Volkswagen Polo 2008 News

Unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this week, the newest member of the VW family is safer, lighter and has a range of new, more economical petrol and diesel engines. In Europe five new engines are available, two using VW’s TSI petrol technology, joined by three of the latest common rail TDI engines. All will be available with manual and dual clutch gearboxes. With fuel economy of 3.8 litres/100km and 96g/km C02 for the 66kW 1.6-litre TDI BlueMotion model, the Polo now sets a benchmark for five-seaters. Polo was specifically designed to attain the recently established, stricter and more comprehensive, 5-star EuroNCAP rating. The car has a stiffer bodyshell and in the footwell area alone, intrusion – related to the car body’s deformation strength in a frontal crash – was lowered by 50 per cent. In the case of a side impact, the intrusion value was reduced by 20 percent. Euro Polos will come with standard ESP with Hill Hold Control, as well as front airbags and combined side head-thorax airbags integrated in the front seatbacks, seatbelt tensioners and belt force limiters, active front headrests. VW has also managed to reduce the Polo’s weight by 7.5 per cent and fuel consumption has improved across the board thanks to TDI and TSI technology. The new 1.2 TSI turbo-charged four-cylinder direct injection petrol engine produces 77 kW, yet it consumes just 5.5 litres/100 kilometres, 19 per cent less than on the equivalent model of the previous generation. In total, seven different engines will be available in Europe, four petrol and three diesel. The new Polo is expected to go on sale here early next year. Volkswagen Australia spokesman, Karl Gehling, said more information and prices will be available closer to launch. VW Australia is also looking at adding the BlueMotion cars to the lineup.

Many carmakers talk about cutting body sizes to boost efficiency, but VW is turning to the engine room. It has plans for a new family of high-efficiency engines with smaller capacities, starting with its twin-charge 1.4-litre four which boosts outputs with both a turbocharger and supercharger.The 1.4 twin-charge is fitted to the Golf GT in Australia and for 2009 it will be slotted into a version of the Jetta at the expense of the car's regular 2-litre four. Other engines will follow in everything from the baby Polo to the Passat.“We are downsizing engines as there are lots of requirements in Europe to go down in CO2 and that is easier with small engines. But we also find we can have good performance with low emissions in smaller engines,” says Volkswagen Group Australia head Jutta Dierks.“We don't start downsizing. But Volkswagen, as a manufacturer, thinks that downsizing engines is a good strategy. We can achieve these tougher CO2 requirements and achieve good economy and still have performance.”The new move on downsizing comes, ironically, as Volkswagen begins a stronger push for its high-performance R series cars in Australia. It now has a full-three model line-up with the R32Golf, R50 Touareg and the latest R36 Passat.The 2009 Jetta will pick up the TSI twin-charge engine from the Golf in a logical next step, although it will lose the GT badge from the hatch.“We want to try to get people familiar with that sort of engine,” Dierks says.“A lot of people are interested in that technology. I can think of Polo, Golf, Jetta, and it could also be Passat.”Meanwhile, the Volkswagen efficiency drive has already given it an important win over GM Holden.It has picked up a big fleet deal thanks to the diesel models in its range, beating out Holden and Peugeot to a contract with Woolworths.Peugeot revealed the outcome of the tender, which ended a 25-year run link between Woolworths and Holden.“We think it came down to the Jetta,” says Peugeot national sales manager Ken Thomas.“They had a conventional sedan and we didn't, and a lot of fleet drivers coming out of Commodores would want a conventional sedan.Volkswagen refuses to discuss the finer details of the deal, which it only says is for a “lot of cars”.“It's big for us and it's over a couple of years. The pleasure is that Golf, Jetta and Passat are all involved,” Dierks says. 

Where manufacturers have previously pursued one environmental solution, most are now embracing multiple strategies to the high-profile problem.GM chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner best summed up the industry's new multi-pronged environmental strategy as energy diversity.He referred to alternate energy sources such as electricity, ethanol, biofuels, compressed natural gas, hydrogen and combinations of these working happily together in the same vehicle.Wagoner says GM will also continue to seek improved efficiency from internal combustion petrol and diesel engines and expand its commitment to electric power.GM will introduce a test fleet of 100 hydrogen-powered Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell vehicles in the US this year and 10 in Europe, he says.Other car companies working on alternate powertrain solutions, such as Kia, also pledged to introduce test fleets, particularly for government evaluation.The first of GM's new energy strategies to be introduced in Australia could be the extension of the Saab Biopower range from the 9-5 to the 9-3 model range, including vehicles running on 100 per cent biofuel.GM has also developed a new cleaner turbo diesel V6 engine which could power the new Holden VE Commodore.Wagoner confirmed that the 184kW 2.9-litre Italian-made engine would be compatible with the VE chassis, but he could not confirm its application in the Australian market. A GM Holden spokesman says the company will consider the engine.Mercedes-Benz has started its push to clean up diesel emissions with a detox system called BlueTec. It is claimed to reduce nitrous-oxides (NOX) from the exhaust by up to 90 per cent compared with previous diesels.The German firm has introduced BlueTec in its upper-luxury E320 sedan in the US market and will follow that up with three more models next year. The E320 and the follow-up R320 people mover, ML320 SUV and GL320 4WD will be released in Europe in 2008 and are expected here later in 2008 or early 2009.Volkswagen showed a Passat and a Polo with the technology, the latter capable of a low 102g of CO2 and greatly reduced NOX.Japanese makers are aggressively pushing hybrids. They are led in this by Lexus, which announced it is making more hybrids combining electric motors with petrol engine models than conventional petrol-fuelled vehicles.Geneva launched the Lexus LS600h luxury saloon that it claims has the power of a V12 with the economy of a V6. It has a V8 petrol engine combined with an electric motor to deliver 327kW. Yet Lexus claims the lavishly-equipped saloon will get an average fuel consumption of only 9.5-l/100km while having a CO2 emission level of less than 220g.Toyota showed a hybrid concept sedan, the Hybrid X, that is more a styling exercise than a mechanical marvel. Then there is the Toyota FT-HS hybrid sports car that combines a 3.5-litre petrol V6 with an electric motor; a car that doesn't ignore performance or style.But while Europe is going diesel and Japan is leaning towards hybrids, there is some blurring of technologies.Honda announced a NOX-depleting system similar to BlueTec and says it will be fitted to its diesel-powered cars. It plans to launch its new diesels within three years, first in the US and later in Europe and Australia.At the same time, Honda says it will make its fuel-cell electric car available to selected buyers by next year, making it likely to be the world's first car maker to make a production fuel cell passenger car.The new Honda, which uses hydrogen gas and air to produce electricity to power electric motors, is based on its long-standing FCX concept vehicle.To keep its feet in all camps, Honda plans to introduce a small-car hybrid that is currently in concept form.The Small Hybrid Sport shows that even hybrids can be fun and sexy.Subaru unveiled its 2-litre turbo-diesel engine that will go into European models later this year but won't come to Australia until at least late 2008. It is Subaru's first diesel and has been devised to improve sales in diesel-crazy Europe.Meanwhile, BMW and DaimlerChrysler have announced they will join forces to create a new hybrid system for the premium car segment.Both companies plan on introducing the new technology into rear-wheel-drive models within the next three years.A BMW spokesman says the technologies will be tailored to fit the specific character of the different vehicles.And, two battery city cars were among the show oddities, including the Zebra which was painted like animal fur.

And this car does it well – zipping between the traffic and always first off the mark at the lights. The Polo also has a great driving range of almost 1000km on a single tank of fuel. With detailing like its round rear lights, all that makes for a very cute package. The diesel engine, fuel injected using the delightfully German pumpe-duse technology, gives an incredible 5 litres/100km. At current prices, that's $7 of fuel and much better value than my usual gas-converted runaround. Filling up the 45-litre tank on the Polo TDI costs only about $35 and possibly saves you days in a service station over the life of the car. The Polo's "European" engineering – left-hand-drive controls in a right-hand-drive car – reminded me of my first car. It was a Peugeot 504, manufactured in 1973 and much older than its 16-year-old driver. After years of driving an eminently more sensible but much less cool car, I'd forgotten the quirks of cars designed by left-hand drivers. More often than not, the little Polo was frantically waving its windscreen wipers before changing lanes. Panicking, I would change sides and tweak the other lever in the other direction, resulting in both indicators and wipers going – with the rear wiper occasionally joining in. It certainly drew attention to the vehicle on the road. An advantage the Peugeot didn't have was the automatic locking of the Polo. Initially comforting, it soon sounded officious. While preventing potential carjackings, it caused problems with drive-by pickups in peak-hour traffic. Crucial seconds were lost fiddling around with the unlock button (right-hand side, next to window controls) in Pirie St while council parking inspectors stood by to take down the plate number. On the inside, the Polo got great marks for its small-person styling. A certain height to the candy-striped seats (a German attempt at frivolity) meant it was the only car I've ever driven without being forced to peer into the semi-circle between the rim of the steering wheel and the top of the dashboard. The driver's side still had ample room to stretch out for the clutch and accelerator without being cramped up by the dashboard. All said, it's not bad for a girl's car. And there's no better recommendation than its vital statistics on fuel. LOVE IT LEAVE IT Polo TDI Price: $22,990 (five-door manual) LOVE IT Pop-out cup holder (just the one). His and hers interior lights for both sides of the cabin. Mirrors on both visors. LEAVE IT Too-small and too-deep glove box. Tricky windscreen wipers. That high-pitched beeping seat-belt reminder.

There's only one parking space left, you see. And it's got my name on it. At least it's got the name of my VW Polo on it. This is a great little car; "little" being the operative word. And the car park? It's a nightmare spot wedged in between a big cement pole and the up ramp. No way would I attempt it in any other car. It still takes a bit of manoeuvring – after all, I've only had the car a day – but in she goes. Fits like a glove. So close, in fact, that when I lift the hatch to get my bag out, there is a very close encounter with the roof. Needless to say, the Polo handles beautifully. Steering is easy, and she has a tiny turning circle and great visibility. As for her other qualities, this little GTI is the Sporty Spice of the Polo group. Bright red with black and red-trim interior, she's also fashion-conscious. Blue dash lights give her a distinctive look after dark and she comes armed with an impressive list of accessories: eight-speaker CD player, one-touch indicators (a slight tap will give three automatic blinks for quick lane changes), extra indicator lights on the side mirrors, a groovy honeycomb radiator grille, six airbags, self-lighting vanity mirrors, three cup holders (watch out for the flip-open version in the front), sunroof and the all-important butt warmers. "Pocket rocket", "slingshot", whatever you want to call her, the Polo GTI can move. Beware if your teenage son wants one. She looks harmless enough but behind the "cute" exterior is a 1.8-litre turbo engine that can reach 216km/h and can leap to 100km/h in just 8.2 seconds. That's a lot of power in a little package. But she doesn't cost much to run. On the open road, the Polo can hold her own. Again the power sees her climb hills with ease and, despite her diminutive size, she doesn't feel flighty on the highway. Like her body, everything inside the Polo comes in "mini" version. It's a tight fit – especially in the back seat where there are belts for three people but room, really, for just two (unless you're tiny). There is one big component on the Polo. Her booty, sorry, boot. It will take a week's worth of grocery shopping and at least an afternoon's worth of clothes bargains. In typical sports style, her seats hug passengers. But in a car so small, this can be a problem. The arm supports tend to get in the way of gear changes ... or is that just because I'm short and need the seat pulled so far forward? One last concern; when will they learn not to have the indicator and high-beam controls on the left of the steering wheel in manual cars? Trying to manage both and change gears has to be a safety issue, doesn't it? LOVE IT LEAVE IT Volkswagen Polo GTI Turbo Price: $30,320 (on road) LOVE IT Power and panache. Blue dash lights look great and are easy to read. LEAVE IT Still can't get used to high-beam control, indicator and gear stick being on the left side of the steering column. Has to be a safety issue in Australia doesn't it? It's quite a noisy ride – there's a drone in the back that drowns out even the cranked-up stereo.