PoloDriver

Not content with being named as European Car of the Year 2010, the new Polo is also contesting the World Car of the Year 2010 title. An award from across the Pond, the new fifth-generation has made the final shortlist of ten cars for the award, now in its seventh year.

Drawn up in a secret ballot by 59 international motoring journalist jurors, who represent (among others) Asia, Europe, North America and South America, the ten cars in the running for World Car of the Year 2010 are:

• Audi Q5
• BMW X1
• Chevrolet Cruze
• Kia Soul
• Mazda3
• Mercedes-Benz E-Class
• Opel/Vauxhall Insignia/Buick Regal
• Porsche Panamera
• Toyota Prius
• Volkswagen Polo

A final round of voting will take place later this month, after the judging panel have re-evaluated the top ten cars, rating them in terms of overall merit, value, safety, environmental responsibility, emotional appeal and significance (whatever that may be).

The top three finalists for World Car of the Year 2010 (and sister gong World Performance Car of the Year 2010) will be announced at the Geneva motor show on Tuesday 2 March 2010, with the winners revealed at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday 1 April 2010. Will the Polo win? We’d be surprised as it’s not currently sold in the US, but Volkswagen is no stranger to the World Car of the Year podium – the Mk 6 Golf won the coveted award last year.

Do you think the Polo should be crowned Word Car of the Year 2010 in addition to European Car of the Year 2010? Start the discussion by leaving a comment below.

Another Polo milestone was reached today, as the 11,111,111th unit of Volkswagen’s best-seller left the production line at the company’s new Pune plant in India. The Flash Red model left the assembly line and was welcomed by Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG with responsibility for Group Production, German President Horst Köhler, Jörg Müller, President and Managing Director of Volkswagen Group India, and John Chacko, Technical Director of Volkswagen India (pictured, from left to right above).

The new Polo commenced production at the high-tech Pune facility in December 2009 and the variant produced there was specially designed for the local market, so differs slightly in specification to models manufactured in Europe. The €580m plant is the largest investment by a German company in India, has an annual production capacity of 110,000 vehicles and also makes the variants of the current Škoda Fabia.

Heizmann emphasised that, ‘The Polo built at the Pune plant demonstrates that excellent vehicles are created when German engineering prowess interacts perfectly with Indian skills. We are determined to bring the Polo’s European success story to India.’ Celebrating the latest Polo production milestone since the model’s introduction in 1975, he continued, ‘Volkswagen will tap its opportunities in India with vehicles like the Polo, our modern plant in Pune and a highly-motivated workforce.’

Eibach is the latest company to offer suspension upgrades for the new Polo and just like the donor car itself, comfort, enhanced dynamism and safety are all key requirements for any offerings from the German tuner. Acquired racing know-how from motorsport activities is felt in the company’s products and Eibach says that even with the lowered centre of gravity offered by its Pro-Kit Performance springs, there is no loss of comfort. Other (predictable) advantages are that the new Polo becomes more sporty and the road-holding is improved.

Ride height can also be altered to an individual’s taste with Pro-Street-S coil overs and together with the Pro-Spacer wheel spacers, provides even better handling. Made of high-strength aluminium, the spacers push the wheels out to the corners of the car, giving it a wider stance and adding extra stability. All Eibach suspension components for the new Polo (6R) are available through authorised resellers and are provided with high quality anti-corrosion protection and are fully TÜV-certified.

Last month, Rich Gooding’s Polo GT Coupé passed its MoT, but only just. This month, there’s been more tinkering and a much-needed part-service

I hadn’t realised I’d neglected the car for so long. It was only when I thought about things and asked myself when the last service was, that it dawned on me that 2006 was probably the last time when a basic tinkering took place. And although only 13,000 miles ago, that’s far too long, especially for a 16 year-old car. It might have been later than that of course, but I neither had anywhere to work on it or have kept the service book up to date since then.

So last weekend, I set about rectifying the neglect. A basic part-service with easily-changeable items was the order of the day and a quick trip to our local branch of German Swedish and French yielded a set of new spark plugs, a new set of ignition leads and a new air filter. The journey was an insight in itself; the car was spluttering all over the place and almost stalled at two junctions. It felt more like a carburettor-engined car than a fuel-injected one, and brought back memories of driving my earlier Series 2 Polos.

The feeling was almost that of a misfire, something which I’ve experienced a lot this last winter. Damp conditions don’t make for smooth running at the moment, and even the inside of the car complains with iced-up windows, no doubt due to perishing seals. Opening the bonnet and taking the old ignition leads off diagnosed the problem. Some of the tips were oxidised and although not too bad a degree, the cloudy green ends that were once copper were no doubt the cause.

The plugs were much healthier and – according to the Haynes manual – signified that the 160,000-mile engine was in good order, the ends covered with a slight brown tint. The air filter wasn’t bad either; so much so I’ve kept it for now. All in all though, it’s amazing what results refreshing the most basic items can make. The car now feels transformed and is much, much smoother and no longer complains about the damp mornings or evenings. Only the heated rear window connector, front foglight bracket and passenger footwell leak to sort out before the summer…

Watch out for a basic service workshop feature coming soon.

Costs this month: £41.15 (ignition lead set £24.50; set of Bosch WR6DC+ sparkplugs £10.40; air filter £6.25)

(All parts prices are subject to VAT.)

Respected motoring weekly Autocar has posted an online first drive of the new Polo 1.6 SEL TDI today. The five-door model with costs £15,775 and mates the the range-topping engine to the top-of-the-tree trim level. The sportier three door is £600 less. The 89bhp model is both the most powerful oil-burning Polo in the UK and the most expensive model in the current range. Summing up, Autocar states, ‘Diesel gruffness aside, this is an economical and refined supermini with the legs to cover distances in downsized comfort.’

Continental buyers can also choose a 104bhp TDI version of the same engine in Comfortline and Highline specifications. Volkswagen currently has no plans to bring this engine to the UK.