PoloDriver

2015 marks 40 years of the Volkswagen Polo and the German company is celebrating with the launch of a new special limited edition. The Polo ‘Original’ costs from €19,950 and comes in six engine/gearbox variations and features a host of extra kit. Only 1,000 Polo Originals will be built.

Five-door body style
Only available with a five-door body style, the Polo Original features ‘Original’ badging on the front wings and door sill trims, 16-inch ‘Portago’ alloy wheels, a gloss black front grille and LED headlights. Other exterior highlights include body-coloured mirror caps and darkened tail lamps.

Six colours are available: Pure White, Titanium Beige Metallic, Reflex Silver Metallic, Deep Black Pearl Effect, Oryx White Pearl Effect, and the one we’d go for, the fantastic Honey Orange Metallic seen on recent CrossPolos.

One of our favourite features is the houdstooth check seat covering, which our 1978 Polo N shared. In the Polo Original, a ‘truffle’/black combination called ‘Splender’ with ‘truffle’ stitching covers the sports seats with faux-leather side bolsters. Aluminium pedals and a leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel, handbrake grip and gear lever complete the interior upgrades.

On-board technology includes ‘Climatronic’ air-conditioning, Volkswagen’s ‘Front Assist’ anti-collision system with ‘City Emergency Braking’, a rear-view camera and ‘Colour Composition’ infotainment system with six speakers, USB and media-in inputs, as well as mobile telephone connectivity.

TSI and TDI engines
Engines range from the 1.2-litre TSI petrol in 88 and 103bhp guises, as well as TDI units with the same outputs. All feature BlueMotion Technology. The entry-level Polo Original 88bhp TSI costs €19,950, while the range-topping TDI is €22,500. Volkswagen states that buyers save €1,119 over similarly-equipped cars when all the standard kit is taken into account.

To promote the Polo Original, Volkswagen has released a cheeky film (above) featuring the original Polo, the Mk 1 from 1975. We’ve been lucky to drive the featured car (which is owned by Volkswagen Classic), but not quite like that!

The limited edition Polo Original is available to order now in Germany. For more details, visit the special website, and download the brochure here.

The latest version of the Polo GTI been extensively upgraded by German tuning company HG Motorsport. Among the key features of the modifications package is an HF-Series carbon intake system, a ‘Bull X’ 3.0-inch exhaust downpipe mated to a ‘sound flap’ exhaust with carbonfibre tip finishers, as well as a modified intercooler.

The package adds 71bhp to the standard 2015 Polo GTI’s 189, with 258lb ft (350Nm, an increase of 20Nm) of torque. Exterior add-ons are limited to a red finish on the 17-inch ‘Parabolica’ alloys wheels, although a visibly-lowered ride height is courtesy of the coilover suspension system.

The Bull-X downpipe retails from €639,00, while the carbon intake kit costs €549,00. For more information and details on prices, visit HG Motorsport’s website here.

[Source: inautonews.com]

According to sales figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the Volkswagen Polo was the eighth best-selling car in the UK last month. Repeating the top 10 success it has enjoyed during the first half of the year, 5457 Polos were sold by Volkswagen UK in June 2015. Once again, the Ford Fiesta was the most popular new model.

New car registrations were up 7.0 per cent in the first half of 2015 to 1,376,889, according to the SMMT. The organisation states that it was the highest half-year performance on record. June also marked the 40th consecutive month of growth in the UK. The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during June 2015 and the year so far (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 12,543 (71,990, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 9561(50,125, 2nd)
3 Ford Focus: 9089 (45,078, 3rd)

4 Volkswagen Golf: 7575 (38,261, 4th)
5 Nissan Qashqai: 7140 (34,501, 5th)
6 Vauxhall Astra: 6428 (29,686, 6th)
7 Mini: 5551 (23,455, 10th)
8 Volkswagen Polo: 5457 (28,980, 7th)
9 Vauxhall Mokka: 5026
10 Vauxhall Insignia: 4478


(The 2015 top 10 best-selling cars absent from last month’s sales figures are the Audi A3 in eighth place with 25,765 cars sold and the Mercedes-Benz C Class in ninth place, selling 24,676 units.)

Just ahead of the 2016 model year, Volkswagen Australia has introduced a raft of upgrades for the Polo and other models in its passenger car and SUV range. Among the important changes to Volkswagen’s small car is the addition of a standard reversing camera across all models, as well as a new App-Connect USB system which integrates Apple’s CarPlay system, in addition to Android Auto and the existing MirrorLink system.

GTI gets adjustable dampers
The range-topping GTI also receives Sport Select electronically-adjustable dampers as standard, with the addition of a ‘Sport’ button on the dashboard, as in European models. This also tunes the suspension, steering weight, throttle response and level of cabin engine noise. Prices of the realigned Polo vary from -AU$100 to +AU$500.

Volkswagen Australia describes the range amendments as the ‘biggest model year update in the local company’s history’. The 2016 model year cars will arrive in Volkswagen Australia retailers in the coming weeks. They are available to order now.

The full raft of 2016 model year Polo revisions is detailed below.

Polo 66TSI Trendline

($16,990 plus on-road, +$500)
Additional features over and above the MY15 Polo 66TSI Trendline:
– Composition Media 6.5-inch (replaces Composition Colour 5.0-inch) touchscreen display
– App-Connect USB interface for Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink
– Reversing camera

Polo 81TSI Comfortline

($18,490, -$100)
Additional features over and above the MY15 Polo 81TSI Comfortline:
– Composition Media 6.5-inch (replaces Composition Colour 5.0-inch) touchscreen display
– App-Connect USB interface for Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink
– Reversing camera

Polo GTI
(Remains at $27,990)
Additional features over and above the MY15 Polo GTI:
– Sport Select suspension (electronically adjustable dampers)
– App-Connect USB interface for Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink
– Reversing camera.

Visit the Volkswagen Australia website for further information.

In a surprise reveal, the latest Volkswagen Polo has been awarded the Supermini of the Year title in the 2015 Auto Express New Car Awards. At a ceremony in London last night, the small VW beat off competition from the new Mazda 2 and its in-house rival, the Skoda Fabia to scoop the coveted industry prize.

Upmarket quality
The magazine stated that the closely-fought category was a ‘tough decision’. The Polo won out thanks to ‘its upmarket quality, grown-up driving manners and range of efficient yet responsive engines,’ according to the UK title. The Polo gained cosmetic exterior changes and more thorough interior and mechanical upgrades last summer.

Auto Express also praised the Polo for its ‘excellent mix of refined comfort and polished dynamics. Its suspension soaks up bumps with ease, while the cabin is hushed even at motorway speeds. In corners there’s plenty of grip, and the Polo is enjoyable to drive, thanks in part to the punchy delivery of its petrol and diesel turbos.’

The magazine’s top choice of its top supermini? The £14,410 1.2 TSI 90 SE five-door due to its performance and low running costs. Visit the Auto Express website to find out what other reasons made the small Volkswagen supermini champion. PoloDriver.com is running the exact same 1.2 TSI model as part of its long-term fleet. Catch up with owner Tom Goodlad’s running reports here.

VW UK factory-approved accessory navigation system
In associated news, Volkswagen UK has announced a factory-approved accessory touchscreen navigation option from Kenwood Electronics. The GVN-MIB1 navigation upgrade is suitable for Mk VII Golf, 2014-on Polo and 2015 Passat models and is an easily-installed Plug & Play upgrade. The system costs £599 including installation at a VW retailer and uses Garmin maps.