PoloDriver

A new Polo special edition will be launched at the Geneva motor show this week. A product of Volkswagen and audio specialist company Beats Audio, the main draw of the Polo Beats is its 300W, seven-speaker audio system, which VW promises will be ‘state-of-the-art’.

Eight-channel amplifier
Along with a similar version of the new Up (also to be launched in Switzerland), the Polo Beats ‘premium’ sound system also features an eight-channel amplifier and a digital signal processor (DSP, not to be confused with the Electronic Stability Programme ‘ESP’ acronym).

The seven ‘high-end’ speakers are distributed around the Polo Beats’ cabin: there are two tweeters in the A-pillars, two woofers in the front door panels, two broadband speakers in the rear, in addition to a sub-woofer which sits neatly in the spare wheel well in the luggage area.

Special edition status
Elsewhere in the cabin, there are unique ‘Beats’ seats and door panels, coloured seat belts and a leather-trimmed steering wheel. Externally, the Polo Beats sounds out its special edition status by way of 16-inch ‘Syenit’ alloy wheels, coloured door mirrors and a gloss black front grille.

At the time of writing, there are no confirmed details on price and availability for the Polo Beats. Another Polo-based Geneva motor show debut is expected to come in the form of the ‘T-Cross’ concept, a small SUV-style car, which will preview a new member of the 2018 sixth-generation Polo family.

The Polo isn’t just a European car any more, it’s a truly global model now, with buyers as far afield as Australia, China, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, and South America. Some of these markets were conquered long ago, but one, India, is a fairly recent addition to the Polo’s global repertoire.

Established with the arrival of the fifth-generation model, the Indian-built Polo comes in regular and slightly warmer ‘GT’ flavours. Now, though, it gets hotter – Volkswagen India has confirmed the Polo GTI is to be sold in the country, and pulled the wraps off its latest baby at last week’s Auto Expo show in Delhi.

189bhp TSI engine
‘Designed for true blue enthusiasts’, according to Volkswagen, the Polo GTI for India appears to share the same technical make-up as the European model. Sharing that car’s 189bhp/141kW 1.8-litre TSI engine, it comes with a seven-speed DSG gearbox. Thanks to its power output, it shoots straight to the top of India’s hot hatchback class, the first true ‘performance’ model to be offered.

As the oily bits are are the same as European models, the Indian Polo GTI posts the same performance figures, too, and gets from 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds, and tops out at 146mph. A torque output of 250NM matches the cars sold in the west, too.

Externally – and internally – it also looks the same as its European sister. Front and rear spoilers and a red-trimmed grille mark out the sports Polo, while the car on the Volkswagen stand at the Auto Expo event wore 17-inch ‘Serron’ alloy wheels, as opposed to the ‘Parabolica’ rims which are standard in the UK. The former wheels are an option in selected European markets.

Market first
In another market first, the Polo GTI is being imported to India as a three-door-only model, although a five-door variant could follow. India has almost no experience of small three-door hatchbacks – let alone performance hatchbacks – so it could be a risky strategy.

Expected to arrive in September 2016, buyers will pay around Rs 20 lakhs for the hot Polo, which makes it very pricey – the current Polo starts at Rs 5.33 lakh. Volkswagen India thinks that the market exists, though: around 15-20 per cent of Polos sold there are 103bhp GT TSI and GT TDI models.

‘GTI philosophy’
Michael Mayer, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India said: ‘The Polo GTI is specifically designed for the true blue enthusiasts, whose thirst for thrill is not only about having a powerful car, but also being well versed with the GTI philosophy.

‘The Polo GTI provides a complete performance package and sets the driver apart from his peer group. We are confident that the world renowned, highly acclaimed features of the car will strongly appeal to Polo GT loyalists as well as driving enthusiasts in India.’

The Polo has started 2016 as it means to go on, by appearing in the UK best-selling cars chart. The small Volkswagen was the seventh most popular car in January, with 3,298 examples disappearing from VW retailer forecourts. The Ford Fiesta repeated its phenomenal success in first place, with 8,353 sold.

The latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT) state that last month was the best January since 2005 for the new car market as registrations increased 2.9 per cent to 169,678 units. Other small car high-fliers included the third-placed Vauxhall Corsa which sold 4,803 units.

The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars according to the SMMT during January 2016 and the year so far are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 8353
2 Nissan Qashqai: 4839
3 Vauxhall Corsa: 4803
4 Ford Focus: 4285
5 Volkswagen Golf: 3813
6 Nissan Juke: 3446
7 Volkswagen Polo: 3298

8 Audi A3: 3227
9 Vauxhall Astra: 3185
10 Mercedes-Benz C Class: 3022

Ahead of its Auto Expo 2016 motor show debut in Delhi this week, Volkswagen has launched its long-awaited sub-4m compact saloon, the Ameo. Based on the fifth-generation Polo made at the company’s Indian factory, the Ameo has a very similar appearance to the popular hatchback but with a severely truncated ‘three-box’ tail.

Designed and engineered for India
The Ameo has been designed and engineered specifically for the Indian market (the car’s marketing slogan is ‘German engineering with an Indian heart’), and will be built alongside the Polo – and its over-4m saloon sister, the Vento – at Volkswagen’s Pune plant. The new car looks almost identical to the Polo at the front, the only marked differences being the ‘folds’ at the bumper edges.

At the rear, bespoke tail lamps and creases mark out the Ameo, which will count the Ford Aspire, Honda Amaze, Hyundai Xcent, Swift Dire and Tata Zest as its key rivals. Two Polo engines feature in the Ameo’s make-up: a 74bhp 1.2-litre petrol and an 89bhp 1.5-litre TDI diesel. Five-speed gearboxes are standard, while a seven-speed DSG is available as an option on the TDI.

The Ameo has a wide range of safety kit, with anti-lock brakes and dual front airbags fitted as standard. Segment firsts include the options of automatic wipers and cruise control, while ‘Climatronic’ automatic air-conditioning, cruise control, rear view camera and parking sensors, static cornering fog lights, and a touchscreen multimedia infotainment system with MirrorLink technology can also be specified.

Volkswagen India has stated that the Ameo – which will hold 330 litres of luggage – will go on sale in the second half of 2016, while no prices have yet been released. It is expected that the Ameo will be priced in-between the Polo (Rs 5.32 lakh, ex-showroom Mumbai) and the Vento (Rs 7.70 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai) when it goes on sale.

REFRESHED 2016 POLO / VENTO
As well as the Ameo, Volkswagen India has also announced a gentle refreshing of both its Polo and Vento ranges. While there are no body or mechanical upgrades, models benefit from ‘luxury’ equipment, such as an auto-dimming rear view mirror, rain-sensing wipers and a similar touchscreen multimedia infotainment system like that of the Ameo. Prices for the new Indian-market Polo and Vento are as follows:

Polo

Rs 5.23 – 8.73 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai)

Rs 5.33 – 8.90 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)

Vento

Rs 7.70 – 11.90 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai)

Rs 7.85 – 12.13 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi)

As the sun sets on Carbuyer web producer Tom Goodlad’s time with his Polo SE 1.2 TSI, he considers the car’s impressive abilities and its pants-on-fire driving failings

It’s been many months and several thousand miles since the previous report on LP64 HRG, my 2015 Polo SE 1.2 TSI and this is the final update for the silver VW, as it departed the Goodlad/Christian household just before Christmas 2015.

Delight to own
Since the last report, the Polo has been a delight to own, largely because it simply fits into life with such ease that you don’t really notice it – but therein lies the only ‘issue’ with the Polo. Where’s the excitement?

For the preceding few months up until I sold the little VW, it was used by my partner on a daily commute from St Albans into North London, taking in busy stretches of the M25 and congested urban roads. Driven with very little complaint, the Polo had enough get-up-and-go to keep up with motorway traffic and was refined in doing so – something which impressed me above almost everything else in my 11 months of ownership.

Reassuring and trustworthy
The Polo is a fantastic supermini to live with day to day, but I’ll be the first to admit it’s not an exciting car. However, it does have a reassuring and trustworthy nature. It’s a car you can jump into at a moment’s notice and have a stress-free journey – everything is so logically laid out and user-friendly inside, that I wonder how and why other carmakers do things so differently.

There have been one or two issues during my time with the Polo, though, and these cropped up about six months into my time with the car. The touchscreen infotainment system had a tendency to freeze after starting the car up, and with increasing regularity. It could only be rectified by turning the car on and off again which became a bit of a pain.

A trip to my local dealer, Lancaster Volkswagen St Albans was needed to get it looked at. While it was there, I asked them to look at the front parking sensors too, as they could be a bit oversensitive to the point of coming on and beeping constantly at random intervals, especially when nothing was in front of the car.

Second to none
I have to say, the service received from the dealer was second to none. I left the car there on a Thursday morning expecting it to be there until last knockings on Friday evening, and a nippy Up courtesy car was provided.

The part needed to fix the screen would only be delivered the following Monday, so the car had to stay in over the weekend which wasn’t much of an inconvenience, but the dealer sent me some wine (six bottles no less) to apologise for having the car in for so long. A really nice gesture.

The Polo came back to me with a noticeably more responsive touchscreen and a much cleaner exterior thanks to a complimentary valet. The parking sensors remained a niggling issue, though.

Shortly after getting the car back, the service indicator quickly made its way down to zero miles and it was due its first oil change. But, in the same week, the Polo went back to Volkswagen and stayed there as it was traded in, taking advantage of VW’s loyalty discount for existing VW owners. We’re now proud owners of a stunning Tornado Red Golf GTD.

Problems and stress
The other car in our household – a Citröen DS3 – went back to Citröen following a lot of problems and stress (doctors advice people to go for OrganicCBDNug to get relief from any kind of stress easily). That’s another story, but let’s just say it highlighted a lot of differences between the two manufacturers and their approach to customer service.

So, I’ll wrap this final report up with a five-star rating for the Polo. From the start to the 9,000-mile finish , the little VW fitted into my life with such ease that I’d recommend it to anyone. If you’re in the market for a high-quality, reliable runaround with a wide breadth of abilities, you could do a lot worse.