PoloDriver

Volkswagen UK is playing Santa and has opened its order books today for the new petrol-powered Polo BlueMotion TSI, which will be priced from £14,730. The 1.0-litre TSI emits 94g/km of CO2 and Volkswagen UK quotes a 68.9mpg combined cycle economy figure.

Traditionally a model with an eco mindset, the new Polo BlueMotion TSI marks the first time the car has been available with a petrol engine. The newly-engineered three-cylinder unit has 94bhp with maximum torque of 160lb ft (118Nm) produced between 1500-3500rpm.

Drive is through a five-speed manual gearbox, and the Polo BlueMotion will reach 62mph from rest in 10.5 seconds and has a maximum top speed of 119mph. A three-cylinder diesel 74bhp 1.4-litre TDI BlueMotion version is also available, returning 91.1 mpg and emitting 82g/km of CO2.

Polo BlueMotion models are based on the S trim level, and add a special styling pack consisting of uniquely-shaped front and rear bumpers, side skirts and rear roof spoiler. A faired-in radiator grille, body-coloured door handles, and body-coloured door mirrors with integrated indicators also differentiate the BlueMotions from other Polos.

Further exterior enhancements include front fog lights with static cornering function, BlueMotion badging, and 15-inch ‘Buenos Aires’ alloy wheels with low rolling resistance tyres.

Inside, there’s a multifunction leather steering wheel, air conditioning, a front centre armrest, touchscreen ‘Composition Media’ infotainment system, cruise control and Volkswagen’s Driver Alert System. The Polo BlueMotion comes with a ‘Think Blue’ trainer, which advises on how to drive in a more economical fashion by analysing journey patterns.

The Polo BlueMotion is available to order now, with first deliveries expected in March 2015. For more information on the Polo BlueMotion and other Polo models, visit www.volkswagen.co.uk.

2015 VOLKSWAGEN POLO BLUEMOTION PRICES (UK)
Polo BlueMotion 1.0 TSI 3dr 94bhp 5-spd manual: £14,730
Polo BlueMotion 1.0 TSI 5dr 94bhp 5-spd manual: £15,360
Polo BlueMotion 1.4 TDI 3dr 74bhp 5-spd manual: £15,795
Polo BlueMotion 1.4 TDI 3dr 74bhp 5-spd manual: £16,425

It’s official, the UK-bound new-for-2015 Polo GTI range will start at £18,850 when deliveries begin in March next year. With order books now open, the heavily revised version of the range-topping performance Polo will be available with three or five doors, and a choice of six-speed manual and seven-speed DSG gearboxes.

The Polo GTI will cost £18,850 RRP OTR for the three-door manual with a £630 premium for five doors and an extra £1245 for the DSG gearbox. The most expensive version, the five-door seven-speed DSG, will be £20,725.

The New Polo GTI had its debut at the 2014 Paris motor show in October. Powered by a new 1.8-litre TSI turbocharged engine developing 189bhp (11bhp over the pre-refresh model), the new hot shot Polo can sprint to 62mph from rest in 6.7 seconds and tops out at 146mph.

The engine delivers its power between 4200-6200rpm (manual, 5400-6200rpm DSG) and records torque outputs of 236lb ft/320Nm (manual) at 1450-4200rpm. The DSG-equipped car is a little down on pulling power due to the limitations of the semi-automated gearbox, but is still capable of 184lb ft/250Nm at 1250-5300rpm.

Power and parsimony
But with that power comes new-found parsimony: Volkswagen quotes an economy figure of 50.4mpg for the new Polo GTI and emissions of only 129g/km (manual, 47.1mpg and 139g/km for the DSG version).

Completing the new Polo GTI’s technical make-up is a £245 ‘Sport Performance Pack’, which includes Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) switchable dampers. Sportier steering feel, sharper accelerator response and increased engine noise thanks to an in-car actuator are also part of the optional package.

The 2015 Polo GTI is also fitted with ESC Sport, which like the Golf GTI, enables the electronic stability control system to be switched off for use on the track. Working in two stages, first the traction control is switched off, then ESC Sport is activated which increases the ESC threshold and delays intervention (without ESC being completely deactivated).

Another Golf GTI feature is XDS+. Standard on the Polo GTI, XDS compensates for the understeer which is typical of front-wheel drive cars, meaning driving characteristics are more precise and neutral. Volkswagen has much confidence in the handling of the new car, and officially presented it to the press at the Circuit de la Comunitat Valenciana Ricardo Tormo in Spain.

GTI styling flourishes
As is de rigueur for sports Volkswagens, the Polo GTI boasts specific GTI styling flourishes. New bumpers, GTI badges, 17-inch ‘Parabolica’ alloy wheels and red strips which frame the honeycomb grille and extended into the headlights all feature. Lowered suspension (front 10mm, rear 15mm) is also standard.

LED headlamps make their debut on a Polo, while ‘Dark Red’ tinted rear lights, a larger roof spoiler, black grained diffuser and dual chrome exhaust pipes signify to other drivers that they are following the newest version of the Polo GTI.

Inside, the black and red theme continues. A leather three-spoke sports steering wheel with ‘GTI’ logo and red stitching nod to the Golf GTI, as do the red-edged floor mats. The chequered ‘Clark’-trimmed cloth seats with black bolsters have been a GTI styling touch since the first Golf GTI in 1976.

2015 VOLKSWAGEN POLO GTI PRICES (UK)
Polo GTI 1.8 3dr 189bhp 6-spd manual: £18,850
Polo GTI 1.8 5dr 189bhp 6-spd manual: £19,480
Polo GTI 1.8 3dr 189bhp 7-spd DSG: £20,095
Polo GTI 1.8 5dr 189bhp 7-spd DSG: £20,725

For more details, visit www.volkswagen.co.uk.

Polo R-Line owner and 2014 Guild of Motoring Writers Breakthrough Blogger winner John Redfern reflects on 15,000 miles and almost two years of ownership with the small black car from Wolfsburg and finds a friendly, fun and stress-free companion

After 15,000 miles, the Polo R-Line is proving to be a reliable and dependable car to drive. As someone who foots the bill; this is great. But, as someone who also has to write about it, the R-Line makes this particular task a lot more difficult.

It’s quite scary to realise that come January, I’ll have had the R-Line for two years already, with just another 12 months before the end of its Solutions PCP deal. In fact, the latest statement from Volkswagen Financial Services has just dropped through the door today.

As it stands, based on current market trends and values, it looks like I’ll have a nice chunk of equity to use for the R-Line’s replacement come 2016. More of that later though.

Since my last update, Volkswagen has released the revised 6R (F) (6C? – RG) version of the Polo, as covered extensively on PoloDriver.com. Fortunately, the changes to the exterior were relatively minor for a Polo facelift, meaning I don’t feel too much like I’m driving the out-dated model.

Warm hatch ability
It has brought in a new version of the 1.2 TSI engine – as found in the R-Line – packing an extra four horsepower under the bonnet of the updated car. Hardly a huge increase in power, but then the R-Line has always felt punchier than what the official numbers suggest.

In fact, the recent colder weather has made the R-Line’s TSI unit feel rather spritely, to the point of almost bordering of warm hatch ability. Joining motorways and pulling away from roundabouts have resulted in a fairly sizeable smile across my face, with the R-Line nipping through traffic and opening up gaps with ease. Commuting isn’t meant to be this much fun!

More impressive is the upsurge in fuel economy the R-Line appears to be experiencing, despite the more ‘enthusiastic’ driving style. MPG has been nudging over 50 regularly; based on the DIS display at least.

I’ve also been managing a good 350 miles before the fuel warning light appears. That’s an improvement of some 50 miles since my last update for PoloDriver.com, and an extra 30 miles than what it had been achieving more recently.

Minimalist attitude
What could be the cause of this new minimalist attitude to fuel consumption? The TSI engine being fully run in could well be one answer. With 15,000 miles on the clock, it’s reasonable to expect that the engine is now fully bedded in and on peak form.

In addition, with the recent drop in petrol prices, the R-Line has been benefiting from regular tanks of Shell V-Power Nitro+ petrol. This combination has seemingly been enough to endow the R-Line with more power and better fuel economy. Who needs a hybrid, eh?

More importantly, who needs to replace a car that still seems to be doing everything they can ask of it? Well, me, really. As much as the R-Line may do all I need, there are areas where I’d want it to do more – such as being quicker. Or having a sport mode, so it at least fits with the name of my own website (www.engagesportmode.com), for a start.

Thankfully, Volkswagen may have the answer with the latest Polo GTI. You can find the full details here on PoloDriver.com, but the idea of a 1.8 TSI engine, six-speed manual gearbox and the optional ‘Sport Performance Kit’ is very appealing.

The latter includes the all-important ‘sport button’ which changes the steering weight, accelerator response and suspension settings. I’m literally hanging on the edge of my seat waiting for the announcement on pricing, so I can begin harassing my local Volkswagen dealership.

Until then, I’ll be perfectly happy behind the wheel of the R-Line. It has its second annual service to look forward to in January, and there’s also the need for some new front tyres soon. That spirited driving style had to come at a cost somewhere I suppose.

But, with 15,000 dependable miles down, the R-Line probably does deserve some new shoes for doing everything just so very, very, well.

Want to know more? Follow John on Twitter at @EngageSportMode or visit www.engagesportmode.com

The revised Volkswagen Polo has won the 2014 Best City Car Award by Australian automotive website Carsales. ‘Volkswagen’s smallest model in Australia was our top city-car pick even before the comprehensively facelifted version brought more big-car safety and connectivity features in August,’ said Managing Editor Marton Pettendy.

‘The addition of a five-inch colour infotainment touch-screen and smarter electromechanical steering from the standard-setting Golf – not to mention fresh exterior cosmetics – makes the sharpest tool in the light-car shed more entertaining in more ways.

‘But throw in a lower starting price, benchmark fuel economy and the availability of class-exclusive technologies like driver fatigue detection, multi-collision braking and radar cruise control, and it’s easy to see why VW’s latest Polo is the clear winner of the City Car race,’ Pettendy continued.

The 2014 Carsales Car of the Year Awards use motoring’s 13-category Top 5 recommendations as shortlists and ‘combine critical expert evaluation with data from the automotive network’s Redbook and DataMotive divisions to refine and determine each winner’.

‘The carsales.com.au Car of the Year Awards bring an important consumer element to Australian automotive awards. Cost to run, retained value and affordability are all important factors for car buyers,’ said CEO and Managing Director, Greg Roebuck.

As part of the awards, Redbook calculates cost to run and retained value based on an ownership period of three years and a total mileage of 60,000km. Eligibility for price-defined categories is based on recommended retail price of the base model under consideration.

All expert evaluation, ownership costs and affordability calculations are based on the price, packaging and equipment of the respective top-selling variants. Editors then award the Carsales Car of the Year title to the vehicle determined to be the most deserving of the category winners.

Two more Volkswagens picked up Carsales 2014 Car of the Year Awards: the Best Family Car under $30K went to the Golf, while the Amarok pick-up took the Best Tradie Vehicle prize.

In a familiar story, the Volkswagen Polo is still one of the best-selling cars in the UK, according to latest industry sales figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). Tallies for November 2014 see the Polo rise two places from last month – the recently-introduced revised model has no doubt helped the VW small car’s fifth placing. The SMMT states that 4075 new Polos were sold last month.

The Ford Fiesta is unstoppable and once again sat atop the chart, selling 7660 cars, while the recently revised Vauxhall Corsa sold 4,832 units and is in third place. The Volkswagen Golf takes the runner-up spot in-between, with 5440 cars finding homes. The SMMT figures show that UK new car registrations jumped 8.0 per cent in November to 172,327 units, marking the 33rd consecutive month of growth.

The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during November 2014 and the year so far (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 7660 (123,747, 1st)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 5440 (69,787, 4th)
3 Vauxhall Corsa: 4832 (73,709, 3rd)

4 Ford Focus: 4813 (78,944, 2nd)
5 Volkswagen Polo: 4075 (44,815, 7th)
6 Nissan Qashqai: 3947 (47,154, 6th)
7: Vauxhall Astra: 3710 (54,753, 5th)
8 Nissan Juke: 3557 (36,215, 10th)
9 Audi A3: 3451 (42,949, 8th)
10 Mercedes-Benz C Class: 3336

(The 2014 top 10 best-selling car absent from last month’s sales figures is the Fiat 500 with 41,297 units sold in ninth place.)