PoloDriver

Yes, we know it was announced at the end of November last year, but the new Polo is now officially European Car of the Year 2010 after an awards presentation on Monday evening at Volkswagen’s spiritual home, Wolfsburg. Chosen by a jury consisting of 59 motoring journalists from 23 countries, the prestigious award was handed to Martin Winterkorn (above left), Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG by Håkan Matson, Chairman of the Jury Committee for Car of the Year.

Winterkorn paid tribute to Volkswagen employees in his acceptance speech: ‘It takes a great team to build winners like the Polo. I am proud the Volkswagen Group has such a strong and motivated team that has made the Polo with its cutting-edge technology, quality and safety affordable for everyone.’

The Car of the Year 2010 gong is just one of many titles – both in the Europe and the UK – that the new Polo has collected since its market launch last summer. Also awarded five stars in the latest round of Euro NCAP crash tests, the fifth-generation Polo is available with a choice of four petrol and three diesel engines. The new Polo BlueMotion 1.2 TDI is also currently the world’s most economical five-seater, and with 87g/km of C02 (left-hand drive models only), the one with the lowest emissions, too.

Simon Kimber’s last update on his 1991 Polo GT Coupé concerned suspension surgery, where the car’s tired old Weitec dampers finally gave up like the proverbial ghost and had to be replaced. How have the new replacements been?

A few thousand miles have now passed under the wheels and I think it’s safe to say that the Konis which now occupy the Weitec’s previous homes in the wheel arches are pretty good considering they were the only option available. The performance is progressive and neither overdamped or too soft.

This set-up actually suits what is being asked of the car day to day, whether it be speed humps (of which I encounter many during a week’s driving) or having to deal with the snow and ice we all experienced a few weeks ago. That’s the GT, there, on the right nearest the camera in the picture above.

I don’t know about you, but I find that I treat the snow and ice as my own personal playground and there are certainly benefits to having an nineteen year-old Polo. One of those is that there is no room for airbags or ABS/traction control electrickery and the car will actually pull away in third gear without any complaint.

Not having all this modern-day wizardry is actually more of an incentive to stay on the slippery stuff, as even ABS can be made to look a bit of a fool sometimes and not even ESP is completely immune from the odd Bambi moment! Long may the bodywork of your Polo be undamaged in this weather and may the traffic always be behind you and not in front…

Costs this month: £0

VW’s newest one-make series is still in its new-born stage, but the publicity campaign for the Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010 is hotting up with the release of two new shots showing the profile and rear view of the race car. Along with the first publicity photo (above), the full extent of the Volkswagen Design-penned aerodynamic modifications can now be seen. The ground-hugging body kit, lowered ride height and wider tracks make the car appear tougher and ready for India’s motorsport circuits. The Volkswagen Polo Cup India 2010 will be run by Volkswagen India Motorsport in conjunction with JK Tyres and the 129bhp 1.6-litre TDI racers take to the track for the first race on 30 May.

What Car? compares the £13,030 1.4 SE five-door version of Volkswagen’s new baby to the Citroën C3 1.4 VTI 95 VTR+ and the Ford Fiesta 1.25i 82 Edge in its latest issue out now. Awarding the Polo and Fiesta five stars and the C3 four, summing up the magazine says, ‘The latest Polo shows that you can still afford a cracking motor if you’re on tight budget. Superminis don’t come any better. The Polo is as classy, comfortable and refined as cars from the class above, yet it’s also cheaper and better equipped than rivals.’

The current Awards 2010 issue of What Car? also features the magazine’s winners, of which the new Polo is one, in its annual prize-giving edition. The refined and grown-up fifth-generation model has won the Best Supermini category in the car buying monthly’s Car of the Year 2010 awards.

Back in September, German Volkswagen and Audi tuners ABT unveiled its latest take on the Polo, but, of course, this is just the newest in a line of Polo ‘specials’ the engineers and stylists at Kempten have produced. We found this smart (and we should think, rare) Series 2F coupé at German Polo fan site PoloMagazin.

Primarily concerned with chassis tuning and body styling, this set of ABT modifications were designed for Polos from 1991 to 1994. The body was lowered by 40mm by way of shortened springs and dampers, while 7J x 15 ‘A5’ alloy wheels (with an ET of 35) got power down to the road, as well as providing more kerbside appeal.

Finally, a different-looking (and sometimes ill-fitting) front grille made the ABT Polo 2F stand out, if taking away some of its identity. Inside, a sporty ABT steering wheel takes centre stage. With no further body add-ons and no engine upgrades, it was clearly much simpler 18 years ago and ABT certainly took a more restrained approach, unlike today.