PoloDriver

We’ve already tested mid-range Move Up and top-end High Up versions of Volkswagen’s new city car and both bring a new feeling of luxury to the class. We were keen therefore to try the most basic version, too, and were rewarded with the opportunity at Volkswagen UK’s recent regional driving activity. Based on the same five-door body shell as the High Up we tested at the same event, the Take Up forgoes the body-coloured door handles and mirrors of its siblings higher up (!) the range ladder, and makes do with a set of flush-fitting wheel trims rather than alloy wheels.

It still looks upmarket enough, though. One notable aspect of penny pinching is in the cabin, where the Take Up features a once-piece ‘standard’ dashboard moulding, just as in other cars in the VW range. Not for this miser the body-coloured or piano black dashboard strip featured on higher-specification cars, and we must admit, it’s a bit of a disappointment after the contrast gloss finishes on the two other cars we’ve driven. But, it’s probably more in keeping with the car’s ‘honest’ nature. We’ve come across it before in the Up’s Skoda Citigo cousin.

Otherwise, the Up experience is much the same. OE12 VCM was powered by the lower-output 59bhp three-cylinder engine, but you’d be hard pressed to notice any discernible difference between the two – the 74bhp unit does fell slightly more relaxed at higher speeds, but with both engines developing the same 70lb ft of torque between the same 3000-4300rpm, there’s very little in it. The same nicely weighted steering is still very much in evidence, too, as is the comfortable and class-leading ride. Performance and economy figures aren’t that different from other versions, either.

Just as in the High Up we drove, the five-door Take Up also features pop-out rear windows as opposed to sliding panes. Though here they may work better, as the cost-cutting feel that they emanate is more in keeping with the more ‘basic’ nature of the car. That the general specification is anything but (when compared to a similar size of car even just 10 years ago) is beside the point. The base model Take Up generally doesn’t feel that basic at all: its just its higher-specification siblings have spoiled us. Overall, it’s another very strong weapon in VW’s class-leading sales cannon.

VOLKSWAGEN TAKE UP
Price: £8360
Engine: 1.0-litre three cylinder
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Power/torque: 59bhp/70lb ft @ 3000-4300rpm
0-62mph: 14.4 seconds
Top speed: 99mph
Economy/CO2: 62.8mpg/105g/km
Equipment: 14” steel wheels with full-size wheel trims, RCD 215 radio system
On sale: Now
Find out more: www.volkswagen.co.uk/new/up-nf/home

Twelve months has now passed since Rich Gooding unexpectedly bought his 2001 Polo GTI. 10,000 miles have now passed under its wheels – how does it compare to his previous, cosseted and much-loved 1993 Polo GT?

The saying ‘time flies when you’re having fun’ couldn’t be more apt when it comes to the speed at which the 12 months that sum up my first year of Polo GTI ownership has gone by. Bought in a rare moment of madness (or maybe clear thinking) on 12 September 2011, I had my doubts as to whether it could drive in the tyre tracks of my 167,000-mile 1993 Polo GT coupé, which, at the time, I had owned for the previous 12 years. While not always faithful, the GT had almost become part of me, and we’d definitely had some fun adventures. But, it was getting unreliable, and the lure of stepping onto the first step of GTI ownership ladder proved too much to resist.

Surprised at how cheap fully-loaded early Polo GTIs are (prices start from around £1000 for a well-worn car), I found Y464 GHJ on eBay, and as it was up the road in Colchester, I thought I’d take a look. Not the most perfect example, but with only 67,000 original miles, an OK interior and mark-free BBS wheels, a deal was done. Incidentally, I wanted a car that had the standard red fabric interior, as opposed to the optional black leather, which, surprisingly, a lot of owners seemed to specify. The 2000-2002 Polo GTI is a bit of an anomaly – different badge, seat belt and interior door card colour combinations mean there are a surprising number of variations between the 3393 cars imported.

Unsurprisingly, the GTI is a much better car than the GT. Based on the award-winning Mk 3 Polo from 1994, the 2000-2002 Polo is a completely different beast from the rather agricultural Mk 2/2F, which can trace its roots back to the Mk 1 from 1975. That it was going to be more refined was a natural given, but it still surprises me. Y464 does my sometime 160-mile round commute to Bauer Media’s offices in Peterborough very well, soothing on the motorway, yet fun enough when the going isn’t quite so, literally, straightforward. I’ve said before, the Polo GTI has never been at the forefront of incisive hot hatch dynamics, but I reckon for 90 per cent of owners, it’s fine.

I’m surprised by the economy, too. A 125bhp 1.6-litre engine in a 1084kg body lends itself to unsurprisingly brisk performance, but an average of 40mpg (close to VW’s official figure) is regularly achievable. Of course, a lot of that defends on the types of roads encountered, but regular motorway schleps certainly help. The most recent lowest recorded figure of 36mpg shows what can be expected around town. And while a CO2 figure of 173g/km isn’t the lowest, £195.00 a year in road tax doesn’t seem too penalising. All this comes with a 0-60mph time of 8.4 seconds, a top speed of 127mph and 112lb ft of torque.

What’s gone wrong? Not a lot. I treated the car to some cosmetic goodies when it first arrived (new alloy wheel centres, red grille trim – now removed, new aerial base seal and mast, as well as a new grille badge), and my unsavoury kerbed wheel damage notwithstanding, only a water temperature sensor and driver’s door electric window regulator and motor has needed replacing. Because of their high prices, those two parts alone helped bring up recent 76,000-mile service cost to a not inconsiderable £537.03 (also included was an oil change, filters and spark plugs). But they’re maladies that will hopefully not need sorting again, and bearing in mind the sterling service the GTI is currently giving, it seems fair to hand over some readies in exchange for some TLC. Yes, the two rear tyres will need replacing before the year is out (when I’ll get the other kerbed wheel repaired), but they’re regularly worn out consumables.

You can probably guess the answer to the question I posed at the start of this post. Yes, the GTI is better than the GT. Emphatically so. Especially for the kind of driving I’m doing now. Refined, swift, practical, and comfortable to boot, it really is a jack-of-all-trades (a cliché but it’s true), traits that the GTI badge has stood for over the past 36 years. If you desire a dose of refinement with your budget hot hatch, hunt out an early example of a Polo GTI. With low-mileage examples still around £1000-£2000 cheaper than the identically powered but smaller Lupo GTI, believe me when I say it’s a lot of car for the money.

It’s good news for the Polo, as sales continue to hold firm enabling the evergreen small Volkswagen to remain in the UK’s best-selling car top 10 chart. With sales of 2863 units sold last month, the Polo sits in sixth place, in the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ (SMMT) list, rising two places when compared to July’s chart. The Ford Fiesta was once again the best-selling supermini and the best-selling car in the UK during August 2012.

Total new car registrations grew 0.1 per cent in August to 59,433 units, and demand for small and dual-purpose cars continued to grow strongly. ‘New car registrations remained broadly stable in August, a month which traditionally represents a small share of the new car market as motorists anticipate the arrival of the new 62-plate change in September,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. The top 10 best-selling passenger cars in the UK during August 2012 and for the year-to-date (unit sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 2993 (70,096, 1st)
2 Vauxhall Corsa: 2430 (55,386, 2nd)
3 Ford Focus: 2089 (50,684, 3rd)
4 Volkswagen Golf: 1933 (40,872, 4th)
5 Vauxhall Astra: 1567 (37,261, 5th)
6 Volkswagen Polo: 1484 (26,696, 7th)
7 Audi A3: 1243
8 Nissan Qashqai: 1238 (28,394, 6th)
9 Vauxhall Zafira: 1164
10 BMW 1 Series: 1136 (20,481, 10th)

(The 2012 year-to-date top 10 best-selling cars absent from August’s sales figures are the BMW 3 Series selling 26,614 units in eighth place, the Mercedes C-Class selling 21,824 units in ninth place, and the Vauxhall Insignia in tenth place, with 21,148 units sold.)

Volkswagen Group South Africa recorded its highest vehicle sales in 2012 last month, maintaining its leadership position in the country’s new passenger car sales chart. Total sales of 9135 units recorded the company’s best monthly sales in 2012 and highest ever sales in August since 2007. The Polo Vivo was once again key to this success, with the Series 4-based Polo entry-level model selling 3714 units, its best monthly figure since its launch in March 2010. It was also the best-selling car on the South African market. The fifth-generation Polo 6R wasn’t too far behind, taking 2355 unit sales, putting it in second place overall.

The Polo Vivo was launched in March 2010 as an entry-level model for the South African market, replacing the Series 1 Golf-based CitiGolf, and is available as a three or five-door hatchback and four-door booted saloon with 74bhp/84bhp 1.4-litre and 103bhp 1.6-litre petrol engines. Costing from R107,200 for the base-model 1.4 hatchback to R154,700 for the top 1.6 Trendline Sedan, the 2012 Polo Vivo is based on the revised version of the Series 4 Polo (9N3), built from 2005 to 2009. The fifth-generation Polo (6R) is available as both a three and five-door hatchback, in addition to the traditionally-styled four-door Polo Sedan.

Evolutionary rather than revolutionary, the all-new seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf has debuted at the New National Gallery in Berlin ahead of a launch at the Paris motor show later this month. Arriving 38 years after the original Mk 1, it’s the latest in a line of small family hatchbacks which has sold 29 million examples worldwide. VW hopes it will become known for all the class-leading attributes of the six generations which came before it: comfort, efficiency, practicality and safety. Bucking the trend for new cars, Golf 7 is 100kg lighter than the outgoing Golf 6, and is also 23 per cent more fuel efficient. It’s safer, too, and with evolutionary styling (VW were never going to mess with a motoring icon), what’s not to like?

Built on the new MQB (Modularer Querbaukasten) platform or Modular Transverse Matrix, which also underpins the recently-launched Audi A3, this system standardises many vehicle component parameters across brands and vehicle classes and allows access to new powertrains and technologies, including innovations in the areas of safety and infotainment, which until now were reserved for vehicles in higher segments. The new Golf is 56mm longer than its predecessor at 4255mm, and has a wheelbase of 2637mm, with the front wheels 43mm further forward than before. The new car is also 13mm wider than Golf 6 (1799mm total width) and 28mm lower at 1452mm. One of the substantial benefits is a lower drag co-efficient reading of 0.27 Cd.

Volkswagen calls the Golf style and silhouette ‘timeless’, and although safe, we’d be inclined to agree. It’s a formula which has served the name well, and the latest version is unmistakably sharper, with a belt-line crease which runs through the door handles down the body side, and tail-lights which have sharp corners. One detail we’re very fond off is the parallel shut line of the rear door on five-door cars which matches the downward sweep of the rear lights. Only this time, the petrol flap – which is sandwiched in-between – also gets matching parallel edges. It’s a neat trick. There’s also an Up-style ‘smile’ lower grille on the front bumper, but overall, the new car takes the traditional Golf attributes and just sharpens them up a little. The now instantly recognisable and set-in-stone thick C-pillars and upright hatch remain.

The cabin sees Volkswagen’s latest switchgear and a centre console angled towards the driver, as well as a new touchscreen infotainment system. All UK cars will get a colour display system, while the top models will come with an eight-inch satellite navigation unit. Pandering to the iPhone generation, the system works with gestures familiar to smartphone users, while DAB digital radio, auxiliary inputs, Bluetooth telephone preparation and vehicle information displays all feature, too. An electronic handbrake means the Golf now goes almost fully-digital, while a multi-collision braking system is standard on all models. An automatic City Emergency Braking system can also be specified, as introduced on the Up. VW says that the Golf’s steering now uses a variable ratio system ‘that offers more agile steering in dynamic driving situations, while ensuring high-speed stability, and easy manoeuvring in the city.’

All engines powering Golf 7 are fitted with Stop/Start and battery regeneration systems. At launch, 1.2-litre TSI 84bhp and 1.4-litre 138bhp with cylinder deactivation (as seen on the Polo BlueGT) petrol engines will be available, while diesel lovers will have a choice of 1.6-litre 104bhp and 2.0-litre 148bhp units. Further details on the new Golf will be revealed at the Paris motor show, which runs from 29 September to 14 October 2012. The car will go on sale in mainland Europe from October, with the first UK models expected in January 2013.