PoloDriver

We don’t mind admitting that this was a surprise. For 25 years, the entry point into Volkswagen South Africa’s (VWSA) range was the Citi Golf, a heavily revised version of the Series 1 Golf. With the original Golf’s lifespan running from 1974 to 1983, VWSA decided to keep building the car it had been manufacturing locally since 1978, turning it into an inexpensive locally-made affordable base model. The Citi Golf did extremely well and in January 2010, more than a quarter of a century since it was first launched, the final car went on sale. Last week its successor was unveiled and, to be honest, it wasn’t what we were expecting.

The Polo Vivo is the company’s new entry-level car in the affordable A0 segment. Based on a heavily-revised and facelifted Series 4 (9N3) Polo, the newcomer gets a new slimline front grille and sculpted bumpers, all bearing more than a passing resemblance to those fitted to the new fifth-generation (6R) Polo launched in 2009. Other changes include the removal of the side rubbing strips and relocated side repeaters which now sit in the headlamps, moved down from the door mirrors.

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Here’s a cute new TV commercial to promote Volkswagen’s recently-launced ‘Think Blue’ environmental initiative. Using the idea of a young daughter disapproving of her father’s energy-consuming and non-environmentally friendly lifestyle, she soon flashes a smile when he decides to drive the latest Polo BlueMotion.

There’s been no official announcement yet, but scouting around on the German Volkswagen website, we came across another new Polo variant and it’s one which could challenge even the Polo BlueMotion’s economic leanings. Called the Polo BiFuel, the newcomer’s 1.4-litre 84bhp engine runs on both petrol and LPG autogas. Starting on petrol, once warmed up, the twin-fuel Polo then automatically switches its diet to LPG. Fuel choice can then be decided while running by the push of a button.

Driving this way, Volkswagen quotes a maximised total range of 1300km (807 miles) from the car’s 52-litre fuel tank, located in the spare wheel well in the luggage compartment. An LED-display in the instrument panel tells the driver which fuel system is being used. Compared to the standard petrol running, emissions go down 10% when in LPG mode and filling up is easy, as over 5700 filling stations in Germany sell the revolutionary fuel.

The Polo BiFuel is available in the traditional Volkswagen versions of Trendline, Comfortline and Highline, as well as the special-edition Team. All are fitted with the same 1390cc unit (developing 81bhp when using LPG) and five-speed gearbox and although nowhere near as clean as the 87g/km BlueMotion, the Polo BiFuel pumps out 146g/km of CO2 when in standard petrol mode and 132g/km when sipping LPG.

Prices start at €16.325 for the Polo BiFuel Trendline, rising to €17.625 for the Comfortline, topping out at €18.450 for the Highline (€2550 more than the non-LPG equivalent version). All models listed are three-doors; the price rises again for two further openings. Unfortunately, we’ve no definite on-sale dates as the Polo BiFuel has only very recently been added to the Volkswagen’s German website pages. It is also listed in the latest March 2010 technical data and prices catalogue available here, again only applicable to its home market.

Although it will never challenge the BlueMotion in the cleanliness stakes, the BiFuel is an interesting addition to the range and due to the low price of LPG autogas, could prove cheaper to run than its eco-Polo brother. It won’t work in the UK at the moment due to the lack of availability of the LPG it needs to drink, but Volkswagen is certainly has its hands in many environmental pies in Europe; the twin-fuel Polo joins BiFuel versions of the Golf and Golf Plus already on sale.

Establishing itself as a force to be reckoned with last month by driving into the UK’s top 10 best-selling cars for January 2010, the Polo has repeated the feat for February. Released this week, the figures show that although the Polo slipped three places to number seven, its Golf stablemate actually improved its standing, rising to number three from six in the first month of the year.

While the Polo was still 1336 units clear of challenging its class rival Ford Fiesta for the top spot, it sold 301 units more than the eighth best-selling car, the BMW 3 Series. Rising for the eighth sequential month, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders state that the UK’s February’s sales were actually up 26.4%. The full list of what sold what is as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 3236 units
2 Ford Focus: 3035 units
3 Volkswagen Golf: 2586 units
4 Vauxhall Astra: 2524 units
5 Vauxhall Corsa: 2391 units
6 Hyundai i10: 1938 units
7 Volkswagen Polo: 1900 units
8 BMW 3 Series: 1599 units
9 Kia Picanto: 1573 units
10 Peugeot 207: 1422 units

These latest encouraging Polo sales figures come just as the German consumer magazine Guter Rat have awarded the Polo the Best Compact Car 2010 award.

This month, Simon Kimber tinkers with service items and saddles up his 1991 110,000-mile Polo GT Coupé for its MoT test

This month sees ERP going for its MoT test, and like I do every year, I put it through its paces to rid myself of any surprises and to reassure myself that there are no lurking faults that might get the old stager a red ticket. I do all this in the month leading up to the test day itself, and although I have had the odd amber advisory before now, it has never been for anything more than a worn tyre or suspension top mount.

More importantly, this is also the time to carry out a service, and this year, it was the 110,000 mile one. All the important things like spark plugs were done this time last year, which reminds me I must change the fuel filter sometime soon. I booked the car at my employer’s garage on a Saturday for one reason; for it to be ready for the emissions check, the engine has to be at running temperature to be accurate. So, the drive in is the warm up and hopefully I will be able to get this checked first as I don’t want to be using fuel needlessly (not to mention that the running may adversely affect the fuel consumption).

The actual test went without too many hitches; a headlight aim just a tad too high and a non-working driver’s side repeater the only things of note. However, there was one advisory. The near-side steering arm ball joint was showing signs of movement, not enough to fail it but when I ’m told of it there is only one thing I can do, which is to replace it while I remember, saving a red ticket being handed out next time.

Looking at it the other way, ERP didn’t do too badly for a 19 year-old car. All I have to do now is decide what way to go with the ball-joint; embark on a possibly fruitless search to obtain the correct one as Euro Car Parts and GSF don’t list one separately, or buy a complete track rod from my local Volkswagen retailer (which also happens to be my employer, so I won’t have to worry about collecting it). Update to follow…

Costs this month: £50.35 (MoT test fee)