pipsyp

So......an emergency work trip to Leeds beckoned during the week. Went the M1 way this time and due to lots of 50mph roadworks and 60mph speed restrictions on the Smart sections...despite some enthusiatic driving at other times it returned 40.5mpg! On the way home much of the same but it returned 42.1mpg. Needless to say it can be frugal and rather impressed for a near 200hp petrol. Suffered some glitches on the journey though......on the way up started to feel a bit warm with all the warm weather...went to turn the fan up and nothing. Cool air was coming through the vents (as the AC was on) but the heater fan was doing nothing. I eventually found an opportunity to cycle the ignition and low and behold the fan starts working immediately. .....then on the way home all of a sudden the infotainment throws a wobbly saying to insert a valid navigation SD medium so I lose sat nav....a reset of the infotainment brings it all back but the issues kind of took the polish off of the excellent MPG it returned on the trip. Also if you park somewhere that doesnt have clear GPS line of sight it appears the car has a real wobbly for a few minutes getting an accurate GPS lock when you exit which isnt overly handy if you dont know where you are going! Is unusual as I used to get the same issue with my Mk2 Octavia Blackline but not with my last Mk7 Golf with MIB2 nav.....I must confess I have no idea where the GPS puck is on the Polo (not so sure its in the roof aerial base as it is on most VAG cars). That is the only thing I am not too keen on with the car....has lots of advanced electronics and appers they are (the MIB2 infotainment particularly) a bit buggy. Also the folding wing mirrors have an occasional habit of unfolding themselves once folded upon locking....coming back to the car thinking perhaps you didnt lock it. ......its a fairly early example (being a 15 plate) so no doubt needs a software update or something. It'll be due its 2nd service before too long so will try sort under warranty then. I know Ive ummed and arred about it but I am still considering mapping it once it goes out of warranty, maybe Revo or APR stage 1. Ive never had a car mapped before but the Polo whilst still v fast standard has so much potential it would almost be a shame not to. But Im very happy with it as is so we'll see......

Really like this, good call on the Black Neptunes..perfect offset to the silver paint and other black additions. One thing I would do myself is either straighten (its p**sed as a f**t) or remove entirely the vRS badge from the front grille, its bob on otherwise. I really miss my Mk2 Blackline looking at this......

...back to the Polo all is good. Had a chance to give it a wash after its Leeds trip and its still looking good...though the tar and fallout contamination is starting to increase....hey ho such is life, partcularly when you are doing my sort of mileage. One thing Im finding annoying, but its probably endemic of most VAG cars nowadays is the paper thin paint on the bumpers. The front is picking up chips left right and centre..with it being black underneath I'm becoming quite friendly with my touch up stick. Again somewhat unavoidable with the mileage its covering. On a train to London at the moment so the cars getting a rest which is nice.....might stay clean for a few days!

Oh and OnStar is all now activated (12 month trial + 4 months free internet) and have to say its very cool.....an area Vauxhall are far ahead of VAG. Cant see myself pressing the Blue button a hell of a lot but the connected car stuff (app to monitor vehicle health, lock/unlock doors, locate etc) is nice. Also not that its likely to happen but it will send you alerts if it thinks someone is trying to pinch it (probably if the alarm is set of) and it can be tracked or disabled entirely by OnStar if it does....another nice touch. Probably best of all is the SOS/eCall functionality in the rare occurance you feel you are in trouble or have a serious prang. Think the service is probably worth the £89/year just for the peace of mind for the wife and kids.....internet whilst quite cool I am really not that sold on....its too expensive for a start.

Wowsers, bet that thing absolutely rips!! A mate has a lovely Black Edition one...know what you mean about the noise..sound lovely when revved out.

So rather off topic but ive now driven the Zafira........ Its really nice actually. Motor is a little agricultural when cold but settles down....actually probably quieter than a TDI 184. Was always v impressed with the 1.6 CDTI 136hp.....in summary the 2.0 is a fair chunk more muscular but not quite so refined as the 1.6. More capacity and bigger (note louder) injectors is no doubt why. Drives and handles great, the wider, lower profile tyres compared to my old one make a difference (the old one could really be made to hustle on twisties, this ones a bit better still).....seems to have bigger brakes too. Certainly stops well. Gearbox is good...suits the car and makes it v easy to drive. Like the simplicity....either you are in Drive or you change gears yourself from the lever.....no silly sports mode or paddleshifts.....dont think they are warranted in a car like this. Shift quality good enough...not ZF 8 speed quality but im still impressed by it. Big, comfortable, v well equipped, drives far better than you would expect for an MPV and still looks car like compared to the likes of the Sharan/Alahambra...and really didnt cost a great deal. V happy. Quick pic of the bus.....

So another long journey, 640 mile round trip to Leeds. Car handles long journeys very well, nice seats, lots of support, a reasonable driving position, seat heating and no need to stir the gears alot makes for a rather relaxing drive. Only issue on a boring journey like this is the constant temptation to hit the Sport button and give it a bit.....too much of a temptation for me and then frankly not relaxing at all, the suspension works great on a nice smooth road but as much of the UK tarmac is in pieces at the moment its not ideal (unless you want to shake change out of passengers pockets). It is fun though. Annoyingly whilst travelling towards Congleton and the M6 on a local A road I think I got flashed by a camera....all the more annoying as it was a 50 limit and I was doing 50....hoping its just me and it was actually someone/something else that set it off. If it is me I'll defo argue the toss. The wait begins. MPG wise....so-so....got about 37 on the way up, 33 on the way back mainly due to the woeful M6 detour and traffic on the way home....still a 35ish mpg average isnt to be sniffed at. New tyres seem very good, car feels that bit more planted...perhaps a little quieter too. Seem to work better in the wet than the Contis too...but probably in part due to them being 4 full tread tyres. We've just bought and taken delivery of a 16 plate Zafira Tourer 2.0 CDTi 170 Elite Auto to replace our much loved but VERY inefficient Subaru Forester.....havent driven it yet but I had more or less the exact same car a while back with the 1.6 CDTI engine and manual box so can only imagine its that bit better for the bigger engine. Has Bluetooth and OnStar too so other than the lack of Nav its not wanting for much. Remembering how comfortable a mile-muncher my old one was for work trips.. Starting to think it'd probably do me better for work than the Polo (particularly economy wise) but the Polo is here to stay. I havent liked a car so much in a long long time.

Hi Phil, Ive learned that the OnStar UK data service runs on CDMA like it does in the states, so gather the cars hardware itself is associated to the cellular network rather than a SIM (as SIMs arent used with CDMA). I'd heard that Vodafone provide the CDMA services for OnStar UK. Its unlimited use for the 1 year period then £240/year for 10G/month. You can go daily use - 1G for £5......

I dont have a vRS TSI.....though I do have a Polo GTI 1.8 TSI. I do between 25/30k a year...15/20k business and 10ish K personal and mine averages 36/38 mpg. It does this reliably on a run, with the occasional toe down. I can say around town its in the late 20's most of the time. Its not great in other words....but I rather bought the car knowing that. Its such a riot to drive I can some make allowances for its running costs..... That said I also have a 2001 Forester S Turbo Auto that will bearly do 200 miles to £60 of Super so comparitively its not that bad. I've had an Octavia Elegance 150 TDi and two Mk7 Golf GTD 184's.....the TDI motors are wonderful and provide far better MPG with only reasonable compromises in performance.....but I have to acknowledge the TSI's provide better performance and are more flexible. I am however not remotely anti-diesel....I'd have another 2.0 TDI again.....and Ive just bought a 2.0 diesel MPV.......

Just had 4 new Hankook Ventus V12 Evo 2 tyres fitted as the rears were getting a bit scrappy...didnt particularly want to fit Contis again and wanted everything to match. I've run them on my Octavia before and was super impressed with them.....far far better than the OE Dunlop Sport Maxx that thing came fitted with......more grip, better in wet weather, quieter, wore better and most importantly a good £20/25+VAT cheaper a tyre. Again super impressed. Admittedly my rear contis were pretty shot away but now the car will barely light up in the dry and jus feels more adhesed to the road. I think they are a quieter than the Contis too. Be interesting to see how they wear and if they have any bearing on fuel economy by comparison too. Future plans....toyed with the idea of a JB1 but for me the cars quick enough I think. One of those where if it were any quicker I think it would soon bring me some trouble....also not so convinced it wouldnt affect the existing drivability of it (with low geat traction or lack of being rather entertaining enough as it is).....I also foresee my insurance company being snide about it and looking for more premium out of me so for now thats off the agenda. I might consider getting the recent minor paint damage smart repaired, but its so minor Im just not sure its worth it....particularly given it'll probably just happen again. Something I may do in time is have the wheels refinished in Gloss Black.....I like diamond cut finishes but they are a sod to look after and repair.....even getting tyres swapped is a bit of an ordeal (given most places will tend to obliterate them) so thinking a solid finish is the way to go. Will make the car look a little more individual too. Probably go to Lepsons as they are about the best and quite reasonable with a 7 day or quicker turnaround.

Cheers TriggerFish. I like the R Lines, the new ones look really nice and are well specified...better spec'd than a stock GTI anyway. Think the 1.2 TSi's were 90 or 105hp early on....think the 105 raised to 110 later. The 110's been replaced with the 1.0 TSI 110 now.....but they still do tbe 1.2 90.....engine ranging gone mad!! I love the whole big engine small car thing with the GTI; of all the current Hot Hatches for me its the pick. Sure Ive no doubt a Fiesta ST is a sharper drive, but its like comparing Beko with Bosch....the Polo is far more grown up, classless and it has a better powerplant and is faster and is still incredibly competent. Most impressive for me is the indecent rate you can cover ground in it without really trying...the motor is so lag-free and responsive just dig the throttle above 1400rpm no matter the gear and it just flies. Its a fairly mad little car as people tend to realise when they go in it or get to drive it.....Id like to think if Porsche built a hot hatch it'd end up being alot like a Polo GTI

So nearly 3 months on, Odo now gone past 33k.....so Ive done nearly 4k in it. Still really like it, on a run its returning a reliable 37/38mpg pretty much all the time which I cant complain about. Sure if I were v sensible id be seeing around 40. For its performance its really v good...again not quite the 47 quoted average but we all knew it'd never do that! Left in comfort mode its also really the refined cruiser, thought it might get a bit wearing on longer journeys but I'd still say its more comfortable than my Mk3 Octavia Elegance on a run. Only downsides are thay when its v windy at speed, wind noise around the tops of the door seals can make itself heard...probably on account of it having massive front doors. 5 door probably isnt so inflicted. The engine and exhaust/induction noise whilst entirely pleasant when in the mood can get a bit annoying when you tune into it on a longer journey, more so on part throttle. But something you live with on a car like this. The car isnt super smooth in stop/start traffic.....I guess the OE clutch is quite hardy to cope with the 236lb/ft and feels a bit like an on/off switch...you can drive around it but can catch you out if not paying attention. Also the pedels are quite close together, find my size 10's sometimes get a bit caught up between the brake and throttle sometimes....but the pedal placement is great if you want to hustle. As you can imagine, a car doing c. 25/30k per year is going to pick up its share of injuries and sadly its started already. Found a bloody great stonechip on the front bumper; looked more like a light press with a towbar but managed to touch it in and can only see it if you look for it. Wierder still having given it a good clean for the 1st time in 3 weeks noticed a tiny crack in the paint to the left of the rear number plate which has developed 6 legs and looks like a spider. Either it was on the car when I bought it and gradually dirt has worked its way into the grooves or some b****rd has reversed into it with something. Thankfully again its so subtle you have to look for it to find it, but with my vehicular OCD it drives me mad! Im selling my Forester S Turbo as have just bought a 16 plate Zafira Tourer Elite 2.0 CDTI 170ps auto for family duties, so other than work doubt the Polo will see alot of use....just as well given I do 20/25k business mile a year!!

Rather joining the club MDK1....I have a 3 door Polo GTI for work which is just great.....but no good for family duties. Our "family" car at present is a rather tidy 2001 Forester S Turbo auto which I bought in the summer for myself on a bit of a whim but has ended up replacing the Octavia now thats gone and I have the GTI. Its reliable as hell but 16 years old, 18mpg around town its just not sustainable long term. So just bit the bullet on an 8 month old, 6.5k mile ex. rental Zafira Tourer 2.0 CDTI 170 Elite Auto. To buy an equivalent age/spec Sharan, Alhambra, S Max would have been loads more and shoud shunt along quite nicely with the 170hp motor. Only thing of note it doesnt have is Nav (has Bluetooth) but it does have OnStar. Not overly familiar with OnStar, how do you rate it? I might get a few months free service but wondering if its worth the £89/year to keep it going after. As nice as the 4G internet is, expect I wont bother with it.

Ah sorry Old Newbie, all makes sense thought you were UK based for some reason. Car is gorgeous...absolutely its the Golf equivalent of the 911 GT3. Far more special than any other mainstream performance Golf, Clubsport S (GT3 RS) excluded.....but for me the S is almost too hardcore. I love that the regular Clubsport is mad as a bag of frogs in all important respects but still packs all the spec and creature comforts to make it a good all round daily. Those seats and the Alcantara wheel are to die for! I hear terrific things about the JB1 and upcoming JB4 Beta.....almost a cake and eat it tuning situation....no permanent software changes but the ability to tap into many sensors and adapt the tuning yourself to suit. Dont seem bad value for money either. Seriously considering a JB1 for my Polo GTI when the time is right.....I dont want to map it and think the JB4 is probably a bit complex/involved for my basic brain :-) Dare I say it (and sorry Andrew if you are reading) I think the guys at Burger Motorsports have one over on DTUK with these products. It must be just bonkers with 350hp/500nm torque through the front wheels even with VAQ!! The EA888's have so much tuning potential....gather if I stuck an IS20 Mk7 GTI turbo on mine with a JB1 alone it'd be good for about 300hp....even without 240/250hp is realistic with a massive hit of torque....not like 320nm in something its size is not enough to be honest :-S If my turbo goes bang at any point its a serious consideration....maybe go whole hog and put an IS38 on it haha. Value wise....keep the mileage down on it and I bet holding onto it for the next 12/18 months you'd be able to sell it for what you paid for it.....maybr more. Its more special than the ED30, considerably more so than the rather weak ED35 (after the 30, the 35 was rather a disappointment in my eyes).

Cannot believe I missed this OldNewbie!! A proper hot hatch and the ultimate GTI (OK apart from the S but they are even more like hens teeth). I am soo jealous! What is nice about these is the exclusivity.....you hold onto it for a few years, keep it A1 and keep the miles low Id wager you'll see a creep in value before too long. I love the R's and sure could be argued that subjectively in some respects its a better car.....but my god its not as special as this. CSG is my favourite colour too...one thing withheld from the R. Can I ask......did you import it given its LHD. If so how did you go about purchasing it? Going away to think how I can go about getting an IS38 and Stage 2 map put on my lowly Polo GTI haha