PoloDriver

Forty years ago, when the Volkswagen Polo was first launched, the synchronistic output of 40bhp was more than enough for the 685kg small car. Fast forward four decades, though, and that total power output of the 1970s model translates into a mere power upgrade.

Hardcore and powerful
German Volkswagen tuner ABT has long fiddled with Polos to make them more hardcore and powerful with added style, and it has announced the ‘ABT VW Polo 2015’ programme which boosts power to as much as 230bhp (169kW) from the 1.8-litre TSI engine fitted to the Polo GTI.

The company’s ‘New Generation’ performance upgrades are based on a specially-developed control unit, and in the case of the 230bhp Polo, helps torque rise to a maximum of 360Nm (265lb ft). ‘40 years ago it would have taken the then brand new Porsche Turbo to beat it,’ said ABT Sportsline CEO Hans-Jürgen Abt.

Enhanced handling
ABT upgrades are available for most Polo models, with even the 108bhp (81kW) 1.2-litre TSI boosted to 138bhp (103kW) with torque of 220Nm (162lb ft). ABT says handling is enhanced with lowered 25mm (front) and 30mm (rear) springs. A wide range of 18-inch wheels with 215/35 R18 tyres can be chosen, too.

Other add-on features include various carbonfibre-look body addenda as well as an upgraded exhaust system. The three-door model can also be ‘exclusively’ fitted with a bi-coloured carbon wrap set and for the ultimate ‘exclusive’ touch, how about ABT-branded LED entrance lighting and floor mats?

ABT VW POLO 2015: DATA AND FACTS
ABT engine technology
Engine: 1.8 TSI, 1,798cc capacity, R4
Performance tuning: ABT Power ‘New Generation’
Performance: 230bhp/169kW (standard: 190bhp/141kW)
Torque: 360Nm (standard: 250 or 320Nm)

Engine: 1.2 TSI, 1,197cc capacity, R4
Performance tuning: ABT Power ‘New Generation’
Performance: 138bhp/103kW (standard: 108bhp/81kW)
Torque: 220Nm (standard: 175Nm)

ABT aerodynamics
– ABT carbon-look rear attachment above third braking light
– ABT rear skirt set
– ABT sticker set (two-coloured carbon-look)

ABT wheels
– ER-C, DR or Z-Design in 8.0 x 18-inch, ET35
– Available also as complete set of wheels and 215/35 R18 tyres.

ABT exhaust technology
– ABT muffler system with two end pipes 

ABT suspension
– ABT suspension springs (FA 25 mm, RA 30 mm lowering)

ABT interior
– ABT floor mats
– ABT LED-door entrance lights with ABT logo.


For more details on the whole range of ABT tuning upgrades for the Polo, visit ABT’s website.

Volkswagen South Africa has announced launched a revised version of the Polo Sedan. Now offered with a 3-year/45,000km service plan as standard, the four-door notchback Polo gets the same updated face as the technically and visually-similar Indian-market Vento and Polo Sedan sold in Russia.

Redesigned exterior elements
On the outside, redesigned lighting elements as well as front and rear bumpers mark out the new model. Higher-specification and more upmarket Comfortline variants also receive chrome accents on the door handles, lower front grille, boot lid and rear bumper.

Trendline versions gain colour-coded door mirror caps and door handles, while all versions now gain indicator tuning signals in the mirrors themselves. Four new colours – Carbon Steel Metallic, Night Blue Metallic, Titanium Beige Metallic and Toffee Brown Metallic – have also been added to the Polo Sedan’s colour palette.

Rear park distance control
Inside, new seat trims, a flat-bottomed multifunction steering wheel and new radios play starring roles. Extra kit now includes optional features such as rear park distance control, while Comfortline models can be specified with a rain sensor with auto-dimming interior mirror and are fitted with cruise control as standard.

In a move which again echoes the revised Vento, the previous 77kW 1.6-litre TDI has been replaced with a 1.5-litre version with the same power. The previous 63kW 1.4-litre and 77kW petrol engines are the same as before. The new Polo Sedan also comes with 3-year/120,000km and 12-year anti-corrosion warranties. Volkswagen South Africa quotes service intervals of 15,000km.

For more details on the new Polo Sedan for South Africa, visit www.vw.co.za.

2015 VOLKSWAGEN POLO SEDAN (ZA) PRICES
1.4-litre 63kW (84bhp) Trendline: R189,900
1.4-litre 63kW (84bhp) Comfortline: R207,900
1.6-litre 77kW (103bhp) Trendline: R204,900
1.6-litre 77kW (103bhp) Comfortline: R219,900
1.6-litre 77kW (103bhp) Comfortline Tiptronic: R234,900
1.5-litre TDI 77kW (103bhp) Comfortline: R247,200

(All quoted prices include VAT and CO2 emissions tax.)

In addition to the huge 11 million cars confirmed so far for recall following Volkswagen’s global ‘dieselgate’ ‘emission-cheating’ software fiasco, the company confirmed today that the 1.2-litre TDI ‘EA111’ engine can also be added to the blacklisted ‘EA189’ series of 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre TDI units.

Found in versions of the fifth-generation Polo ‘6R’ built from 2009-2014 – the environmentally-aimed BlueMotion is one of particular note – in the UK, Europe and selected global markets, the three-cylinder 1.2 TDI was also fitted to certain SEAT Ibiza, Skoda Fabia and Roomster models. Like the well-documented EA189 family, it features software to reduce emission levels under certain test conditions.

Remedial work
As with other models so affected, Polos with the 1.2-litre TDI engine will be recalled in January, with the timeframe for the remedial work expected to take up to a year. Concerned Polo owners in the UK can check if their cars are affected by visiting the online Volkswagen Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) checker. In the UK, the 74bhp 1.2-litre TDI was fitted to 91g/km BlueMotion and 102g/km ‘Match’ models.

The full list of affected Volkswagen Group (Audi, SEAT, Skoda, Volkswagen and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles) cars can be found here. VW has admitted that cars fitted the Euro 5 emission standard EA189 range of engines are fitted with what the motor industry is calling a ‘defeat device’ which gives lower NOx (nitrogen oxide) emission levels under test conditions.

Volkswagen India has announced details of limited edition versions of its popular Polo and Vento (Polo hatchback) models. The extra features are purely visual: no changes have been made to the existing and well-proven petrol and diesel mechanical set-ups.

Polo Exquisite
The Polo Highline provides the basis for the Polo Exquisite, in 1.2-litre TSI and 1.5-litre TDI forms. Available to order now, special exterior features include a black roof foil, carbonfibre-look caps on the electrically-foldable mirrors, coloured door and rear hatchback trim, as well as unique scuff plates.

Inside, a carbonfibre-look centre console adds a sporty touch, while uniquely-enbossed seat covers add a luxurious feel. In addition, there are also tailored floor mats, cruise control and detachable made-to-fit blinds for the rear windows. The Polo Exquisite is available at no extra cost over the Highline model.

Michael Mayer, Director, Volkswagen Passenger Cars India, said: ‘We are very excited to present India’s favorite hatchback in its new avatar, the Polo Exquisite. This new limited edition Polo which effortlessly boasts of stunning features further cements its place as the sporty, dynamic and a powerful hatch in the hearts of its owners.’

Vento Highline Plus
The Vento Highline Plus costs Rs 29,000 over the 1.6-litre MPI and 1.5-litre TDI Highline models it is based on. Extra kit includes a Blaupunkt music system with a 7.0-inch touchscreen-enabled navigation system and an SD card slot. The Vento Highline Plus features the same exterior and interior cosmetic upgrades as the Polo Exquisite hatchback.

For more details on the limited edition Polo Exquisite and Vento Highline Plus models, visit the Volkswagen India website.

As the worldwide emissions issue currently has Volkswagen in its grip, the Indian arm of the German giant has put a stop on local Polo sales and is recalling 389 units of the car due to a handbrake defect affecting cable retention levers in the rear brake lines. Volkswagen Passenger Cars India is keen to stress that this latest technical issue is not related to the EA189 ‘Dieselgate’ problems that are engulfing its German parent company.

Temporarily suspended
Sources state that Indian Volkswagen retailers have received a letter asking that orders and deliveries be temporarily suspended, with 389 cars from a particular September 2015 production period affected.

Cars built outside of this period are reportedly fine and can be delivered as usual. Reports state that the ‘handbrake would lose effectiveness in certain conditions, due to a possible breakage of cable retention levers’.

Owners of the cars delivered from the defective batch will be contacted by Volkswagen retailers, and the free repair is reported to take around an hour to fix. Halted sales of affected cars will begin again once potentially defective vehicles have been remedied.

An issued Volkswagen India statement says: ‘In the context of a voluntary safety measure, Volkswagen Passenger Cars in India is recalling 389 Polo cars from a single batch of production from the month of September 2015 for inspection and preventive repair of the handbrake mechanism. The Quality Assurance department of Volkswagen Passenger Cars India has determined that under certain conditions, the handbrake mechanism would lose effectiveness.

‘Inspection and preventative repair’
‘The analysis performed by Volkswagen has shown that a batch of handbrake cable retention levers in the rear brake liner might break under certain conditions. Volkswagen has already identified the cars and has published the repair instructions to the service organisation in India.

‘Customers who own the identified vehicles will be actively contacted by the Volkswagen retailers to come for an inspection and preventive repair. This operation will start with immediate effect. The activity at the workshop will require approximately one hour and will be carried out at no cost to the customer.

‘The deliveries of the identified Polo cars in stock which had been put on hold will be resumed as and when the inspection and preventive repair of each car is completed. Volkswagen further confirms that deliveries for the non-impacted Polo range continues as schedule and would like to clarify that the temporary hold on deliveries is not related to the ongoing EA189 diesel engine topic’.

Only hatchback models
The handbrake issue currently seems to affect only the hatchback models of the small Volkswagen: the Vento saloon version and Skoda Rapid which are also locally built at the company’s factory in Pune are being delivered in the normal way. Polo hatchbacks built in India are powered by either a 1.2-litre TSI petrol engine or a 1.5-litre TDI unit.