Can't say fairer than that, Ginger! I'll soon be booking test drives in the ST and the Polo GTI to see which suits me best. I'm a stickler for 'quality' and I'd sooner pay a bit more and even sacrifice a bit of handling ability if I think I'm getting a better-built product. It comes from being middle-aged, I think!
Hopefully, most of the bugs will have been dealt with by the time we get ours and I'll be able to base my decision on the car itself rather than my impressions of its faults. Thanks.