GTI is so loved on the VW Golf, the failure of hot Polos is a real mystery

It can be difficult to pin down exactly why some cars resonate with the public, and others just don’t. The successful cars have an intangible quality, and it’s one that VW has used to brilliant effect over the course of the Volkswagen Golf GTI’s life since 1974. It’s also worked equally well on little pocket rockets such as the Up GTI, and the Lupo GTI before that, but it’s never quite hit the mark on a Volkswagen Polo.

It can’t be anything to do with the segment. Superminis are ripe for the hot hatchback treatment; just think of the Ford Fiesta ST or RenaultSport Clio. But is VW taking a huge risk by turning the Polo into its first all-electric GTI? 

Until now, most GTIs from the Polo line felt a little half-baked. No particularly exciting engines, suspension layouts or exterior design elements have been applied, and there’s no doubt that a lack of the Golf’s heritage – the first hot Polo didn’t arrive until 1998 – has had an effect. 

But it could also be that many of the Polo’s hot hatchback rivals have been so strong. Think about the Ford Fiesta ST over the generations, or the simply magical RenaultSport Clios that ruled the roost from the early 2000s right up until the late 2010s. The Volkswagen Polo GTI had a tough job to do, and VW made the pragmatic choice not to put too much emphasis on trying to compete in a class that it didn’t particularly want the GTI badge to embody. 

So what does this mean for the new Volkswagen ID. Polo GTI? Some of us have worried that maybe its 230bhp won’t be enough when rivals such as the Peugeot E-208 GTI and Vauxhall Corsa GSE will outgun the VW by the best part of 45bhp. However, we’ll have to wait until we drive the car in production guise before making a judgement on that. 

For now, though, what we can comment on is the new ID. Polo GTI’s design and styling – both of which most definitely exhibit the same level of desirability as the Golf and its baby siblings, the Up and Lupo. 

VW’s head of design, Andy Mindt, has been able to channel the fundamentals of Volkswagen’s GTI brand into a contemporary package that’s neither cliched nor too extroverted. The ID. Polo GTI is dripping with the same sort of appeal we know well from the best of the models that have featured those three small letters on the tailgate. That on its own could finally create a Polo capable of breaking through. 

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