This £10k VW Polo GTI Is An Underrated Gem

Volkswagen’s ID GTI concept managed to inspire some kind of enthusiasm about performance electric cars, but it still left us yearning for an oily GTI to add to the driveway.

And so, we plucked this little white number from the classifieds. The Polo GTI went through some ups and downs, but the 2015 version restored a manual gearbox to the lineup and replaced the weird 1.4-litre twin-charged engine with the 1.8-litre turbocharged petrol unit. Much more like it.

The larger engine delivers 190bhp and of course, the one we’ve picked has a six-speed manual transmission rather than the optional DSG automatic. Inside, it gets the jazzy tartan-style fabric seats and red accents throughout. It’s one of the few examples that rocks a three-door configuration so it’s never going to be the most practical but it's worth it considering how great the GTI looks thusly arranged.

With just over 75,000 miles on the clock, £10,500k is a decent price for this Polo. Those of you in London are in luck, as this GTI meets all the ULEZ emission standards so you can race around the city to your heart's content without coughing up the daily fee. Speeding fines, on the other hand, it can’t help you with. It may look unassuming, but the Polo GTI does 0-62mph in a respectable 6.7 seconds and tops out at 146mph.

For the price, it’s well worth considering this generation, which we reckon is a little bit underrated. It's far from the most exciting option around, though. If you’re after the hottest of hatches, you can’t go wrong with the Mk7 Fiesta ST.