PoloDriver

Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in September 2010, the new Passat is the seventh generation of this popular model that has sold over 15 million during the 37 years since its debut. Victoria Stubbs from Volkswagen retailer group Vindis previews the new model, due in UK showrooms this month

New design
While the grille and headlights are perhaps the most noticeable changes, the only panel of the exterior of both the saloon and estate models that is unchanged is the roof. For a quieter ride, the side windows have thicker glass, the windscreen has two layers of glass with a thin plastic film between them, and the front bulkhead is thicker. However, despite all these changes the dimensions of the car are practically unchanged.

New interior
New seats feature both heating and cooling elements, and the dashboard, centre console and door trims have all been revisited. An iPod interface and leather multifunction steering wheel are standard for the S trim; the next level up (SE) comes with eight-speaker digital radio and is Bluetooth-enabled. The top of the range Sport has touchscreen satellite navigation. The estate is expected to out-sell the saloon for the first time.

New engines
There is a range of both petrol and diesel engines, all available with manual or DSG transmission. The petrol units are 1.4, 1.8 and 2.0-litre TSIs, topping off with a 3.6-litre V6. You have a choice of two diesels; a 1.6 or 2.0-litre TDI. The most economical of these is the 1.6-litre, the BlueMotion variant of which is capable of 68.8 mpg with only 109g/km of CO2. That fuel economy gives it a possible range of over 1000 miles on a single tank of diesel. If you think this is just hype, you’d be wrong – an unmodified Passat recently broke a Guinness world record by doing over 1500 miles on just one tank of diesel!

New safety and comfort features
Like previous Passats, VW’s ‘ESP’ (electronic stabilisation system) intelligent suspension is standard; if you opt to have a factory-fitted towbar then the system also takes into account your trailer. Six airbags, ABS and anti-whiplash headrests are also standard. However, there are also new features which were previously only available for the more expensive Touareg and Phaeton.

Automatic distance control and emergency braking
This new system means that at speeds below 18mph the car will automatically brake if it senses a possible collision in front. And – so long as there is space in front – if a collision from behind is anticipated then the car will automatically accelerate.

Fatigue detection
Another new feature (on the SE and above) monitors the driver’s actions and will give a warning message to the driver (both audio and visual) if it is felt that the driver is not active enough. Tiredness is a real killer and this warning to take a break could save lives.

New differential
The new XDS electronic transverse differential (also standard on the Golf GTI) makes the seventh-generation Passat feel more responsive by reducing understeer and improving traction on wet roads.

‘Hands Full’ boot opening system
Finally, saloon models with the optional keyless entry specification can be opened at the rear with a simple foot motion so long as you are carrying the key fob, making loading the boot easier.

Orders are being taken now for immediate delivery. Prices start at £18,470 (RRP on the road) for the saloon and £19,745 (RRP on the road) for the estate.

Victoria Stubbs, Vindis
Vindis are VW dealers for all models including used Volkswagen Passat

The Indian-built, Polo-based Vento saloon will cost 2.9% more from today, 1 January 2011. Volkswagen announced the price rise at the end of 2010, and has blamed the constant rise of raw material prices and an increase in manufacturing costs. Profit margins are decreasing, so the German giant has been forced to pass on increases to its customers. Neeraj Garg, Member of Board of Director for Passenger Cars, Volkswagen India, said: ‘The company has been continuously facing the issue of rise in input prices for sometime now. Volkswagen has tried its best to absorb the price hike, but now it is too hard to maintain the quality for which the company is known.’

[Source: cardekho.com]

2010 was the first full year of production for the fifth-generation (6R) of the Volkswagen Polo and one where the model became a truly global car, with local production in India and Russia. It also won more major awards than in 2009, and made its international debut in motorsport, with the inaugural season of the Volkswagen Polo Cup India. We look back at both the major Polo 6R developments and happenings over the last year, and also chronicle the main news stories pertaining to the Polo Vivo, the South African entry-level replacement for the CitiGolf. (Bold entries are illustrated by the picture above that particular month.)

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The chaps at Auto Express have tested the latest Polo GTI against its in-house rivals the SEAT Ibiza Cupra and the Škoda Fabia vRS (finally with a Volkswagen UK press office car). All powered by the same 1.4-litre, 178bhp supercharged and turbocharged TSI engine, small chassis tweaks on all separate them from each other. As does price. The Polo is predictably the most expensive of the trio at £18,275, the SEAT’s cheaper at £17,188, while the Škoda is a bargain basement £15,700. All three look different too, with the Ibiza the most extrovert of the trio, with the Škoda’s trademark bright green paint job (sadly not present here) aimed at younger drivers. The Polo is arguably aimed at an older and more sophisticated audience with its restrained and traditional GTI detailing. Which hot tot wins? Watch the Auto Express video above to find out.

A run-in for me and the Polo last month. I became a marginal speeder in the first week of November, due to a lapse in concentration or just plain ignorance, resulting in a speeding ticket landing on the doormat. What was the damage? A £60 fine and 3 penalty points or a National Speed Awareness course for £82 and no points on my licence. You can guess which option I took, although it wasn’t without some deliberation. But, when it comes down to it, £22 seemed a fair price to pay to avoid any endorsements. And all for going 35mph in a 30mph zone, on a country road, where I don’t remember either a camera or a warning sign.

So, the day before Christmas Eve, I found myself driving up the A12 from Essex to Suffolk (courses are usually offered in the county of prosecution) to an industrial unit in Ipswich, and to the four-hour class run by AA DriveTech, a specialist driver training division. There were 18 of us, with over half the class over 45 years of age plus; the instructor informed us that the average age of attendees on the courses was 40, and with up to three courses a day, over 60 people are retrained in the laws of the road daily. Why no young people? They choose to speed apparently, and so aren’t offered the educational alternative…

The statitstics gave food for thought. Motorways are the safest roads of all, with 55% of drivers accelerating past the limit, while the majority of accidents happen on urban roads; 69% of drivers speed in towns and cities. A speed camera costs a local authority £23,000 to install, and while Suffolk is one of the lowest camera-populated counties (with eight currently in use), I think I was caught by one of the numerous mobile sites. But by far the most shocking figure was that it costs over £1 million pounds to administer ONE death on the road, and as there were 2222 fatal casualties last year, the money spent soon adds up.

A theory session only, attendees must ‘pass’ the course (though no proof is given), and ‘actively participate’, so there are plenty of ways to interact, from speaking, to watching videos, to voting on multiple-choice questions with handsets straight from the set of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Basically a PowerPoint-powered refresher of Highway Code information, the courses certainly serve a purpose, and the videos showing changes in braking distances and what happens in a multiple pile-up graphically illustrate what effects even small increases in speed can have on potential accidents. Proof positive that speed does indeed kill.