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.

A new version of the best-selling Polo Vivo has been announced by Volkswagen South Africa. The Eclipse special edition is available in both five-door hatchback and four-door sedan body styles, and is powered by a 1.4-litre 63kW (84bhp) petrol engine. Tax-inclusive prices start at R168,600 for the hatchback and rise to R174,600 for the sedan.

Silver-coloured door mirrors
Distinguished by Pure White or Deep Pearlescent Black paintwork, the Eclipse gains silver-coloured door mirrors, 16-inch ‘Mistral’ alloy wheels, ‘Eclipse’ badging, chrome strips on the boot edge, and lowered suspension. Inside, the centre console has a ‘steel graphite’ finish, a leather-trimmed steering wheel, gear lever and handbrake grip, as well as ‘Global’ seat fabric.

Both cars come with a 3-year/120,000km warranty and a 6-year anti-corrosion warranty. A 5-year/60,000km Volkswagen Automotion Maintenance Plan as well as a 5-year/60,000 km Service Plan are available as options. A 15,000km service interval is standard.

‘Dominant model’
‘Polo Vivo has been the dominant model in the local A0 hatch segment in spite of the new competitor models being launched. Its key product attributes such as affordability, German build quality, safety, space and comfort have a set an unparalleled benchmark in the segment.

‘These attributes continue to re-affirm Polo Vivo’s unique offering of “affordable and accessible mobility” to the South African customers. The cost of ownership over a 3-year cycle makes Polo Vivo one of the cheapest cars to own in the South Africa market,’ said Petra Hoffmann, Volkswagen Group South Africa Director, Sales and Marketing.

With over 175,000 sold since its introduction in March 2010, the 2005-2009 Mk 4 Polo-based Polo Vivo range has dominated the ‘A0’ hatchback market in South Africa, and is continually in the NAAMSA monthly best-selling car lists. The car, along with its Polo 6C sibling are the only locally-built models in the segment, and have a combined market share of 33 per cent.

A new special edition Polo has been announced for the German market. The Polo Lounge comes with unique exterior embellishments and a choice of four petrol (59-109bhp) and three TDI engines (74-104bhp). Prices start at €15.200 for the five-speed 1.0-litre model and rise to €20.375 for the 89bhp TDI with DSG.

Extra exterior kit distinguishing the Polo Lounge from its siblings includes dark red rear lights, silver 6J x 15 ‘Novara’ alloy wheels, gloss black front grille, ‘Lounge’ badges and dark-tinter rear windows. Inside, there are ‘Deep Inox’ centre console inlays, ‘Tartan’ upholstery, leather-trimmed steering wheel, gearknob and handbrake lever, and ‘Lounge’ floor mats.

Other standard equipment features front fog lights, ‘coming home’ headlight function, rain-sensing wipers, fatigue detection system, ‘Climatronic’ climate control, auto-dimming interior mirror, cruise control and six speaker ‘Composition Colour’ infotainment system.

Optional packages include the R-Line styling package comprising of colour-coded rear spoiler, ‘R-Line’ badging, ‘R-Line’ bumpers, and 7J x 17 ‘Mallory’ alloy wheels. A ‘Lounge Plus’ package adds ‘Salvador’ 7J x 16 alloy wheels, LED headlights, headlamp washers, and a low washer fluid level warning light.

The Polo Lounge is just one of the Volkswagen’s new Club and Lounge new special edition models, launched this month by Volkswagen’s new ‘Marketing Manager’ Robbie Williams. To find out more, click here.

The special edition model had played a small part in the Mk 1 Polo’s history, the denim-upholstered Jeans of 1976 and the highly-equipped run-out 1981 LX being the versions of note. But, the arrival of the second-generation Polo in 1981 ushered in a whole new era of special editions which would litter the car’s life from the start until its face-lifted end in 1994.

Arguably the most prolific and the most popular, the Fox arrived 30 years ago in 1984, and was to eventually become a mainstay in the second generation Polo line-up. From special edition to permanent base model, the Fox started life as a unique Polo hatchback, but subsequently appeared as a coupé, both in pre- and post-facelift versions. Here is its story.

POLO FOX
1984: Polo Fox hatchback
The first Polo Fox appeared in June 1984, based on the basic version of the estate car-like Polo hatchback. Marketed with the headline ‘Polo – Fun at a great price. The new Polo Fox.’, it was easy to identify. A choice of two unique colours – Türkisblau and Saimagrün – marked it out as something different.

Both models featured colour-coded steel wheels (white on Türkisblau cars and Saimagrün on Saimagrün versions), special flank and rear hatch ‘Fox’ graphics, while Türkisblau models featured white bumper pinstripes and white badges front and rear. Saimagrün versions meanwhile had Saimagrün rear badges and a similarly-coloured Volkswagen badge on the front grille.

Inside, unique exterior body-coloured padded seats featured imitation leather upholstery and head restraints, and a simple canvas cover for the luggage compartment was fitted. The Fox was powered by the second-generation Polo’s most basic engine, a 1043cc petrol unit, developing 40bhp. The 4.5-inch wheels and 135 SR 13 tyres were driven through a four-speed manual gearbox. Price was DM11.490.

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Ahead of a revised model arriving shortly, Volkswagen India has announced details of the limited edition Vento Konekt model. While there are no mechanical changes to the Polo 6R-based saloon, as the name suggests, entertainment and connectivity options have been given a boost.

Available on Comfortline and Highline versions of the notchback model, Konekt equipment includes a seven-inch touchscreen Blaupunkt infotainment system which features Igo-NavTech satellite navigation, Bluetooth telephony options, and USB/iPhone/iPod connectivity.

Additionally, there is also a rear-seat entertainment system which comprises of an Android Bluetooth and 3G-enabled eight-inch Blaupunkt tablet. Dual-SIM capability is also standard, as well as Wi-Fi. Finally, leather seat covers and special ‘Konekt’ badging round out the limited edition car.

Pricing has yet to be confirmed for the Konekt package, but reports state that it is likely to bring no additional cost to the Vento models on which it can be specified. Petrol variants of the Vento are priced between Rs 7.84 and Rs 9.8 lakh while diesels cost between Rs 8.99 lakh up to Rs 9.8 lakh (ex-showroom Mumbai).