PoloDriver

The turn of the new year has only just happened, but already Volkswagen has announced a special edition of the new Polo for its home market. Technically it was available to order at the very end of 2009, but when it was released is of little consequence: the Polo TEAM does mark the first special edition of the fifth-generation model’s life.

A whole raft of football-inspired TEAM models have been made available from Golf to Tiguan and (Volkswagen says) each offers ‘exclusive equipment and unbeatable price advantages’. The Polo TEAM comes in, we think, three-door form only (no five-door versions are listed on the price list) and is offered with 59, 69, 84 and 104bhp petrol engines, while diesel lovers can specify 74, 89 and 104bhp TDI units. VW’s smooth-shifting seven-speed DSG gearbox can be chosen on the 84 and 104bhp petrol and 89bhp TDI models.

Playing to its sporting strengths, the new Polo special edition is based on the continental Comfortline model and features TEAM badging on the rear pillars, darkened rear windows, automatic dipping headlights, front fog lights with cornering function, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, heated front sports seats, floor mats, central arm rest, cruise control, RCD 210 radio system with MP3/CD player, unique ‘Pool’ blue/grey interior trim, and leather-covered gear knob, steering wheel and handbrake lever.

Quite a list we’re sure you’ll agree. But, there’s more. Buyers who specify the TEAM PLUS package get 7J x 16 ‘Cartagena’ alloys with 215/45 R 16 tyres and anti-theft wheel bolts and multifunction display with tyre pressure monitor. An upgraded RCD 200 radio system with satellite-navigation, a multifunction steering wheel and a winter package can all be chosen at additional cost.

What price all this exclusivity and extra kit, then? The 59bhp 1.2-litre kicks things off at €14.525 with the 104bhp TSI with DSG costing €18.625. The TDIs start at €17.175 for the 74bhp model, rising to €18.550 for the 104bhp version. Specify the TEAM PLUS equipment package, and you’ll pay €550 on top of the basic model’s price. Commemorating the football 2010 World Cup to be held in South Africa this summer, the patriotic Volkswagen TEAM special editions are available to order now.

It may only be the first day of 2010, but here at PoloDriver we’re already looking forward to new developments which will bring exciting new bookends to the recently-launched and award-winning range. First up, our sources at Volkswagen UK tell us that the much anticipated and long-awaited 1.2-litre 104bhp TSI will now arrive in early February, rather than January as expected.

The miserly 1.2 TDI BlueMotion is already available to order on the continent, but should hit these shores in right-hand drive in mid-March, according to the factory. And the performance-orientated, 179bhp 1.4-litre supercharged and turbocharged GTI should be with UK buyers by late summer, so expect a Geneva motor show unveiling as either a thinly-veiled concept or production model.

We’ll bring you confirmed on-sale dates and details as they’re confirmed. To keep up-to-date with developments, bookmark our RSS feeds or download the PoloDriver widget (Mac users only) here and get all the latest news to your desktop.

The last year of the ‘Noughties’ was a big year for the Volkswagen Polo and one of the busiest ever in the model’s 34-year history. We look back at the major Polo developments and happenings of 2009.

January

• German motoring weekly Auto Motor und Sport names the Polo as the Best Car of 2009 in the supermini class.

March

• Volkswagen surprises everyone and pulls the covers off the new Polo (in five-door form, above) at the Geneva motor show. New model is cleaner, lighter and safer than ever before. New fifth-generation has a new, sharper-looking body and new engines including a 1.2-litre 104bhp TSI and 1.6-litre common-rail TDI. New BlueMotion concept emits 87g/km of CO2, and will do 83.4mpg.
• Rumours circulate about a US market launch.
• VW Polo Challenge racing game app launched on the iPhone, topping 1.4 million downloads.

April

• Volkswagen India starts pre-production of the new Polo at its Pune plant in India, ready for a 2010 market launch.

May

• UK motoring monthly Car publishes its first online road test of the new model: ‘The new Polo isn’t perfect, but it’s an impressive step forward from a model that was well past its sell-by date.’
• Volkswagen release more details of the new model after the International Driving Presentation in Sardinia.

June

• First TV advertising commercials ‘Neon’ and ‘Ready For A New Class’ appear, using Pink’s Bad Influence as the soundtrack.

July

• New Polo launched in selected contintental markets.

August

• UK prices and specifications for the new Polo are released. S, Moda, SE and SEL trim levels announced, with prices starting at £10,635 for the 1.2 59bhp S, rising to £14,910 for the 1.6-litre 89bhp SEL TDI.
• Euro NCAP awards the new Polo a five-star safety rating, making one of, if not the, safest car in its class.
• First official pictures of the three-door model are released.

September

• New Polo three-door (above) and production version of the BlueMotion concept appear at the Frankfurt motor show.
• iMotor magazine publishes its first road test of the 74bhp 1.6-litre TDI, pitting it against its omnipresent foe, the Ford Fiesta.
• UK motoring weekly Auto Express publishes its first group test of the new Polo. The car faces established competition from the Ford Fiesta, Mazda 2 and Renault Clio.
• German motoring publication Auto Motor und Sport publishes renderings of the new Polo GTI flagship and SUV-style CrossPolo, while the UK’s Autocar states that GTD, cabrio, estate and MPV versions of the car could also be coming.

October

• ‘Cool’ TV advertising commercial airs and takes inspiration from Hollywood, mixing Grease-style looks to a Back To The Future idea.
• PoloDriver gets behind the wheel of the new Polo and is deeply impressed with the newcomer, stating: ‘The fifth-generation model is the most refined, luxurious and capable incarnation of the Polo to date and may at last get the recognition it has been deserving of.’
• UK prices are announced for the three-door new Polo range, taking the cost of the entry level model down to £9435.
• Polo Sedan (saloon) spyshots published online. Could this be the model for India and the US?
• New 1.2-litre TSI turbocharged engine released for ordering, slated to arrive in the UK in January 2010.
• New Polo launched in the UK on 16 October 2009.
• What Car? magazine tests the new Polo against nine rivals – Polo is victorious.

November

• New Polo wins the European Car of the Year 2010 award fighting off competition from the Citroën C3 Picasso, Mercedes-Benz E-class, Vauxhall Astra, Peugeot 3008, Škoda Yeti and Toyota iQ.
• ‘Golden Steering Wheel’ and ‘Green Steering Wheel’ from Auto Bild and Bild am Sonntag magazines awarded to the new model at a ceremony in Berlin.
• Volkswagen Driver magazine tests the 1.2 SE and says of the £11,385 newcomer: ‘Volkswagen’s latest Polo is the biggest, best and most stylish yet.’
• New Polo wins Small Car of the Year at the Scottish Car of the Year awards and is crowned with the Auto Trophy by Autozeitung.

December

• Continental order books open for the new Polo BlueMotion (above).
• Car magazine lists the new Polo in its Top 10 Cars of 2009.

With the launch of the new fifth-generation it’s been a busy year for the Polo and also for us here at PoloDriver. We would like to thank the readers who have sent us congratulatory comments and best wishes, and hope that you’ll enjoy the developments coming to the website in 2010.

[Click on the ‘Polo 2009-’ tag in the tag cloud in the right-hand sidebar of the website to see all entries pertaining to the new Polo.]

With all best wishes to all readers of PoloDriver. We hope you have a fun-filled festive season and a healthy and prosperous new year. Join us next week when we’ll reflect over Polo developments from 2009 and look forward to what’s coming in 2010.

UK motoring monthly glossy Car has named the new Polo as one of its ten cars of 2009. Part of The Car 100 – Everything That Mattered In 2009, the Car Top 10 celebrates the best of the best. On page 115 of the new January 2010 issue, the magazine states: ‘Like its bigger Golf brother, the Polo doesn’t grab you from the moment you set off: it’s more of a grower. At best, our reaction to the Polo’s platform-sharing SEAT Ibiza brother has been lukewarm. We’re hot for this little number from VW.’