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Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - Richard Cousins

Hi everyone, first post here.

I have a Polo GTI 2018 and I am thinking of getting a 2018 Golf TSI Evo 1.5. Main reason is I would like a more fuel efficient car and some extra luxuries my Polo doesnt have like adaptive cruise control.

Now I won’t have the same horse power but I am not sure which engine to go for should I got for the 1.5 130ps or the 1.0 115ps?

Ive read on this forum people in the past have had issues with the 1.5 engine and we’re waiting for a software update. Was that ever resolved?

Also are there any known issues with these Golfs I need to be aware of?

like with my Polo the heat pump and thermostat leaked, luckily I had extra warranty to fix it but wasn’t aware it was a common Robles until it happened.

any advice appreciated.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - skidpan

Now I won’t have the same horse power but I am not sure which engine to go for should I got for the 1.5 130ps or the 1.0 115ps?

Go for a car with the 140 or 150 PS engine, its brilliant. We had a Seat Leon with the 140 PS version and a Skoda Superb with the 150 PS version, both were 1.4's and the economy was outstanding.

You will get a much newer Leon for the price of a Golf and if yo get one without "sporty" badges there is less chance of it being thrashed. When we bought the Leon a Golf with the same 140 PS was £5000 more but the Golfs all had big wheels which spoilt the ride. The ride/handling of our Leon was great and tyres were far cheaper.

Just remember that any 2018 car will be due a cambelt change soon so budget that in to the cost.

Would forget the 1.0 115 PS car. We have the 1.0 110 PS engine in a Fabia and whilst its fine and very economical I can assure you the 1.4's (and 1.5's) are far more suited to a Golf sized car especially since you are coming form a Polo GTi.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - RT

You're not going to save money by swapping a 2018 Polo for a 2018 Golf - you'll lose so much in cost to change that you'd never make up however economical the replacement is.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - catsdad
Re the issues with the 1.5 engine. I have a Golf estate with the very good 1.4 engine. It's 2018 so I think VW kept both sizes of engine in cars of around that age. This means you don't need to get the 1.5 if you are wary of it (as I would be). Mine is only 122bhp but has plenty of grunt for most purposes and in fact, on paper, is as fast as some earlier GTi models.

As others have mentione belt change is a potential cost. It's from £300 (our local VW indie current special offer) to £600 plus.

PS adaptive cruise control is a faff in my view. I never use it. I have had many cars with cc and used to like it but the adaptive system is (for me) not intuitive. So try before you buy if it's a key requirement.

Edited by catsdad on 29/12/2022 at 14:27

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - Engineer Andy

Hi everyone, first post here.

I have a Polo GTI 2018 and I am thinking of getting a 2018 Golf TSI Evo 1.5. Main reason is I would like a more fuel efficient car and some extra luxuries my Polo doesnt have like adaptive cruise control.

Now I won’t have the same horse power but I am not sure which engine to go for should I got for the 1.5 130ps or the 1.0 115ps?

Ive read on this forum people in the past have had issues with the 1.5 engine and we’re waiting for a software update. Was that ever resolved?

Also are there any known issues with these Golfs I need to be aware of?

like with my Polo the heat pump and thermostat leaked, luckily I had extra warranty to fix it but wasn’t aware it was a common Robles until it happened.

any advice appreciated.

By all accounts, the 1.4TSI is the better and more reliable engine, so you might want to look at (as Skidpan says) a slightly earlier car, possibly a run-out of that engine (it'll be the 2014 - 2019, 150PS version with cylinder de-activation [ACT] as the 140PS version was on 2013 - 2014 cars I think [still very good though]). I too would consider the Leon as you get more for your money than the Golf.

The problem for the post 2014 models with the 150PS ACT engine is that it was only available in FR / Xcellence format on the Leon, which means 17in and most likely 18in rims and low profile tyres only.

Skidpan's earlier 2013 (?) SE model, as I recall, was shod on standard 205/55 R16 tyres (also OEM on my Mazda3) which are still decent for handling but fine on ride quality compared to 17in+ tyres, plus they are very common and thus much cheaper to replace.

The 'downside' of the SE is that it comes only with manual A/C; the FR has climate control, which is an optional extra on Golfs unless you buy a GTI or a continental imported car.

Might even be worth a look at the Skoda Octavia of the same vintage in 150PS ACT format. Not sure which, if any of SE variants around that time had the standard 16in tyres, but all SEs and above have climate control according to the HJ review data (Interior section). Much bigger boot, decent spec, comfortable, at the expense of handling to a degree. Obviously a much bigger car than your Polo though.

The pretty Leon SC (3dr version) and its sister car the Golf 3dr are, I think, the best looking of the bunch (and good in red, silver or black, especially the Leon), but all are good in that regard. The Golf will have the lowest spec for the money.

I would've gone for the Leon SC or Golf 3dr in 1.4TSI 150 format had a TC auto been available rather than the DSG.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - Adampr

I've got a Skoda Karoq with the 1.5tsi. it's a nice engine - good torque and acceleration across the range and generally quiet at a cruise with a bit of a roar under heavy acceleration.

Early ones had an issue with 'kangarooing' that was resolved with a software update. Mine still has a bit of a lumpy idle for 30 seconds from cold, but nothing that causes me concern.

A test drive from cold will quickly identify if any car you're looking at has an issue or not. I think VW are probably hiding what the real issue is and resolved it properly on later cars whilst masking it with the software update on the affected ones.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - Richard Cousins

Thank you for all the feedback.

So far the car I have seen the 2019 Golf 1.5 EVO TSI has 30,000 on the clock.

They have offered me £14750 for my Polo. I've asked around 6 dealships and that is by the far the best price. Most want to offer about £13-14k. My car only has part service history even though I was told it had full history when I bought it last year for £18k.

Just feel like I've over paid for my Polo GTI. Just looking to sell for a more fuel efficient car.

I've seen a 2017 Golf SE 1.0 Bluemotion Tech. With 32k on the clock for £12,700.

Would the 2017 golf be better than the 2019 1.5 I've seen?

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - Big John

. Most want to offer about £13-14k. My car only has part service history even though I was told it had full history when I bought it last year for £18k.

Just feel like I've over paid for my Polo GTI. Just looking to sell for a more fuel efficient car.

Whenever you buy a car used or new , especially used, from a dealer you will pay a few £k in overheads to cover dealer costs - staff, showroom, warranty, profit etc. By changing cars you'll effectively be paying this again.

Also the car market is strange at the moment - prices are over inflated (including trade in prices though!!). New car constraint (Covid factory shutdown, chip shortage etc...) has been fuelling it.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - skidpan

Early ones had an issue with 'kangarooing' that was resolved with a software update.

When we bought our most recent car I test drove a Skoda Superb and a VW Passat, both estates and both autos. They were both 2020 cars and both had the 150 PS 1.5 TSI engine. Both were driven over a 24 hour period (late October) and had cold starts, city driving, motorway driving and A road driving and there was no evidence of the kangarooing at all.

Unfortunately the DSG box was not a good match to the engine (IMHO only of course) and we walked away from both.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - skidpan

With regards to saving money by buying a more economical car it will never happen. Say your Polo averages 38 mpg and from experience a 1.4 TSi will average 46 mpg (the 1 litre will be little better, we average 48 mpg with the 110 PS version in the Fabia).

So over a year doing 10,000 miles the Polo will be costing you £1800 @ current prices. A Leon doing 46 mpg will cost you about £1500 over the same mileage. So you save £300 a year, if the cost to change is £2000 it will take you almost 7 years to break even.

You could of course buy an older car and spend nothing but where is the sense in that, the older car will almost certainly cost more in repairs wiping out any fuel savings.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - Richard Cousins

I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I bought my polo with a personal loan and ow about £14,500 left but now realising my polo is depreciating faster than I'm paying it.

My thought was just do a straight swap from the polo to a more economical car and carry paying the loan off.

But from what people are saying and it makes sense I'm in a crappy position.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - Richard Cousins

My plan is to get a car the same price as I trade my polo in for.

The mor garages I call more I feel the £14570 is a good deal.

Loads of garages are offering down to £12k , average £13k-£14k for my car :(

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - maz64

We went from a 2015 A3 with the 150ps 1.4 to a 2018 Arona with the 150ps 1.5 (company cars). When we were changing I assumed that the more recent 1.5 was the one to go for, but I didn't notice any improvement, and if I was looking at second hand cars now, I would go for a 1.4, other things being equal.

Regarding the 130ps 1.5, I have read that it's not great - I think it was in a Golf review, where it said that it didn't feel very lively, unlike its more powerful sibling. But I've never driven one.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - Richard Cousins

I feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I bought my polo with a personal loan and ow about £14,500 left but now realising my polo is depreciating faster than I'm paying it.

My thought was just do a straight swap from the polo to a more economical car and carry paying the loan off.

But from what people are saying and it makes sense I'm in a crappy position.

I was just looking to get a more sensible car I can keep for the long term. Something reliable, that's comfy to drive. Android auto and a little bit of oomph but nothing like my GTI as I don't rag it due to crazy petrol prices.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - Adampr

Sounds like you should trade down to something cheaper. Sell the Polo for £14k, spend £10k on something else and use £4k to pay off part of the loan.

If you got a Toyota you get (effectively) a 10 year warranty from when it was new. Kia or Ssangyong and you get 7. That means you can buy something a few years older than your Polo without fear of a big bill coming.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - bathtub tom
If you got a Toyota you get (effectively) a 10 year warranty from when it was new. Kia or Ssangyong and you get 7.

As long as it has an approved, or main dealer service history.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - Big John
If you got a Toyota you get (effectively) a 10 year warranty from when it was new. Kia or Ssangyong and you get 7.

As long as it has an approved, or main dealer service history.

Except Toyota :-

"Every new Toyota comes with a 3 year manufacturer warranty. After this expires, Toyota offers a service-activated warranty which is available on vehicles under 10 years old or 100,000 miles, whichever is sooner. Regardless of your vehicle's previous service history, simply bring your Toyota vehicle to an approved Toyota Service Centre for a service to benefit from an Additional Warranty of 12 months/10,000 miles, included in the price of the service"

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - skidpan
If you got a Toyota you get (effectively) a 10 year warranty from when it was new. Kia or Ssangyong and you get 7.

As long as it has an approved, or main dealer service history.

Except Toyota :-

"Every new Toyota comes with a 3 year manufacturer warranty. After this expires, Toyota offers a service-activated warranty which is available on vehicles under 10 years old or 100,000 miles, whichever is sooner. Regardless of your vehicle's previous service history, simply bring your Toyota vehicle to an approved Toyota Service Centre for a service to benefit from an Additional Warranty of 12 months/10,000 miles, included in the price of the service"

Except:

Whilst the car does not need a full Toyota history to benefit from the 10 year warranty you are required to carry out (and pay for) any corrective work specified by the dealer when you take it to them before the warranty commences. On an older unloved car that could be a substantial figure but even on a newer car I am sure the dealer would find sufficient work to frighten some customers.

It seems like a good idea especially for owners of new cars that have been fully maintained but for older used car purchases there are catches, as they say there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - badbusdriver

What I am curious about on this thread is why the OP wants to go up a size. It is of course fair to say that a the MPG difference between a Polo and a Golf is not going to be that big using the same engine, but as MPG seems to be the main driving force behind the wish to change cars, getting a bigger car seems contradictory.

I'd also agree with Adampr about getting something cheaper, to pay off some of your loan with the excess, but I'd go even lower than the £10k he suggests. £8-9k is enough to get into a 2018 Skoda Fabia with the 95PS 1.0 TSI. It is also enough to get into a 2018 VW Up with the 90PS version of the same engine. Assuming it has enough space for your needs (and you can manage with 4 seats) the Up TSI offers a fine combination of efficiency and performance.

But going up to £10 would get you into a 2016/2017 Polo with the 110PS 1.0 or a 2018 Fabia with the same engine.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - Xileno

The Toyota warranty reminds me of the Volvo Lifetime arrangement back in the 80s and you had to keep the car serviced at the main dealer. I don't think it exists any more.

Volkswagen Golf - Thinking of swapping Polo GTI for Golf. Advice nee - badbusdriver

I believe the warranty and service package on a new Ferrari can be extended to 15 years.

:-)