PoloDriver

After an appearance at the Geneva motor show earlier this year, the special edition and distinctive Polo Beats is now available to order in the UK. Prices start at £13,910 for the 59bhp 1.0 BlueMotion Technology (BMT) model with enhanced styling features and a 300-watt sound system which gives the car its name.

Eight-channel audio system
At the heart of the Polo Beats is the eight-channel, digital sound processor (DSP)-equipped super-sounding audio system provided by Californian music company Beats Electronics, more well-known for its range of hipster-friendly headphones. For comparison purposes, the standard Polo Match comes with an 80-watt sound system – the new Polo special ‘beats’ (sorry) that by almost four times.

Seven speakers – two A-pillar tweeters, two front door woofers, two broadband speakers in the rear and a spare wheel well subwoofer – come as standard and along with the DSP ‘delivers high-performance audio processing that gives clarity and definition’, according to Volkswagen. The car also speaks (shouts?) about its audio pedigree with ‘Beats’ side skirt decals, and B-pillar badges.

Further differentiators include 16-inch ‘Knight’ alloy wheels, darkened rear light units, a high-gloss black front grille, ‘Flash Red’, ‘Pure White’ or ‘Black’ door mirrors, and rear privacy glass. Inside, as well as the upgraded audio, is a pair of sport seats with alcantara side bolsters and ‘Beats’ cloth, red-striped seatbelts, LED footwell lighting, and ‘Cortina Silver’ centre console and air vent trim, as well as leatherette door panels, red-edged floor mats and ‘Beats’-branded door sill protectors.

Three or five doors, four engines
The Polo Beats comes with three or five doors, and a choice of four engines. A trio of 1.0 and 1.2-litre petrol engines offer power from 59 to 89bhp, while a 1.4-litre TDI version emits just 93g/km of CO2 and has a claimed economy figure of 83.1mpg. The petrol models offer emissions from 106 to 108g/km, and claimed economy from 58.9 to 60.1mpg. All have Volkswagen’s BlueMotion Technology, with the 1.2 TSI also having the option of a seven-speed DSG gearbox.

Slotting in-between the Match and SEL models, the Polo Beats features a 6.5-inch ‘Composition Media’ infotainment system, manual air conditioning, cruise control, and parking sensors. It also adds Volkswagen’s Car-Net ‘App-Connect’, which combines Apple ‘CarPlay’, Google ‘Android Auto’ and ‘MirrorLink’ and allows the ‘mirroring’ of the smartphone display on the infotainment touchscreen via a USB connection.

The Polo Beats is available to order from Volkswagen Retailers now, with first deliveries expected to arrive this month. For more details, visit www.volkswagen.co.uk.

2016 VOLKSWAGEN POLO BEATS PRICES (UK)
1.0 BMT 59bhp, 106g/km, five-speed manual, 3dr: £13,910
1.0 BMT 59bhp, 106g/km, five-speed manual, 5dr: £14,540
1.0 BMT 74bhp, 108g/km, five-speed manual, 3dr: £14,435
1.0 BMT 74bhp, 108g/km, five-speed manual, 5dr: £15,065

1.2 TSI BMT 89bhp, 107g/km, five-speed manual, 3dr: £15,055
1.2 TSI BMT 89bhp, 107g/km, five-speed manual, 5dr: £15,685
1.2 TSI BMT 89bhp, 109g/km, seven-speed DSG, 3dr: £16,430
1.2 TSI BMT 89bhp, 109g/km, seven-speed DSG, 5dr: £17,060
1.2 TSI BMT 89bhp, 109g/km, seven-speed DSG, 3dr: £16,430

1.4 TDI BMT 89bhp, 93g/km, five-speed manual, 3dr: £16,120
1.4 TDI BMT 89bhp, 93g/km, five-speed manual, 5dr: £16,750

After a strong start last month at the opening round in Portugal, Volkswagen RX Sweden drivers Johan Kristoffersson and Anton Marklund were out of luck at the World RX of Hockenheim, the second round of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship. Kristoffersson made the second semi-final and finished seventh overall at the event on 6-8 May, while Marklund was 15th.

Best results
Kristoffersson again showed the potential of the 600bhp Polo RX, the Swedish driver achieving the best results in the qualifying races, resulting in pole position in the second semi-final. The Volkswagen RX Sweden driver was second at the end of the first day of action at the iconic Formula 1 circuit. He also pulled off a killer move in the second round of qualifying by turning a spin into a leading move, soaring past other cars into the lead.

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Hockenheim: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Hockenheim: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Hockenheim: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Hockenheim: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Hockenheim: Kristoffersson

In that second semi-final, Kristoffersson’s Bauhaus-livered Polo got struck by championship leader Petter Solberg, though, which resulted in tyre and bodywork damage. However, the young Swede was still keen to put on a show for the assembled spectators at the 1.24km-long German track – which was also host to a round of the DTM the same weekend – and managed to retain the lead until the end of the fifth lap. He missed out on making the final by just one place, finishing fourth.

Poor grid position
Anton Marklund meanwhile was hampered by a poor grid position in Q1 and traffic in the majority of his races. Additionally, an incident with another car in Q1 made Marklund’s task even harder and he was forced to run in early qualifying races throughout the weekend, when the track was at its slowest. He was unable to fufill his potential and missed out on a place in the semi-finals.

EKS’ Mattias Ekström in his Audi S1 was the victor at the popular German circuit. In the overall drivers’ points table, Kristoffersson is now fourth with 39 points, while Marklund is 14th with nine points.Volkswagen RX Sweden remain second with 48 points in the team standings. The next round of the series – the World RX of Belgium – takes place on 13-15 May at Mettet in Belgium.

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Hockenheim: Marklund

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Hockenheim: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Hockenheim: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Hockenheim: Marklund

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Hockenheim: Kristoffersson

2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Petter Solberg, Citroën DS3: 48
2 Mattias Ekström, Audi S1: 48
3 Toomas Heikkinen, Audi S1: 45
4 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo: 39
5 Robin Larsson, Audi A1: 34

2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 EKS: 93
2 Volkswagen RX Sweden: 48
3 Hoonigan Racing Division: 40
4 Team Peugeot Hansen: 39
5 Ford Olsbergs MSE: 26

[Images: FIAWorldRallycross.com]

As last month, the Volkswagen Polo is once again the sixth best-selling car in the UK according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufactures and Traders (SMMT). A total of 4065 new Polos were registered in April 2016, while 19,225 examples of the small Volkswagen have been sold so far this year.

The Polo’s larger Golf sibling was second in the overall tally for April, behind the Ford Fiesta, seemingly un-knockable from its top spot. The Vauxhall Corsa meanwhile sits one place behind the Polo in seventh. Last month’s new car registration figures saw a 2.0 per cent rise to 189,505 cars – the largest April total since 2003, when 194,312 new vehicles found homes.

The latest figures show that Volkswagen was the second biggest brand in the UK during April, with registrations totalling 16,877, and a market share of 8.91 per cent. Both the private and fleet markets reported strong sales. ‘The good results over recent months reflect the high level of confidence within our UK retailer network,’ said Alex Smith, Director of Volkswagen UK.

The UK’s top 10 best-selling passenger cars during April 2016 and the year so far (sales figure and position in brackets) are as follows:

1 Ford Fiesta: 7913 (44,240, 1st)
2 Volkswagen Golf: 5645 (25,073, 4th)
3 Ford Focus: 5562 (26,218, 3rd)
4 Nissan Qashqai: 4460 (23,140, 5th)
5 Vauxhall Astra: 4132 (18,896, 7th)
6 Volkswagen Polo: 4063 (19,225, 6th)

7 Vauxhall Corsa: 4060 (28,639, 2nd)
8 Mercedes-Benz C Class: 3604 (14,391, 10th)
9 Kia Sportage: 3167
10 Audi A3: 3150 (16,196, 8th)

(The 2016 top 10 best-selling car absent from last month’s sales figures is the ninth-placed Vauxhall Mokka with 15,146 cars sold.)

After an eventful three days, Volkswagen Motorsport’s Sébastien Ogier and Andreas Mikkelsen stood on the second and third steps respectively of the 36th Rally Argentina podium. Hyundai Motorsport’s Hayden Paddon emerged victorious after an incident-packed fourth round of the 2016 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), which ran around the gravel tracks surrounding Córdoba from 21-24 April.

Second-fastest time
After a six-week break, the Volkswagen team were all ready for the 364.68km Argentine event and, along with Hyundai, set the pace on Shakedown. Recording the second and third fastest times, the Hannover-based outfit Jari-Matti Latvala and co-driver Miikka Anttila were in the leading Polo R WRC, with Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia third. Norwegians Mikkelsen and Anders Jæger were fifth.

Going into the action proper on the first special stage – a 1.5-km long spectator-lined spectacle in the centre of Córdoba – Volkswagen’s Ogier was keen to clinch victory as the South American round is the only one on the current WRC calendar the Frenchman is yet to win. It started well, with the Gap-born driver clocking the fastest time along with Hyundai’s Dani Sordo. Latvala finished twelfth, while Mikkelsen was just one place below his Finnish team-mate.

The first full day of action delivered action aplenty. Latvala and Anttila stormed ahead after 152 kilometres of stages to take the lead, leaving Ogier and Ingrassia trailing over seven seconds behind. Hyundai’s Hayden Paddon and John Kennard were an impressive third in the i20 WRC, one place ahead of Mikkelsen and Jæger.

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

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

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Argentina: Latvala/Anttila

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Argentina: Mikkelsen/Jaeger

2016 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Rally Argentina: Service

Spectacular crash
Still on a high after their victory at Rally Mexico last month, Latvia and Anttila were on a charge. Sadly, it wasn’t to last. On stage 14 of day two, the Finns spectacularly crashed out after hitting a rock at the side of the road. The number ‘2’ Polo R WRC rolled several times, and the damage to the car was so severe, the pair were forced to retire. The Finns’ exit was great shame, as Latvala had finally seemed to have broken his 2016 start-of-season run of bad luck.

Almost unbelievably, Latvala’s departure handed the rally lead to young Paddon, who was 29.8 seconds ahead of world champion Ogier. Going into the last four special stages and 55.28 kilometres of the final day, it was a David and Goliath battle to play for. Mikkelsen and Jæger had kept up the pace, too, and finished the day 14.5 seconds behind Ogier and Ingrassia.

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The 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship kicked off on 16-17 April with the first round of the 2016 series, the World RX of Portugal. Volkswagen RX Sweden driver Johan Kristoffersson found himself in third place in the overall drivers’ championship by the end of the – very muddy – action at Montalegre. Victory at the Portuguese 1.52km circuit went to former WRC ace Petter Solberg.

Sixth place
However, qualifying heats round one (Q1) winner Kristoffersson was awarded the Monster Energy Super Charge Award, after beating his competitors to the first corner of one of the semi-final races. The Swede ended the event in overall sixth place, but points amassed through setting fastest times in both the qualifying heats and one semi-final saw him higher in the overall standings.

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

Kristoffersson failed to match his 2015 World RX of Portugal win following an on-track collision with Solberg when the current World Rallycross champion exited his joker lap. The smash broke one of the Swedish driver’s driveshafts on his Polo RX Supercar.

For the 2016 series, the four timed qualifying rounds previously known as heats – which determine each driver’s position at the intermediate classification – are now called Qualifying. This is to fall in line with other World Championships run by the FIA. The four rounds will be called Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 for 2016.

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

2016 World RX of Portugal

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Portugal: Marklund

2016 Volkswagen Polo RX, World RX of Portugal: Kristoffersson

Polo RX potential shown
Kristoffersson’s Volkswagen RX Sweden team-mate Anton Maryland took his 600bhp Polo RX through to one of the semi-final races but failed to qualify to the last race itself. However, with both drivers scoring highly, the potential of the latest 1.9-seconds-to-62mph Polo RX was shown in Montalegre. Volkswagen RX Sweden is currently second in the teams’ championship overall standings.

The next round of the 2016 FIA World Rallycross Championship is the World RX of Hockenheim, which takes place on 6-8 May at the legendary F1 circuit.

2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
DRIVERS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 Petter Solberg, Citröen DS3: 29
2 Robin Larsson, Audi A1: 21
3 Johan Kristoffersson, Volkswagen Polo: 21
4 Toomas Heikkinen, Audi S1: 20
5 Andreas Bakkerud, Ford Focus RS: 20

2016 FIA WORLD RALLYCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP,
TEAMS’ CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1 EKS: 39
2 Volkswagen RX Sweden: 28
3 Team Peugeot Hansen: 26
4 Hoonigan Racing Division: 20
5 Ford Olsbergs MSE: 12

[Images: FIAWorldRallycross.com]