VW POLO
 
 
 
 

Following the launch of the new VW Polo earlier this year, Continental Cars kindly made a 1.0 L version available to us for a drive test.  On being handed the keys, we had a good look at the car before setting off for the test.

Externally, the car bears more than a passing resemblance to its predecessor.  However, the styling of this version of VW’s ever-popular Polo makes the previous model look dated.  The light clusters have been replaced with clear glass headlamps and revised rear clusters.  The front and rear end styling have also been revised, making the car look like a miniature Bora from the front and a small Golf from the rear.  The bumpers have also been re-designed and now sport a bump strip, something which owners of the previous models have frequently added to their cars to protect the colour coded bumpers from scratches.  Looking at the car from the side, it is still clearly a Polo, however.  The interior has also been upgraded to meet current VW quality levels.  The most obvious change is the dashboard.  The instruments are now housed in a binnacle, which sits on the dashboard rather than forming a part of it, as in the previous model.  The instruments, framed in an aluminium coloured bezel, are also illuminated in the blue light that has become synonymous with the VW range.

After this brief cosmetic inspection, we set off on our test drive.  The first sensation one gets from the Polo is that even the base model can cope very well with the adverse driving conditions we encounter every day on our roads.  The car is solidly built, something that you can feel whilst driving along.  This feeling is more pronounced than in previous models, a result of the adoption of the latest welding technologies, which allow increased rigidity and reduced gaps between panels.  Ride quality is very good and the car’s suspension handles well all but the very worse potholes and bumps as a matter of course.  The suspension can also cope with a sporty driving style, reflecting VW’s commitment to quality and safety. 

Having said that, the car we drove was equipped with fuel saver tyres.  This is a current trend with most manufacturers to provide this type of tyre, especially on their economy ranges to improve fuel economy.  Most of the test team from V-Dubs are strongly convinced that the improvement in economy is provided by reducing friction between the rubber and the road surface and this is reflected in poor traction at critical moments.  And sure enough, these tyres did not live up to our expectations during emergency stops, further strengthening our convictions with regard to fuel savers.

With regard to performance, the test team was divided in respect of the base model.  Mainly because part of the team is used to driving air-cooled Beetles whilst the rest is used to more modern VWs, with turbo diesel engines being predominantly the favourite amongst them.  We all agreed the performance is not tyre scorching, but, whereas some described it as lively, others said it’s dead slow.  The official figures are not exactly astonishing but, bearing in mind it is powered by only a 1,000 cc engine, the 18.4 seconds required to push this Polo to 60 mph are fairly satisfying.

If you like the looks of the New Polo but would like to have some more power, you’d be glad to learn that another five engines are available to provide some more grunt to this car.  The other petrol engines available in the Polo are the 1.4 L, the 1.4 L 16v engine, shared with the Lupo and Golf, and the 1.6 L.  The other two engines are the 1.9 SDi and the latest diesel addition to VW’s range, the three cylinder 1.4 TDi.  This engine is by far the most economical diesel around at the moment.  But it is no slow coach.  The 75 bhp that this engine provides pushes the car to 106 mph, only requiring 12.9 seconds to get the car to a 100 kms per hour.  These performance figures are not provided at the expense of fuel economy, you’d be surely glad to learn.  Equipped with the latest generation common rail injection systems coupled with advanced engine electronic management systems, the 64.2 mpg is by far the best economy figures available for this type of engine.  Environmentalists will also be glad to learn that it is one of the lowest emitting engines around.

By the time we were on our way back to the Continental Garages, we’d all been won over by the Polo.  The only point on which we differed was the engine we’d choose to power ‘our’ car.  Everybody seemed to prefer one of the more powerful engines but given the choice of a daily runabout, the 1.0 L provides a good compromise, especially if the main use of the car will be the school run.  I would also head for my favourite tyre dealer and swop those energy savers for something providing a bit more grip, to enjoy some peace of mind in those critical moments we all encounter at some time or other on our roads.
 

Karl Ciarlo'