PoloDriver

This one probably falls more under the ‘car’ rather than the ‘classic’ of the listing website’s title, but whatever, it looks very appealing to this author’s eyes. Behold the clean-lined – and red – majesty of this 2012 Polo GTI, freshly imported from Japan.

The fifth-generation Polo GTI (not the actual fifth-generation of Polo GTI) was unveiled in May 2010, 14 months after the debut of the ‘regular’ model. Following the 148bhp model of the same name based on the fourth generation ‘9N3’ Polo, the newcomer – ‘6R’ in Polo geek speak – packed a 178bhp punch courtesy of a turbo and supercharged engine.

The 1.4-litre ‘twincharger’ unit was around 400cc down on the engine of its predecessor, which appeared in all manner of Volkswagens, Audis, SEATs and Skodas. Despite being smaller in size than the one before, the new four-cylinder unit was advanced in terms of technology, and the new car scampered to 62mph from rest in 6.9 seconds, 1.3 seconds faster than its forebear. The 6R GTI was lighter, too; the three-door GTI’s 1269kg a smidge less than the 9N3 GTI’s 1283kg.

Exclusively DSG
One important difference between old and new was the fact that the 6R GTI was exclusively available with Volkswagen’s much-praised DSG dual-clutch gearbox. Both a blessing and a curse, its high-tech appeal won over some drivers, while others bemoaned the lack of a manual option. With small paddles behind the steering wheel, and a ‘Sport’ mode in the gearbox itself, Volkswagen did compensate for keener drivers, but for some, it wasn’t enough. However, it did make the car an arguably easier daily driver for those scooting about the city.

For PoloDriver.com, the 6R Polo GTI’s crowning glory was always its looks. Taking cues from the popular and acclaimed Mk 5 Golf GTI, the contemporary hot Polo featured 17-inch ‘Monza’ (or ‘Detroit’, depending on the market) alloy wheels, new front and rear bumpers, a red-trimmed and honeycomb mesh-filled front grille, side skirt trims, a rear spoiler, and twin exhaust pipes. Inside, there was ‘Jacara’ (or ‘Jacky’) tartan-trimmed sports seats, black headlining, and a squared-off and leather-trimmed steering wheel with red stitching and a ‘GTI’ badge. In terms of looking the business, it was job done. Mature and subtle it predictably was, but it was none the worse for it.

A facelift – the car renamed the ‘6C’ – in December 2014 dispensed with the twincharger engine, replacing it with a turbocharged 1.8-litre engine with 189bhp, and also brought sharper looks inside and out. But the 6R Polo GTI appeals because of its subtler appearance, the Golf GTI-aping alloy wheels and the certain charm of the earlier interior.

Still plentiful (ish) in the UK – comparatively, the GTI has never been a strong-selling Polo – a small but increasing number of right-hand drive cars are starting to appear on UK soil from Japan. One such car is the car pictured here, currently up for auction on the Car & Classic website. Resplendent in its Flash Red paintwork, the 2012 car has covered just 45,300 miles from new, and looks superb. There is a little wear and collapse on one of the driver’s seat bolsters, but that’s the only discernible mark that can be seen after 11 years of use. Due to the lack of salt on the roads in Japan, the underside looks nice and clean and the car certainly seems to have been looked after well.

Notable features
Another ex-Japanese car, this time a Candy White example with 54,000 miles, is for sale here, and like the Car & Classic GTI, has a couple of notable features over UK models. While the DSG automatic box is shared with Uk and European markets, Japanese cars appear to get climate control as standard (a £375 option in the UK), as well as a touchscreen infotainment system – a Grundig unit in the Car & Classic GTI’s case – the cheapest of which in the UK was the £300 RCD 510 system (another £420 bought the RNS 315 system with navigation). Other bonuses of these cars are the standard-fit bi-xenon headlamps and LED daytime-running lights, a £765 UK option.

While we can’t detect anything different with either car’s engine, it’s worth noting that 6R Polo GTIs in China came with a 1.4 TSI engine with 130bhp, not the full-fat 178bhp. A quick online check reveals that Japanese cars appear to share the higher output of their European cousins. One question we do have though, is why the sudden rash of imports; a handful of right-hand drive Cross Polos have also recently landed on UK shores.

A car which was transformatively much better than the car which preceded it – and the 6C is sharper still – the 6R Polo GTI is an evergreen PoloDriver.com favourite. We’d have very little hesitation in investigating the Car & Classic car, but do check is all well mechanically, as the twincharged engines can have oil use issues. Once that is done, though, just drive and enjoy, revelling in the high quality fifth-generation Polo build. If the Car & Classic GTI goes for under £8,000, then someone will get a bargain. The Car & Classic 2012 Polo GTI auction ends at 20:15 on Monday 27 February.