2000 Volkswagen Polo GTi from UK and Ireland - Comments

Rear washer pipe split, leaked water into car.

Rear brake binding, caused by faulty handbrake cable.

Alloy wheels corroding.

I previously had the same car, but the base model E and I had always wanted the GTi version so I saved up and got one.

The spec of the GTi beats anything in its class, especially at the time it came out (2000). Climate control with Xenon lights as standard and a 6CD changer plus alloys and dual airbags with optional heated and/or leather seats.

The interior of this car also beats anything in its class. Borrowed and slightly modified by the Lupo the dash is stylish/funky and innovative. Chrome surrounds on the dials and at night the blue illuminated instruments look very cool, you really get that feeling of superior build quality.

The exterior is very well done. The best thing about VW is that they style the GTi's in a subtle way. The BBS alloys with honeycomb grille and extended sills and bumper strips and rear roof spoiler with the whole thing lowered 10mm. The car is another VW that will look good in many years time because the styling is subtle and classy.

I found the performance of this car to be good. 125Bhp with 0-60 in 8.7 seconds and a top speed of 127mph. My only comment is that the car needs to be reveed way over 3500rpm before you feel a kick at which point the car seems to spring to life. I put that down to the VVT (variable valve timing) and the fact my particular car has still got problems with brakes.

The problems I have had with the car are shared by many other polo drivers, most of these problems are small and not too costly. But its not what you should get from a VW (maybe its cause they put them together in spain now?).

The main gripe about this car is the dealers. I have dealt with VW dealers a few years now and they are all bad. The problem is the reputation of VW is of reliability and build quality. However the reliability of current VW's is relatively low compared to its competitors. So when things go wrong is a pain trying to get anything done on warranty and the attidute you get from the staff is poor. Often booking cars in when parts aren't available and blatantly lying about design faults (corroding alloys).

I think the predecessor to this model (polo 9N year 2002 onwards) and the face-lift Polo 9N are seriously lacking the spec and look of this model polo. The interior just feels cheap and thinned out, on the facelift model they no longer have gas struts to hold up the bonnet. More money saving adjustments that remove that VW feeling of superior build quality and refinement. Not to mention the fact VW still commands higher prices than its competitors.

What a pathetic slow car you have. Power to weight ratio is a joke on the heavy underpowered polo gti.

The car is heavy because it has so many extras as standard (air con etc).

It's still as fast, or faster than all of its direct competitors.

Its SLOW, it only has 110bhp per tonne, even a saxo vtr would give it a run for its money!

I wouldn't call it slow. I have timed mine at 8.9sec to 60mph.

So it's a lot quicker than a vtr.

I bought a 2001 polo gti a couple of weeks ago from a local garage, overall it's a nice car, it is fast, and fun to drive. Rear washer didn't work at first, but garage fixed that no problem. But I've noticed the temp gauge suddenly plummeting to the bottom at various times every time I drive it now, then returning to normal after 5-10 minutes. Any ideas what that might be?

Also, sometimes feels a bit jerky at low revs, and changing low gears can be a bit kangaroo-like. Any suggestions as to what these problems might be would be much appreciated!

I agree with most of the comments I have a polo gti. I think it's a great car, but few problems I have had include the corrosion of the alloys. Also when is the cam belt suppose to changed? VW garage sevice my car at 60000 miles, they did not change the cam belt. At 80000 the cam belt went. Who is responsible??? when speaking to VW they say there is no specific mileage in changing the cam belt and only 6 weeks a go a new document came out it should be changed within 4 yrs of age this is terrible, but the document came out 6 weeks to late for me my cam belt split and I have to pay out over thousand pound to repair someone else's incompetence VW terrible customer service.

I'd rather have a Polo GTI than a cheap french thing. Wow it is slightly faster. At the end of the day the GTI is still nippy and has better residual values and toys than anything in it's class, and it will last longer too.

Polo gti doesn't deserve a gti badge. Its too slow. Only 110bhp per ton. POOR.

It's not the performance it's the handling. The Polo wasn't a class leader when it came out dynamically, and the French stuff takes it apart on the kind of roads GTI's were built for. Not just in terms of pace, but feel, balance, chuckability and all the things that matter in a hot hatch. Peugeot could send their chassis team to a sleep deprivation camp for a week and they'd still come up with something more talented at the end of it.

It's interesting too to hear Polo owners mock the build quality of French cars, when all Polos from 1994 onwards have been built in Spain, at the same plant as the Seat Ibiza. Hardly the world centre for quality engineering. Polos have had patchy build quality since they this happened. Paying for the VW badge and getting Seat build quality seems a bit daft to me, but for some I guess badge is everything.

Polo Gti, is probably the best hot hatch I've ever had, 5 yrs old and its still going as strong as ever. Maybe could have done with 16" wheels instead of 15". 0-60 in 8.5 sec is still pretty respectable. And the top speed is not 124 I've pushed mine to 131...and still did not red-line (no its not chipped) Yes watch out for the temp gauge dropping up and down, apparently its due to a faulty sensor

Lets look at the competition of this car when it came out (saxo vtr/vts, seat ibiza sport, fiesta zetec s) Like I have said previously. Its not just about performance with the Polo GTi. The mk5 polo is arguably the best looking compared to any other "hot hatch" released in 2000/2001 (and after). It has the best spec hands down. NOTHING comes close to standard spec, the golf mk5 GTi doesn't even come with xenon's as standard where as the polo did.

You have to take this car for a drive to truly appreciate how much better it is than the competition. The polo does something that non of its competition can do: which is make you feel like you are in a bigger car than you are. The finish and fittings of the inside are of superior quality.

There were only 3000 Polo GTi's imported into the UK, take away at least a few hundred from being written off and you are left with a future classic. Some magazines claim it will be the new golf mk1 gti.

Polos weight according to parkers price guide is 1084kg. 1000/1084 x 125 = 115.31 bhp per ton

saxo vtr's weight according to parkers price guide is 920kg.

1000/920 x 100 = 108.69 bhp per ton.

6.62bhp per ton difference and the polo has 12 footpounds more torque.

I've worked these for many cars and from experience this is 0.5seconds difference. vtr = 9.1 seconds

polo gti = 8.6seconds!

I own a Polo GTI and I have to say it is the best car I have ever had. Its not perfect (no car is) but at the end of the day it is a quality car.

The good points

Fast car for what it is

Excellent spec

Rare... due to this it is a head turner

Surprises a lot of people e. g mk4 golf gti owners etc...

The bad points

Sucks on fuel

Needs lowering

Needs 16s.

To prove how much I love the car I can say one thing... I am never going to sell it. Even when I need a bigger family car I shall keep it. A future hot hatch classic.

Anyone who owns a Peugeot or Citroen is in no position to criticise the build quality of any other manufacturer least of all a German one, while the Polo is built in Spain, work is overseen by German engineers, so don't talk to Volkswagen owners about quality because you don't know the meaning of the word.

I have owned a Peugeot 106 GTI which had the worst build quality I have ever seen - even Rover puts them to shame, Saxo VTS - same car, also a regretable purchase... However my Polo GTI is a classy, well built adventure I take pride in driving on a daily basis.

Citroen/Peugeot fans, you're in denial and you're missing out!!