VOLKSWAGEN has made such a good job of its all-new Polo hatchback that the reasons for paying considerably more for the larger Golf are diminished. If colossal power and the extra space in the Golf isn't really needed – and it isn't massively roomier – the Polo wins the match.
This is the fifth generation of the Polo, starting out in 1975 as a small hatchback then gaining size down the decades. The body is larger but lighter and helps towards a 20 per cent reduction in fuel consumption and emissions. New safety systems ha
ve gained a five-star rating from Euro Ncap.
Sometimes the new versions have been subtle redesigns, but this time the Polo carries over nothing from the Mk4, other than one revised petrol engine.
We can start with that motor. It is a reworking of the three-cylinder 1.2 in 60ps and 70ps tune, and is the current price entry point to Polo ownership, at £10,035 for the five-door 60ps 1.2S model, on sale now. A three-door, saving £600, arrives at the end of the year. There are other engines, with the 90ps 1.6-litre diesel the most powerful, costing £14,910 in SEL trim. All manual gearboxes are five-speeders, with automatic gears offered on the 1.4 petrol engine. A GTI is forecast next year.
The company brought a selection of the Polos for evaluation at the Devonshire Arms Hotel, in Bolton Abbey, Wharfedale. The helipad was in use but otherwise there wasn't too much expensive metal in the car park.
The 1.6 diesel is having its debut in the Polo, and I tried it in 75ps tune, at £12,620 in SE trim. It was quiet and refined and quick enough. I also tried the 85ps 1.4 petrol SE with the seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox, at £13,650. This is a premium of £1,200 over the manual gearbox. It reminds purchasers how smoothly these twin-clutch automatics do their shifting.
Most of my time was in the 70ps 1.2 model. That's 69bhp in our engine rating system. It is not "a lot" but it is "enough" and the motor revs freely and gives the Polo an eager hum. I took it up the steep hill and hairpins from Wharfedale on to Fancarl Moor. It climbed readily, mostly in third gear and always with that chummy message that it was doing its best without sounding thrashy or harsh.
In everyday solo motoring this is the engine I would choose. It costs £10,645 in S trim, and £11,995 in trendy Moda trim. Add £600 to both prices for air conditioning.
Slightly confusingly, the mainstream SE model with AC is also £11,995 and this looks better value than Moda, but there are some trim additions to the Moda. It has USB and iPod connections and fatter tyres on a different design of alloy wheel, rear-tinted windows, and front fog lights for the essential public nuisance dazzle.
The 1.2 70ps in SE trim has standard Castille pattern alloy 15s carrying 185/60 tyres. This plump rubber gives a compliant ride over poor surfaces – a feature I like on my own comfy-tyre Polo.
What appeals? What will make someone buy this Polo instead of the flashier, top of the charts, new Fiesta? I would point to its serene normality. It is still a conventional, upright, largely boxy and functional shape. Designers have eschewed extravagant headlamps. The lenses at the back are resolutely rectangular, sitting behind rather ungainly square shoulders over the wheels: these remind me of the stubby Skoda Fabia and, slightly, the Fiat Stilo (RIP). Polo's new face is catchy, borrowing from Golf and Scirocco to grand effect.
The interior is confident, with good materials and a display and switchgear that are similar to the Golf's. The main dials are not inset on the Polo, and look better for it.
Anyone with decent hearing will notice the loud rattle on tickover and at low speed in first gear. This clatter is from the metal timing chain. The good news is that, unlike a synthetic belt, it does not need changing.
