Polo VS Ibiza

[Forthewin]

Hi All,

I've managed to narrow down the two new cars Im going to pick from:

Ibiza Cupra, Nevada White + three years servicing

OR

Polo R-Line 1.2 TSI 105, Nimbus Grey, climate control + three years servicing

For the deals I've managed to line up for each they work out at pretty much the exact same price - well within £50 (Cupra is more expensive but I can get much better finance for it so overall same cost)

Both come with plenty of kit, most of which is the same. Cupra has rain sensors, Polo has parking sensors - but overall pretty similar kit. I know you guys might be bias but what do you reckon? I'm not really a petrol head, I like a nice car but it's not going to get trashed around so the extra power might well be wasted - it just has so much more kit than the FR and looks a ton better.

Off list price, the Cupra is a bigger deal but unlikely to hold it's value as well compared to the polo?

Oh decisions....decisions

 

[Biker]

Between those two cars I would go for the Polo, I think the 1.2 tsi is a much more reliable package than the 1.4 tsi.

 

[Big-Pete]

cupra
faster
better


test drive both.

 

[Forthewin]

I have test driven both, the Polo is a little more refined and the ride a little softer - as you would expect with the setup of the cupra. The cupra is a lot more interesting but a bit noisier at speed. DSG was much better than I expected and surprisingly nice to drive carefully at low speed.

I guess my main concern with the Cupra is 'Am I going to have an engine problem'. I know forums like this make things look worse than they are but hey. Whereas the 1.2 TSI is a well trusted engine.

My biggest concern with the Polo is while it looks nice it's certainly going to be less fun to drive.

Currently driving an Ibiza MK4 Sportrider so whatever I opt for will be a step up.

 

[Big-Pete]

I have test driven both, the Polo is a little more refined and the ride a little softer - as you would expect with the setup of the cupra. The cupra is a lot more interesting but a bit noisier at speed. DSG was much better than I expected and surprisingly nice to drive carefully at low speed.

I guess my main concern with the Cupra is 'Am I going to have an engine problem'. I know forums like this make things look worse than they are but hey. Whereas the 1.2 TSI is a well trusted engine.

My biggest concern with the Polo is while it looks nice it's certainly going to be less fun to drive.

Currently driving an Ibiza MK4 Sportrider so whatever I opt for will be a step up.

get teh cupra. youl kick yourslf if you get a 1.2tsi over the 1.4.

there arnt that many problems really. +warranty

 

[mattvanders]

I would say get the cupra if you can afford not just the car but the running costs as well for one or two reasons. First off my main thought would be the polo would be more of a side step than upgrade in car turms (so in a year to two times you you get bored and want something more fun to drive - it will cost you more money to change cars again). Secondary if your not too car orientated anyway your unlikely to change anything on the car, less likely to have any issues with warrenties if there was a problem.

Which ever car you get they are both well screwed togeather and should last you well

 

[Forthewin]

I would say get the cupra if you can afford not just the car but the running costs as well for one or two reasons. First off my main thought would be the polo would be more of a side step than upgrade in car turms (so in a year to two times you you get bored and want something more fun to drive - it will cost you more money to change cars again). Secondary if your not too car orientated anyway your unlikely to change anything on the car, less likely to have any issues with warrenties if there was a problem.

Which ever car you get they are both well screwed togeather and should last you well

That's partly what I was thinking. Insurance isn't too bad for the cupra, only £60 more than my current Ibiza. I'm hoping the engine issues have been resolved now... People don't seem to be reporting problems on the newer ones.

 

[Rawibizafr]

Get the cupra 100% I test drove a polo R 1.2 TSI before getting my Ibiza FR never looked back since. 1.2 engine feels very slow when they are both compared

 

[scooter1556]

The 1.2TSI might be slow in comparison to the 1.4, but it isn't slow in the real world. There's enough power to have some fun and doing real-life speeds day-to-day it's more than adequate. I ended up going with the Ibiza FR 1.2TSI over the polo R-Line after test driving both mainly because the R-line looks the part but the underpinnings stay the same such as suspension etc... This does mean it rides better and to be fair, the handling as standard is reasonable, but the FR and Cupra are more fun on the back roads. I also thought the Ibiza was better spec'd as standard and the road tax is £70 cheaper in the Ibiza FR 1.2 TSI vs the Polo (£30 vs £100) with the same engine and is also cheaper to insure by some margin which is important for me. You won't be disappointed whichever route you take, they are both nice cars. The Polo is nicer inside and you can tell there is extra sound deadening and attention to detail with them, but you pay a hefty price for that luxury. The Cupra is a lot more car for similar money.

 

[CraigFrTsi]

Personally I'd go for the ibiza as for 1 I've always had seats including my 1.4tsi 09 FR and touch wood never had any problems and 2 (they say) seat is the sporty division of vw and the vag group lol

 

[Forthewin]

I agree, the 1.2 TSI is a cracking engine and has more power than you might think. It's just a little 'boring' when compared to the 1.4. Guess it depends if you have your sensible hat on or your lets have some fun hat on!

Luckily with insurance I've kinda come over the hill on that so it's reasonable on them all. Ideally they would put a Polo quality interior in the cupra - I'd actually pay more for it.

 

[ntemis21]

indeed the 1.4 is faster
don't forget that it has 180 ps and the 1.2 105 ps
I have the 1.2 tsi first stage and it is very fun car with minimun fuel consumation.
right now i have almost 145 ps and it goes exact same with fr tsi.
and the most basic of all , is till now zero problems.

 

[Jay1990]

You've said your self your not really a "fast car" person, so to me, the cupra seems a little..excessive? more expensive(slightly but more none the less) but wouldnt be used. The polo will hold its value a little better and be a better buy in a few years as well, and the 1.2tsi isnt "slow" by any terms, ive only driven in in Leon and while it didnt feel fast it was plenty for around town and was up to speed easily on slip roads.

If I was you, Id get the polo. I am me however and I have the cupra


Plus if you do ever feel like a bit more power, the stage 1 remap on the 1.2TSI (£300-£400) gives gains of approx 30-40bhp and a whack of torque too.

 

[Forthewin]

Oh I've driven a few cars with the 1.2 TSI, it's a cracking engine. While I'm not mega into driving fast due to my day job I like a nice looking interesting car. I just worry I'd get bored with the polo. Who knows

 

[Jay1990]

Have you looked at other makes? Ive not really looked at small lower powred cars but I know they do the Fiesta with a 1.0T engine, have good power and look alright (that grille is growing on me)

 

[scooter1556]

I test drove the fiesta 1.0T before buying the Ibiza. It definitely went fine, not quite as brisk as the 1.2 TSI but plenty of fun and probably better fuel economy overall. Main issues were it was £2000 more than the Ibiza FR, the standard car is ugly (in my opinion) and the standard Zetec alloys look like cheap aftermarket wheels from Halfords. It was good and easy drive around town but did nothing to excite me in the same way as the Ibiza. It also feels and looks gimmicky to me and the roads will be swarmed in them by the end of the year. The interior is also no match for the Polo, I can't stand dashboards that are littered in seemingly pointless buttons...

 

[Forthewin]

My friend has a new fiesta S, it's a really nice ride and good fun. It's just got small car syndrome (it feels tiny and go-kart like) which just isn't for me, I accept some people like that. Plus when I specced up the Fiesta to look how I wanted and be kitted how I wanted it was 15-16K.

I certainly don't want anything less powerful than my 1.4 100PS MK4.

 

[scooter1556]

The Zetec S is a nice car and the S bodykit on the standard car makes it a better looking thing too but does bump the price up considerably! The main thing I liked about the Ibiza and Polo was that they didn't feel like Superminis inside or to drive and the Fiesta just does (small car syndrome is a good way to describe it).

 

[Forthewin]

Oh I'm rubbish at deciding!

I think Im going to throw a 1.2 TSI FR into the mix, with the goodies I'd need to add to the FR it would work out about £3750 cheaper than the cupra. I wonder how much of that I'd get back in 3/4 years.

 

[scooter1556]

I would imagine the Cupra would depreciate faster than the FR because it costs more to begin with. I certainly don't think the Cupra would be worth £3000 more in 3/4 years but I may be wrong. The FR is a nice car especially with the 17" wheels, tech pack, Xenons, parking sensors and climate control. No doubt the Polo will hold its value the best out of the bunch though.