VW Polo Grows Up To Rival The Golf
Now there's a tricky choice. No, I don't mean the two sports favoured by well-heeled folk who like to spend their leisure time chasing little balls around a grassy field. I mean the German hatchbacks. Both built by VW - one the baby of the family, the other the very-much favoured older sibling. But choosing between the Golf and Polo is no longer the simple choice it once was. The little Polo has undergone quite a growth spurt in its most recent guise - the sixth-generation model that arrived in Australia in March - and in the process it's become more Golf-like than ever before. In fact, at first glance it's now difficult to tell the new Polo apart from its slightly larger, slightly more famous and more successful sibling. Which is about as high a compliment as it's possible to pay any small car. Yet for all the expansion that's happened on the outside (and the accompanying extra space inside), the Polo has shrunk in one significant way: it's the first iteration of the Polo to offer only three-cylinder engines.
Three-pot engines have been part of the Polo offering for more than a decade now - but this time VW has abandoned any four-cylinder options in favour of new, high-tech, low-emissions turbocharged variants. Now, a tiny 1-litre capacity and three cylinders might sound puny - particularly for a car that has so visibly expanded in size. And outputs of 70kW might also seem a bit underwhelming. But they represent a big jump in power and responsiveness over the three-cylinder and four-cylinder engines offered in the previous model - with no noticeable compromise in pushing around a bigger, slightly heavier machine. The Polo has been around since the mid 70s and there have been some fairly ordinary examples over those four decades, particularly in the early days. In many ways it was very much the poor relation of the Golf - even though Volkswagen has sold more than 14 million units in that time.
But in recent iterations it has become one of the very best light city cars getting around and that reputation is further enhanced by this all-new version. 17,990 (plus on roads) for the entry-level 70TSI Trendline with a manual transmission. 1000 to the price in exchange for some extra comfort and convenience features. 1400, adds radar cruise control, blind spot monitors, park assist and "manoeuvre braking" that apparently stops you running into posts and the like when reversing. This sixth generation Polo is convincingly the biggest and best to wear the badge. More space, more technology and more style. Standard kit on the basic Trendline stretches to 8-inch touch screen infotainment system, Front Assist city emergency braking and pedestrian monitoring, rear view camera, Bluetooth phone integration plus Apple Carplay and Android Auto, cruise control and heated exterior mirrors. Driver fatigue alert and tyre pressure monitors are also standard. The Comfortline adds automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers, auto-dimming mirrors and alloy wheels. Technically, the Polo competes head to head with Japanese imports like the excellent Mazda2 and equally familiar Toyota Yaris, along with the Korean-built Holden Barina.
All three are at least a couple of grand cheaper than the VW but it mostly makes up for that gap with superior build quality and included features. All models get the same chunky, flat-bottomed multi-function steering wheel, too. Outside, it's striking how the Polo has grown in dimensions and also in its road presence - it no longer has that lightweight city-car appearance and exudes a lower-slung, athletic silhouette. That more sporting design is reflected in terms of driving dynamics, where the Polo has really made serious strides, with a sturdy, granite-like grip on the road that makes it feel much bigger than it actually is. The engine is surprisingly willing, even from lower speeds, and even delivers a characterful exhaust note, particularly at higher revs. The turbo three also impressed when merging into traffic from a freeway on-ramp, when it effortlessly roared up to the 100km/h speed limit and beyond. Around town, it darts in and out of traffic with impressive responsiveness. One of our few misgivings about the Polo was with the seven-speed DSG transmission - specifically when the automatic stop-start system kicks in to save fuel while the car is at a standstill.
