Written by CJ Hubbard Updated: 7 August 2024

Overview

If you want a genuinely fast supermini without the compromises, the Volkswagen Polo GTI could well be for you. And that’s not just based on how good it is, but because strong rivals in the small hot hatchback category such as the Ford Fiesta ST and Hyundai i20 N have gone off sale, leaving more niche choices as your alternatives.

Volkswagen has been building go-faster versions of the Polo for decades, but they’ve always felt like the poor relation to the seminal Golf GTI. However, when the current generation of Polo GTI was first launched, we were left more impressed than we expected, thanks to a capable chassis and plenty of punch from the 200hp 2.0-litre turbo engine.

You could look at the MINI Cooper S or the cheaper Abarth 595 as alternatives, but neither would be as easy to live with. We’ve driven the VW Polo GTI extensively, and you can find out more about how we test on Parkers via our dedicated explainer page. Here’s what we found when we tested the car on some of the country’s most demanding roads.

What’s it like inside?

There was a time when entering the cabin of a Volkswagen Polo was like dropping into a black hole, but this latest model has always bucked that trend with brightly coloured dashboard inserts. In the GTI’s case, you get Kings Red Glossy as standard – though if this is a bit much, Deep Iron Glossy is also an option.

The candy red finish is certainly eye-catching. But we can’t help but think that it also appears to be a slightly different shade to all the other red GTI detailing you’ll find inside and out. As if a couple of different departments weren’t talking to each other.

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Still, at least the seats are smart, with their sporty bolsters and ‘Jacara check’ pattern, famous from other Volkswagen hot hatches. Plus, the build-quality feels very good throughout. The black headlining is another typically sporty touch, though some buyers may find it adds a claustrophobic air to the interior.

Worse, as with most modern VWs, the Polo GTI is plagued with touch-sensitive controls in place of conventional switches and buttons – including for fairly fundamental items such as the air-conditioning system. You get used to this approach, but it still seems like change for change’s sake and simply isn’t as straightforward to deal with when driving.

The infotainment system works well enough, however. The Polo GTI gets satellite-navigation as standard, alongside Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, DAB radio, and a host of other connectivity features; an 8.0-inch touchscreen is standard but you can pay extra for a 9.2-inch touchscreen that fills the space on the dashboard better and comes with a number of extra features. The latest digital instrument cluster – Digital Cockpit Pro – has a higher resolution, greater contrast and deeper colours, making it nicer to use.

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Comfort

We’ll get to the suspension in the driving section below – here let’s quickly deal with the other comfort features. Standard sports seats not doing it for you? Then you can opt for ‘sports comfort’ seats instead, though these are finished in ArtVelours instead of the classic GTI tartan of the regular chairs.

There’s plenty of room for adults in the front. But we found the rear to be far less generous, so while the five-door body makes access easy enough and the back doors open impressively wide, head and legroom is tight. This is a small car. Hard not to expect that.

Road noise is well suppressed, and there’s not much wind or engine noise, either – and although the Sport driving mode does make it sound a little louder, this is still far from intrusive.

Safety

Safety kit includes curtain airbags and a new centre airbag to stop passengers colliding during an impact, autonomous emergency braking, and road-sign recognition. The Polo GTI will also jam its brakes on after a crash in an effort to stop secondary collisions, and comes with Volkswagen’s Travel Assist function that delivers modest assisted driving capability, including lane keeping assist.

More traditional electronic driver aids include the usual ABS and ESC as well as Volkswagen’s long-standing XDS electronic differential lock, which helps to maximise traction during cornering.

There are three Isofix mounts for child seats: one on the front passenger seat and each of the outer rear seats. This Polo has a five-star Euro NCAP crash safety rating, but it dates back to 2017 – the test is now harder and the car has been facelifted, but we wouldn’t anticipate any major failings in this area.

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What’s it like to drive?

Power output is 207hp, accompanied by 320Nm of torque that arrives in a lump that’s available all the way from 1,500 to 4,500rpm, and driving the front wheels via a seven-speed DSG automatic transmission.

The phrase that first springs to mind is ‘very grown up’. This is a compact car with a big engine, so it very rarely feels stressed. It also has a (generally) smooth and swift-shifting automatic transmission – which won’t allow you to hit the limiter, even in manual mode – and far better ride comfort than any of its rivals.

Thus the Polo GTI will almost certainly be a very easy car to live with. No wincing here if you need to take your grandmother to the shops. Despite being 15mm lower than a normal VW Polo, the GTI really can smooth out the worst of the rough stuff.

It’s quick, too. The quoted 6.5-second 0-62mph is more than enough to put a smile on your face, and in practice, the Polo’s seven-speed DSG transmission is responsive and a delight to use. Top speed is 149mph, but that’s probably less relevant than the substantial, easily accessed mid-range muscle the VW’s larger engine delivers.

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The question is whether this rapid but relaxed progress is really what you want from a supermini-sized hooligan. There’s a clear argument to be made here that for all its polish, the Polo GTI isn’t quite exciting enough. Competent – yes, hugely. But much of the time this feels more like a small car that happens to be fast rather than eyes-wide thrill ride.

The steering, for example, while precise, doesn’t give you much in the way of feedback. This can lead to the front of the car feeling less incisive than keen drivers might like. You can cure this to a certain extent by braking into the corner, rather than on the way to it, which helps the Polo get its nose rotated. But there is nothing like the agility that the ST exudes in every moment.

Similarly, while the body control is hardly poor, in the regular suspension setting it does start to become a little floaty over crests and bigger bumps as you go faster. GTIs come with adjustable damping as standard, and the firmer Sport setting does gather things back into hand. But the cost is a brittleness that’s fine on smooth racing circuits but less suited to British B-roads, meaning we found ourselves reverting to the normal mode and driving slightly slower.

What models and trims are available?

The Polo GTI is available as a single variant, sitting at the top of the Volkswagen Polo range. The standard equipment list gains Volkswagen’s adaptive IQ.Light LED matrix headlights and an illuminated grille crossbar.

Standard equipment includes not only the sat-nav, infotainment system and air-conditioning mentioned above, but also parking sensors, automatic lights and wipers, adaptive cruise control, and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

Personalisation options include a black roof finish in combination with the red, white and blue exterior paint colours. Black and grey paint choices are also offered, as is an upgrade from 17-inch to 18-inch alloy wheels (pictured here).

What else should I know?

Visual changes for the 2022 Polo GTI facelift include a new rear bumper treatment – the previous version looked too much like the standard car from behind.

As well as a pair of USB-C ports in the front that link to the media system, there are also two more in the rear. The latter are for charging only, but this should keep your passengers happy.

So, it’s quick and capable, and now almost without rivals, but can we actually recommend the Volkswagen Polo GTI over some of its more capable (and sometimes secondhand) rivals? Our verdict can be found on the next page, where you can see our full expert ratings and summary.