2.0 Polo GTI - 4 Year Review - Costs, Faults, Tips & Good Stuff

Everything you need to know about VWs baby Golf GTI. Although is it now actually quicker/better??

[@gob2712]

Great video Neil, thanks. Some lovely roads by you.

[@midlifemotors5050]

We are lucky with the roads, fairly traffic free too 👍 Thanks for watching, much appreciated

[@magsy0358]

Actually a really good informative video I was looking at getting one of these which I might still but I will change the tires once I’ve gotten it for sure. Thank you

[@midlifemotors5050]

Many thanks 👍 For sure try one, they are better than the press would have you believe and an excellent daily driver. Holding its value well too, which is nice.

[@22-Zar]

Great review sir 👍 almost felt like an F1 race at the end there 😅

[@midlifemotors5050]

On the new tyres it’s much more fun to drive. Plus it can now carry some speed corner to corner 😉

[@seant4369]

Cheers for the video definitely on my short list great honest review 👍🏻

[@midlifemotors5050]

Good cars, no doubt. Definitely try one at least 🤔

[@swerty1374]

Hi, really enjoyed the video, I had the same issues with the tyres, swapped them to Goodyear Asym 6s; incredible wet and dry performance now. I'm jealous of how few tyres you've been through

[@midlifemotors5050]

Many thanks 👍 Mrs Mid Life Motors isn’t too harsh on her cars tbh, which helps tyre life no end 😎

[@renebegas1985]

Love this video, helped me decide to buy Polo GTI,and good driving mate🙂

[@midlifemotors5050]

Ours is still going strong. Really boosting well and the new rubber has massively improved everything. Enjoy your car, they are great 👍

[@jamief-h3044]

Just got one of these and loving it so far. Got a pair of pirelli p zero on the front and I agree awesome daily driver for sure!

[@midlifemotors5050]

Good stuff 👍 Ours served us well. Underrated car. Enjoy 😎

[@joshjmilli]

Good video. Just bought one a few weeks ago, great deal considering they came with Pilot Sport 4's. Thing is absolutely stuck to the road, very torquey for a 200bhp 2l

[@midlifemotors5050]

PS4s are superb 👌 Bags of mid-range torque in the Polo, more or less the same as the golf but much less weight to lug around

[@chrisp4899]

Recently picked up a 2019 with only 9k on , great car yeah mine on original primacys so i think a sports oriented tyre will improve it no end

[@midlifemotors5050]

Great choice and only 9k, well spotted 👌 We’ve been amazed at the difference some decent tyres have made. Just need to get the wheels refurbed now

[@michaelowen6217]

Nice write up. Thanks for sharing. Bought myself a new facelift Polo GTI from Ingram up in Ayr last September. As an every day driver, the car is great. Decent performance and handling, while still capable of decent MPG if you want to take it easy. Came from a Hyundai I30N (2 Focus ST's before this) and decided that I wanted an easier car to live with day-to-day. The I30N while a decent motor, could wear you down a bit after a while ... heavy steering, VERY hard ride and terrible MPG (even if taking it easy). Miss the heated steering wheel though! And would prefer a proper LSD in the Polo, rather than the Torque Vectoring system that the Polo uses (no where near as progressive as the real thing). Sadly my Polo has been in the garage a few times. New steering column to try and fix the creaking noises coming from the steering. And like a lot of folks with the steering wheel with the awful "Haptic controls", I'm waiting on a new steering wheel to fix the dreaded "Travel Assist" issue. But all in all, I like the car. PS. The new cars come with Continental Tyres which don't seem too bad. A least on the 18in rims. Though the 17in rims are fitted (God knows why) with michelin primacy. Bit of an odd choice in my opinion.

[@midlifemotors5050]

Sorry to here about your troubles hopefully all fixed soon. Nothing worse. Do like a focus st me, still keep in touch with the owner of the 2.5 he leant me last year. That was my cup of tea 👌 We looked at the i20n but Mrs MLMs much preferred the Polo. It has been a great daily to be fair. Fingers crossed that continues. What colour do you have? Will keep our eyes peeled, not many about 👋

[@michaelowen6217]

@@midlifemotors5050 White. Dumfries area. Bought from Ingram as they were the only garage that would offer me any sort of discount.

[@MauriceNL1]

Primacy 4 actually performs close to Pilot Sport 4, aren't bad tires at all.

[@chrisp4899]

I have the pre facelift and the only issues I have are creaking suspension (had the same on my leon 5f fr and a relatives golf r ) but have an exhaust rattle when letting off throttle only noticed when window down but going in to be checked under approved used warranty

[@oomstu]

I have had my Polo GTI for 4 years now and the odometer is sitting just shy of 100 000km's. Best buy ever imho but tyres (the right ones) cost a fortune. I use the Michelin PS4 225/40/18, much quiter than the factory tyers. I have a service plan to 150 000km's and will probably buy another maintenance plan to 200 000km's when I get there.

[@midlifemotors5050]

Good mileage 👍 The PS4s were a bit pricey for us but the Toyos are doing fine, car much happier now. As a daily driver the Polo is doing well, long may it continue 🤞

[@edd95gti85]

No.1 thing to do anyone gets one of these is change the tyres, it changes the whole feel of how it drives. Similarly situation as this video, ive had mine since erly 2019 and done a year with the Bridgestones and juat didn't feel that great. Changed the tyres as were low and man its 3x the car it was.

[@midlifemotors5050]

100% what he said ^^^

[@jalapeno_salsa]

what did ya change them to?

[@edd95gti85]

@jalapeno_salsa i went with uniroyal rainsport 5s as they are almost as goot as ps4s and way cheaper

[@midlifemotors5050]

@@jalapeno_salsa We went for Toyos. Working well. BIG improvement.

[@TrainDriverRob]

I recently bought a pair of Bridgestones for my VRS and they are dreadful, they feel like they’re made from plastic. Never again.

[@jackoe5836]

Glad you’ve got the tyres changed. Mine came with Michelin PS4s all round, so clearly the previous owner was sick of the Bridgestones too 😅 I’m still really enjoying the car. Such a neat little car and the performance is great. Having said that, I’ve noticed that on occasion the engine goes into a real laboured mode and sounds awful. The car feels really heavy and the MPG halves. After some Googling, apparently it’s when the particulate filter cloggs up, so it attempts to clear itself. I really thought something major had gone wrong when it first happened. It’s happened to me twice now in 6 months. All in all, still chuffed with the car though!

[@midlifemotors5050]

Would have loved PS4s but the toyos will do for now 😎 The performance is superb, the 2litre engine really works well in this car, really strong. Not had the laboured mode yet but push on and the mpg does get a little scary 😧 Thanks for tuning in 👍

[@MauriceNL1]

I think what you feel is the miller combustion process which this Polo GTI has. It's actually a 2.0TSI made for better MPG than like a GTI 2.0TSI. Difference is EA888 Gen3B (Polo GTI) and EA888 Gen 3 (GTI engine) In the Self Study Program 820173 you can read more about the engine

[@timmymallet3809]

You cart get ps4s for the polo gti they don’t make them prove me rong

[@jackoe5836]

@@timmymallet3809 yes, you can. I had them on mine. My Polo GTI had a tyre size of 215 / 40 / 18, just like Neil's in this video. Pretty standard PS4 size

[@timmymallet3809]

@@jackoe5836 yes you can get ps4 but not ps4s

[@ThereisonlyOne426]

Im searching for the same as yours but cant find one in grey...😢

[@darrylredmill4376]

Do like the idea of one of these, only thing that puts me off is the dsg . Had a passat with that gbox and learned the hard way about the common faults. That was a 2008 car, has the reliability improved?

[@midlifemotors5050]

Always scared to say this but absolutely no issues with this car so far, approaching 25k miles. The twin clutch dsg is clever. A bit jerky and sometimes slow to respond at regular speeds and around town. But when your pushing on its lightning sharp changes and you always get the gear you want, exactly when you want it. I generally prefer a manual transmission but the character of the Polo deffo suits the auto box.

[@scottdake8566]

130k miles on a CC with a DSG. Not had any DSG problems so far. But it has always had the DSG service done at the appropriate time.

[@youtuber-cc8sx]

DSG is very reliable and strong but the standard TCU software can definitely be improved

[@erocha111]

what toyo model is it? I need to change the bridgestones…

[@grahamsouthern2191]

Agree with the Bridgestone Turanza didn’t last 2 yrs on my Polo crap

[@midlifemotors5050]

How were they so bad!! Makes the toyos fitted now feel like cushions of air. And they were cheaper 👍

[@rjbiker66]

My Gti had Primacy 3 from factory. Difficult to get the power down even in dry. Replaced them with Continental Max Contact sport 6 which are 100% better

[@midlifemotors5050]

I bet. Even the toyos improved things no end, so the contis must be mega 👍

[@ryanhall8304]

Looking at adding some 18's to mine which would you advise that wouldnt break the bank?

[@midlifemotors5050]

Always liked the AUTEC Delano wheel. My brother had them on his Golf R 👌

[@oscarobierefu9660]

What RPM do you see at 70mph? Thinking of getting it for loads of motorway miles, but I want a car that runs smooth at high speed... I have a corsa limited edition and I see about 3000rpm at 70mph...

[@scottrobertson5554]

Our '19 plate gti sits at about 2200rpm at 70mph. Actually a decent motorway cruiser.

[@ALL-gr4gu]

Cheers

[@midlifemotors5050]

👍

[@PeirreOBollox]

Put some 225/40/18 Michelin PS4’s or the newer PS5’s on your car, the difference is huge and the car will take the 225’s and it will reduce the risk of kerb’ ing the rims

[@midlifemotors5050]

Would have liked the ps4s but quite pricey and tricky to get hold of atm. The Toyos are working well though to be fair, anything but those Bridgestones. Car is much happier 😀

[@PeirreOBollox]

Common faults with the AW Polo Gti are a leaky rear wiper seal allowing water to drip along the glass when the tailgate was open, and the failure of the tailgate locking mechanism, mine was replaced under an extended warranty, the wiper seal was finally sorted at the 3rd attempt. I’ll be replacing my 4yr old (2019) Gti with another new one, and avoiding the year 5 cambelt change altogether

[@themediagrail]

​@@PeirreOBolloxmk6 polo gti 2019 im pretty sure has a timing chain not a cambelt.

[@albrightonthenight]

How does the car cope on motorways mate? I may be getting one soon, its at the top of my list but i do alot on the motorway.

[@midlifemotors5050]

You’ll get 44-46mpg with the cruise control set at 65mph. Nice ride too 👍

[@albrightonthenight]

@midlifemotors5050 Thats great for 200bhp!

[@ryanhall8304]

My facelift arrives in septemer, what are your thoughts on racechils,wouldd you advise them for the polo gti?

[@ryanhall8304]

Racechips*

[@midlifemotors5050]

No doubt that engine responds well to a tune but the car works well as is, good ooomph, feels stronger than they quote and it doesn’t torquesteer at the current level. Wouldn’t want to risk loosing that, you’ll be surprised just how good it is, great car 👌

[@ryanhall8304]

@@midlifemotors5050 thats great to hear👍🏼

[@midlifemotors5050]

Expected little, it’s delivering much. Anyone else been surprised by the Polo??

[@kemaro78]

Bought a 2018 model 2 weeks ago & absolutely love it, I'm 43 going back to a teenager in this 😂 tyres is my next buy so I'm going to look at the toyos

[@midlifemotors5050]

@@kemaro78 You're only a young 'un then compared with me 😂 Enjoy 👍

[@kemaro78]

​@@midlifemotors5050 one friend has a focus RS, the other a Porsche Cayenne & neither can shake me off their bumper in this 😂

[@midlifemotors5050]

@@kemaro78 Nice 😎 Now imagine if you got it remapped!! Ours is out of warranty now and i'm seriously tempted. Problem is it isn't technically my car 🤔

[@kemaro78]

@@midlifemotors5050 I've looked into it £240 for Dyno tune stage 1 & £180 for dsg map , I need new tyres first

[@opskier2]

Is it a 2019 GTI? It sounds very nice....it is pre OPF?

[@midlifemotors5050]

It’s a 19 but an early 19 so maybe still has the earlier downpipe with just the cats, no opf?? The car is from around the time they made the change.

[@opskier2]

@@midlifemotors5050 very interesting car, enjoy it!!

[@prospect2664]

is vw polo 2L 2021 a good car or should i avoid it and select something else ?

[@midlifemotors5050]

Our experience is that it wont let you down and on decent rubber is a lot of fun. I would like to try a MK8 Fiesta ST as an alternative though.

[@prospect2664]

@@midlifemotors5050 checked it and no STs for sale in the country i live at. Atm my selection is: 2013 GT86 (under 5k km), VW polo TSI 2021 (70k km), Still not sure which one to get... i mean there are also other cars on my list, but their lease+insurance would be too expensive :(

[@simonbussey7530]

Is it a case of old tyres for new tyres making the big difference?

[@midlifemotors5050]

Different tyres making the difference I think. The “old” tyres weren’t really that old 🤔

[@0les3n77]

Can someone tell me if 50k miles is too much, if im buying one for myself? I can get a great deal on one, but with 50k on it. Is that something to worry about or should it be able to go far more?

[@midlifemotors5050]

As long as it’s been well looked after then it’ll just be getting into its stride. Ours was like new when we sold it with 25k on the clock. The engine is quite de-tuned in the Polo and pulling a lighter car. Brakes, tyres and the 4 year service are expensive, so check them. Otherwise, great car 👍

[@0les3n77]

@@midlifemotors5050 I dont know if im dumb, but what is the 4 year service?😆

[@maskedforever]

STANCE!

[@user-sf7kl9uh7k]

Toyo's are good value.

[@midlifemotors5050]

They’re certainly working well on this car 👍

[@user-sf7kl9uh7k]

@@midlifemotors5050 Yeah, they are on my Vectra! I put some Ching Shein Deathmasters on the back, still handles ok. (For a Vectra)

[@NikdoAdventures]

Had both 17 and 18 8nch. 17 drive better

[@d4tjr165]

I very much dislike mine 😿

[@midlifemotors5050]

Oh no, not good. Anything you can fix or time for a change change🤔

[@d4tjr165]

@@midlifemotors5050 I’ve had it 9 months and it’s been in VW on 2 occasions totalling 2 months. I’ve had enough of the continuous problems with mine.

[@midlifemotors5050]

@@d4tjr165 Not good. I’ve had a problem car in the past, grrrrrr!! Feel your pain. Any thoughts on what you’d go for next?

[@KyleTV1234]

You want tyres to wear like that so chancers cant re tred them n sell them

[@midlifemotors5050]

Fair point 👍