PoloDriver

So here it is, the first television commercial for the New Polo. While the refreshed 6R model (we’ll still call it the 6R (F) for now until an official designation is given) stars at the Geneva motor show, Volkswagen has released this 67-second spot for the car. Showcasing the New Polo’s class-leading technology, it hints, by using hip and trendy youngsters, that while it may look the same as the outgoing car, there’s a lot that’s actually different. Just like the two opposing sides of the Polo drivers this ad shows the viewer. The New Polo goes on sale in April with UK-bound deliveries expected in July.

Heading to Rally Mexico (6-9 March) leading the 2014 World Rally Championship, Volkswagen Motorsport stayed on top with a one-two finish for Sébastien Ogier and Jari-Matti Latvala. The fourth Volkswagen one-two in WRC history, it all started on Thursday night with a 1km Super Special stage in the town of Guanajuato. The Volkswagen top two finished the fast and furious action around the UNESCO World Heritage site first and third, while the young Volkswagen pilot Andreas Mikkeslen came in fifth.

Rally Mexico is renowned for its tough, dusty and high-altitude conditions, and Ogier and Latvala faced a bigger challenge – being first and second on the stages due to their overall championship positions. After the opening Super Special stage, the second day delivered more flawless action from the Frenchman and the Finn, who opened up a substantial lead over the competition. The final day saw the pace controlled and the Volkswagen stars claimed a fourth one-two for the German outfit.

Sébastien Ogier was rightly ecstatic: ‘Mexico really is a fantastic country for us! I like the rally, and it seems to like me. Our entire team did a sensational job all weekend, and the Polo R WRC was once again super reliable and super quick in extreme conditions. I was hungry for this win after my mistake in Sweden! And although we will now have to act as street sweepers for the opposition at the next round in Portugal, the World Championship points are more important than anything else.’

With dust and loose gravel to contend with, the leading Polo R WRCs were effectively street sweepers, but mighty ones at that: Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia were 5:28.6 minutes ahead of the best-placed non-Volkswagen driver at the end of the event on Sunday. The French pair are now back in the lead at the top of the championship points table, nosing ahead of Latvala and his co-driver Miikka Anttila.

Latvala was reflective, but happy: ‘I am really very happy with second place. Having been first onto the route on day one, which meant we were quite a long way off the lead, we set our sights on a place on the podium. Rally Mexico was hard work and also very demanding on the cars. The Polo coped admirably with the stresses and strains of the high altitude and soaring temperatures, and our team also did a perfect job.’

With the double finish, Volkswagen Motorsport is now 55 points ahead of nearest rival Citroën in the Manufacturers’ Championship, while Mikkelsen and his co-driver Mikko Markkula are fourth overall.

It wasn’t plain sailing for the young Norwegian, though. On Friday the pair suffered damaged suspension when they hit a rock exiting a corner on the ‘El Chocolate’ stage, forcing retirement from second position. Saturday meanwhile saw Polo R WRC #9 roll, when a mistake in the pace notes saw a corner cut and the car hit a hole in the road, flipping it over.

But, as ever, the super-competent Volkswagen Motorsport mechanics worked miracles, and the battered Polo was back as good as new for the final day’s action on Sunday. Repairing the rolled car took just under three hours, the time limit specified in the WRC regulations. As it was Mikkelsen and Markkula’s first time at Rally Mexico, they used the final day of the event to gather experience rather than championship points.

Mikkelsen acknowledged his errors. ‘A tough rally for us. Retiring twice is not exactly what we had in mind. I just made too many mistakes. Thanks to the great job done by my mechanics, I was still able to gain a few kilometres of experience at Rally Mexico on Sunday, which will allow us to push hard again next year. All in all, we learned an awful lot here – unfortunately we did it the hard way.’

The Polo R WRC proved faultless as usual, dealing unflappably with Rally Mexico’s difficult conditions. With the special stages taking teams from 1800 to 2800 metres above sea level, rally cars can suffer. The higher they go, the cooling efficiency of the engine decreases due to the lower air pressure and oxygen content in the air, but the Polo R WRC was prepared well with software intelligence, minimising performance losses.

Jost Capito, Volkswagen Motorsport Director was more than happy with his team’s results. ‘A one-two in these difficult conditions and given the new regulations regarding the starting order is more than we had expected coming into Rally Mexico. I take my hat off to Sébastien Ogier, Jari-Matti Latvala and our engineers, who made this success possible. The performance of the two drivers was undoubtedly outstanding.

‘However, the one-two is also a team success. Whether the chassis department or the engine department, the Polo R WRC was perfectly prepared for the difficult conditions. The champagne tastes particularly good today, as success in Mexico is always a bit special. It is the first gravel event of the year, and virtually a home event for Volkswagen. After all, our models are part of the scenery here. Everything came together here in Mexico, and we are very proud of what we have achieved.’

2014 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP,
RALLY MEXICO: FINAL RESULTS

1 Sébastien Ogier/Julien Ingrassia (F/F), Volkswagen: 4h 27m 41.8s
2 Jari-Matti Latvala/Miikka Anttila (FIN/FIN), Volkswagen: + 1m 12.6s
3 Thierry Neuville/Nicolas Gilsoul (B/B), Hyundai: + 5m 28.6s
4 Elfyn Evans/Daniel Barritt (GB/GB), Ford: + 6m 49.3s
5 Martin Prokop/Jan Tománek (CZ/CZ): Ford + 9m 54.4s

2014 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP,

DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Sébastien Ogier, 63
2 Jari-Matti Latvala, 60
3 Mads Østberg, 32
4 Andreas Mikkelsen, 24
5 Elfyn Evans, 20

2014 FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP,
MANUFACTURERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Volkswagen Motorsport, 115
2 Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT, 60
3 M-Sport, 40
4 Hyundai Motorsport, 31
5 Volkswagen Motorsport II, 28

Despite a revamped model on the horizon, the Volkswagen Polo is still performing well in the UK sales chart. The latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) state that last month, the evergreen German supermini was the sixth best-selling car in the UK with 1450 examples sold.

In a repeat of January, sitting one place higher is the Polo’s larger sibling, the Golf, with 1628 new registrations. Once again, the Ford Fiesta sits atop the sales chart tree with 4415 units finding homes. The Vauxhall Corsa is the runner-up, with 3138 cars registered.

The SMMT reports that the new car market has seen a rise of 3.0 per cent with 68,735 new cars registered in February. Next month’s figures (March) are expected to show another increase, as buyers register new cars for the new ‘14’ registration plate.

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

1 Ford Fiesta: 4415 (13,487, 1st)

2 Vauxhall Corsa: 3138 (7608, 3rd)

3 Vauxhall Astra: 2707 (6106, 4th)

4 Ford Focus: 2566 (7899, 2nd)

5 Volkswagen Golf: 1628 (6018, 5th)

6 Volkswagen Polo: 1450 (5325, 6th)

7 Mercedes-Benz C-Class: 1231

8 Vauxhall Insignia: 1164

9 Audi A3: 1148 (4278, 7th)

10 BMW 3 Series: 1085


(The 2014 top 10 best-selling cars absent from last month’s sales figures are the Nissan Qashqai, Nissan Juke and Fiat 500 with 4079, 3733 and 3549 units sold respectively.)

Mathew Hodges and Daniel Rowe emerged as winners of the opening rounds of the Engen Volkswagen Cup circuit racing series at the 2014 championship at Zwartkops Raceway, Pretoria on 1 March. As is often the case, the drivers delivered an exciting first pair of races, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure.

Dewald Brummer and Rowe set the early pace in qualifying in their Volkswagen Polo Vivo race cars, with Hodges coming in behind them. For 2014, Hodges is competing in the ‘Masters’ category for drivers over the age of 27, and he hasn’t slowed down. Starting on pole position, he won the first race and came fifth in race two. Hodges is third in the championship standings.

An on-track battle with Brummer saw Rowe defeated, finishing third, handing second place in race one to his foe. But, he soon emerged victorious, taking the chequered flag in a very wet race two, from a sixth place starting position on the grid. Brummer suffered bad luck – a fuel pump problem saw him fall down the order to finish 17th from a pole position start.

Zwartkops was a baptism of fire for 14 year-old Sheldon van der Linde (brother of 2012 Engen Volkswagen Cup champion Kelvin van der Linde), who put in good qualifying performance, ending the second race in second place and even taking the lead during proceedings. Van der Linde didn’t escape unharmed, though, as a close battle with Shaun La Resérvée shattered the driver’s side window of the number 16 Polo Vivo.

Other newcomers to the 2014 Engen Volkswagen Cup championship are Christopher Shorter, Michael Gibson, Shayur Harpal, Anthony Lessing and John Craig. Each had varying levels of success, but the start of the season proved successful with every starter on track at the end of the eight laps to cross the finish line. Round two at Killarney in Cape Town is on 29 March.

RACE RESULTS
Race 1
1 Mathew Hodges (M3: ITR Africa / 959 Panelbeaters / Dickron Motors)
2 Dewald Brummer (2: MAD Racing / GPM)
3 Daniel Rowe (11: Ferodo Racing)

Race 2
1 Daniel Rowe (11: Ferodo Racing)
2 Sheldon van der Linde (16: Ferodo Racing)
3 Jano van der Westhuizen (15: Kwikfix)

Overall
1 Daniel Rowe (11: Ferodo Racing)
2 Sheldon van der Linde (16: Ferodo Racing)
3 Jano van der Westhuizen (15: Kwikfix)

Masters
1 Mathew Hodges (M3: ITR Africa / 959 Panelbeaters / Dickron Motors)
2 Juan Gerber (M8: Carfind.co.za)
3 Trevor Bland (M6: PG Glass)

While most of Europe was asleep last night, Volkswagen unveiled more variants of the refreshed Polo range which was seen for the first time last month. Due to take world premiere starring roles on the Volkswagen stand at the Geneva motor show next week, the New Polo BlueMotion, BlueGT and CrossPolo have all now broken cover. Let’s take the new variants one by one.

New Polo BlueMotion
The big news here is the new petrol-powered Polo TSI BlueMotion. A new 1.0-litre 89bhp three-cylinder turbocharged engine carries the new car onto a claimed official fuel consumption figure of 68.9mpg and emissions of 94g/km. The new petrol version of the BlueMotion will be launched later in the year and will be the only BlueMotion model sold in the UK.

Europe on the other hand will receive a TDI BlueMotion with a new 1.4-litre three-cylinder TDI engine. With 91.1mpg mooted, Volkswagen claims makes it the most fuel-efficient five-seater car in the world. Emissions are equally impressive at 82g/km, while power is the same as the outgoing model at 74bhp. Range is said to be 900 miles from its 45-litre fuel tank – enough for a drive from Flensburg near Denmark to Venice!

Both TSI and TDI BlueMotion models gain a revised aerodynamic body kit and underbody panels. A burnished radiator grille insert and newly-optimised front and rear spoilers feature, with the rear spoiler swapping its trademark Mk 2 Polo appearance for a much more subtle affair. New 15-inch ‘Buenos Aires’ alloy wheels are fitted to the BlueMotions, while the new ‘Clearwater Blue Metallic’ colour is an exclusive BlueMotion shade. As before, chrome accents and special upholstery feature inside.

New Polo BlueGT
Looking largely similar as the outgoing model, the New Polo BlueGT boasts 10bhp more than before, so the lightly revised 1.4-litre engine now develops 148bhp. Sitting below the forthcoming GTI, the BlueGT has active cylinder management (ACT) which shuts off two cylinders during light engine loads and speeds. Six-speed manual and seven-speed DSG gearboxes are as before, while 58.8mpg and 110g/km of CO2 are said to be achievable.

Styling tweaks include a 15mm suspension drop, smoked tail lights, 17-inch alloy wheels, refreshed bumpers and side sills and a new rear spoiler. The interior features a multifunction display with ACT indication, cruise control and sports seats.

New CrossPolo
As before, the New CrossPolo will only be sold in selected markets, and won’t come to the UK. Gently restyled front and rear bumpers over the old car mark out the new model, and silver door mirrors now come with every version. Two new colours, ‘Honey Orange’ and ‘Titanium Beige’, smoked rear lights and new 17-inch “Canyon’ alloy wheels add the finishing touches.

Inside, the New CrossPolo features exclusive, more hardwiring and rugged fabrics on its sport seats, a new steering wheel as well as the new instruments and centre console featured on all New Polos. H7 headlights with optional bi-xenons also mark out the rejuvenated faux-SUV Polo. Initial engine choice will be made up from three petrols and three diesel units with power outputs from 74bhp to 108bhp. All feature a stop-start system and battery regeneration and all meet EU-6 emission standards.

As detailed at the international launch, standard on all versions of the New Polo is a revised electro-mechanical power steering system which, Volkswagen says, increases performance and comfort perceptibly. The Sport Select chassis with electrically-adjustable dampers is also new making its Polo debut, but is not available with BlueMotion or CrossPolo models.

Other New Polo highlights include an Automatic Post-Collision Braking System as standard and optional Front Assist with City Emergency Braking. New touchscreen infotainment systems also feature and the New Polo is the first Volkswagen with MirrorLink.

New Polo R-Line
As well as distinctive and separate mode lines, the European New Polo Comfortline and Highline are available with sporty customisation, courtesy of the new R-Line programme. Much as before, exterior and interior customisation is key here, with sports-styled front and rear bumpers, 16-inch ‘Salvador’ alloy wheels (with another 16-inch and three 17-inch designs available), sports seats and steering wheels all being part of the R-Line package. The R-Line is conspicuous by its absence in that it played no part in the newly-released New Polo family portraits.

Prices for the New Polo in Germany start at €12.450 for the three-door 59bhp Trendline model, while a limited-edition ‘Fresh’ model with the same number of doors and power retails at €16.075. Featuring special equipment and ‘Cornflower Blue’ paintwork, the Polo ‘Fresh’ is available for a limited time. UK prices and specifications will be announced when the New Polo is released for ordering in April. First deliveries are expected in July.