Volkswagen Polo 2009 Review

As a result there is a lot riding on the development and success of the fifth-generation Polo, which has just been launched in Europe.

As one of the most popular VWs globally and best seller in Germany, VW Australia has high hopes for the new car.

The head of exterior design for the new Polo, Oliver Stefani, says there was a desire to give the new car a “simplicity and elegance” but connect with the VW family DNA.

“It is the first Polo to get a distinct shoulder line and this, combined with the larger wheels and wraparound headlight and grille treatment helps give it a VW identity,” he says.

Volkswagen has benchmarked the Polo against its key European competitors, the Opel Corsa, Peugeot 207 and Ford Fiesta. In the Australian market it must also tackle the Mazda2, Ford Fiesta, Toyota Yaris and the budget-end Koreans.

The five-door arrives to market first but VW will also build a three-door, sedan as well as a three and five-door GTi version.

Exterior

VW has borrowed some of the front-end styling cues from the Golf to give the Polo a bigger, more sophisticated look. The car has grown slightly. It is 54mm longer, 32mm wider but 14mm lower in height than the previous model and the front and rear tracks are 29mm and 30mm wider.

The wheelbase has edged up ever-so-slightly to 2470mm, a 4mm increase while the ride height has been lowered 20mm. In size the new Polo mirrors the Golf III.

VW says the goal with the Polo was to deliver a level of quality, both technical and visual, generally found on cars several classes higher. They’ve succeeded.

Pricing

The Polo is still more than nine months away from Australia so it’s difficult to gauge pricing for either the three or five door hatch.

However, VW Australia spokesman, Karl Gehling, says the aim is to bring the car in close to the current models. That means an opener around $16,990 for the 1.4 and upper models in the $19,990 to $21,990 bracket.

As a guide, UK prices have risen just over $1000 for the new hatch.

Platform and equipment

The Polo sits on an all-new platform shared with the Skoda Fabia and Seat Ibiza, but like the Golf, much of the architecture has been refined, honed and polished into a car that will comfortably fill out the top end of the light car class.

In Europe three models are available, Trendline, Comfortline and Highline and these models are likely for Australia.

The latest fifth-generation Polo is almost a generation and a half above the old car; such is the level of engineering integrity in the vehicle. There’s soft-touch plastics around the cabin in the high-end models and thoughtful touches abound like the recess in the glove compartment to house the large owner’s manual and free up glovebox space.

Electronic stability control is standard on Euro Polos, with six airbags also available. Satellite navigation and tyre pressure monitoring are also available.

The entry 1.4 is tipped to get 15-inch wheels, cloth interior, electronic stability control, six airbags, hill hold control, electric windows, height and reach adjustable steering, pollen filter, air conditioning, and central locking. Upper end models are expected to get 15-inch alloys, cruise control, climate control, parking sensors and electric windows and mirrors.

Like the Golf, premium CD stereos are also expected to be available, along with satellite navigation.

The new body is significantly stronger. VW has reduced crash intrusion into the footwell area by 50 per cent and side intrusion by 20 per cent.

VW expects the Polo to get a five-star crash rating in the new, tougher, EuroNCAP testing.

Drivetrain

In Europe the front wheel drive Polo comes with a choice of seven petrol and turbo-diesel engines, five of which are new.

There will be three engines for Australia. A 1.4 normally aspirated four cylinder carried over from the old model but updated to Euro IV emission levels, a 1.2-litre TSI that will replace the 1.6-litre petrol and a 1.6-litre TDI, which will replace the 1.9-litre TDI.

The 1.4 petrol engine develops 63kW/132Nm while the 1.2-litre TSI pumps out 77kW/175Nm. The TDI engine chosen for Aussie-spec Polos develops 66kW/230Nm.

The 1.4 petrol and 1.6 TDi get five-speed gearboxes, while the 1.2 gets a six-speed.

All are expected to be available with optional seven-speed DSG gearboxes.

The 1.2 TSI and 1.6-litre TDI are new engines in the Polo family. VW claims a 20 per cent fuel economy improvement in the TSI and 15 per cent in the TDI. The TSI’s combined fuel figure is 5.5 litres/100km, the TDI 4.2 litres/100km and the 1.4 5.9 litres/100km.

Ultra-frugal Bluemotion engines are available in Europe but are unlikely for Australia in the short term.

Driving

In the photos the Polo looks like a small car. It’s only when you walk up to the little five-door hatch that reality sets in.

It is actually destined for the light car class but the large-car looks and mini-me Golf design will certainly help sales.

The driving position is typically VW. That means everything is set out in a thoroughly planned way but unlike VWs of the recent past, the look and feel is not austere. The cabin has a VW family feel and that carries over to the quality levels. The doors shut with that Germanic “thud” and VW can be confident that the cabin ambience will attract buyers looking for prestige in a class dominated by highly-competent but “built-to-a-budget” rivals. Buyers who do not want to sacrifice quality and class when they downsize will love the Polo.

The caveat on this German build quality is that Australian Polos will come from South Africa so we hope the quality levels are as good as the Spanish built cars we drove. Previous-generation Golfs out of South Africa had patchy build quality.

On the road, the Mazda2 and Ford Fiesta may feel and drive more dynamically, but the Polo responds well to measured driver inputs and finesse. Smoothness is the name of the game in this car and it repays such precision with fatigue-free driver and passengers.

Press-on drivers may be disappointed that the chassis is not a bit sharper and the damping a bit firmer but we’d suggest that the vast majority of Polo buyers will be very happy with the ride and handling. The electro-mechanical steering, like many VWs we’ve driven, does lack some feedback though.

Those buyers wanting a crisper driving experience will have to wait for the GTi.

The 1.4-litre petrol engine is smooth, revvy and elastic at low revs. It is not overly endowed with urge but is a very sweet engine.

Pushed into corners the 1.4 will understeer – push wide through corners - but the all-round composure is reassuring and confident. The TSI, fitted with 17-inch wheels and tyres, feels flatter and more precise without any loss of ride comfort.

The front McPherson strut suspension and rear semi-independent suspension have been tweaked for better stability and ride comfort.

Both the five and six speed manuals are smooth and precise and the seven-speed DSG is seamless. VW expects that most Aussie Polos buyers will go for the DSG gearbox. They won’t be disappointed.

Although there is nothing wrong with the 1.4, the TDI and TSI engines are the pick.

They are such sophisticated little engines there is little to separate them. The petrol engine revs harder but the TDI has better low-down torque.

The 1.2-litre TSI version could easily wear a GTi badge and you’d be happy, such is the mid-range performance for overtaking. Maximum torque of 175Nm is available between 1500 revs and 3500 revs.

Forget all you know about 1.2-litre four cylinder engines, the TSI Polo engine rewrites the book on how good small capacity engines can be. The TSI is deceptively quick with a top speed of 190km/h, yet flexible enough to pull away in third gear under 40km/h.

We spent time in the higher capacity 77kW/250Nm Polo TDI but all TDIs share a common rail design that is sweet revving, quiet and demonstrably strong.

All three engines are impressively quiet too. At 110km/h all engines are muted and suppressed and wind noise is virtually absent. Even with the rear seats folded and piled with luggage the cabin remains quiet and free of any road noise or “booming”. The overall body integrity shines through here.

It feels substantial, well planted on the road and even back seat passengers are not treated as second-class citizens. Where some of the rivals pamper front seat passengers but are let down in the back, the Polo is a complete, quality package. Luggage space is also a respectable 280 litres with the reat seats up and 952 with the seats folded.

The previous generation Polo may have lacked a clear on-road identity that set it apart from its rivals.

But the new car has rectified this. It has a strong sense of sophistication and on-road composure that is likely to push it to the top of the light car class.

For more a detailed test drive report, see Carsguide print sections or check back here this weekend.

Engine: 1.4-litre four cylinder, 1.2-litre four cylinder turbo (TSI), 1.6-litre common-rail turbo-diesel (TDI)

Power: 63kW at 5000 revs, 77kW at 5000 revs (TSI), 66kW at 4250 revs (TDI)

Torque: 132Nm at 3800 revs, 175Nm between 1500 and 3500 revs (TSI), 230Nm between 1500 and 2500 revs (TDI)