2003 Volkswagen Polo Sport review from UK and Ireland

Dashboard Rattle.

Scratched trim when delivered - replaced by dealer.

Fuel economy problem.

I bought a Polo 1.9 TDI Sport in August and have done about 4,000 miles so far. I'm really happy with the car and it's given me no problems no far, other than a dashboard rattle which was fixed by the dealer (apparently VW know about this common problem, it's caused by an air duct going under the dash and VW have supplied dealers with a retrofit part to correct the problem if you ask).

The one issue I have with the car is that I paid a lot extra for the TDI PD model partly because of its fuel economy, which promised 55+ mpg around town and around 70mpg extra urban, but only once has the car ever gone into the 50's (its first motorway journey, 150 miles at 70mph, taking it REALLY easy - 51.5mpg). Driving carefully on quiet country roads, on around a 10-mile journey, engine fully warmed, occasionally braking, but usually cruising at about 40-50mph, the car gives an average of between 35-45mpg, and on the motorway at 80mph the guage settles at around 47mpg. If I drive it hard around the lanes I can get it down to the 20's.

I took it the dealer to check out and they say VW won't give them permission to instigate work given that the car runs fine and it's still got such a low mileage (even though it's officially run in at 1,500 miles), and tried telling me that some cars only bed in at 20,000 miles so I'll just have to wait. If anything my economy's getting worse!

Another 1.9 TDI Sport review said their car returns 55+mpg when driven hard and 65+ when driven frugally - can anyone back this up? At what mileage did their fuel economy settle down? When I think about how much extra fuel I'll burn over 20,000 miles with a 20mpg deficit...

Other than that I love the car. Some people say the Polo's a girls' car, but in metallic indigo, lowered, with the optional 16" alloys (well worth it) it really looks good. Also everyone who's been in it wants to swap with theirs, particularly at night (isn't the blue lighting great) and when I put my foot down. The interior may not particularly daring, but everything's very well finished and feels "quality", the sports seats are great, and it really does feel like you're driving a much more expensive, bigger car (until you come to park it!). Even my dad who has a 2001 Range Rover said he'd seriously consider getting a Polo instead - praise indeed.