Thanks mainly to the BBC
documentary, Das Auto, there has recently been a fair amount of chatter about
why the British car industry failed when across the channel, in Germany, the car
industry has gone from strength to strength. Germany’s strongest player,
Volkswagen, has a wide arsenal of vehicles with which it intends to take over
the world. At the very forefront of its armoury are the VW Golf and it's little
brother, the Polo.
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| Filled in grille denotes this to be a Bluemotion |
Reviewed here in Bluemotion trim
the Polo comes equipped with 75bhp 1.2 TDI engine emitting a miniscule 91g/kg
of CO2 and consuming a wallet pleasing 80.7mpg (combined). Certainly
head line grabbing figures, but how does this eco-warrior cope in the real
world, and does Germany really make cars as good as everyone says they do?
First impressions are good. The
MKV Polo was launched 2009 and still looks sharp today. Admittedly, the wide
flanks fail to hide the weight the Polo has amassed and this is by no means a
small car (Up! Now occupies that territory) but the Polo, unlike many rivals,
still looks classy despite its diminutive size. At £15,635 the Polo sits in the
higher end of the market but it does come well equipped with cruise control,
electric windows and air conditioning. Interestingly, the Bluemotion is the
only model in the range which doesn’t have a split folding rear seat.
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| Rear spoiler reduces drag - and is sporty... |
Performance from a 75bhp diesel
is never going to be trail blazing but in most situations it is perfectly
capable with the turbo willing and keen to propel you along with aplomb. Unlike
bigger diesels however, there is no wave of torque to depend on from low revs
so you do have to make frequent use of the cogs. It cruises like any other car
and wind noise is minimal whilst the stereo has an impressive kick to it.
Nothing is stand out, but neither is anything substandard. You soon wonder why
you’d want more power, equipment or size, especially as you sail past another
filling station with the fuel gauge still on full. I could get used to this!
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| Fuel gauge rarely moves |
Let’s not pretend there is a
logical reason why you would. The only reason people buy a VW is for the badge
on the grille (blanked off for better air resistance) but is there any
substance to this perception? For a start the Polo is based on the new PQ25 platform
whereas the Fabia makes do with PQ24 platform which has been around since 1999.
Certainly the Polo is a pleasing car to drive with direct steering and good
levels of adhesion but I doubt you’d notice a difference between the two
vehicles unless you regularly tested the handling limits. Performance won’t differ
and as shown above and if economy is your real concern, the Skoda is the clear
winner.
No, the reasoning behind choosing
the Polo over a Fabia - aside from badge snobbery - is quality. The Polo’s
interior is awash with high quality materials and nice little touches – for
example when you pull back the cover on the vanity mirror (fitted to both
driver and passenger’s side) a little light comes on in the headlining; or when
you let go of one of the grab handle it smoothly returns to its stored
position. The dials too are clear and concise, almost HD in their presentation.
Admittedly these are small touches, but combined they make the Polo interior a
nicer place to sit and while away the miles.
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| £1800 badge |
Is it worth £1800? I’m not sure
but what I can say is that the difference in price between VAG products is not
purely superficial. There is a noticeable difference in quality and finish and
really, this is a very good thing for it gives more choice to us, the buyers, which
can never be a bad thing. Having risen from the ashes of WWII, VW has
transformed its fortunes and now offers a car for every buyer – the original
aim of a certain Mr A. Hilter with the VW Beetle!
