The latest incarnation of the VW Polo is the best and most refined yet, and the resulting GTI variant only builds on those qualities by adding speed. According to CarBuyer, the new Polo GTI is more of a “mini-Golf” than it’s ever been.

Refinement is predictably high, the interior high-quality and mirrors many of the cues of the larger Golf GTI and, most importantly, is properly fast; with the 1.8-liter turbo it’s faster and more elastic than before and it also ups the fun compared to its non-facelifted 1.4-liter predecessor.

Another big addition is the manual gearbox which, in recent VW tradition, is light, precise and not all that displeasing to use.

In fact, having driven the 90 PS 1.2-liter turbo Polo, I found many of the same qualities described in this video review, although I obviously didn’t emphasize the performance aspect.

Video