PoloDriver

According to the latest batch of registration figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) the Polo has risen one place in the August 2016 UK top 10 best-selling cars chart. Now in sixth place, an uplift of one position, the 1765 Polos were registered in the UK last month. In the year-to-date chart run-down, the small evergreen Volkswagen sits in seventh place.

In a repeat of many months past, the Ford Fiesta tops both charts: 4547 examples of the small Ford were registered during August, while a massive 76,370 registrations have been recorded in the first nine months of 2016. The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during August 2016 and the year so far (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 4547 (76,370, 1st)
2 Ford Focus: 2519 (46,145, 3rd)
3 Vauxhall Corsa: 2393 (50,355, 2nd)
4 Vauxhall Astra: 1931 (35,276, 6th)
5 Volkswagen Golf: 1855 (43,951, 4th)
6 Volkswagen Polo: 1765 (33,877, 7th)
7 Vauxhall Mokka: 1762 (27,545, 9th)
8 Kia Sportage: 1540
9 Ford Kuga: 1515
10 Nissan Qashqai: 1491 (39,674, 5th)

(The 2016 top 10 best-selling cars absent from last month’s sales figures are the eighth-placed Mini and the tenth-placed Mercedes-Benz C-Class with 27,713 and 26,931 cars registered respectively.)

After the one-two-three result of 2015, the pressure was on for Volkswagen Motorsport to win again at its home event of 2016, the Rally Germany of 18-21 August. Set around and in the lush vineyards of Trier and the Mosel region, the first all-asphalt event of the season included the legendary Baumholder military track stages, as well as fast Eifel mountain roads and smooth Saarland stages.

Current and three-time world champion Sébastien Ogier was desperate to be back on the top step of the podium, the French driver having had to spend most of the 2016 season ‘sweeping’ the hitherto gravel roads for the competitors behind him, thanks to his first place in the running order. The ninth round of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) had a lot to play for and released its secrets over three tarmac action-packed days.

Masterly form
Conditions were not easy, even for the reigning world champion – wet concrete and dry asphalt made tyre selection a risky business. But, the Frenchman and his co-driver Julien Ingrassia once again displayed their masterly form. The French duo fought for the lead with team-mates Andreas Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger over the first two days, with Ogier and Ingrassia coming out on top on the fearsome 25-mile ‘Panzerplatte’ stage.

And once they had first place, they didn’t let it slip from their grasp. The first time the pair have won a 2016 event since February’s Rally Sweden, Ogier and Ingrassia were initially unhappy with their soft tyre choice for a resulting dry stage, but still managed to record a time 13.5 seconds faster than Mikkelsen and Jæger, after a place-swapping duel separated by just tenths of a second. The French crew eventually won the event by a massive 20.3 seconds over Hyundai Motorsport’s Dani Sordo and Marc Martí.

‘Fantastic feeling’
A jubilant Ogier was in celebratory mood: ‘A fantastic feeling to be back at the top of the podium after this long dry spell. I am over the moon to have repeated last year’s success at Rally Germany. The home win is extremely important to our team, Julien and I made great progress in the direction of the title in the championship standings.

‘The weekend wasn’t easy for me since I really wanted to win here and then it is easy to be a little bit too motivated going into the race. Then there was the weather, which changed constantly and was extremely difficult to predict. In the end, I waited patiently for my opportunity, and with the times on the Panzerplatte in particular, built up the crucial lead over my rivals,’ he enthused.

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Germany: Ogier/Ingrassia

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Germany: Ogier/Ingrassia

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Germany: Ogier/Ingrassia

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Germany: Ogier/Ingrassia

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Germany: Ogier/Ingrassia

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Cobra Sport has announced a series of new performance exhaust upgrades for the current Polo GTI 1.8 TSI, which was first introduced in 2014. Following a similar series of upgrades for the previous 1.4-litre supercharged and turbocharged TSI engine which powered the 2010-2014 Polo GTI, the latest system ‘greatly improve the exhaust pitch and tone and add the sporty edge which was missing from the factory system,’ according to Cobra Sport.

Weight saving of 41 per cent
The resonated 2.5-inch cat-back system weighs only 9.52kg compared to the original’s 16.20kg, an impressive saving of 41 per cent. Cobra Sport claims that the de-­cat and sports cat front pipes have been enlarged to 3-inch bore and offer a weight saving of 0.60kg. The new offerings for the Polo GTI have the usual Cobra Sport best quality refinements, including Grade 304 stainless steel used throughout the system.

The Cobra Sport upgrades fit from the catalytic converter rearwards and replace the middle and rear sections. Owners looking for maximum performance and sound improvements, the company also offers both a 3-inch (76.2mm) high flow sports catalyst and de-cat front section to complete the turbo-back system.

Volkswagen Polo GTI 1.8 TSI Cobra Sport performance exhaust system upgrade

Volkswagen Polo GTI 1.8 TSI Cobra Sport performance exhaust system upgrade

Volkswagen Polo GTI 1.8 TSI Cobra Sport performance exhaust system upgrade

Twin 3-inch and 3.25-inch tailpipes
A choice of twin 3-inch and 3.25-inch tailpipes in a highly polished T304 stainless steel finish is available, while a less obtrusive oval slash cut version can also be optioned. Cobra Sport states that the resonated cat back system offers a subtle 10db aural upgrade over the original (benchmarked in a 4000rpm static test) and that it is designed to ‘provide a purposeful but unobtrusive pitch perfect sound quality, which in no way interferes with day-­to‐day drivability’.

Matt Thomas, Sales Manager at Cobra Sport says: ‘The new Mk 5 Polo has been a big hit with initial owners and journalists who rate the naturally-aspirated 1.8 litre engine as a big improvement over the previous 1.4 TSI. We are very excited to have developed a full range of exhaust systems to offer an upgrade to suit the wide range of buyer requirements.’

The Polo GTI 1.8 TSI Cobra Sport non-resonated cat-back system starts at £427.20, while resonated cat-back upgrades are priced from £506.40. The most expensive upgrade is the turbo-back exhaust system with sports catalyst and resonater which retails at £1,202.54. For full details of the new systems, visit the Cobra Sport website.

Remember the Steven Spielberg-directed film Duel from 1971, where a truck with seemingly no driver hunts down Dennis Weaver? Volkswagen and Red Bull do – in a new promotional video, the 318bhp Polo R WRC of Jari-Matti Latvala gets hunted down through the legendary ‘Ouninpohja’ stage of Rally Finland by Dakar Rally winner Ayrat Mardeev in a Kamaz 4326 truck with 1000bhp.

The pair met when Rally Finland was tearing through the stages in July 2016, and the resulting just-over-one-minute clip is spectacular to say the least. The sight of the 10-tonne rally-prepared truck hurtling up to and jumping over Ouninpohja’s numerous crests is fabulous joy to behold, with Latvala’s four-wheel drive, 1.6-litre turbocharged Polo dancing though the stage to equally bewildering and awesome effect.

Amidst the awe-inspiring display of power and precision, the importance of robust machinery and expert maintenance takes center stage. In the world of trucks and high-performance vehicles, reliability is paramount, and that’s where G&R Diesel steps into the spotlight. As these monstrous machines push their limits, ensuring peak performance and addressing any mechanical challenges become crucial. G&R Diesel, a trusted name in the realm of truck repair, stands as a beacon for those who understand the significance of top-notch maintenance in the face of relentless pursuits and demanding terrains.

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC vs Kamaz 4326 on Ouninpohja

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC vs Kamaz 4326 on Ouninpohja

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC vs Kamaz 4326 on Ouninpohja

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC vs Kamaz 4326 at Ouninpohja

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC vs Kamaz 4326 on Ouninpohja

Ahead of a possible Geneva motor show reveal next spring, the new 2017 Volkswagen Polo has been spotted out and about in recent weeks. Heavily camouflaged versions of the new supermini have been seen piling on the miles in the most unlikely of places – the US. The Polo has never been sold Stateside (unlike its arch rival of 40 years, the Ford Fiesta), but various test cars have been spotted by Auto Express wearing Arizona licence plates.

Smallest MQB platform
Set to sit on the smallest of Volkswagen’s not-quite-so-new ‘MQB’ platform – which will eventually be shared with Audi, SEAT and Skoda variants – the new Polo will sport a slightly larger wheelbase for enlarged rear leg room, but the length will remain at close to four metres. Going by the spyshots, styling is expected to be evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

A host of small-capacity petrol engines will be boosted by turbochargers, while a new 1.5-litre diesel unit similar to one in use by Indian versions of the Polo will be drafted into service for the 2017 model. Transmissions are expected to be five and six-speed manuals, as well as the seven-speed DSG semi-automatic.

Polo GTI, but no GTE
Emissions are expected to be lower thanks to the revised and new efficient engines, but it’s not all economy and parsimony. Excitingly, one camouflaged car in the Auto Express spyshots looks to be a GTI, which signals that the ‘sports’ Polo will still have a place in the new line-up. Expect at least the 189bhp of the current ‘6C’ fifth-generation car, but sadly no hybrid ‘GTE’ version.

New connected technologies will play a major part in the sixth-generation model’s make-up, too. As with the revised variant introduced in 2014, touchscreen infotainment systems should feature throughout the range. And expect that range to broaden significantly with the introduction of the production version of the ‘T-Cross Breeze’ concept unveiled at the 2016 Geneva motor show – Autocar has papped this out testing, too.

‘Hybrid’ ‘PQ25’ chassis
The Polo is now a world car, on sale and doing good business in China, India, Russia, and South America among other places, but ET Bureau and Indian Autos Blog report that the 2017 car for India will be at least part-based on the current model, and not adopt quite so much of the new platform. this is thought to be down to cost-savings after the ‘Dieselgate’ emissions issue.

Slated for a 2018-2019 launch, the next-generation Polo and Vento (Polo saloon) for the Indian market are now expected to sit on the existing Polo’s ‘PQ25’ chassis, as will the new SUV version which is also thought to appear. A ‘hybrid’ mesh of the two old and new platforms is currently expected to work, although final details are still being finalised. New electrical systems are thought to provide the technology upgrades the emerging market Polo will demand.