2017 Volkswagen Passat vs 2018 Volkswagen Polo

What's the difference?

Europeans have long had a crush on sportscar wagons and the Passat 206 R-Line represents a good combination of practicality and performance, in a premium package, at good price; an excellent reason not to buy an SUV.

There would be some people who’d see the Polo GTI as an overly expensive, little hatchback that uses more fuel than car this size should with ride that’s too firm and an exhaust system that’s too loud. Then there are those of us who know that a hatch this talented on the road (or track), with a great interior and now even more space is worth the asking price and the fuel money. You see it’s louder, more uncomfortable, thirstier and costlier for a reason – fun.

The new-gen Passat sits on the same MQB platform as its Golf, Audi A4 and Skoda Superb Volkswagen Group siblings, only it’s scaled to suit the car. 

The Passat and Superb wagons share a huge amount of DNA but they aren’t identical twins. A quick peek at the dimensions show the Passat wagon to be 89mm shorter than the Superb at 4767mm end-to-end and 32mm narrower at 1832mm wide.

The Passat is also arguably better looking than the Superb. Rumour has it Skoda designers have Post It notes stuck on their computer screens saying, "Don’t forget. Must not be as pretty as a Volkswagen!”

The Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon is easy to pick from the other Passat variants thanks to its sports body kit, LED headlights and specific badges.

If you were to press your face up against the glass you’d see R-Line leather seats, alloy pedals, paddle shifters and a flat-bottomed steering wheel. If this was an airline the interior would be business class – not over the top, but seriously handsome. 

Just an aside, and I know it’s not the done thing, but I think the Superb’s interior is plusher.

The Polo GTI’s exterior styling is subtle... apart from all the GTI badges. Distinguishing it from the regular Polo is the red pinstripe running across the grille and through the headlights, there’s the lower grille with its black honeycomb design, the side skirts, the roof-top spoiler with its black extension, and the dual-chrome exhaust integrated into the black mesh diffuser.

Also standard are the 17-inch 'Milton Keynes' style alloy wheels. Have you been to Milton Keynes in the UK? If not, maybe don’t.

This new Polo GTI is bigger than before. End-to-end it’s 84mm longer than the previous model at almost 4.1m and 69mm wider at 1.8m across. The wheelbase has grown by 90mm and now measures 2.5m and that has led to more legroom and boot space (you can read about this below).

The Polo GTI’s cabin styling is exceptional – there isn’t another little hatch at this price point with this level of coolness and quality. The red element that’s inlayed into the dash and matching trim around the console and doors and the display screen, plus the optional virtual instrument cluster is stunning.

I’m a fan of the Clark tartan upholstery because it’s a GTI tradition. The black microfleece looks like tracksuit material to me. Combine all that with great ergonomics and even more room and it looks like Volkswagen is close to nailing it with this new Polo GTI.

Let’s get straight to the point, the cargo capacity of the Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon is 650 litres and that’s enormous. That’s 35 litres more than the latest Volkswagen Tiguan mid-sized SUV’s boot and 70 litres more than the even bigger Toureg’s cargo space. The Subaru’s Levorg is a smaller wagon, and with only 486 litres can’t match the Passat’s boot capacity. But the Skoda Surperb wagon beats it with 660 litres.

With the rear seats folded flat the luggage capacity of the Passat wagon increases to 1152 litres.

The cabin is cavernous and thanks to a wheelbase of 2791mm rear legroom is limo-like. I’m 191cm tall and can sit behind my driving position with a full hand-span distance between my knees and the seat back.

Many cars are called five seaters – but ask the person mashed in the middle of the back row if they agree and in most cases they’d disagree violently. But it would have to be an extra portly human who would say the same about the Passat wagon.

Headroom is also excellent – even with a sunroof. You couldn’t wear a top hat, but a bowler would fit perfectly.

The centre fold down armrest in the back row has three cupholders – two regular sized and an espresso hugger, while up front there are two more normal cupholders. All doors have big bottle holders.

The ride height of SUV’s tends to make putting small children into car seats and taking them out a lot easier on the back. Having a toddler myself, I know this to be true and would say this is one of the greatest strengths of an SUV. But while the Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon is indeed lower, its rear doorways are large – both wide and tall, with a roofline that’s as flat as a table. That somewhat makes up for the lack of ride height.

It also means just getting yourself in and out is a lot easier – especially good for those who are tall or aren’t as agile as they used to be.

The new Polo GTI is more practical than the previous one. At 191cm tall I could not sit behind my driving position in the old car, and I mean I physically could not get my legs in the car because of the front seat. I had to sit side-saddle with my legs, splayed… okay, you get the idea.

But due to the increase in wheelbase rear legroom has grown so I can sit back there with about 20mm of space between my knees and the seatback. That’s excellent, even in a car the next size class up.

Headroom back there is also generous – even with the optional sunroof. The same goes for the front, I’m tall and pretty wide, and that extra shoulder room is welcome. My co-driver was the same height and width as me and not once did our elbows meet – which happened in the old car constantly with two up front.

Seats fold 60/40 and with them both in place boot capacity has increased, too – by 101 litres for 305 litres of luggage space. With those seats down that increases to 1079 litres.

Storage throughout the cabin could be better. There are just two cupholders, both in the front and small, while door pockets throughout are also little. The bin under the front centre armrest is deep and narrow, but it’s good to see a hidey hole in front of the shifter for wallets and keys.

For devices you’ll find two USB ports in the storage area under the dash and a 12-volt power outlet on the centre console.

The Polo GTI lists for $30,990 (before on-road costs) which is about than $10,000 more than the cheapest normal Polo and $800 more than the previous Polo GTI with the automatic transmission.

That’s another thing you should know: this new Polo GTI isn’t available with a manual gearbox. That’s not just a let down for stick shift fans, it also means that without the more affordable manual on offer the entry-point into the auto-only Polo GTI is now $3300 more than the old car.

Standard features in the Polo GTI include an 8.0-inch display, reversing camera, six-speaker stereo, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, proximity key, leather GTI flat-bottomed steering wheel, 17-inch alloy wheels and the traditional GTI 'Clark' tartan cloth upholstery.

What’s missing? LED headlights (the standard ones are halogen), parking sensors and sat nav. Which is disappointing considering the price. The lack of sat nav is no biggie because you have Apple CarPlay and Android auto which I’ve found work superbly.

If you do want built-in sat nav you have some options. There’s the $1900 'Sound and Vision package' which adds sat nav along with a stunning, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and 300w Beats sound system. Yup, Beats as in Dr Dre Beats. Word.

The pack which would interest me the most is the 'Driver Assistance' one for $1400 because it adds adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, parking sensors and auto parking.

The 'Luxury pack' is a whopping $3900 and takes out the traditional Clark tartan cloth (why would you?) and replaces it with microfleece upholstery, heated seats, LED headlights, 18-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof and rear privacy glass.

As a model comparison the Polo GTI is up against the Ford Fiesta ST which undercuts it at $27,490. The Renault Clio RS (Cup and Sport) is a worthy rival, too, ranging from $30,990 to $32,490. Also, take a look at the Peugeot 208 GTI for $29,990.

So, while the Polo GTI costs more than most people would probably pay for a small car there are still those (like me) who’d see its decent standard features list and performance hardware as worth the extra money. And then there’s the styling and build quality, which we’re just about to get to.

Did you just jump straight to this section? Can’t blame you if you did. The Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon engine is a special thing. The 206kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder is the same heart that beats inside the revered Golf R, and like that hot hatch the Passat 206 TSI is all-wheel drive. A six-speed dual clutch automatic transmission shifts gears unfathomably quickly.

The Golf R version of the engine has the same power output but it pulls harder thanks to 30Nm more torque. In the 0-100km/h sprint the Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon trails it by only 0.7s 

Yes, the new Polo GTI is larger, but it's also been given a bigger engine producing more grunt with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four cylinder replacing the old car's 1.8-litre.

Power output is up by 6kW to 147kW but it’s the amount of torque which is most impressive - 320Nm from 1450rpm, so right down low in the rev range for great acceleration.

The previous Polo GTI produced 320Nm, too, but not from such low revs, and only when combined with the manual gearbox. The automatic transmission in the old car only produced 280Nm. This new Polo GTI is only available with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic.

As with the old Polo GTI, this one is front-wheel drive.

Serving suggestions – they’re just a guide whether its fuel for your body or for cars. Volkswagen reckons the Passat 206TSI R-Line drinks at an average combined rate of 7.4L/100km. Country roads, highways, the 25km daily city commutes and day care drop offs saw our test car return 13.7L/100km according to the trip computer. Please note: I tend to drive like I'm trying to outrun an atomic blast.

Volkswagen says the Polo GTI should use 6.1L/100km over a combination of urban and open roads. I tested that using the trip computer and saw 7.7L/100km after 100km on country roads.

The Passat 206 TSI R-Line is a bit of a sleeper in that it’s far more powerful and agile than its fairly sedate appearance would let on. Sure, it’s not as quick as a Golf R, and it sure doesn’t feel as ‘chuckable’ as the hot hatch either, but the Passat 206 TSI R-Line is impressively dynamic.

From a standstill there’s only a slight pause between mashing the accelerator and the jump into hyperspace as the turbo spools up and all 350Nm of torque charges in at 1700rpm.

Our test loop through some great bush roads showed the wagon to not only power out of corners well, but the balance, poise and grip is excellent. As we swung it through the corners we could feel its width and length, but in a low-slung grand tourer way.

The ride on 235/40x19 low-profile Pirelli Cinturato P7 tyres is on the firmer side, but you can adjust the suspension from comfort to sport settings for a soft or harder ride. The cabin was quiet even on coarse chip roads, the steering was quick and sharp, and those sports seats were still comfortable and supportive after two hours straight.

A special mention needs to be made about the LED headlights – these are brilliant, literally – the uniform, bright light provides excellent visibility which is so vital on dark Australian country roads.

The previous Polo GTI was one of the best ‘fun-and-fast-for-your-money’ cars you could buy and that remains true for this new model. Seriously, you could easily throw a lot more cash at something else sporty and prestigious in the search for the same experience and still not find it as fun and engaging as this little Polo GTI.

How is the Polo GTI mechanically different from a normal Polo? Lowered by 15mm, the GTI has sports suspension with a thicker torsion bar at the back (no multi-link rear here), and Volkswagen says there’s different axle geometry and lower roll centres, too.

Add a turbo 2.0-litre that pulls with all 320Nm from just above idle and the Polo GTI can rip from 0-100km/h in 6.7 seconds – less than half a second behind its Golf GTI big brother. And there are good brakes to hose off the speed.

Also different from a regular Polo is the GTI’s six-speed dual-clutch auto, and an extended electronic differential lock, while engine response, steering and suspension can be set in 'Normal' or 'Sport' using the Polo GTI’s drive mode selector.

On curly roads through NSW’s Northern Rivers region the Polo GTI proved quick, agile, and fun. Body control is excellent and pushing the little hatch probably way too hard into some corners didn’t unsettle it, as the thing held on tight with good grip from pretty narrow, but low-profile tyres (215/45 R17 front and rear), helped no doubt by the extended diff lock.

Steering in the Normal setting feels too light and a bit artificial, but Sport mode gives you a much better feeling of connection with a perfect weight to it. Turn-in is good, and then that torque is always under your foot to power you out of corners, even offering up a smidge of oversteer.

Seating position is spot on – I could get low and feel part of the car, while visibility is good, too.

The roads we were treated too had some great corners but the surface was patchy and potholed for the most part, so unless I was giving it a red-hot go the suspension was set in Normal. Sport was just to firm for times when it wasn’t needed.

The Volkswagen Polo was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating when it was tested in 2017 – that same score goes for the Polo GTI, too. Along with the extended electronic differential which is a form of traction and stability control, there’s AEB which operates at highway and city speeds. At lower speed the AEB system has pedestrian detection, too.

It would be good to see blind spot warning and rear cross traffic alert with AEB made standard on the Polo GTI, but as I mentioned earlier these are available in a package along with adaptive cruise control and auto parking.

For child seats you’ll find two ISOFIX points and three top tethers across the back row.

Under the boot floor lives a space saver spare tyre.

The Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon is covered by Volkswagen’s three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended at 12 month/15000km intervals. The first five services are capped at $3471 in total.

The Polo GTI is covered by Volkswagen’s three year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

Servicing is recommended every 15,000km/12 months. Volkswagen’s website has a price guide which says you can expect to pay $408 for the first service, $631 for the second, then $408, and $1374 for the four-year 60,000km service.