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Volkswagen Polo 2010 review

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  • Starting price
  • Safety and comfort
  • Driving
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  • Costlier five-door models
  • Premium unleaded

The battle for Car of the Year honours in 2010 begins right here and now. The first serious contender out of the blocks is the all-new Volkswagen Polo, a mini-Golf with a starting price of $16,690, although it will have to battle a wide range of new stars from the boxy Toyota Rukus and BMW's classy GT to the Series II Holden Commodore VE.

The VW Polo has not done well in Australia, partly because it was too costly and partly because the previous models were... well... tinny little cars without much charisma. The latest fifth-generation car changes the pattern with everything from clunk-close doors to impressive equipment and real driving enjoyment.

The meat of the model lineup is still on the costly side of $20,000, and there is not much punch from the basic engine with a bit of steering kick over corrugations, but the new Polo finally shows similar strengths to last year's Carsguide COTY winner, the Golf.

"We are confident that we have created a car that is the right package for the target customer. We want it to be the third volume pillar in Australia after Golf and Tiguan," says Vladan Dimic, product marketing manager for Volkswagen Australia.

The new Polo is a complete makeover, unlike the previous car which was basically a facelift. So the body structure is new and stiffer - with the promise of ANCAP safety, including six airbags and ESP standard - there are two petrol engines and a turbodiesel, and the car even gets a seven-speed DSG manumatic gearbox.

Equipment

There are two bodies, three and five-door hatches, with Trendline and Comfortline equipment packages. Volkswagen says there is $1000 worth of no-cost safety equipment in the car, as well as little things like a remote control that can open and close the windows, white-lit dials and new steering wheels. Yet the pricetags are generally lower, by $300 in the case of the manual three-door Trendline that opens the batting.

Mechanical package

The engines run from the 1.4-litre four with 63kW/132Nm to the 1.2- litre turbo with 77kW/175Nm and the 1.6 turbodiesel with 66kW/230Nm. Both petrol engines are tweaked with things like improved fuel injectors and an electric turbo wastegate.

There is wider new suspension, with MacPherson struts in the nose and a torsion beam axle in the tail, with anti-skid four-wheel discs and alloy wheels on all but the base car. There is also a full-sized spare but the petrol engines drink premium unleaded.

Still, VW says economy is improved by up to 24 per cent and quotes 4.6L/100km consumption and 121g/km CO2 for its best performers. There are two optional equipment packs, the $900 comfort deal that includes rain-sensor wipers and the $770 audio package with the Bluetooth phone connection that should be standard.

Driving

There is more to the new Polo than ever before. You see it in the bigger body, feel it in the slightly roomier but much higher-quality cabin, and enjoy it in a car which is as good to drive as anything in the baby class - short of my personal favourite, the Fiesta - and equal to the best on quietness and refinement.

The doors close with a thunk, the seats are supportive, the steering is light and direct, and the suspension soaks up most bumps and undulations without a drama. It's a European car with a Japanese starting price - although the five-door comes from South Africa - which means it will get onto a lot more shopping lists. Especially with a television commercial filmed in Sydney and aimed at men.

I drove all varieties of the new Polo and enjoyed the two extremes, the basic three-door with a 1.4-litre engine and the DSG turbodiesel five-door. The starter car is quiet and responsive, although big hills show a lack of pulling power, and it actually rides best of the bunch despite steel wheels. I was not worried about a five-speed manual gearbox and I like the three-door body, although rival brands say it's not a winner and VW only expects to sell one car in five without back doors.

The turbodiesel flagship is punchy and very well equipped, but you pay for the luxury. And there is still a little kick through the steering on bumps, as well as suspension which feels a little bouncy at times. But, overall, there is a lot to like in the new Polo and very little to criticise.

Will it be Carsguide Car of the Year for 2010? Based on a relatively short first drive, it is going to take a very good car to beat it.

Pricing guides

$9,990
Based on 31 cars listed for sale in the last 6 months
Lowest Price
$6,990
Highest Price
$11,990

Range and Specs

VehicleSpecsPrice*
Edition 1.4L, PULP, 6 SP AUTO $5,060 – 7,480 2010 Volkswagen Polo 2010 Edition Pricing and Specs
Pacific 1.6L, PULP, 5 SP MAN $5,170 – 7,590 2010 Volkswagen Polo 2010 Pacific Pricing and Specs
Trendline 1.4L, PULP, 7 SP AUTO $5,060 – 7,370 2010 Volkswagen Polo 2010 Trendline Pricing and Specs
Pacific TDI 1.9L, Diesel, 5 SP MAN $6,270 – 8,800 2010 Volkswagen Polo 2010 Pacific TDI Pricing and Specs
Disclaimer: The pricing information shown in the editorial content (Review Prices) is to be used as a guide only and is based on information provided to Carsguide Autotrader Media Solutions Pty Ltd (Carsguide) both by third party sources and the car manufacturer at the time of publication. The Review Prices were correct at the time of publication.  Carsguide does not warrant or represent that the information is accurate, reliable, complete, current or suitable for any particular purpose. You should not use or rely upon this information without conducting an independent assessment and valuation of the vehicle.