What's the automatic Volkswagen Polo like?

Thinking of buying an 04 Volkswagen Polo automatic. Is this a reliable car and is there anything to be aware of relating to the automatic gearbox?

Peter Malone (Tallaght)

Dec 2013 Filed under: automatic

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Expert answer

Hi Peter,

Yes, it's reliable and no, there are no major issues to watch out for. Just bear in mind a couple of things. Automatic cars can be a little harder on brakes than their manual cousins, and they can of course be more thirsty. More significant still, the smaller-engined versions of the Polo 55- and 65hp 1.2 petrols are pretty sluggish at the best of times and with an auto 'box both drawing power and adding weight, you could be looking at really slow-motion driving.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe