Any discussion about the GTI version of the fifthgeneration Volkswagen Polo invariably ends with murmurs of respect before everyone agrees they would rather have the rival Ford Fiesta ST. Judged purely on its dynamic merits, the ST is the better car. But the GTI is arguably more rounded and, over time, possibly more satisfying. Still, when it was new, apart from making sure you chose no lower than ST-2 spec, at least the ST got it right from the get-go. If only the same could be said of the GTI.
VW got the engine and gearbox wrong the first time around, and then when it fixed the engine (by replacing it with a larger and more powerful but less complicated one) and at last offered it with a manual gearbox, it wrong-footed buyers by continuing to offer an auto but with the engine’s torque much reduced.