Faults:

Virtually nothing has gone wrong with this car.

1st and reverse gear selection difficult when new, but fixed under warranty - small adjustment to linkage.

Replaced front discs and pads plus 2 new tyres at 31,000 miles.

Dark blue metallic paint prone to showing scratches.

Rattles from stereo mounting.

General Comments:

Not particularly fast for a 1.6 but economy is 40+ mpg. Engine pulls well without being flogged.

OK even on motorway, but a bit noisy at speed. Seats comfortable for long journeys.

Handling not brilliant. Rolls a lot on corners. Tends to understeer too readily in the wet.

No real complaints. we get it serviced at a non-franchised VW specialist since the warranty expired because of excessive dealer costs.

Feels like it will go on forever.

Faults:

Clutch failed after we'd driven 3,000 miles onto the 27,000 we bought the car with.

Steering misaligned at purchase, (wheels were changed from alloys to original V.W. at garage, but the geometry was not re done), hence tyres worn to metal at first M.O.T. - failed M.O.T., (motor operations test).

Faulty fuel filter fitted at 40,000 miles service caused breakdown.

Rusting in several places through manufacturing faults.

General Comments:

Nice to drive - steady and predictable.

Comfortable, spacious interior.

Build quality nowhere near as good as generally perceived.

Good fuel economy.

Faults:

Power steering fluid leak.

Brake discs warped.

Driver's electric window mechanism disintegrated!

Radio stopped working.

Trim squeaky and working loose.

Alarm / immobiliser failed.

General Comments:

After four extremely reliable VW's, this Polo is a big disappointment. It's never left me stranded, but has suffered lots of stupid faults which have not exactly reinforced VW's quality reputation. Irritating too when VW were charging £2,000 more for this car, than Peugeot were for the equivalent 106, or Ford were for an equivalent Fiesta.

After less than four years and 30,000 miles, the interior squeaks quite badly and some of the trim already looks old and fragile. My previous Golf ran well and reliably for 15 years and more than 150,000 miles, but the Polo does not inspire the same confidence.

It's reasonable to drive although the brakes are spongy and lack bite. Also, though this is a fairly hefty 1.9 litre engine in a very small car, performance is pretty poor. Economy is good though with 55 mpg in everyday use, and the car holds the road very well.

I find VW dealers to be arrogant, slow to fix faults and extremely expensive, and as soon as the warranty expired I decided to get the car serviced independently.

Probably my last VW!

Faults:

Electric window failure on driver's side.

Alarm failure due to low battery. There is no warning to say that the battery is low on factory fitted alarm systems.

General Comments:

Although this is described by the press as a "warm hatch", it offers fair economy whilst having ample power for all sorts of driving. On the motorway, the car is not shamed by its size. Rather the opposite, in fact, it feels larger than it is.

The car has adequate rear space but for longer excursions the boot cannot carry the luggage of four adults unless the rear seat is folded.