PoloDriver

Stonor Park has been a long-time fixture on the Volkswagen enthusiast’s calendar. Similar to Stanford Hall in style and atmosphere (large country house, quiet, grassy grounds), the 2011 event took place once again at Stonor Park, Henley-on-Thames on 5 June. Organised by the Association of British Volkswagen Clubs, a mostly sunny day with a few showers didn’t dampen owners’ spirits, and a wide range of Polos were spotted, from a very basic Olive Green military model to GTIs. Engine transplants were very much in eveidence, too; G40s and VR6 units into later 6N cars were popular. Long-time Polo enthusiast Simon Kimber took a few photos for us at the event – see his small slideshow below.

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The latest version of the Volkswagen Polo GTI has scooped Australian car magazine Motor’s fiercely-fought ‘Bang For Your Bucks’ award. According to Motor, the performance Polo was the ‘hands-down performance bargain of the year. We pumped its Bang and Buck scores into our formula for the last five years and it won, every time,’ the judges wrote. ‘When we set up our formula, you were never supposed to be able to buy this much performance for just $27,990,’ the judging team continued.

The annual ‘Bang For Your Bucks’ winner is decided by the competitor’s ability over categories such as dynamics, handling, performance and speed. One of the key attributes in the Polo GTI’s success is the clever 1.4-litre, 178bhp/132kW engine which uses a supercharger to provide boost at lower revs, before a turbocharger kicks in at higher engine speeds. Add a trick seven-speed DSG twin-clutch gearbox to the package, and Volkswagen have clearly created a technology-packed winner.

‘We are pleased the judging team at Motor magazine appreciated the Polo GTI’s all-round potential and obviously its affordable performance,’ said Anke Koeckler, Volkswagen Group Australia’s Managing Director. ‘With the larger Golf GTI winning last year’s Motor “Bang for Your Bucks Award”, the 2011 Polo GTI definitely lives up to the legendary badge with its superior handling properties combined with uncompromising engine responsiveness and impressive safety and economy figures’.

[Image: Motor magazine]

We must admit to being tipped off about this a few weeks back, when a Twitter message asked us if the Polo SE and Moda were to be replaced by a new addition resurrecting Match, a well-used Volkswagen trim level name. Told by a carbroker that this was the case, we couldn’t give the tweet author a truthful reply, but now we can confirm that their source was right – Volkswagen has today ousted the SE and Moda models and ushered in the Match, which replaces them both. Providing £650 of extra equipment, the Match costs £215 less than the outgoing models. Prices start at £11,300.

Combining the most popular features of the outgoing SE and Moda models, exterior highlights of the Match include 15-inch ‘Castille’ alloy wheels, front fog lights and heat-insultating dark-tinted rear windows. Inside, manual air-conditioning, an RCD 310 radio/CD player, multifunction computer and MDI (Multi Device Interface) with iPod connectivity all feature. The Match also boasts electric windows, remote central locking and electrically-adjustable mirrors. Safety features are as the standard Polo; four airbags, ABS and ESP (Electronic Stabilisation Programme) are all part of the specification.

The Polo Match is available with both three and five doors, and is available with a choice of three engines. Two petrol units are offered: a 1.2-litre, 59bhp three-cylinder and a 1.4-litre 84bhp, both allied to a five-speed manual gearbox. The 1.4-litre unit is also available with a seven-speed DSG option. One 1.2-litre 74bhp diesel fills out the range, again fitted with a five-speed manual gearbox. The 69bhp 1.2-litre three-cylinder engine from the SE and Moda models has been dropped from the range. Finance deals are also available for the Polo Match, and if the car is bought with a Solutions PCP package, the vehicle also qualifies for one year’s free insurance and three years or 30,000 miles free servicing.

2011 Polo Match: RRP ‘on the road’ prices
1.2-litre 59bhp 3-door 5 spd manual, 128g/km, £11,300
1.2-litre 59bhp 5-door 5 spd manual, 128g/km, £11,920
1.4-litre 84bhp 3-door 5 spd manual, 139g/km, £12,605
1.4-litre 84bhp 5-door 5 spd manual, 139g/km, £13,225
1.4-litre 84bhp 3-door 7 spd DSG, 135g/km, £13,865
1.4-litre 84bhp 5-door 7 spd DSG, 135g/km, £14,485
1.2-litre TDI 74bhp 3-door 5 spd manual, 102g/km, £13,520
1.2-litre TDI 74bhp 5-door 5 spd manual, 102g/km, £14,140

The new Polo Match is available from today – for details see www.volkswagen.co.uk/polo.

The latest group of sales figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that the Polo has slipped out of the monthly top 10 best-selling cars in the UK list for a second month. But, it’s still standing firm at number seven in the 2011 year-to-date registrations chart with 38,597 units sold. The Ford Fiesta is still number one, selling 51,643 examples, while Vauxhall’s Corsa posted a figure of 30,792 units. Last month, registrations of superminis posted their first rise in figures since June 2010. Other notable statistics from the SMMT’s June’s figures show that the Golf was the best-selling diesel model for the first six months of 2011, but was pushed into second place in June 2011 by the Vauxhall Insignia.

In the wider picture, UK new car registrations fell 6.2% last month with a total of 183,125 units sold. The average new car CO2 emissions fell to a record low of 138.9g/km in quarter two, dipping below 140g/km for the first time, down from 144.2g/km in 2010. Supermini registrations enjoyed an improved market share in June, up one percentage point to 36.7%. ‘June new car registrations continued to perform in line with industry expectations with robust demand in the fleet sector and a relatively weak retail market. The balance of demand makes this a tough time for vehicle manufacturers and their dealer networks,’ said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. The UK’s top 10 best-selling cars (number of units sold) for 2011 year-to-date are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 51,643
2 Ford Focus: 43,825
3 Vauxhall Corsa: 38,597
3 Volkswagen Golf: 33,118
5 Vauxhall Astra: 32,883
6 Vauxhall Insignia: 25,950
7 Volkswagen Polo: 22,897
8 BMW 3 Series: 21,866
9 Nissan Qashqai: 19,992
10 Mini: 18,619

With the Volkswagen Polo R Cup India 2011 the only dominant competition series featuring motorsport-prepared versions of the Polo 6R – at last until the Polo R WRC comes on stream – car website Zig Wheels has gone behind the scenes and shot a film of what it takes to build a Polo R Cup racer. Starting with a painted body shell pulled from the production lines at Volkswagen’s Pune factory, it takes three days for the Volkswagen Motorsport engineers to transform the road car skeleton into the toughened racing car. Powered by 128bhp 1.6 TDI engines, the Polo R Cup cars only run in the special one-make Indian championship. Polo R Cup racing additions over a standard Polo include a hefty roll cage and an in-car drinking system to quench the drivers’ thirst and avoid dehydration. Zig Wheels’ video clip also features two racers in striking new-for-2011, Polo R WRC-inspired livery.