PoloDriver

Willie le Roux and Hein van der Walt were the overall overall winners of the 34th annual Total Economy Run in Thaba ‘Nchu, Free State, South Africa, achieving a fuel consumption of 4.1l/100 km in a New Polo 1.6 TDI over a two-day 1100km route from 10-11 September 2010. The pair was also awarded for achieving the lowest consumption by a diesel car within Class J (diesel engines up to 1600cc). Second in the diesel category were motoring journalist Geoff Dalglish and Hendri du Plessis who achieved figures of 4.3l/100km in Class J with their Citroën C3 HDi. Roger Hills, a former winner of the Total Economy Run, and co-driver Gordon Stewart placed third in the Class J category in a Ford Fiesta 1.6 TDCi, with a fuel consumption figure of 4.4l/100 km. Pieter Holtzhausen and Danie Fourie took second place in Class E for petrol cars from 1501cc – 1600cc in a New Polo 1.6.

The winners of the lowest consumption by a petrol-engined car were motoring journalists Wynter Murdoch, a former winner of the same award, and Automobil magazine colleague Leon Schnell. Their Daihatsu Charade returned figures of 4.6l/100 km and won the Class A category (petrol engines up to 1100cc). Runners-up in the petrol category and winners of Class E (petrol engines from 1601cc – 1800cc) were Total Economy Run veteran Willie Nel and his son Willem in a Toyota Prius with a consumption figure of 4.6l/100km. Third overall and second in Class A were former racing driver and radio personality Jeanette Kok Kritzinger and Riette Wannenburg who managed 4.6l/100km in their Citroën C1.

The 2010 Total Economy Run class winners were as follows:
Class A: Wynter Murdoch/Leon Schnell (Daihatsu Charade), 4.59l/100km
Class B: Wynand Volschenck/Machiel Viljoen (Fiat Uno Mia), 4.92l/100km
Class C: Stuart Williams/Lauren Smit (Daihatsu Sirion 1.5), 5.72l/100km
Class D: Harry Young/Manfred Hertz (Ford Fiesta 1.6), 5.63l/100km
Class E: Willie and Willem Nel (Toyota Prius), 4.62l/100km
Class F: Gordon Noble/Graham Bate (Mazda6 2L), 5.99l/100km
Class I: Ben and Isabel van der Westhuizen (Lexus GS450H), 7.46l/100km
Class J: Willie le Roux/Hein van der Walt (Volkswagen Polo 1.6 TDI), 4.11l/100km
Class K: Rod Kinsey/Huibert Phielix (Audi 2 TDIe), 5.07l/100km
Class L: Ernest and Gert van den Berg (Mercedes-Benz C220 CDI), 5.50l/100km
Class M: Roger Rouessart/John Smit (Jaguar XFS), 5.69l/100km
Class O: Pritesh Ruthun/Reuben van Niekerk (Daihatsu Terios 4×4), 7.24l/100km
Class P: Dan Esterhuyse/Pierre Jordaan (Tata Xenon 4×4), 8.11l/100km

[Source: Volkswagen South Africa]

UK new car registrations continue to fall, according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The market is down 8.9% compared to 2009, but when compared to the same period last year, the SMMT states that the volumes sold are actually 16.3% ahead. And while the Polo may have dropped from the monthly list of UK top 10 best-sellers for the first time since January 2010 (we suspect that the delivery delays being reported have a part to play), it stands firm when volumes are calculated for the year-to-date, sitting in sixth place with 36,290 units sold. The Ford Fiesta is still the top-selling supermini, with 19,078 cars sold in September 2010, while the Vauxhall Corsa takes the runner-up place, with 14,249 vehicles finding UK homes. The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars (number of units sold) for 2010 year-to-date are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 85,941
2 Vauxhall Astra: 66,104
3 Vauxhall Corsa: 65,396
4 Ford Focus: 64,548
5 Volkswagen Golf: 44,399
6 Volkswagen Polo: 36,290
7 Peugeot 207: 34,798
8 Mini: 32,376
9 BMW 3 Series: 31,698
10 Nissan Qashqai: 30,477

Hot on the heels of our story from yesterday about the first customer Polo GTI in the country landing, we’re pleased to report that Volkswagen has finally updated the UK Polo brochure to include the latest fifth-generation Polo-based GTI. It’s been in European catalogues since the early summer, so we’re pleased that at last, it is properly included as part of the UK range. The company bills it as ‘the most exhilarating Polo to date,’ and it’s certainly the most powerful, its 1.4-litre, 178bhp engine punting it to 62mph from rest in a claimed 6.9 seconds. Volkswagen also states that the new performance Polo is the ‘most stylish and dynamic Polo we’ve ever built.’ Available online, we don’t know if the printed version of the UK Polo brochure has been updated to reflect the broadening of the range. And while it’s still not quite the standalone catalogue that is available in many European markets, its still big news. Download here.

[Thanks to Court for the tip.]

It may be raining outside, but here’s something to brighten all prospective new Polo GTI owners’ moods. Is this the first customer 2010 Polo GTI in the country? Our entry reporting on the first UK magazine road tests of the new hotshot Polo has become something of a mini-forum, with Polo GTI-owners-to-be who have placed orders with their local Volkswagen retailers commenting about the various build stages of ‘their’ cars. It seems that the latest Polo GTI is something of a hot ticket right now, and prospective buyers can wait anything between 12 weeks and 6 months for cars to arrive. Our special correspondent collects his car tomorrow and it’s pictured here in the retailer’s parking lot, resplendent in its Flash Red paint and protective polythene. In something of an exclusive, we hope to bring you the proud new owner’s first impressions over the next few days.

The Polo BlueMotion has been named runner up in the ‘best overall MPG’ category in this month’s 2010 ALD Automotive/Total ECO 10 MPG Marathon. With a combination of engineering, technology and careful driving, the Polo BlueMotion demonstrated impressive economy, and along with a Golf GTI, provided success for Volkswagen. Driven by Andrew Andersz and Alyson Marlow, the latest version of the eco-minded Polo (and the same press car we tested a couple of months back) posted a figure of 89.22mpg, a statistic 8.52% higher than its claimed economy number. The GTI meanwhile secured the ‘best percentage improvement’ title, returning over 55.63mpg (beating its manufacturer combined figure of 38.2% by 45.62%).

The Polo BlueMotion has a three-cylinder 1.2-litre 74bhp common rail diesel engine and a raft of economy measures including aerodynamic and gearing modifications, a Stop/Start system, low rolling resistance tyres and battery regeneration. The winner of the ‘best overall MPG’ category was the SMART Fortwo. Only six of the 35 vehicles which took part in this year’s event achieved more than 80mpg, of which the Polo BlueMotion was one. The ALD Automotive/Total ECO 10 MPG Marathon covers 400 miles over two days and takes in a testing combination of A and B roads, as well as the motorways of Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.