Individual alter the reactions with Sport mode livening up the throttle responses. The brakes are sharp and controlled without being too fierce.
 

The VW Polo is a surprisingly comfortable car - you would expect the GTI model to be much harsher, but it isn’t. It is lower to the ground by 15mm compared to the standard Polo and this is designed to improve the centre of gravity and also deliver a more dynamic appearance. But rather than being an edgy hot-hatch, it remains fairly refined. And I can’t make my mind up whether that is a good or bad thing.
The handling is good and the XDS electronic differential lock controls the brake pressure of the front wheels on the inside of the bend for added composure under strong acceleration.
The steering is nicely weighted too which means plenty of driver feedback in Sport, but it is a little on the light side.
The cabin is nicely refined with barely any tyre rumble or wind noise filtering through. In addition, the effective suspension set-up does a worthy job of ironing out any road surface bumps and dips along the way.
Our car had larger 18-inch alloy wheels that added £425 to the cost. The standard Polo GTI model is fitted with 17-inch wheels.
 

The latest Polo GTI has been given a mild visual makeover with new-look sports bumpers and improved lighting. Factor in the honeycomb grille, chrome twin tailpipes, tinted windows, flashes of red GTI trim and smart alloys and this five-door model has a real road presence.
The lighting upgrades are quite significant as the car boasts IQ. Light matrix LED dipped and main beam headlights with dynamic light assist, dynamic headlight range control and dynamic cornering lighting. Sounds complicated, but this would all come into play when driving along a dark B road at night with all corners, twists and turns well-lit and the car’s main beam lights automatically switching on and off, leaving the driver to focus purely on the road ahead.
The sporty red theme continues inside the Polo GTI with front sports seats upholstered in Jacara Red check cloth, there is GTI badging on the steering wheel, door sills and steering wheel, along with bright red dashboard, gear lever, central console, seats and steering wheel trims. 
Two clear infotainment screens offer access to all the driving data and on-board technology and there is two-zone climate control, accessed via a separate panel.
 

It’s quick and easy to find the ideal driving position inside the VW Polo GTI with full manual seat and steering wheel adjustment. 
There are plenty of creature comforts to explore, including an upgraded Discover Pro navigation system, costing an extra £845. This introduces a larger 9.2-inch colour touchscreen, streaming and internet, dynamic road sign display, a multifunction front facing camera for distance control, 3D mapping, voice activation and wireless App-Connect for full smartphone connectivity.
There is a clear 10.25-inch, high-resolution tft driver display that can be configured to show any preferences and the adaptive cruise control system was simple to operate on the fly.
The test car also had a few other optional extras, including a Beats sound system with six speakers plus subwoofer costing £475 and heated front seats (£315).
Additionally, as standard, you get a three-year subscription to We Connect Plus to provide continuous interaction between the driver, vehicle and VW. This connects to the VW call centre for eCall emergencies and SOS calls as well as tracing breakdown locations, parking positions, vehicle health reports and much more besides.
Comfort levels are deceptively good for such an aggressively-styled car and the all-round visibility is good, but not great with a narrow rear screen.
 

The Polo GTI sits between the Up GTI and Golf GTI in the company’s line-up so there are bigger and smaller models if needed.
The Polo GTI stretches 4,074mm in length, is 1,751mm wide (excluding mirrors) and 1,431mm tall. Not huge dimensions, but the design team have made very good use of the room inside the vehicle and a couple of six footers can easily sit comfortably up front. 
But the surprising fact is the amount of rear space where two or even three youngsters can fit in without any complaints. These seats slope backwards in quite a sporty fashion and offer good levels of support.
The boot is fairly compact and can hold 287 litres of kit – a limit that increases further with the 60:40 split folding rear seats dropped flat.
There are numerous storage compartments scattered throughout the cabin too, including a glovebox, fairly small front and rear cup holders, a central cubby box, practical door bins with a bottle holder, a sunglasses compartment, non-slip tray, seat back pockets and a drawer that pulls out from beneath the front passenger’s seat.
 

The VW Polo costs from £17,975 for the entry-level Polo Life. But adding the GTI factor to the mix does result in quite a price hike. Our test car started out at £27,805, but optional extras such as the advanced navigation set-up, a rear-view camera, black roof pack, heated front seats and the upgraded audio meant the final cost rose to £30,365.
Day-to-day running costs are fairly pricey too with a combined 41.5mpg under WLTP testing and 154g/km of carbon emissions. This CO2 figure would result in a first year Vehicle Excise Duty charge of £585 for the first year which would be reduced to the standard fee of £165 after 12 months.
The insurance group rating for the test car is 23.
 

VW rarely scores that highly in customer satisfaction surveys, but the Polo GTI feels solid enough and well screwed together.
The engine and transmission technology are tried and tested, while the materials used throughout the cabin feel sturdy and should survive the test of time.
The upholstery is practical and hard-wearing without looking cheap and all the switchgear feels well-constructed too.
There is a fair amount of wipe-clean hard plastic and the shallow cup holders were not that practically thought out, meaning a taller cup would probably topple over into a faster bend, but otherwise, the interior build quality impressed.
Like all VW’s the Polo GTI is sold with a three year, 60,000-mile warranty, along with a year’s Breakdown Assistance in the UK and Europe.
 

The Polo was tested for its Euro NCAP safety rating in 2022 when the testing process was at its most stringent. It secured a maximum five stars and was awarded a score of 94 per cent for adult protection.
The Polo GTI is well equipped with driver assistance aids to help protect occupants and other road users with the likes of adaptive cruise control with front assist and city emergency braking, lane keep assist with traffic jam and emergency assist. 
There is dynamic road sign display, hill hold, anti-lock brakes with hydraulic brake assist, traction control, a driver alert system, tyre pressure monitoring, Isofix child seat fixtures for the outer rear and front passenger seats, a full suite of airbags and plenty more besides.
And the advanced lighting will make driving at night much safer too.
 

The VW Polo boasts hot-hatch looks and handling, but it’s remains quite refined in the process. That could be seen as a good or bad attribute as some drivers may be looking for a little more edge and excitement.