2001 Volkswagen Polo GTi 1.6 16v

Summary:

High spec, sporty and fun

Faults:

Rear de-mister elements faulty - window replaced under warranty.

General Comments:

I like just about every aspect of this car.

Nice and quick. Pulls from 20mph in 4th and still has all you need at 80+ on the motorway. 70 is reached at 3200rpm with power climbing to a peak at 6500rpm.

Very comfortable. Sports seats mean that you can drive for hours without any aches or pains. Electronic A/C, CD changer and PAS just add to the pleasure.

Excellent handling although the stiffened suspension trade-off means that bumps in the road are a lot more noticeable.

Rare, distinctive and very high spec including Xenon headlights and internal sensor alarm system.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd April, 2002

4th Oct 2002, 08:31

Like all VW's overated, the polo gti's performance is not that outstanding, as for beating 90% of cars off at the traffic lights that can be said of a lot of vehicles.

1st Jan 2003, 18:37

What, you mean the other 10%??

1st May 2005, 04:12

Hey, this car is amazing, I love it loads!

It pulls fine in 5th doing 40. I love everything about this car!

Another thing good thing about this car is there are hardly any about!

I got 0-60 in just over 7 seconds, and had 137 out of it on a flat. An amazing car!

Shell.

12th Aug 2005, 18:04

In fact, I think you'll find that for a 3-door, the Automobile Association, or 'AA' have quoted a 0-60 time of 8.70 seconds, and a top speed of 127mph. 10.3 seconds? Even a 2001 Ford Fiesta 1.6 16v will do 0-60 in 10.80 seconds! That's truly pathetic.

2001 Volkswagen Polo GTi 1.6 16v

Summary:

Fast, fun and value for money

Faults:

Engine temperature gauge stopped working after 3 weeks.

General Comments:

My dream car. Fast, looks good, very comfortable, reasonable boot, excellent brakes, excellent xenon gas headlights.

Dash looks brilliant lit up at night and best of all, it's masses of fun and I look forward to driving it each day.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th August, 2001

28th Feb 2003, 06:19

Several Problems with the GTI, have driven one on several occasions, the gearbox is appalling, the fuel comsumption is bad even when you are cruising and the climate control turned off, the handling is average, engine needs to be really revved to get any decent progress, no steering feel/feedback.

Xenon headlights are good, climate control good, nice BBS alloys, nice space for front passengers, feels well screwed together.

Overpriced and insurance a joke, oh and servicing costs are stupid for such a small car.

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2001 Volkswagen Polo SE 1.4 (75bhp)

Summary:

A number of faults, some very serious, noting VW's claim of safety and reliability

Faults:

Engine keeps cutting out when driving.

Faulty alarm system.

Interior paneling came loose.

General Comments:

Very dangerous fault with the car which VW seem reluctant to address. It occurs in a number of circumstances including dual carriageways. Service department appears to guess at what is wrong. Problem brought to VW's attention 2 months ago. The fualt still occurs and little is being done to remedy the problem.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 16th May, 2001

5th Jul 2002, 04:31

I experience a problem with my 2001 Fabia 1.4, where the engine cuts out momentarily. Problem used to occur at high and low speeds. After the on board computer was swapped out, the problem still occurs, but less frequently, and only at low speeds, so far.

4th Feb 2003, 12:51

I have a Polo 1.4S (2000 W Reg) which also suffers from the 'engine cutting out' problem. It occurs when slowing down to take a roundabout of for traffic lights etc.

The VW service centre have said this is caused by a faulty speed sensor which they propose to replace for £182 but are they just guessing?

Has anyone had this problem successfully fixed?

27th May 2003, 05:06

Skoda mechanics tightened the earthing connections on my 2001 Fabia 1.4. This seemed to improve things.

2nd Mar 2006, 17:18

2001 Polo Match 1.4 35k

I bought the car from my dad about 12 months ago so, I know it's history

Everything was fine until mid February when I started to get a crunching noise as I was trying to engage reverse gear - this occurs almost every time, although sometimes I get a surprise when it goes in without a problem. I adjusted the clutch cable, this corrected the problem short term - sadly after 1 week we were back to crunching into reverse.

If I cut the engine it goes in fine - this is not the answer long term!

Has anybody had the same problem? and, if so, do you have suggestions for a way forward?